MAY 2019 - AudioFile
Two narrators deliver alternating chapters, portraying characters who are linked by an odd situation and by their determination to understand their futures. British narrator Anthony Mark Barrow depicts Hugo, one of a set of sextuplets. His clipped speech hints at the emotional depth beneath his words. When his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell, breaks up with him, leaving him with a nonredeemable cross-country train ticket in her name, Hugo advertises for a new companion with the same name. A girl named Mae applies. She’s seeking adventure after being rejected by USC’s film school. Karissa Vacker expresses Mae’s artistic dreaminess and tendency to shut out those around her. Both narrators express the characters’ mutual attraction as they develop a connection, and, then, deeper feelings. S.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
12/17/2018
When Hugo Wilkinson and his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell—both from Surrey, England—break up before university, he’s left with tickets for a rail trip across the United States that she had planned for them. But the trip is nontransferable, and all of the reservations are in her name, so Hugo can’t go unless he can find a replacement Margaret Campbell. The timing couldn’t be better for Margaret “Mae” Campbell from New York’s Hudson Valley (she’s just been rejected from USC’s film school and needs a distraction), who finds Hugo’s notice for a travel companion through social media. When the two first meet at New York’s Penn Station, it’s not exactly love at first sight, but after sharing close quarters, exploring new cities, and confiding their dreams and disappointments, passion begins to ignite. Told from the protagonists’ alternating perspectives and offering a well-rounded cast of secondary characters (especially sextuplet Hugo’s siblings and Mae’s feisty grandmother), this novel by Smith (Windfall) gives a contemporary twist to the tried-and-true plot of two strangers falling in love on a train. A coming-of-age story as well as a romance, it offers authentic, complementary protagonists while capturing the thrill of exploring new territory. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
A Junior Library Guild Selection
"Romance novels can titillate, inspire, intoxicate, and more—but then sometimes they reach in and touch something essential in you. Jennifer E. Smith’s Field Notes on Love is a YA romance that does just that....[it] is one of the loveliest, most touching romances of 2019 thus far that gets at the nature of something deeply buried in all of our hearts." —Entertainment Weekly
"This warm, romantic, never overly sentimental story is told with humor and heart....A deeply satisfying read about a life-changing journey full of poignant moments."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Hugo and Mae's alternating viewpoints are rich and introspective, and this will appeal to any teen that appreciates a thoughtful love story." —Booklist
School Library Journal
02/01/2019
Gr 9 Up—Eighteen-year-old Hugo Wilkerson is one of the famous sixtuplets born in Surrey, England, where his childhood has been a series of publicity events. Now he is ambivalent about starting school at the local university, which has given the Wilkerson siblings a full scholarship in exchange for ongoing interviews. When Hugo's girlfriend, Margaret, breaks up with him, she urges him to go without her on the cross-country train trip they had planned in America. Because the tickets are in her name and non-transferable, he posts an ad online looking for another Margaret Campbell to be his travel companion. When Mae, an aspiring filmmaker from New York, and rising freshman at the University of Southern California, sends Hugo a short film in response, she has no idea what she's getting herself into. The two teenagers meet at New York City's Penn Station as awkward strangers, and set out on a week-long adventure across the country that brings them joy and heartache. Smith's novel is a feel-good, page-turning romance. The charming British characteristics of Hugo contrast humorously with Mae's tough-girl New York grit, making delightful drama. The author explores what it means to seek independence, while still clinging to childhood comforts. The intriguing backdrop of train travel gives the story a nostalgic mood, perfect for the soul-searching that the two teens engage in. VERDICT A highly readable and enjoyable choice for libraries serving teens, especially those with a demand for literary romance.—Karin Greenberg, Manhasset High School, Manhasset, NY
MAY 2019 - AudioFile
Two narrators deliver alternating chapters, portraying characters who are linked by an odd situation and by their determination to understand their futures. British narrator Anthony Mark Barrow depicts Hugo, one of a set of sextuplets. His clipped speech hints at the emotional depth beneath his words. When his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell, breaks up with him, leaving him with a nonredeemable cross-country train ticket in her name, Hugo advertises for a new companion with the same name. A girl named Mae applies. She’s seeking adventure after being rejected by USC’s film school. Karissa Vacker expresses Mae’s artistic dreaminess and tendency to shut out those around her. Both narrators express the characters’ mutual attraction as they develop a connection, and, then, deeper feelings. S.W. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-11-13
Hugo Wilkinson, one of the "Surrey Six" sextuplets from Surrey, England, has been looking forward to a train trip across America with his girlfriend, Margaret Campbell.
It would be a rare moment away from his siblings and the public scrutiny that will only get worse when they all enter university on a scholarship from a wealthy alumnus. But Hugo is blindsided when Margaret breaks up with him and he realizes her name is the only one on all their nonrefundable, nontransferable tickets and reservations. Margaret "Mae" Campbell lives in Hudson Valley, New York, with two loving gay dads and a doting Nana and was rejected by her dream film school. Discovering Hugo's post seeking another Margaret Campbell to travel with, she applies to join him. After some initial awkwardness, the two form a connection. Hugo is loyal to his siblings, but he secretly wants something different for himself. Mae, who appears confident, has kept a part of herself hidden. As they travel, she interviews passengers, and their revelations spark a change in her. This warm, romantic, never overly sentimental story is told with humor and heart, the cinematic narrative easily moving between the two likable, charming protagonists. The well-portrayed supporting cast members, especially Hugo's siblings and Mae's Nana, appear in texts and video calls, providing insight into the protagonists. Hugo is biracial (black and white), and Mae is white.
A deeply satisfying read about a life-changing journey full of poignant moments. (Romance. 12-18)