MAY 2018 - AudioFile
Michael Crouch and Sophie Amoss narrate Sam and Ilsa’s viewpoints in alternating chapters. The 18-year-old twins are hosting an extravagant dinner party to honor their grandmother—whom they lovingly refer as “Czarina”—who is giving up her rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan. The six eccentric guests bring big personalities, Dolly Parton action figures, and a sock puppet that is treated like a story character. Fans of Cohn and Levithan’s other books will likely enjoy this story, but they may find the audiobook confusing. There are lengthy sections of dialogue where the narrators don’t differentiate the characters’ voices effectively enough for listeners to tell who is speaking. Additionally, the same characters are voiced by two different narrators, which makes the characterizations seem inconsistent. S.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
01/29/2018
Nearly 18-year-old twins Ilsa and Sam are throwing a final dinner party at their grandmother Czarina’s rent-controlled apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The party is final for two reasons: Czarina has finally agreed to sell her lease for an outrageous sum of money, allowing her to move to Paris, and the twins are graduating from high school. Described by Sam and Ilsa in alternating chapters, the dinner does not turn out as either anticipated. The twins and some of their guests are harboring secrets and grudges, and by the time the evening is over none of the relationships is quite the same. In their fifth collaboration, Cohn and Levithan (The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily) present another love letter to New York City while exploring a complicated sibling relationship. The duo excels at creating witty characters who deal with real-life struggles in heartwarming, humorous ways, but this novel’s funny moments rely less on sharp banter than on snarky comments made by a sock puppet named Caspian, undercutting some of its emotional impact. Ages 12–up. Agent: (for Cohn) Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, William Morris Endeavor; (for Levithan) Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
"It is purely a pleasure to see these characters bounce off one another."—VOYA, starred review
"The duo excels at creating witty characters who deal with real-life struggles in heartwarming, humorous ways" –Publishers Weekly
"A satisfying blend of entertaining quirkiness and thought-provoking wisdom for teens on the brink of what’s next." –Bulletin
School Library Journal
02/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Sam and Ilsa, twins in New York City about to graduate and head off into adulthood, plan one last delectable dinner party at their grandmother's rent-controlled deluxe apartment (while she's in Paris) before it is sold. Each is responsible for half of the guest list, and each has kept their half a secret. On each list are strangers, friends, exes, and more. Anxious Sam and rebellious Ilsa will come to terms with their plans for the future and for what might have been from the past. Should Sam push himself to leave his safe fortress in the city to pursue his musical dreams? Should Ilsa pass up on her chance at college to stay near home as a nanny? Teens will sympathize with the sensation of being on the brink of adulthood, and feeling as if the future hinges on the choices made in this one moment. Sam and Ilsa are well off, and their conversations and dinner parties seem a little pretentious. But the sincerity of the characters' emotions elevates the story. While the guests at the party are easily distinguishable, we really learn the most about Sam and Ilsa; by the end of this short novel, readers will cheer for the difficult choices they make. VERDICT Fans of Cohn and Levithan's previous collaborations will enjoy this one as well.—Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ
MAY 2018 - AudioFile
Michael Crouch and Sophie Amoss narrate Sam and Ilsa’s viewpoints in alternating chapters. The 18-year-old twins are hosting an extravagant dinner party to honor their grandmother—whom they lovingly refer as “Czarina”—who is giving up her rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan. The six eccentric guests bring big personalities, Dolly Parton action figures, and a sock puppet that is treated like a story character. Fans of Cohn and Levithan’s other books will likely enjoy this story, but they may find the audiobook confusing. There are lengthy sections of dialogue where the narrators don’t differentiate the characters’ voices effectively enough for listeners to tell who is speaking. Additionally, the same characters are voiced by two different narrators, which makes the characterizations seem inconsistent. S.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-02-05
This farcical dramedy takes you from appetizers to dessert—but may not leave you feeling sated.It's senior year for brother and sister Sam and Ilsa and time for one final dinner party at their grandmother Czarina's rent-controlled apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. (Czarina's forebears fled Eastern Europe during the pogroms.) The rules are simple: The twins may each invite three people and see how the guests interact. On Sam's side are Ilsa's ex, the suave, ballroom-dancing, Dominican and African-American Parker; Sam's own ex, Jason Goldstein-Chung; and Johan, an Afrikaner whom Sam fell in lust with on the subway. Ilsa's list consists of her school friend Li Zhang; the rude socialite KK Kingsley (presumed white); and Frederyk Podhalanski, a blond Polish exchange student who communicates mostly through his sock puppet, Caspian. Over the course of the evening (narrated in alternating chapters from Ilsa's and Sam's points of view), this mix of former, current, and future lovers fight, drink, scream at one another, drink, philosophize, drink, and (you guessed it) drink some more. The tone of the book is humorous, although it often toes the farcical line from well on the other side. That rare breed of teen reader who quotes Auntie Mame, Absolutely Fabulous, and Neil Simon will devour this, but others may find the characters and scenario excessively mannered.This sweet treat of a story is akin to a croquembouche—light, rich, and delicious but nutritionally lacking. (Fiction. 14-18)
