Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2021 Megan and Cass grew up spending summers together at their families’ vacation rentals. When they were five years old, they drew on a wall of the cottage, but instead of getting upset, the owner compliments them on their amazing artistic abilities. Cass’ mother supports her exploration of art, especially after the two move to Brooklyn, but Megan’s father is convinced that she will take over the family business. When Megan persuades her parents to let her spend three weeks with Cass in New York during the last summer vacation of high school, the two explore their artistry while Cass pushes Megan to break away from her strict parents. Cass, with her strong sense of self, and Megan, who is still discovering who she wants to be, ultimately clash in a big way, and while the two friends’ journey is difficult, it's heartwarming. The protagonists, with their large eyes and expressive features, resemble Disney princesses, and the textured coloring, in a varying pastel palette, makes the pages inviting and warm. Hand to fans of Kevin Panetta and Savannah Ganucheau's Bloom (2019). - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2021 Gr 8 Up—After spending eight summers together at a cabin in Topinabee, MI, childhood friends Megan and Cassandra parted ways at 13 when Cass moved to New York City after her parents' divorce. Years later, Megan convinces her overprotective parents to let her visit Cass in New York for three weeks while they are on a nearby business trip. Art brought the friends together back in Topinabee, but as they delve further into their shared passion, they realize their time apart and different family lives have led them in wildly divergent directions, on and off the canvas. The artwork has a pencil-sketch aesthetic, and the coloring alternates among understated shades of blue, green, and orange that take on a cotton-candy softness, complementing Megan's do-gooder personality while contrasting with Cass's exuberance and free-spiritedness. Though the art is stunning, the story is predictable and the main characters underdeveloped. That Megan's character growth happens off the page undermines her conflict between pleasing her parents and pursuing her dreams. Megan and Cass present as white, as do the majority of the secondary characters; Cass's sculptor friend Bahati appears to be Black. Small-scale but visible male frontal nude art, some cursing, and underage drinking are portrayed. VERDICT A beautifully depicted friendship and self-discovery story that misses the mark. An additional purchase.—Alea Perez, Elmhurst P.L., IL - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.