Down by the River

Marybeth has spent her school years pining for a boy who never notices her, then finds herself drawn to an older man during her senior year — and C.S. Adler doesn't flinch from the emotional complexity that creates. The characterization is unsentimental and rings true to how adolescent longing can cloud a young woman's judgment. Adler was a respected YA voice in the early 1980s, and that craft shows. The honest caveat parents need: the central premise is an age-gap attraction involving a teenage girl, which raises real vulnerability concerns. Younger teens especially should have a parent preview this one. As a coming-of-age portrait it has genuine merit, but the subject matter and limited modern critical context keep it from a confident recommendation.