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cjwicker's review
1.0
There wasn’t anything glaringly wrong, but this just wasn’t my cup of tea. I read YA a decent amount and sometimes even though I’m not a teen I find I can relate to the main characters but not this time. The miscommunication as conflict is a trope I don’t like. Also, while I love a book that talks about race, LGBT+ people, etc I feel like a lot of those things were just socketed into the plot vs just being an inherent part of who the characters were? It felt like the author had a list of points they wanted to make and pasted them in vs letting those issues arise naturally.
utopiastateofmind's review
4.0
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Home and Away is a book that rocks you to the core. It's a book that has constant reveals that make you gasp aloud. Or is that just me? It's a book that asks us questions about family. Everything from can we forgive our family - to what happens when our family isn't who they say they are? Tasia's world turns on edge, over the edge, and sideways. Nothing is the same and to the world, it looks the same.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-home-and-away-by-candice-montgomery/
Home and Away is a book that rocks you to the core. It's a book that has constant reveals that make you gasp aloud. Or is that just me? It's a book that asks us questions about family. Everything from can we forgive our family - to what happens when our family isn't who they say they are? Tasia's world turns on edge, over the edge, and sideways. Nothing is the same and to the world, it looks the same.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-home-and-away-by-candice-montgomery/
juliamariereads's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. HOME AND AWAY brings together the complexities of identity in really excellent ways that I know teens need, because I could’ve used this book when I was one. Really looking forward to what Montgomery puts out next!
mxmreads's review
5.0
I loved this beautiful book. The writing was amazing, the story *real* and human and full of complexities. I loved the layered characters, the deeply complex family and friendship dynamics and I adored the love the main characters shared with each other, no matter how frail or complicated their connection might be at times.
Plus, the questions and feelings and problems surrounding the simple request for honesty were incredible. Perfect and relatable and *real*. Very recommended.
Plus, the questions and feelings and problems surrounding the simple request for honesty were incredible. Perfect and relatable and *real*. Very recommended.
alyssakeiko's review
I loved this as I knew I would!! There's so much heart in this book. I love it.
trinielf's review
5.0
Wow I really loved this debut. I was so lucky to win an ARC and very quickly fell in love with Tasia "Taze" Quirk our black girl football playing MC. It's all told from her POV and damn my feelings took a hit. They were allll over the place because Taze is going through some internal turmoil after some truths about herself come to light.
Taze by herself is such an amazing character. So well fleshed out. But then we see Taze interacting with others and damn i love a messy, makes mistakes all over the place trying to find themselves characters. This book is very much about identity and family. The ones we grow up with and the ones we form.
I loved the relationship between Taze and her bro Tristan. As with her mom and dad, the sibling relationship becomes strained after it's revealed her mom's been lying to her about who her dad really is.
That propels allll of Taze's actions after and puts her on the path to trying to find out who she is and while that journey allows her to meet a whole new set of people who eventually become a key part in her life she sorta pushes from the family she's known her entire life and her friends too. I mean she's angry after being lied to so it makes for some heavyyyy emotional scenes i think which were so well executed. I was alll up in my feels so yup.
The cast of characters here are so interesting, each in their own right and even as we are introduced to a lot of people they never over shadow Taze. This is her story and journey and the author did a great job of balancing that. And Kaiiiiiii damn i loved that kid. he's second only to Taze. My arsty bi son yessss.
Each new character we meet felt so full and like I'd want to know more about their back stories. They were all so multifaceted and interesting. And there were so many powerful and great scenes in here. Like Taze taking a knee during one of her games, the negative reactions she got and two other black kids on the team joining her. Her friendship with her bestie Stacy (Slim), which IMO perfectly showed how sometimes we mess up with the people we love the most and it can be really hard to talk it out and forgive.
Oh man. Taze's bro's list about forgiveness was another powerful scene to me. Just...i would love for this book to be required reading for schools. There are sooo many themes explored here in such great ways! I would've loved a book like this to dissect when i was in school for real!
I'm gonna need everybody to preorder, buy, shout bout this book when it's out. It's really so great!
Taze by herself is such an amazing character. So well fleshed out. But then we see Taze interacting with others and damn i love a messy, makes mistakes all over the place trying to find themselves characters. This book is very much about identity and family. The ones we grow up with and the ones we form.
I loved the relationship between Taze and her bro Tristan. As with her mom and dad, the sibling relationship becomes strained after it's revealed her mom's been lying to her about who her dad really is.
That propels allll of Taze's actions after and puts her on the path to trying to find out who she is and while that journey allows her to meet a whole new set of people who eventually become a key part in her life she sorta pushes from the family she's known her entire life and her friends too. I mean she's angry after being lied to so it makes for some heavyyyy emotional scenes i think which were so well executed. I was alll up in my feels so yup.
The cast of characters here are so interesting, each in their own right and even as we are introduced to a lot of people they never over shadow Taze. This is her story and journey and the author did a great job of balancing that. And Kaiiiiiii damn i loved that kid. he's second only to Taze. My arsty bi son yessss.
Each new character we meet felt so full and like I'd want to know more about their back stories. They were all so multifaceted and interesting. And there were so many powerful and great scenes in here. Like Taze taking a knee during one of her games, the negative reactions she got and two other black kids on the team joining her. Her friendship with her bestie Stacy (Slim), which IMO perfectly showed how sometimes we mess up with the people we love the most and it can be really hard to talk it out and forgive.
Oh man. Taze's bro's list about forgiveness was another powerful scene to me. Just...i would love for this book to be required reading for schools. There are sooo many themes explored here in such great ways! I would've loved a book like this to dissect when i was in school for real!
I'm gonna need everybody to preorder, buy, shout bout this book when it's out. It's really so great!
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