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hellomadalyn's review against another edition
4.0
*4.5 stars*
This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content warnings: grief, death, drowning
I am having such good luck with these fabulist YA contemporaries coming out this summer. Wild Blue Wonder was a sweet, unexpected gem of a novel, complete with a summer camp setting, alternating timelines, lush writing, and touches of magic.
Wild Blue Wonder alternates between two timelines, both told from the main character, Quinn’s, perspective. We follow Quinn in present day (during the fall/winter), as well as over the course of the previous summer. We find out that some large event happened at the end of summer that changed Quinn’s relationships with everyone in her life, but this event is not immediately revealed. The contrast between the brightness and love Quinn feels during the summer and the blanket of grief that covers her family in the winter was so well-done and really served to emphasize the ways in which tragedy changes people.
I adored the setting of this story. Quinn’s family owns a summer camp called The Hundreds, which serves over 800 campers every summer. However, I especially enjoyed reading about The Hundreds during the winter off-season. Even though it was empty of campers, it still held a particular kind of magic. Summer camp stories are one of my favorite YA contemporary tropes to read.
I would be remiss not to mention that Wild Blue Wonder is written beautifully. The fabulist elements Sorosiak incorporated into this story served to make the reading experience even more immersive. A huge plot point involves Quinn searching out the sea monster rumored to live in the lake on her family’s property. This mirrors Quinn’s personal experience of viewing herself as a monster because of her perceived role in what happened over the summer. Even with these glimpses of magic, this story is firmly rooted in real-world problems and themes.
Friendship and family are a constant throughout both parts of Wild Blue Wonder. Quinn’s family is extremely tight-knit, but she and her two siblings have grown apart since the events of the summer. Her parents and grandmother are trying desperately to piece their family back together while at the same time having to cope with their own grief. Quinn’s grandmother, in particular, was a favorite. She’s the wise, hippie grandmother who gives Quinn the advice she needs to hear, even when it may not necessarily be what she wants to hear. Quinn’s best friend, Hana, was such a great friend to Quinn throughout this story. There is a romance, as well, between Quinn and Alexander, the new kid in town. Though it plays a bit of a background role to Quinn’s own personal growth and her relationships with her family and herself, the romance was still very sweet and adorably awkward. It definitely added to the story.
Overall, Wild Blue Wonder surprised me with its combination of atmosphere and depth. It tackles the complicated process of forgiving yourself and others and processing grief. The family dynamic is refreshing, and the camp setting makes this a perfect summer read for lovers of more serious YA contemporaries. I can’t wait to pick up more of Carlie Sorosiak’s writing now!
This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content warnings: grief, death, drowning
I am having such good luck with these fabulist YA contemporaries coming out this summer. Wild Blue Wonder was a sweet, unexpected gem of a novel, complete with a summer camp setting, alternating timelines, lush writing, and touches of magic.
Wild Blue Wonder alternates between two timelines, both told from the main character, Quinn’s, perspective. We follow Quinn in present day (during the fall/winter), as well as over the course of the previous summer. We find out that some large event happened at the end of summer that changed Quinn’s relationships with everyone in her life, but this event is not immediately revealed. The contrast between the brightness and love Quinn feels during the summer and the blanket of grief that covers her family in the winter was so well-done and really served to emphasize the ways in which tragedy changes people.
I adored the setting of this story. Quinn’s family owns a summer camp called The Hundreds, which serves over 800 campers every summer. However, I especially enjoyed reading about The Hundreds during the winter off-season. Even though it was empty of campers, it still held a particular kind of magic. Summer camp stories are one of my favorite YA contemporary tropes to read.
I would be remiss not to mention that Wild Blue Wonder is written beautifully. The fabulist elements Sorosiak incorporated into this story served to make the reading experience even more immersive. A huge plot point involves Quinn searching out the sea monster rumored to live in the lake on her family’s property. This mirrors Quinn’s personal experience of viewing herself as a monster because of her perceived role in what happened over the summer. Even with these glimpses of magic, this story is firmly rooted in real-world problems and themes.
Friendship and family are a constant throughout both parts of Wild Blue Wonder. Quinn’s family is extremely tight-knit, but she and her two siblings have grown apart since the events of the summer. Her parents and grandmother are trying desperately to piece their family back together while at the same time having to cope with their own grief. Quinn’s grandmother, in particular, was a favorite. She’s the wise, hippie grandmother who gives Quinn the advice she needs to hear, even when it may not necessarily be what she wants to hear. Quinn’s best friend, Hana, was such a great friend to Quinn throughout this story. There is a romance, as well, between Quinn and Alexander, the new kid in town. Though it plays a bit of a background role to Quinn’s own personal growth and her relationships with her family and herself, the romance was still very sweet and adorably awkward. It definitely added to the story.
Overall, Wild Blue Wonder surprised me with its combination of atmosphere and depth. It tackles the complicated process of forgiving yourself and others and processing grief. The family dynamic is refreshing, and the camp setting makes this a perfect summer read for lovers of more serious YA contemporaries. I can’t wait to pick up more of Carlie Sorosiak’s writing now!
teajamiee's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
lookingforamandaa's review against another edition
4.0
Wild Blue Wonder was a wonderful story about siblings and grief and learning how to move forward after the death of someone important. This story is told in the past as well as the present. In the past, Quinn talks about how and when she fell in love with Dylan. The only problem with this is that Dylan is her best friend, but he’s also her siblings’ best friend and they might be in love with him too. I thought the chapters told in the past were really interesting. They were told in a suspenseful way that also enlightened us on the characters, made me care about them even more. It really gave perspective for how much things have changed for the siblings in the present. In the present, Quinn and her brother and sister can barely look at one another. They fight all the time or just ignore each other. It made me really sad to see them this way after getting to see them together during camp the previous year. I really liked the progress that the three made toward the end of the book. While this story was primarily about Quinn and how she was working on moving forward after the death of her best friend, which she views as her fault, there were some really great moments with the three of them toward the end. As with any horrible situation, like a best friend dying, each sibling has their own issues that they’re holding onto about it. I really loved the conclusion of the story when the three come back together and finally talk and work through what each of them are feeling and why they’re hurting. I just loved the family dynamic. Along with Quinn’s brother and sister, she also lives with her parents and her grandmother. I loved Quinn’s relationship with her grandmother. She always just seems to know what Quinn needs to help her feel a little better. They rebuild one of her grandfather’s boats together and it really was a wonderful part of the story.
Overall, I just really enjoyed this book. It was sad and heartbreaking, but there was real character growth and I loved these characters so much that it made my heart so happy to see them all work through their bad stuff and try to move forward. I also really liked Quinn’s friends. They were supportive and did their best to stand by her and help hold her together. I also liked how this story was diverse and inclusive. Quinn’s older brother was gay and that was explored a bit in both the past and present timelines. I thought this was a great story and I would definitely recommend it.
Quotes:
“My mother used to tell me that sometimes when a woman's in darkness, she doesn't need a goddamn flashlight. She needs another woman to stand in the dark by her side.”
“I could sell some of them -- get a good chuck of change. But these were Grandpa's. In my mind, these are Grandpa's. All around us, this is my grief. And my grief fills the entire barn.”
“I chisel with frigid, numb hands. I scoop out crevices and corners, work over this spot and that spot again and again, dig out this disease that’s infecting everything. It’s the only way to begin.”
Overall, I just really enjoyed this book. It was sad and heartbreaking, but there was real character growth and I loved these characters so much that it made my heart so happy to see them all work through their bad stuff and try to move forward. I also really liked Quinn’s friends. They were supportive and did their best to stand by her and help hold her together. I also liked how this story was diverse and inclusive. Quinn’s older brother was gay and that was explored a bit in both the past and present timelines. I thought this was a great story and I would definitely recommend it.
Quotes:
“My mother used to tell me that sometimes when a woman's in darkness, she doesn't need a goddamn flashlight. She needs another woman to stand in the dark by her side.”
“I could sell some of them -- get a good chuck of change. But these were Grandpa's. In my mind, these are Grandpa's. All around us, this is my grief. And my grief fills the entire barn.”
“I chisel with frigid, numb hands. I scoop out crevices and corners, work over this spot and that spot again and again, dig out this disease that’s infecting everything. It’s the only way to begin.”
runningonbooks's review against another edition
5.0
It is extremely hard for me to put into words just how much I loved Wild Blue Wonder. At first it was hard to get into I am usually not a fan of books that go back and forth from one time to another but this book was easy to get used to it and was really hard to put down. It goes from June/July to Fall/Winter reliving Quinn’s memories from the summer to the present and the way she is coping.
Wild Blue Wonder is a book about tragedy that shows us through the process of moving forward. For anyone that has gone through a tragedy knows there really is no way to completely heal and move on. There are many variations of acceptance and living your life and for Quinn it is the understanding that what happened was not her fault.
Wild Blue Wonder is a book about tragedy that shows us through the process of moving forward. For anyone that has gone through a tragedy knows there really is no way to completely heal and move on. There are many variations of acceptance and living your life and for Quinn it is the understanding that what happened was not her fault.
saigebe's review against another edition
5.0
I normally don't write reviews but I really think this book deserves one. 5 STARS!!! I found myself laughing in the middle of class at this book but also found myself crying because of it. This is just one of those rare finds that brings you such a mixture of emotions but is so darn good!! I feel like Sorosiak put a certain level of realness to this book with Quinn feeling like she was a monster and blaming herself for Dylan's death. Many people have to face that in life and it sometimes just doesn't seem that real in books. To sum it all up, I already want to reread this book and will be recommending it to plenty of my friends.
lottie_j's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ronimac74's review against another edition
4.0
A good story about redemption and finding forgiveness in yourself.
anastasiacarrow's review against another edition
4.0
cool setting and pretty writing, idk if i was feeling the relationships (siblings or love interest) so much but good overall!
browncharlotte18's review against another edition
I found the characters to be quite cringy, especially the British dude.