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themoonphoenix's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
minamina's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
You could feel the passion the author put in her words. I could identify myself in a lot of matters Tilla dealt with and the first half, I really liked how the author portrayed Tilla‘s processing of thoughts. The torn feeling of belonging to a place you’re not familiar with realllyyyy got elaborated perfectly here. Tilla doesn’t have a place to call home yet and she tries and tries and TRIES to find it in a country that seems to reject her. I get that.
Still, many things became irritating.
First of all, the dialogue seemed unnatural. And I do not mean by the local people, but by the protagonist herself. If teenagers talked like that, you’d laugh into their face. Additionally, the sentences began to feel so dramatic that I had to scrunch my noise. There is a thin line between poetic and cheesy, and sadly I think this book hit the latter one. Plus, the word beautiful was used many times as something significant, and it was cool at first but felt bland after the forth time.
Not one of the characters were redeemable and I had to ask myself countless times if there is anything good in Tilla‘s stay.
Severe and fragile issues such as rape were incredibly overlooked.
Spoiler:
Tilla didn’t even process what has happened. I’m not telling the character how to handle it since it’s individual, but at least one paragraph to digest what has happened would be better than add rape merely for the plot.
Many things happened for the plot, actually. A certain death to the end, for example. It crushed me and broke the single speck of hope for the ending of the book. I repeat, nothing was redeemable in this book. Everything was irreversible. And still, Tilla concludes it like it’s a positive thing, which sounds like an extreme amount of denial here.
All the characters that did her wrong still didn’t get what they deserve. Only the good ones got the worst fates. And I wonder why? You can’t call this „life“ by putting all the hard ship in a few pages and gloss over them, and process them as „beautiful destructions“.
And Hessan. I had a bad feeling throughout, their love quickened and seemed imbalanced. There was no space to second guess his intentions with her. Since the narrator, Tilla, fell head over heels for him I started to enjoy their relationship, until—guess what—it got destructed to its core.
Again, this isn’t „life“, this is just something that has been added to spice up the plot.
At least she didn’t forgive him.
Still, many things became irritating.
First of all, the dialogue seemed unnatural. And I do not mean by the local people, but by the protagonist herself. If teenagers talked like that, you’d laugh into their face. Additionally, the sentences began to feel so dramatic that I had to scrunch my noise. There is a thin line between poetic and cheesy, and sadly I think this book hit the latter one. Plus, the word beautiful was used many times as something significant, and it was cool at first but felt bland after the forth time.
Not one of the characters were redeemable and I had to ask myself countless times if there is anything good in Tilla‘s stay.
Severe and fragile issues such as rape were incredibly overlooked.
Spoiler:
Tilla didn’t even process what has happened. I’m not telling the character how to handle it since it’s individual, but at least one paragraph to digest what has happened would be better than add rape merely for the plot.
Many things happened for the plot, actually. A certain death to the end, for example. It crushed me and broke the single speck of hope for the ending of the book. I repeat, nothing was redeemable in this book. Everything was irreversible. And still, Tilla concludes it like it’s a positive thing, which sounds like an extreme amount of denial here.
All the characters that did her wrong still didn’t get what they deserve. Only the good ones got the worst fates. And I wonder why? You can’t call this „life“ by putting all the hard ship in a few pages and gloss over them, and process them as „beautiful destructions“.
And Hessan. I had a bad feeling throughout, their love quickened and seemed imbalanced. There was no space to second guess his intentions with her. Since the narrator, Tilla, fell head over heels for him I started to enjoy their relationship, until—guess what—it got destructed to its core.
Again, this isn’t „life“, this is just something that has been added to spice up the plot.
At least she didn’t forgive him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Bullying, and Misogyny
aveneg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Rape
lovereadingxo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.0
In this own voices, coming-of-age novel, we meet Tilla - an 18-year-old who has spent most of her life yearning for the love of a father who keeps leaving their family for his homeland, Jamaica. And as the story begins, that's where Tilla and her little sister Mia are headed for the summer.
Her time there will prove to be life-changing, and the novel gets real dark, real quick. It touches on many heavy topics – colourism, slut shaming, s*xual assault, death – but it isn’t done with enough finesse to make the reader feel like there’s a balance to the time Tilla spends in Jamaica.
So many things go wrong, and there’s the constant looming threat of the hurricane, so it’s hard to really see the beauty in the novel, the country.
“This place… this land… it’s been paradise. But it’s also been poison.”
I love how much Patois is used, and while the author provides a ‘word bank’, I didn’t need it – the context usually made it clear. Maybe that’s why it frustrated me so much that Tilla – whose father supposedly spoke Patois all the time – constantly kept asking “what does that mean?”
But that’s only one of many things that made her character hard to connect with.
Granted, Tilla has lived a mostly sheltered life, but you're telling me that nothing has toughened her up, even a little bit? She can’t bring herself to say ‘no’, even when she really should.
The only times Tilla truly stands up for herself is to her father and aunt, and those circumstances felt... over the top. Like the author was trying to make up for what a pushover she’d been.
Tilla also seems much younger than 18. If she was 15, I would have found ‘Hurricane Summer’ more believable and enjoyable.
Other issues: The big plot twist towards the end felt completely gratuitous, no one suffers consequences for their actions and the author tends to overwrite, especially towards the end.
What I liked: The setting and its vibrancy, Tilla and Andre’s friendship, and how authentic it all felt.
There were touching moments and I found the novel interesting, but I really wanted to love it and I just didn’t.
Her time there will prove to be life-changing, and the novel gets real dark, real quick. It touches on many heavy topics – colourism, slut shaming, s*xual assault, death – but it isn’t done with enough finesse to make the reader feel like there’s a balance to the time Tilla spends in Jamaica.
So many things go wrong, and there’s the constant looming threat of the hurricane, so it’s hard to really see the beauty in the novel, the country.
“This place… this land… it’s been paradise. But it’s also been poison.”
I love how much Patois is used, and while the author provides a ‘word bank’, I didn’t need it – the context usually made it clear. Maybe that’s why it frustrated me so much that Tilla – whose father supposedly spoke Patois all the time – constantly kept asking “what does that mean?”
But that’s only one of many things that made her character hard to connect with.
Granted, Tilla has lived a mostly sheltered life, but you're telling me that nothing has toughened her up, even a little bit? She can’t bring herself to say ‘no’, even when she really should.
The only times Tilla truly stands up for herself is to her father and aunt, and those circumstances felt... over the top. Like the author was trying to make up for what a pushover she’d been.
Tilla also seems much younger than 18. If she was 15, I would have found ‘Hurricane Summer’ more believable and enjoyable.
Other issues: The big plot twist towards the end felt completely gratuitous, no one suffers consequences for their actions and the author tends to overwrite, especially towards the end.
What I liked: The setting and its vibrancy, Tilla and Andre’s friendship, and how authentic it all felt.
There were touching moments and I found the novel interesting, but I really wanted to love it and I just didn’t.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, and Rape
jooniethemoonie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's quite long but hard hitting. Brings you on the journey of a girl learning to stand for herself, in a country that runs through her bones but does not welcome her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Moderate: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Death, and Blood
Minor: Cursing and Injury/Injury detail
bookishmay_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Classism, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Body shaming
Minor: Slavery
readingwithtrey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Book Review || ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Everyone has that one summer. The summer that changes your life. It passes through you like a hurricane, leaving as quickly as it came. But once it has torn through you, nothing can ever be the same. You are changed.”
It is so hard to find the words to adequately express how I feel about this book. And it’s so hard to talk about any of it without giving anything away. I will say that it was completely heartbreaking. I also have never felt so much rage toward fictional characters in my life 😅.
I just have no words. This left me completely wrecked and devastated. While I highly recommend it, you’ll want to be in a good emotional/mental space and check the content warnings beforehand.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Grief, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Infidelity
Minor: Cancer
whatdebsreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual harassment
hannahslit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield is a brilliant, blistering debut.
Seventeen year old Canadian teen Tilla and her nine year old sister Mia have been sent to stay with their father in the countryside of Jamaica for the summer. Tilla expects she may have to confront how she feels about the father that is largely absent from herself, her mother and her sister’s lives, but she isn’t prepared for what awaits her in country: people that view her as a privileged foreigner and a multitude of secrets that her presence threatens to expose.
First love, friendship and exploring the land (Bromfield gives readers gorgeous descriptions of Manchester, Jamaica) are amongst the more tender parts of this novel, however it is a story that reckons with a lot of trauma.
Described as a coming of age story that examines the transition from girlhood to a young woman and the complicated relationship between a young woman and her absent father, Hurricane Summer also tackles colourism, sexism, misogyny, infidelity, domestic abuse, incest, abortion, sexual assault, immigration, abandonment, grief, poverty, class, privilege and more.
Not all of the issues are adequately covered, however I admire the authors attempt to raise awareness to these serious issues to a young adult audience.
The patois is accurate and Bromfield captures the easy humour of Jamaicans very well. Tilla’s story is quite an extreme depiction of reactions to people ‘from foreign’, though I do feel Bromfield shows what it feels like to be the butt of a joke everyone appears to be in on.
Andres death was unfortunate as he was the only consistently kind character and didn’t get to experience a different kind of life away from the hostility he was exposed to. There could have been a different way to show readers Tilla’s growth without killing him.
An unexpected standout for me was a moment between Tilla and her father where she confronts him about him abandoning their family in Canada. It was a sad yet necessary conversation that was more melancholy for its lack of resolution.
I wanted Tilla to stand up for herself earlier than she did, but I can appreciate that she’s a teenager in a new surrounding without much allies. Toward the end, the book becomes more dramatic and poetic in terms of language which is quite a departure from the tone of the rest of the book, which I don’t think totally works.
Much like a hurricane, this story is powerful and sweeps readers along for an emotional ride.
Hurricane Summer is a coming of age story that I will be thinking about for a long time. I am glad to have read it.
Seventeen year old Canadian teen Tilla and her nine year old sister Mia have been sent to stay with their father in the countryside of Jamaica for the summer. Tilla expects she may have to confront how she feels about the father that is largely absent from herself, her mother and her sister’s lives, but she isn’t prepared for what awaits her in country: people that view her as a privileged foreigner and a multitude of secrets that her presence threatens to expose.
First love, friendship and exploring the land (Bromfield gives readers gorgeous descriptions of Manchester, Jamaica) are amongst the more tender parts of this novel, however it is a story that reckons with a lot of trauma.
Described as a coming of age story that examines the transition from girlhood to a young woman and the complicated relationship between a young woman and her absent father, Hurricane Summer also tackles colourism, sexism, misogyny, infidelity, domestic abuse, incest, abortion, sexual assault, immigration, abandonment, grief, poverty, class, privilege and more.
Not all of the issues are adequately covered, however I admire the authors attempt to raise awareness to these serious issues to a young adult audience.
The patois is accurate and Bromfield captures the easy humour of Jamaicans very well. Tilla’s story is quite an extreme depiction of reactions to people ‘from foreign’, though I do feel Bromfield shows what it feels like to be the butt of a joke everyone appears to be in on.
An unexpected standout for me was a moment between Tilla and her father where she confronts him about him abandoning their family in Canada. It was a sad yet necessary conversation that was more melancholy for its lack of resolution.
I wanted Tilla to stand up for herself earlier than she did, but I can appreciate that she’s a teenager in a new surrounding without much allies. Toward the end, the book becomes more dramatic and poetic in terms of language which is quite a departure from the tone of the rest of the book, which I don’t think totally works.
Much like a hurricane, this story is powerful and sweeps readers along for an emotional ride.
Hurricane Summer is a coming of age story that I will be thinking about for a long time. I am glad to have read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, Abortion, and Terminal illness
michellebuch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Child abuse
Minor: Abandonment and Abortion