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rebwenhall's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Death
martereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Murder, Death, Child death, Kidnapping, and Police brutality
aromarrie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
it's funny because i'm looking at this title and i'm remembering what could possibly could go through first-time readers' heads when they read the description for this story. it's so bright and feels so wonderful, just think--an entire summer where ethan harper and juniper jones have the best adventure of their lives, both teenagers taking it one leap at a time.
but this is the South in the 1950s. and for good reason, this is the story that the author wanted to tell, and there's no one to complain that this could have gone down any differently.
so much heart to this story but it's so thought-provoking, i said it so myself in a recent status update and my vibrant highlights and abundance of book tabs prove it. when i first read this on wattpad, i saw so much potential in this story because the author showed that potential and in this published version, she dug even deeper. it wasn't enough that this story explored the racism that's so deep-rooted in Black history but we had to see what ethan went through, the fear and anger he had to confront because not only does racism come from hate but there's so much ignorance surrounding it. seeing the lines blurred not just between strangers but between family as well, between friends-- it's a topic that the author paid so much careful attention to, i absolutely loved it.
i love making connections between nature and the context of the story taking place, something i figured out for myself recently. and in this one, specifically, ethan and juniper's adventures explored the lakes and hills and forests of ellison, alabama; stars twinkling in the vast night sky and constellations shaping itself between them with such fervor and imagination, it's all so pure. in a town that's so adament at making sure ethan knew he didn't belong, juniper's adventures took him places that simply existed, just the same way as ethan exists, no matter what people may think differently. a town, an entire society, that still has such strict borders and strict rules, they could only go so far as to contain a natural beauty that's been here before and doesn't care for society's constructs, neither for those who take a glance at them.
for ethan, though, such truth could never have looked so breathtaking to him. and the fact that juniper was such a blaze of excitement and joy when it came to all that this little town offered without the people to taint it, it made their friendship matter so much to me because to ethan, it mattered.
"We're here," she said softly. Ethan looked up through the small break in the trees to find that they'd reached the end of the path. In its place, swelling at the center of the forest in a mass of color and light, was the most magnificent and lonely house he had ever seen. . . it was like an enchanted garden out of a fairytale--as far as the eye could see, there were only flowers. . .But they were not planted in neat little rows, like the community gardens Ethan had seen back home--these flowers had run wild, growing over eaxh other, their stems twisting together and reaching skyward to the gauzy sun. The entire house was enveloped in a bouquet. . . up close, he could see that a white picket fence had been built around the garden in a fruitless attempt to keep the flowers in. They spilled over, their petals bowing to meet the grass. (page 144-145)
there was a lot of good in this story, so much so that it sticks to ethan's mind today for sure. but there was so much bad, and so many mistakes made that jumping between different adventures and witnessing beautiful sights can never erase what has been done--that sticks onto ethan as well.
seeing all these different characters breathe life into what the author wanted for this story sticks into my head. and i'm really grateful for the incredible reading experience that i had because of that, all the different responses i had to different pieces of this story that could've been so insightful to explore with discussion questions at hand.
besides all that, it makes me happy to think what more potential daven mcqueen sees in her writing and from the world before and after her. and i'm even more happy that this story can reach out to even more people beyond wattpad, because this is so so important.
it will blow up one day, i can see it.
but this is the South in the 1950s. and for good reason, this is the story that the author wanted to tell, and there's no one to complain that this could have gone down any differently.
so much heart to this story but it's so thought-provoking, i said it so myself in a recent status update and my vibrant highlights and abundance of book tabs prove it. when i first read this on wattpad, i saw so much potential in this story because the author showed that potential and in this published version, she dug even deeper. it wasn't enough that this story explored the racism that's so deep-rooted in Black history but we had to see what ethan went through, the fear and anger he had to confront because not only does racism come from hate but there's so much ignorance surrounding it. seeing the lines blurred not just between strangers but between family as well, between friends-- it's a topic that the author paid so much careful attention to, i absolutely loved it.
i love making connections between nature and the context of the story taking place, something i figured out for myself recently. and in this one, specifically, ethan and juniper's adventures explored the lakes and hills and forests of ellison, alabama; stars twinkling in the vast night sky and constellations shaping itself between them with such fervor and imagination, it's all so pure. in a town that's so adament at making sure ethan knew he didn't belong, juniper's adventures took him places that simply existed, just the same way as ethan exists, no matter what people may think differently. a town, an entire society, that still has such strict borders and strict rules, they could only go so far as to contain a natural beauty that's been here before and doesn't care for society's constructs, neither for those who take a glance at them.
for ethan, though, such truth could never have looked so breathtaking to him. and the fact that juniper was such a blaze of excitement and joy when it came to all that this little town offered without the people to taint it, it made their friendship matter so much to me because to ethan, it mattered.
"We're here," she said softly. Ethan looked up through the small break in the trees to find that they'd reached the end of the path. In its place, swelling at the center of the forest in a mass of color and light, was the most magnificent and lonely house he had ever seen. . . it was like an enchanted garden out of a fairytale--as far as the eye could see, there were only flowers. . .But they were not planted in neat little rows, like the community gardens Ethan had seen back home--these flowers had run wild, growing over eaxh other, their stems twisting together and reaching skyward to the gauzy sun. The entire house was enveloped in a bouquet. . . up close, he could see that a white picket fence had been built around the garden in a fruitless attempt to keep the flowers in. They spilled over, their petals bowing to meet the grass. (page 144-145)
there was a lot of good in this story, so much so that it sticks to ethan's mind today for sure. but there was so much bad, and so many mistakes made that jumping between different adventures and witnessing beautiful sights can never erase what has been done--that sticks onto ethan as well.
seeing all these different characters breathe life into what the author wanted for this story sticks into my head. and i'm really grateful for the incredible reading experience that i had because of that, all the different responses i had to different pieces of this story that could've been so insightful to explore with discussion questions at hand.
besides all that, it makes me happy to think what more potential daven mcqueen sees in her writing and from the world before and after her. and i'm even more happy that this story can reach out to even more people beyond wattpad, because this is so so important.
it will blow up one day, i can see it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, and Hate crime
sheonlywantsmybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Hate crime
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