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nytephoenyx's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
5.0
Hurricane Summer is a book filled deeply with pain.
It is the opposite of a Disney movie. It is cruel and Tilla is naïve and kind and out or her element, which everyone in the story uses against her. It is a heartbreaking book with a very specific story and I appreciate so much that it exists. Hurricane Summer is the type of book we need when we talk about representation in books because this is a Caribbean story, a Black story, and one I’ve never seen before… which means those with lived experiences like Tilla’s haven’t seen either. And it is so important they are represented and know they are no alone.
Bromfield’s writing is gut-wrenching, doubly so considering it’s a debut. It’s evident that she’s spilled her heart on to the page, written this story in her own blood. Tilla’s story is fictional, but at the same time, it feels incredibly personal. Hurricane Summer doesn’t hold back – it will cut your heart out and make you angry and leave you feeling helpless.
I loved it, in that I appreciated it so much but I hurt every time I sat down to read.
The language is beautiful. The integrated Patois may be an obstacle for some readers. I personally didn’t find it challenging and you get more used to it as you read. Bromfield includes a glossary at the beginning of the book so readers are ready for the language. Author often clean up regional dialects and foreign languages in books, but the inclusion of Patois added depth and realism to the story. I liked that Bromfield didn’t anglicize it. I know some readers will struggle, but this book isn’t really for those readers. It isn’t for me.
The story moved forward quickly, piling one heartbreak after another until the hurricane arrived, literally and metaphorically. This is one of those books with characters that come to life, even though many of them will upset readers as much as they upset Tilla. Other than how broken I feel now that I’ve finished it… I loved it. Hurricane Summer reminded me of my privilege as it highlighted Tilla’s. It made me uncomfortable. It was really good.
I wholeheartedly recommend Hurricane Summer, but I know some readers won’t like the style, will struggle with the Patois, or will find Tilla frustrating. That’s okay – this book may not be for you. But I really encourage readers to give it a try because it is powerful and devastating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, and Car accident
kerrygetsliterary's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Child death
Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Child abuse, and Death of parent
anovelbeauty's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Book TW: rape, sexual assault, infidelity, victim blaming, sexism, IPV, physical abuse, colorism, prejudice, hypocrisy
Note: I read an eARC of this book from Netgalley in order to provide an honest review
Alright, I had a bit of a rough time with this book. It was just pretty triggering for me and I had to skip over quite a few sections having to do with infidelity, which this book has a lot of. Even though the main character struggles with the morals of what’s going on and that’s a big portion of the plot, it’s just not something I can really handle reading very well. Pretty much all of the things mentioned in the trigger warnings are pretty explicit and tough to read. It is absolutely not a light book.
Now, I did think the book was well written. The way the author describes things and puts you straight into Tilla’s emotional states was really well done. The way she describes Jamaica is lovely and poetic, but doesn’t feel overly romanticized either. I loved the friendship between Tilla and Andre. Tilla is an interesting protagonist and even when she makes horrendous decisions or finally has had enough with all the terrible stuff she goes through in the story and bursts, it makes sense. Most of the characters in the book are unlikeable, so if that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t going to work for you (except Andre and Mia, they are the only sweet characters in the book). Also, if hypocrisy and unjustness just sets your blood absolutely boiling… yep, that’s present too!
I though the aftermath portion of the book seemed a little rushed in comparison with the rest of the book and somehow, I expected a bigger disaster turn with how much the the physical hurricane had been built up throughout the story. The book did such a good job of buildup that the actual event and aftermath just felt a bit, well not a let down exactly, but just not what I felt it was building up to. The big actual plot twist also came very late in the story, so I felt like there wasn’t quite enough time to sit with the enormity of it, it felt like it needed just another 50 pages or so to really help it settle. It wasn’t a bad ending, it just didn’t quite feel like it matched the same pacing and quality of the rest of the book.
I did have trouble at first picking up on the dialect writing (Patois), there was a glossary at the beginning of the book, but since I was reading an ebook, I couldn’t really flip back and forth very easily if I didn’t understand a phrase. So if you’re unfamiliar with Patois like me, I would highly suggest a physical copy of the book so you can more easily check the glossary until you’re comfortable with the language. I definitely settled into understanding the dialect in the latter half of the book, it was just a bit of a learning curve towards the beginning.
Overall, I think its a good book and I’m sure it’s the perfect book for someone, but not really for me and that’s totally okay. Not every book is going to work perfectl
Note: I read an eARC of this book from Netgalley in order to provide an honest review
Alright, I had a bit of a rough time with this book. It was just pretty triggering for me and I had to skip over quite a few sections having to do with infidelity, which this book has a lot of. Even though the main character struggles with the morals of what’s going on and that’s a big portion of the plot, it’s just not something I can really handle reading very well. Pretty much all of the things mentioned in the trigger warnings are pretty explicit and tough to read. It is absolutely not a light book.
Now, I did think the book was well written. The way the author describes things and puts you straight into Tilla’s emotional states was really well done. The way she describes Jamaica is lovely and poetic, but doesn’t feel overly romanticized either. I loved the friendship between Tilla and Andre. Tilla is an interesting protagonist and even when she makes horrendous decisions or finally has had enough with all the terrible stuff she goes through in the story and bursts, it makes sense. Most of the characters in the book are unlikeable, so if that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t going to work for you (except Andre and Mia, they are the only sweet characters in the book). Also, if hypocrisy and unjustness just sets your blood absolutely boiling… yep, that’s present too!
I though the aftermath portion of the book seemed a little rushed in comparison with the rest of the book and somehow, I expected a bigger disaster turn with how much the the physical hurricane had been built up throughout the story. The book did such a good job of buildup that the actual event and aftermath just felt a bit, well not a let down exactly, but just not what I felt it was building up to. The big actual plot twist also came very late in the story, so I felt like there wasn’t quite enough time to sit with the enormity of it, it felt like it needed just another 50 pages or so to really help it settle. It wasn’t a bad ending, it just didn’t quite feel like it matched the same pacing and quality of the rest of the book.
I did have trouble at first picking up on the dialect writing (Patois), there was a glossary at the beginning of the book, but since I was reading an ebook, I couldn’t really flip back and forth very easily if I didn’t understand a phrase. So if you’re unfamiliar with Patois like me, I would highly suggest a physical copy of the book so you can more easily check the glossary until you’re comfortable with the language. I definitely settled into understanding the dialect in the latter half of the book, it was just a bit of a learning curve towards the beginning.
Overall, I think its a good book and I’m sure it’s the perfect book for someone, but not really for me and that’s totally okay. Not every book is going to work perfectl
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
kattiah21's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-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
SO, this was a RIDE. Let me tell ya.
I think my issue with it was wasn't the characters or the plot of the Jamacian dialect thrown in there but the fact that it ended so QUICKLY. I almost would have rathered an ambiguous ending than the one we got. It ended so FAST and NEATLY. It was a bit hard to be there for it. All of a sudden everything was neatly wrapped up and it was done so fast.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed this though!
I think my issue with it was wasn't the characters or the plot of the Jamacian dialect thrown in there but the fact that it ended so QUICKLY. I almost would have rathered an ambiguous ending than the one we got. It ended so FAST and NEATLY. It was a bit hard to be there for it. All of a sudden everything was neatly wrapped up and it was done so fast.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed this though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, and Child death
biblio_jordyn's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
I truly enjoyed this book that covers so many topics: colorism, classism, foreignness, young love, the complexity of family, abandonment and so much more.
How did I feel reading?
This book was heavy and heartbreaking and angering at the same time it was enlightening and uplifting and, by the end, joyous and bittersweet.
I thought the author did an excellent job creating characters that were fully developed and creating relationships between them that make us feel a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved the main character Tilla, I would fight for Tilla, I wanted to fight for her SO MANY TIMES.
This is an #ownvoices book, and one thing I really loved is that this book? This is book is not watered down. The author truly immerses us in Jamaica from the setting and the description of cultural rules to the language of Patois (yes, there is a word bank to help you along). It feels authentic and real and it makes you learn a lot. Would love to hear the POV people who are Jamaican!
This is a YA coming of age story that will stick with me for a long time and if you read it? It’ll stick with you too, but please remember to check the trigger warnings!
How did I feel reading?
This book was heavy and heartbreaking and angering at the same time it was enlightening and uplifting and, by the end, joyous and bittersweet.
I thought the author did an excellent job creating characters that were fully developed and creating relationships between them that make us feel a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved the main character Tilla, I would fight for Tilla, I wanted to fight for her SO MANY TIMES.
This is an #ownvoices book, and one thing I really loved is that this book? This is book is not watered down. The author truly immerses us in Jamaica from the setting and the description of cultural rules to the language of Patois (yes, there is a word bank to help you along). It feels authentic and real and it makes you learn a lot. Would love to hear the POV people who are Jamaican!
This is a YA coming of age story that will stick with me for a long time and if you read it? It’ll stick with you too, but please remember to check the trigger warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Racism, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Rape
myrialovesbooks's review
emotional
sad
tense
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
5.0
*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy for review.
CW/TW: abandonment, physical abuse, rape, infidelity, bullying, verbal abuse
Tilla and her little sister Mia fly to Jamaica to spend the summer with their dad. He has been in and out of their lives, traveling between Jamaica and Canada, and he wants them to get to know where they came from. Tilla thinks that this will be an opportunity for her relationship between her and her dad to be mended because his absence from her life has left a hole.
Tilla and Mia are thrust into an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, and they're forced to eat or be eaten. Will Jamaica be the paradise that it's portrayed to be or will Tilla succumb to what's hidden deep in it's countryside?
Hurricane Summer sucked me into it's grasp and didn't let me go. I am still reeling from this book. Tilla is met with so many challenges that my heart couldn't take. She experiences so many highs and lows and the way that it is written you are right in there with her. I had butterflies at her first glimpse of Hessan. I felt anxious with the encounters with certain characters. I found myself holding my breath in so many instances. I felt her joy and peace in quiet moments with Andre. I experienced absolute shock and the most heartbreaking sorrow at other times. I am crying as I type out this review and I beg of you to read this book. It is so well written and I loved it.
CW/TW: abandonment, physical abuse, rape, infidelity, bullying, verbal abuse
Tilla and her little sister Mia fly to Jamaica to spend the summer with their dad. He has been in and out of their lives, traveling between Jamaica and Canada, and he wants them to get to know where they came from. Tilla thinks that this will be an opportunity for her relationship between her and her dad to be mended because his absence from her life has left a hole.
Tilla and Mia are thrust into an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, and they're forced to eat or be eaten. Will Jamaica be the paradise that it's portrayed to be or will Tilla succumb to what's hidden deep in it's countryside?
Hurricane Summer sucked me into it's grasp and didn't let me go. I am still reeling from this book. Tilla is met with so many challenges that my heart couldn't take. She experiences so many highs and lows and the way that it is written you are right in there with her. I had butterflies at her first glimpse of Hessan. I felt anxious with the encounters with certain characters. I found myself holding my breath in so many instances. I felt her joy and peace in quiet moments with Andre. I experienced absolute shock and the most heartbreaking sorrow at other times. I am crying as I type out this review and I beg of you to read this book. It is so well written and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Death
cakt1991's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
There are some books that pull you in and refuse to let you go, and Hurricane Summer is one of them. It’s not a light read by any means (it’s the exact opposite), but in spite of the dark nature of the content, I couldn’t bring myself to stop reading.
Having never been to Jamaica and only experienced it on occasion through books, I liked the honest depiction of it here. There’s elements of beauty and the fact that it’s a bit like a paradise, but it’s also deeply nuanced, especially as Tilla goes through dark experiences while there.
Tilla is a beautifully complex character who embraces her flaws, while her deeply conservative family opposes them. She faces a lot of emotional trauma at their hands due to her refusal to conform, and I both admired and felt for her.
One of the pivotal relationships in the story is her relationship with her father, who had always been absent from her life. His attitude toward her wounded me the deepest, and as much as I loved the complexity of their relationship, with her almost simultaneous realization of how little importance he was to her and the fact that he was still her father and that counted for something, I couldn’t help but want her to be more firm in cutting ties after what he’d put her through.
Ultimately, I really loved this book and the exploration of coming of age within such fractured family dynamics. The intensity of the subject matter will mean this book is not for everyone. However, Asha Bromfield wrote in her dedication that she prays “you find healing within these pages, just like I did. I pray this story gives you the courage to confront your own storm, and once there, I pray it inspires you to find radical forgiveness for your parents, your experiences, and most importantly, for yourself.” I echo this sentiment wholeheartedly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Minor: Death
ktdakotareads's review
dark
informative
medium-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
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racism, Grief, Death, Child death, and Bullying
signediza's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, and Body shaming
abookwanderer's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Hurricane Summer is the first book I’ve read in a long time that has left me with such mixed feelings. For this reason, I’m finding it very difficult to give it a star rating. There were things I absolutely loved about this novel and then there were things that bothered me no matter how I tried to rationalize them. I’m hoping I can explain my thoughts, without giving any spoilers. And settle on a rating by the end of my review.
Hurricane Summer is an #OwnVoices young adult novel that touches on many things: classism, racism, sexism, abuse, sexual assault, rape, abortion (mentioned), infidelity, grief, and death. It’s hard to read at times, and I recommend keeping tissues nearby and taking breaks.
Let’s talk about what I loved first, because that’s always more fun. My favorite thing about Hurricane Summer is the setting. It takes place in beautiful Jamaica—and not the touristy Jamaica we’re all more familiar with—but mostly in the countryside, where the poorer people reside among the farmland, the deep forests, the rivers, and the waterfalls. The reader is transported to what’s probably a new and unfamiliar place. Even the language is different. The Patois dialogue took some getting used to—I forgot to use the handy word bank at the beginning of the book since I was reading an ebook—but once I quit trying to translate each word and settled into the story, it wasn’t an issue. In fact, it enhanced the book for me, forcing me to be even more immersed in the world.
Secondly, the fact that this novel is an #OwnVoices made the story even more powerful. I could feel the author’s connection to her main character, Tilla. I felt like Bromfield was using Tilla to speak her own truth, and it was heartbreakingly honest.
And it’s worth it to read this novel for those reasons alone. It’s why I have no regrets for picking it up, and I’m fairly confident it will be a novel that sticks with me for a long time.
Now on to what bothered me…
Bromfield has written many beautiful passages, I highlighted many lines, but it often became too melodramatic, and I couldn’t help thinking that maybe less would have been more. BUT, I also kept reminding myself that the book is considered young adult, and more purple prose is acceptable in the YA genre.
The many side characters are hard to keep straight in the beginning. While a few of them are standouts, well-rounded and real (particularly Tilla’s father and her cousin Andre), there are several side characters that I wish had been given more attention, primarily Tilla’s mother and her sister Mia. The book also has multiple antagonists—more than what’s typical for YA, and it becomes almost overwhelming. I felt like I was left with little time to process between each traumatic experience Tilla endured. Maybe the author was trying to do too much instead of just focusing on a few issues, leaving the reader with little breathing room.
Without spoiling anything, I’m not sure how I felt about the ending, as well. It felt rushed, but I was ready for the novel to be wrapped up after such an emotional ride. Maybe if the middle part of the novel had been shortened a bit and the ending extended, it would have given me more time to sit with the characters and process what I’d just read?
I hope my review doesn’t dissuade readers from picking it up. It’s a novel to be discussed, and I’m eager to hear your thoughts. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been so conflicted about a book, and to me that’s not necessarily a negative thing. Reading Hurricane Summer is enlightening and inspirational. It deals with important and urgent issues that deserve the utmost respect. And I feel like this is only the beginning for Bromfield. She’s written a novel from the depths of her heart and soul, and I’ll be eager to see what she does next. So where does that leave my rating?? I’m gonna average out the positives and negatives and settle on 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Hurricane Summer is an #OwnVoices young adult novel that touches on many things: classism, racism, sexism, abuse, sexual assault, rape, abortion (mentioned), infidelity, grief, and death. It’s hard to read at times, and I recommend keeping tissues nearby and taking breaks.
Let’s talk about what I loved first, because that’s always more fun. My favorite thing about Hurricane Summer is the setting. It takes place in beautiful Jamaica—and not the touristy Jamaica we’re all more familiar with—but mostly in the countryside, where the poorer people reside among the farmland, the deep forests, the rivers, and the waterfalls. The reader is transported to what’s probably a new and unfamiliar place. Even the language is different. The Patois dialogue took some getting used to—I forgot to use the handy word bank at the beginning of the book since I was reading an ebook—but once I quit trying to translate each word and settled into the story, it wasn’t an issue. In fact, it enhanced the book for me, forcing me to be even more immersed in the world.
Secondly, the fact that this novel is an #OwnVoices made the story even more powerful. I could feel the author’s connection to her main character, Tilla. I felt like Bromfield was using Tilla to speak her own truth, and it was heartbreakingly honest.
And it’s worth it to read this novel for those reasons alone. It’s why I have no regrets for picking it up, and I’m fairly confident it will be a novel that sticks with me for a long time.
Now on to what bothered me…
Bromfield has written many beautiful passages, I highlighted many lines, but it often became too melodramatic, and I couldn’t help thinking that maybe less would have been more. BUT, I also kept reminding myself that the book is considered young adult, and more purple prose is acceptable in the YA genre.
The many side characters are hard to keep straight in the beginning. While a few of them are standouts, well-rounded and real (particularly Tilla’s father and her cousin Andre), there are several side characters that I wish had been given more attention, primarily Tilla’s mother and her sister Mia. The book also has multiple antagonists—more than what’s typical for YA, and it becomes almost overwhelming. I felt like I was left with little time to process between each traumatic experience Tilla endured. Maybe the author was trying to do too much instead of just focusing on a few issues, leaving the reader with little breathing room.
Without spoiling anything, I’m not sure how I felt about the ending, as well. It felt rushed, but I was ready for the novel to be wrapped up after such an emotional ride. Maybe if the middle part of the novel had been shortened a bit and the ending extended, it would have given me more time to sit with the characters and process what I’d just read?
I hope my review doesn’t dissuade readers from picking it up. It’s a novel to be discussed, and I’m eager to hear your thoughts. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been so conflicted about a book, and to me that’s not necessarily a negative thing. Reading Hurricane Summer is enlightening and inspirational. It deals with important and urgent issues that deserve the utmost respect. And I feel like this is only the beginning for Bromfield. She’s written a novel from the depths of her heart and soul, and I’ll be eager to see what she does next. So where does that leave my rating?? I’m gonna average out the positives and negatives and settle on 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Abortion and Infidelity