Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Hurricane Summer

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

7 reviews

hmcconnell12's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

I don't have enough words to express the emotions this evoked. To think this is her debut novel!!! It was raw, beautiful, heartbreaking, and everything in-between. She did such a phenomenal job showing how two worlds collide in a way where both can be true, both can be incredible, and both can have significant flaws. Her passion for all the characters in the story shines through, I really feel there were no stones unturned, no lose ends that leave me wondering about story or message.

It is not an easy read with all the heart-clenching, fist-curling ups and downs, but I feel like I have also made it through a storm at the end or this book.

Wow. Wow. Wow!!!!

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unfxckwhittable's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

Characters: 4.0

Plot: 5.0

Theme: 4.0

Cover: 5.0

This was an emotional roller coaster of a coming of age story in paradise. Bromfield captured my attention in the very first chapter and kept it until the end. She forced me to reflect on how my westernized perspective received all of the characters. How ironic that I read this book during summer when I visited my family in the rural parts of the Philippines, so I could literally see the Jamaican natives reality and it added another layer for me to connect with the book. I hated sooo many characters that were so central to Tilla’s growth. All I can say is Go Tilla! She frustrated me throughout most of the book but when she finally burst into a vocal young woman I was so proud. I loved this book, although faced with so much and trauma, it was a beautiful story of self discovery.

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onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield is a debut contemporary YA novel that held my heart captive while I read it. In it, we meet Tilla and her sister who are traveling from their home in Canada to their dad’s home in Jamaica. During their annual trip to visit their father, we see Tilla grappling with their strenuous relationship while finding her way with family and friends in Jamaica. In the background, the island is preparing for a hurricane and the potential destruction it will bring.

Coming-of-age stories are one of my favorite types of YA fiction and this story delivered depth and heart. It directly confronts colorism, classism, sexism, and generational stories of a family with vulnerability. The biggest thing I take away from this book is how I felt while reading it. I was attached to Tilla and there were times that my heart was broken, and others when I was frustrated and protective, but also times where I deeply felt her joy and self-discovery. It’s such a well-rounded look at the complex emotions of young adults.

The author did a wonderful job allowing the reader to be uncomfortable with how Tilla was treated while giving space for her family and their stories, too. It’s a hard balance to strike and she did it very well. I also really enjoyed that the Patois language in the book and the glossary of terms included, it added so much.

If you enjoy coming-of-age YA then I strongly recommend you read this book – and do it when you feel ready for an emotional pummeling. I loved meeting Tilla and if there was a sequel that takes place in her adulthood, I’d sprint to the bookstore for it.

Content warnings: Abandonment, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Colorism, Classism, Sexism, Infidelity

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tayahmarie's review

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Tilla, the young brown skin girl from Canada who is trying so hard to connect with her homeland, Jamaica, and calm the storm within her by making sense of her complicated relationship with her father. Wow. I saw SO much of myself in Tilla that it was scary low key, lol. Her character truly transported me back to my own girlhood and that made this reading experience even more interesting. That said, I became attached and grew a fierce protectiveness over her very quickly. Unlike most YA books, I didn’t have to keep reminding myself that Tilla was young, because so many of the things she said and did, I might’ve said and did, too when I was her age. She got a lot of grace from me. Whenever she went through one traumatic/hurtful thing, it’s like something else was lurking around the corner, and my heart broke for her in so many different ways and so many different times.

I also wanted to note that the exploration of Black girlhood and Black fatherhood was done so well. I feel like there aren’t that many books or even works on the direct impact and correlation when it comes to the two. Tilla had so many complex feelings when it came to Tyson and the way in which she tried to navigate those feelings could resonate with so many Black girls and women. Tilla’s final conversation with him hit different, because sometimes all you can do is simply forgive and try to move on as best as you can.

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daphne__02's review

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challenging dark inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

Amazing plot. Talking about her relationship with her mostly absent dad. How it feels to be a stranger when u visit a struggling country and you’re well off compared to them. The love and hate relationship with people in Jamaica and their secrets that they keep within them. I cried as fuck so I loved it obviously.

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courtneyfalling's review

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was definitely a powerful premise and sometimes stunning story and character portrayal, but I honestly felt uncomfortable and on edge through most of my time reading because of how little Tilla challenged what was happening to her... like wow I had a lot of secondhand hate for characters around her, but without relating to Tilla as much, it felt consuming! (I do think this might be impacted by how much this book activated my own teenage experiences, fears, and traumas, so like, definitely check the CWs on this!)

A few main frustrations:

Tilla does not read as 18, she reads as like 15 :/. I couldn't get over how much younger her perspective felt than what we were supposed to believe throughout basically every chapter. And to a lesser extent, Mia doesn't read as 9, she reads as 11-12 with some of the comments she makes. She's not really believable, just a device for Tilla.
This book shows a pretty graphic sexual assault on page then refuses to openly name it as sexual assault in Tilla's thought process, let alone out loud to other characters, and given the victim-blaming and internalized slut-shaming that follows, I really think this book needed to address it as sexual assault. It feels incomplete and potentially really damaging, especially given this is YA with what is supposed to be a clear-cut moral and main character we relate to/like.
I hated Andre's death being used as Tilla's final moment of self-understanding. It's shitty to use the darkest-skinned character's death as merely a plot device and moment of redemption for other characters after spending the whole rest of the book challenging the colorism that exact character faces.
I didn't feel like Tilla should "forgive" her father. I just didn't. She hadn't processed enough yet, her father hadn't taken any accountability, so much will still happen when Tilla returns to Canada and talks to her mother, and honestly, her father doesn't deserve any forgiveness. Tilla can absolutely live her life and live it well without ever forgiving her father and I don't like how this book simplifies surviving an estranged parent-kid relationship into all this burden, still, onto Tilla. Like her father can rot for all I care and she can never speak to him again? And I didn’t understand her not forgiving Hessan in comparison OR telling him he should be with Diana because he can still go on to date neither girl and discover other relationships he's fully invested in instead? Maybe the bigger issue is that I didn’t like how uncritically pro-Christian this book ended up. It was way too trite and undeserved for the characters. And trauma isn't something that just "makes you stronger" and that constant messaging is wildly irresponsible.

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decklededgess's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

trigger warnings: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, slut shaming, physical abuse, negligent parent, natural disaster, near death experience, blood, death of loved one, cancer mention, abortion mention, teenage pregnancy mention, bullying, infidelity and extramarital affair, misogyny, colourism, grief, suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety

WTF WHY WAS THIS SO SAD. It was SO GOOD BUT LIKE NO GOOD THINGS HAPPEN. Trauma upon trauma. The main point, I guess, was to learn to self heal and weather your storms and fight your demons by yourself because those who disappoint you will never take responsibility and help your healing but SHIT. Tilla has to suffer SO MUCH in such a short period of time.

It's such a good book but DUDE.

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