Reviews

Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield

unequivocally_jaye's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

My oh my. Disappointed that I waited so long to read such a captivating novel, but I'm so happy that I finally decided to read it. Hurricane Summer explores the themes of family, identity, and resilience against the backdrop of the beautiful island, Jamaica. 

The storyline follows Tilla, a teenage girl from Toronto who spends the summer in Jamaica with what we can consider her estranged father. Tilla is a complex but yet relatable protagonist struggling with the sense of self and belonging as she navigates family issues and cultural differences. With such a vivid picture of Jamaica painted by the author, you will start to feel as if the island becomes a character itself 

and being a significant influence on Tilla's quest of self-discovery. Family dynamics, emotional depth, and a gripping plot takes you on a journey that draws you in and keeps you invested from start to finish. This story was beautiful, and well deserving of a 5 star rating.

alannar2422's review

5.0

Such a beautiful book. I felt the heartbreak, the love and the growth Tilla went through. This book was absolutely amazing!!

melisbooked's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Tilla, a young Canadian Jamaican grapples with classism, connection, and family in this coming of age story. Yearning for the love of her love of her father, she travels to Jamaica every 6 months to spend time with him, but is disappointed each time. As she discovers what draws her father to the island and becomes aware of the parallels between her Jamaican and Canadian families, a hurricane is brewing. 🌀

What I liked: 
-Family dynamics 
-cultural parallels 
-Tilla's internal dialogue and reflections 

What I didn't like: 
- Simplistic writing (I didn't realize it was YA until the end LOL) 
- length: there were portions that could have been taken out 

kaitlyn_thebooktasting's review

challenging emotional hopeful 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

nerdherd503's review

sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

gabizago's review

4.0

I'm unsure about this book. I like the idea of it - Tilla and Mia live in Canada but go to Jamaica for the Summer to stay with their dad. There they learn more about the culture they come from and about how people from their family live in the country and in the city. In the process, they learn more about themselves - especially Tilla. And they also have the opportunity to see how the local people prepare for hurricane season. In theory, it seems like a pretty interesting come of age book.
But on to the technicalities - I found it kind of hard to read since they added the Jamaican dialect to the dialogues. I felt like I had to keep coming back and forth to the glossary at the beginning to check some words (which would have been fine in a physical book, but it was so burdensome in a digital galley). I also didn't like the main character so much - I couldn't relate to her worries and problems.
In the end, it is a nice YA book that portrays the beauty and the differences of Jamaica, but I'm not really sure how much I actually liked it.

ameserole's review

4.0

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So after finishing Hurricane Summer yesterday, I definitely needed to sit and think about what to write. Mostly because this book seriously pissed me off in so many ways. The amount of slut shaming in this book blew my mind. This entire family knew nothing about Tilla and completely judge the shit out of her left and right. Honestly, they don't deserve to get to know her anymore. Or Mia.

Other than that, I did think it was kind of nice/cool of Tilla and Mia to go to Jamaica to try to get to know their father. Mostly because he rarely comes to see them. Oh, and he's also a horrible person who slut shames his own daughter and has a secret new family.

The only thing I'm grateful for is the lessons that she learned while being there. Tilla is no longer going to let people walk over her. The moment she stood up for her aunt who was being abused by her shitty ass uncle is the exact moment I fell in love with this character. I didn't care that he was dealing with cancer.. because I just didn't trust that family one bit. Also cancer doesn't mean you get to be an abusive little shit towards anyone either.

Other than liking Tilla and Mia, I really adored Andre and I'm not sure how to cope with what happened to him either. The amount of bullshit he had to suffer before she even came to Jamaica baffles me but then again - this family is filled with shitty people.

I feel like I'm getting repetitive now (lol) but they were just awful.

In the end, I'm glad that I got a chance to dive into this one and look forward to the next book Asha writes.

terrio92's review

5.0

wonderful read this is such a good story i legit got misty eyed reading this story

dandelia's review

4.0

❗️As of January 16th 2024 I am participating in the SMP BOYCOTT of St. Martins Press due to the publisher's lack of accountability to acknowledge the systemic issues in their departments and lack of action against an employee of theirs who posted islamophobic, queerphobic and anti-Palestinian (pro-Zionist) content on their personal social media! For more information please visit the official SMP site online❗️

TW: Abuse, sexual assault

This was heartbreaking ngl

thenycbookwhore69's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book. The way in which this book has encapsulated some of my own personal experiences and feelings was something I really needed. The story of friendship, abandonment, diaspora guilt, the shame of being a woman, personal growth was everything and then some. I loved court, Dane and Andre. 

Would definitely recommend and absolutely read again!