Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - A Scatter of Light

This book reminds me so much of “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret.” As a young girl, I could relate to Margaret, and I grew up with her. Now, as a young woman who can relate in an unbelievable number of ways to Aria, I’ve grown (and healed) a bit more with her.

It’s a beautiful companion novel to “Last Night at the Telegraph Club”, with another incredible narrator who allows you to experience the journey of finding oneself through complicated family dynamics, high school, and relationships. I wish I could read it again for the first time!

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sarahsbookstacks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I am weeping wtf

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esh_maki's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

A beautiful coming of age story about a half Chinese, bisexual girl figuring out who she is and dealing with all of the problems life throws at you.

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verysillygoose's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

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jupitermond's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.0

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lowkeymarie's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

I was expecting this to be a YA romance after reading the previous book by this author (loosely connected to this book), Last Night at the Telegraph Club, but this is more of a queer coming-of-age story. That was fine by me, but just know that going in.

Malinda Lo's writing is a bit sparse and plain in a way that doesn't totally appeal to me, and I think that was more obvious in the contemporary(ish) setting of this book. But where I think this book really shines is the characters and relationships. The familial relationships are complicated and tense, with a real sense of history behind them. And the romance has that kind of painful intensity that hurts so good, ugh.

I was worried about how this one would wrap up, but I think it ends on a perfectly bittersweet note.

CW: death, grief, infidelity, slut shaming, abandonment

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kessy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

3.75

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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reflective

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

4.5

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book!

A Scatter of Light follows Aria as she unwillingly spends the summer near San Francisco with her grandmother after an ex-hookup leaked nonconsensual pictures of her to her graduating class. Aria meets her grandmother's gardener, Steph, and becomes curious about the queer culture and friends Steph is a part of. Aria discovers herself through her art and her past-grandfather's astronomy notes throughout the summer.

I loved every inch of this book. It is such a raw story and I felt like I got to know Aria so well throughout it. It is so odd to me to classify this as historical fiction when it was set in 2008! That does not feel like that long ago. And yet...I was in 8th grade then! Wow.

I loved learning about some queer artists and the lesbian scene in San Francisco at the time, as well as all the beautiful character development throughout. I don't love infidelity as a plot point in books but the way this was written was really great and didn't bother me the way that trope usually does.

This book is beautifully written and the cover is gorgeous!

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