It's rare to find a book that really captures how teens experience the internet and ways activism manifests. Smith brings forth such a strong friendship in Leila and Sarika. They were so fun to read about, very supportive, and balanced each other out wonderfully.

I enjoyed how low-key the magical element was, given that it showed up so late. The way Leila's passion for nature had been grounded in the familiar was really well done. It made her relatable but also helped the audience care about the things she cared about. She was headstrong, but compassionate. I especially loved the way she related to her parents, particularly Jon. He bumbled a bit, but ultimately, he cared about her. Lisabeth could have had some more page-time, but the moments she was present were great.

The weakest element for me was the antagonist. It felt like some character development was missing because she was so one-dimensional. I thought establishing the real villains—those wanting to destroy the grove—was handled much better. It would have been nice to get some foreshadowing there in the beginning.

Overall, a great read about fighting for what you love and so many good family feels.

A very unique and interesting novel with a slow and intriguing start.
I wasn’t too sure what to think of this one but it absolutely picks up. I found that I absolutely loved the protagonist and her weird and whimsical approach. Very unique and definite good read!

The mythology was interesting and I love the relationship with the adoptive family of the main character, but all in all I couldn't really connect with the story. I think it was because how immature most of the characters seemed, I disliked everyone but the protagonist.

This book has an unique and different storyline and I was really enjoying it until about halfway through when it just got really weird and explained well enough.

This is the type of book that keeps you guessing as far as what’s really going on. At First, it feels like a contemporary novel that deals with the issues of adoption, loss, and a sense of not belonging. I think that any teen will be able to relate to those issues, even if they haven’t experienced this type of loss. Of course, like most contemps, there’s a romance—though the path to that romance isn’t as straight and narrow as we’re used to seeing. There are also hints of mental illness … or is it? About halfway through, the book takes a major jump into magical realism territory, which blends into fantasy for a brief spell… but then we stay firmly in what I’d call magical realism. I think some people were thrown by all of this, but I mostly enjoyed figuring out where things were going. And I liked the overall magical realism, though I do wish it had been introduced a little earlier in the book.

I liked Leila, and I felt for her in her struggle for identity. I also connected to the romance in the book, and I loved the sense of environmental activism. There were a few negatives, though. The biggest one for me was the mean-girl character, who was completely over-the-top stereotypical. She’s out to destroy people’s lives (and the environment) with almost no motivation that we can see, which is frustrating. There’s a comment thrown out there about her dad not paying attention to her, but her character is so undeveloped that it’s hard to feel anything but disdain for her. Then there’s an almost-love-interest who feels a little all over the place. I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to like him or not by the end, but I mostly didn’t.

Still, I think younger teen readers especially will enjoy this one. And the adoption themes alone make it a unique and interesting read. Overall, I give it 3.5/5 stars.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

This was such a unique read! This brought a fresh perspective on a very overdone trope, The Chosen One.

This follows a teen named Leila who has a passion for saving the world. It was refreshing to see someone love something so much.

Leila is a foster child and seeing the way she couldn't believe that she finally found a home and family brought tears to my eyes. And I do believe this is an ownvoices novel for adoption, which you can really tell. Her adoption is a big part of the story, but I loved reading every word. Her parents were awesome! Her dad had the typical "dad jokes".

Title: The Girl and the Grove
Author: Eric Smith
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Leila hasn’t had an easy life. Bounced from foster home to group home, the only constant she’s had is her best friend Sarika. Now Leila is adopted, and she loves her new home, even if she’s still waiting on the other shoe to drop and her new parents to decide they don’t want her.

To make new friends, Leila joins an environmental group at a local high school, and soon finds herself chatting with the cute leader of the group, whose ex-girlfriend is determined to make trouble for Leila and Sarika.

Then the voice in Leila’s head starts demanding her attention, and her coping methods no longer work. On impulse, she follows the voice’s direction to a grove deep in the local park. The grove is a place of old magic, and Leila discovers the truth about herself, and a danger that threatens the entire city.

A YA book about environmental issues? Yes, please. Throw in a diverse cast of characters who also fight against racism, and that upped my interest even more. I loved the premise of this novel, and the magical element made it even more promising. With Leila’s fears and insecurities from being adopted front and center, there was a lot going on in this book.

However, Leila and Sarika weren’t consistent enough to make them completely believable to me. Leila had a wonderful strength, was very outspoken and strong-willed, yet sometimes she seemed so naïve and childish in her thoughts and actions. Sarika was brazen towards others, although she showed her softer side to Leila. Their friendship was amazing, but then they’d throw in an f-bomb or two, and it seemed totally out-of-character, as if the cussing was just to make them seem more adult. Gratuitous profanity just didn’t fit the rest of their character. Actually, all of the teenagers had this dichotomy of personality, so their actions and personality were never cohesive. I never got a good sense of the why behind this erratic behavior.

Eric Smith is an author and literary agent. The Girl and the Grove is his newest novel.

(Galley provided by Flux in exchange for an honest review.)

Leila hears voices in her head and taking deep breaths and focusing on what is real around her , a routine she’d been running through all her life, one she and Sarika had developed together at the group home when the voices came. And the voices pulled back into the depths of her mind, as they always did. Leila had been adopted by her foster parents Jon and Lisabeth. No other family had treated her this way, they didn’t fuss over her like she was someone …. different. Asking stupid questions like how to wash her hair or freaking out every time the seasons changed. The group home had been honest about her seasonal affective disorder and every other foster family had pushed and pressed Leila about it. They let her take her meds on her own and since she was the only child there was no questions about her therapeutic light box. For years Jon had been a corporate lawyer but now he had a new camera and he had a new career as an environmental journalist and it suited him better, even if he wasn’t exactly great of taking care of anything green around him. Jon wrote for news outlets such as: Slate, Farm And Agriculture, The New York Times, and Grid. he also taught part time at St. Joseph’s university in their small environmental department.Leila and Jon shared their interest/love of nature and the environment.The voices were weak and muttering when out here in the in the suburbs of the city. The group home had been big with a lot of rooms but this house - her home was narrow yet somehow cozy. Here it was hard for Leila not to see her new parents at all times or bumping into one of them when turning a corner or not hear them talk when she was in her room.It was strangely comforting, nice even. Leila could not use the words mom and dad everything was to new and she was afraid they would yet send her back she wasn’t sure if they could do that since they had adopted her but she couldn’t take any chances. She knows how much Jon and Lisbett wanted to hear the words she would try harder though to be more bending wwith them. Since the storm two weeks ago the voices had taken on a new tone with a hint of something strange that Leila couldn’t quite figure out. The voices came and went with the seasons. They faded and disappeared in the winter and rampaged back loud in the spring. Sarika worked in Adam’s cafe as a barista . then a cute boy named Shawn was putting up fliers. He said hey to Leila and told her he’d see her around. Sarika came running over from behind the counter she had been working at and shreiking she said that cute boy had totally been checking out Leila. The Sarika went back to work and Leila checked out one of the fliers the boy had put up -it was for the Belmont Environmental Activism Club - B E A C- any high school student could join. It was starting on Wednesday at three. Leila grabbed a flier. Sarika came back out and again startled Leia as as she asked Leila what the flier was about. For whatever reasons the voices decided to be particularly loud this morning and over the past two days since hanging out with Sarika at Adam’s Cafe and going through the motions at Summer Enrichment at Belmont they suddenly became clearer. Leila could tell Shawn was into her the way he stared at her across the room and the awkward way he said goodbye at the end of the meeting. But Leila wondered about Shawn he had been going out with Jessica the leader of the three girls who had been bullying Sarika and Sarika ghad even fought with Jessica and made her nose bleed that she had never told Leila about and just told Leial she couldn’t protect everyone. Shawn asked Leila to meet him and go for a bike ride together Sunday and some lunch and Leila agreed. The voices had come when Leila when Leila had been rapidly pedaled away from Shawn and his intrusive questions and the disaster of a date. Leila had seen a young man with owl trying to get it to fly but then Leila flew over her handlebars as she jammed on her breaks. Leila ended up with a cut on her head and a mild concussion. The voices had told Leila the man and the owl were the one that could help them and her. Apparently they were in trouble but what had the voices done for Leila but distract her, scare her, and make Leila feel crazy? They had given her a dark secret Leila had to hide from everyone but Sarika. A grove is to be destroyed as well as an old mansion that was in the middle of the park. Leila does listen to the voices that have gotten clear now and goes to Landan and tells him everything he said she should get help about the voices but he will help her as much as he can with everything else.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I felt this was technically an easy read yet at times I got confused. This had a lot going on in it. I loved how the author addressed how Leila and Sarika felt and what they went through being in foster care so long and the group home, the back and forth they had experienced and they shattered hope every time they returned to the group home. I also loved how the author described how Leila as well as ehr new parents felt and what they went through being the adopted and parents of a special care needed to be taken with Liela - but ever patient and loving toward Leila. I thought this could be realistic in these aspects. I liked that the author also addressed prejudices and racism. I really liked the enthusiasm stressed on the environment and progress wanting to destroy trees and parks etc. This did drag for me at times then after a certain part of the book it kinda felt rushed. I liked the dryads part and wished that had had been gone further into. I did love how close Sarika and Leila were and for a long time. I was also happy Landan was willing to help Leila as much as he could. As I said i Had mixed feelings on this book.

The Girl and the Grove tells the story of Leila.
She’s 16 and has been in the foster system since she was 2. Until recently, when she was adopted.
Leila is very shy and has a deep connection with nature and follows a path that leads her to a grove that may die if a construction project goes through.

This book had everything. A cute romance, a strong friendship and some family drama. I liked the characters. I liked how passionate Leila was about the environment and I found her to be a very interesting character allover.
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story though and I sometimes found the writing style a bit hard to stay focused on. And I’m kinda done with stories containing the ultimate mean girl…
Other than that, I found this story really interesting and very poetic. I liked the social media end of chapters and I now want to watch How to Train Your Dragon again...

I had high expectations for the Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith. I follow him on Twitter, and I was super excited to read this book. I thought the concept behind the book was really cool. Leila was a very interesting main character, particularly her background, and I really liked the adoption aspect of it. The actual grove itself seemed like a beautiful, magical place. I also really liked some of the other characters. However, they weren’t very well developed, nor was the plot. While I thought this story was cute, it didn’t live up to many of my expectations. I would recommend it though for someone looking for an interesting magical realism book with plenty of diversity.

This is a great book that I really enjoyed. The fantasy elements mixed well with the genuine conflicting emotions experienced by Leila, the young main character of this story. Leila's adoption (while obviously a massive part of her life) takes second fiddle to the mystery of the voices in her head and the hidden grove she is drawn to. 

There is commentary on school bullies, the delicate balance between the environment and development, and also commentary on school groups, friends, romance, social media and coffee. I loved secondary character Sarika, Leila's best friend. I also loved the characters of Leila's adoptive parents. This is a great tale that doesn't focus on the adoption journey but on what happens after. Leila's emotional journey into accepting her adoptive parents while learning about her biological family. I enjoyed the social media pages of conversations between characters. A great standalone book. A good read.

I really enjoyed this! It was quirky and heartfelt. Although I'm disappointed it wasn't a portal fantasy (that's definitely the vibe I got from description) and this at times read more like a contemporary, I wasn't disappointed by the story itself. I love anything that touches on saving the environment, and this was a great YA Urban Fantasy to tackle the topic. The adoption angle was the most profound part, simply because you know that is an #ownvoices aspect. I've followed Eric Smith for a few years now and I can see how much family is part of his life, same goes for Leila here. This also held a great note of humour. Leila's father, John, in particular really made me giggle. The dynamic between them, and the growth in their relationship was really sweet.
I'm writing this in a hurry so a more comprehensive review on my blog to come.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Girl and the Grove is a heartfelt book about a girl, Leila, who is adopted and lives with seasonal affective disorder.

Leila is a big environmental activist, and when she learns that a hidden grove in Fairmont Park is going to be destroyed, Leila and her nature-loving friends fight to prevent the demolition of such a beautiful place.

I really enjoyed how the topic of adoption was handled well in this book. It’s often a hard and heavy subject to accurately convey, especially with the awkwardness of questions people who are adopted are often asked and the inner conflict a person who is adopted must go through at some point in their life.

I also really enjoyed the sense of activism and passion for the environment this book had. Had I been able to read this book when I was younger, I would’ve been more inspired to get involved with such clubs my school offered.

I adored Sarika, Leila’s best friend, who followed her through the system. Sarika is funny, confident, and says it like it is, and I felt that she was a great addition to the story.

One thing that did feel out of place for me, at least when it was initially introduced, is the magic element. I felt that it was introduced a little too late into the story, and would’ve been fine if it was completely removed and Leila did not have any relation to the fantasy creatures she finds in the grove.

Overall, Girl in the Grove is a beautifully written book that artfully handles the strong themes of family, friendship, and trust.

There were so many things to like, the friends, the new parents, the main character. I loved Leila and that she was a foster care kid. Let me explain, I didn't like her struggles but I liked how her emotions about being adopted were so real. I just loved her. I was also quite surprised that she telepathically connected to trees or dryads, or meliae, the hamadryad, the nymph, the slabhanjika. When these nature beings explain themselves they give all their names. It was still very cool to read about this unique power/gift. It made her the best environmentalist. She could communicate with trees!!! Of course she uses this power for good. However, other than that it was just eh for me. Maybe it's because it was an ARC. Someone else pointed that out on the reviews. I don't know if the final copy differs much. I still enjoyed it very much.

There was a lot I was expecting from The Girl and The Grove and everything that I wanted didn't really come out. There were parts I really enjoyed and parts where I just had to put the book down. This one was a DNF from me.

Leila, a recently adopted girl living in Philadelphia, lives with seasonal affective disorder. I loved that we got to have a brown girl with mental illnesses as the main character. That was the coolest thing ever.

But the writing itself threw me off too much for me to be able to happily finish the book. If you know me, I hate DNF'ing books. I'll push myself through an ARC just to be able to feel like I can fully review it. But DNF'ing something also tells you a lot about the book itself.

I jumped at the idea of The Girl and the Grove when I first saw it. I love urban fantasy stories and I was already imagining all the cool fantasy elements this story would have--Leila's a dryad! Living trees! Technology and nature existing in harmony!

But none of that really happened. I couldn't get into it to really get to the meat of the story and the writing wasn't nearly engaging enough for me to want to stick around in anticipation of a successful twist. Every time I tried to read more, I just got more bored and I'd rather go to be an hour early and sacrifice my pre-bed reading time than force my way through a book I wasn't engaged with.

The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith

The Girl and the Grove is the story of Leila, a teenage girl who has never had a family. She’s lived in a group home, with different foster families and now she’s been adopted by Lisabeth and Jon. She has been best friends with Sarika for years now. They met in their group home and bonded over books. Their friendship has only grown with time. Sarika knows about the voices that Leila’s been hearing. Sarika even helped her find ways to cope with them. But now they are getting stronger and they seem to be pulling Leila into the last place she would expect to go in Philadelphia: a hidden grove in the forest.

This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the way Smith chose to tell the story. He used a third person narrative throughout, but also injected messages from an online message board, as well as direct messages, social media and text. It gave the book a very modern feel because these are all the different ways people, and especially teens choose to communicate with each other. I really enjoyed the relationship between Sarika and Leila, that time tested and true friendship was endearing especially when you come to understand the amount of constant change they’ve experienced with living in group homes and in foster care. The relationship between Leila and her adoptive parents was also really well done. There was a level of uncertainty there that comes with new relationships and finding your place while staying true to who you are. Smith did a great job fleshing out all of these relationships and characters.

My only complaint with this novel really comes from the pacing. It took this story a while to get to the magical realism elements. Once it did I felt like the story really began to take off. It became a more fast paced, more intense novel. I think this this novel is really creative and unexpected. I loved that these teenagers resonated and wanted to make a difference in their homes. This book makes me want to read more from Smith.

I ENJOYED…
💭

Our main character, Leila, was really endearing and I loved her right from the start. She is passionate, fierce, determined, but also insecure at times and I wanted to root for her and hug her all along. Also, diverse! characters! poc! rep! for!the!win!
I love that this story has an adoptee as a main character just as well. In this family for a couple months, we get to see how Leila grew accustomed to her new parents, her struggles to finally start calling them “mom” and “dad” and everything was just so adorable. Also this is an #ownvoices book for that soo YAY.
This brings me to my third point: I NEED to talk about how cool the parents were and their relationship with Leila. They were protective, understanding and also really fun (mention for Jon, the dad, who made me laugh a lot). I’m all for great parents-children relationship and that one just warmed my heart. I loved the focus on family that way, especially unconventional families, as Leila was adopted.
We also got an amazing and strong female friendship between Leila and her best friend, Sarika. I loved how they supported each other all the way and all of their interactions were gold.
The Girl and the Grove has such a great focus on the environment, something that I also found quite original and really enjoyed seeing in the book.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
💭

While I really enjoyed the idea of the story overall, I felt like it missed a little something for me to be completely captivated. The fantasy/magical elements were there, yet I felt like they could have been a bit more developed, like the atmosphere, the trees, the woods, everything, could have used a little bit more work to really stand out and give this book really magical vibes. It had tons of potential, yet I felt a bit disappointed by the execution.
I enjoyed the side-characters, but they felt a bit superficial to me, at times. I wanted to know more about them, about the best friend, about the love interest, about the mean-girl of the story who, unfortunately, felt a bit two-dimensional. It was a great cast, but once again, it missed a little something.
Lastly, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but the blurb promised me representation of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), something I really was looking forward to… but maybe I missed it somewhere??! The only mention of that happened at the start of the book, but it isn’t explored more and…. I’m sad. Sorry. That was a bad pun. (Maybe I did!! I’m not excluding that I didn’t see it, but… I don’t know, there should have been more?)

OVERALL

The Girl and the Grove was a really refreshing story, with great, endearing characters and a premise with loads of potential. If it failed to meet my expectations a little bit, I would still recommend it if you’re looking for a fun read, a focus on family and environment with a touch of magic.

I just need to say that this book moved me to my very core. As someone who is adopted, reading this was a breath of fresh air. I've had these similar thoughts about abandonment, about being broken, and about the mysterious existence of our birth parents. I want to talk about how refreshing it was and heartwarming, to see a positive portrayal of friendship between the MC and her best friend. It took everything I was expecting, proved some of it right, but improved upon in in spectacular ways. One of the other things I loved was the activism in this book. I wish my younger self had read this and thought - yes it is so cool to be passionate about something that people might not (probably not) understand, and to go with it. The Girl and the Grove mixes genres, is integrated with pop culture references, and is purely delightful and spectacular.

The Girl and the Grove is a quirky, moving, lovely novel.

The characters are charming and relatable, so real they seem ready to jump off the pages. The treatment of the teen characters is refreshingly honest, portraying both their qualities and flaws with affection and humor.

The book deals with important topics with care and compassion, delving into them with depth but in a way that always remains accessible to its readers. It also portrays a wide array of diverse characters who will resonate with many teens. As a teacher, it's a book I would share with my students without the slightest hesitation.

I especially enjoyed the way social media and the internet are an ever-present part of the story, both through the excerpts interspersed throughout the book and their frequent appearances in the narrative itself. They play a central role in the plot and the character arcs, and their inclusion always feels completely natural--indeed, unavoidable.

The writing style didn't quite work for me, and the pacing felt off at times, but the story made me laugh and tear up and touched me to my core.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Eric Smith for allowing me to read and review an ARC of The Girl and the Grove.

I loved this book! It was one of the best that I've read in awhile, and I can't wait to recommend it to friends. The characters were awesome and well-written. I found myself laughing out loud and relating to the main character and her best friend. They are caring and sassy and sarcastic and just boy crazy enough to make me wish I was 16 again. I have a total crush on Jon- maybe I'm as boy crazy as they are ;)

I wish the ending had dragged out a bit longer, and Jessica was quite a stereotypical villain, but all of the pros greatly outweigh the cons.

Eric Smith, can this please be book one in a series? I would buy the next one! Maybe a modern Captain Planet series? I want to know more about the fantasy aspect, and I love love love the how the characters all relate to one another.