Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. I don't have a habit for reading many middle grade books - but the premise of this one struck my interest. Sadly, I couldn't connect with the characters and hoped for something better.

This is a well written book, but ultimately I just don't think it's a good fit for my student population.

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

This was a wonderful little book! I loved how the stories switched back and forth between Summer and Tink and how Summer was able to dream the past. I enjoyed Summer’s friendship with Jeremiah, too.

Middle grade novels are always something that I look forward to because of their simplicity and fun pacing, but this book was definitely not one of those.

I tried reading this book many times. In all those reading sessions, this book just lulls me to sleep and its not in a good way. I can't put into place if it's the writing or the pacing of the novel but I just find it truly boring and uninteresting.

I, deep in my heart, hoped to really loved this book, but I can't really find the beauty in it in all my many attempts to read it. I don't want to discourage anyone who wants to read this book, take my review with a grain of salt. Not all of us have the same reading preferences and what may not be for me may be for you.

Middle grade is my first love when it comes to reading. This one, however, just didn’t hold my attention.

This was a good middle grade, but not my favorite. The storyline with Tink didn't keep my attention at all. I did enjoy how the ocean was its own character, but I wish the author had done a little more with it. Going into it, I thought it might be a mystery about figuring out where Summer really came from, but it veered off in a completely different direction.

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley ARC in exchange for a review. I was a bit late in getting to this middle grade novel, but it's definitely a good summertime read. Summer's life has always been mysterious. She was found on the beach as a two year old, and was adopted by a young woman, Lindy. Lindy, while young and just starting her adult life, adopted Summer and the two have been very close ever since. But now that Summer is growing up, she's starting to wonder about her identity and her past. She longs to feel a connection to the people around her, but she can't let go of the feeling that there's more to her situation than meets the eye. She starts having strange dreams that show her past events in her neighborhood, but she feels like she's an important character in these dreams. Readers will have a good mystery playing out in the pages as Summer tries to spend more and more time in her dreams to figure it all out. She also starts asking questions of the people who have lived in the community long enough to help her piece together the past.

A Swirl of Ocean is a very odd book...

This novel had good parts and okay parts. I liked the beach setting and how the characters interacted with each other, along with the two different points of view that alternate between chapters - for the most part. Tink's chapters left me guessing as to what was happening most of the time, and didn't give me any answers until the book's conclusion, which was average at best. The theme of death and moving on from it was good. I didn't like how the protagonist interacted with "Turtle Lady," though. She did nothing wrong, and our main character barely got any amount of reprimanding for being mean to the reclusive woman.

A Swirl of Ocean was weird, but not weird enough to be memorable. On the other hand, the cover is really pretty!

I always enjoy reading middle grade books. This one has a slow start, and nothing much is happening. However, it is a really sweet story about finding family. I think younger readers will definitely can relate more to the characters.

Written from a 12 year old's perspective, this book obviously aims for middle grade or young teenagers. Though the POV's thoughts might sound exactly like a teen's voice, it also carried a very melancholy mood. Maybe because the protagonist has lost both her parents, hence that incident made the whole mood of the story became somewhat heavier.

For me, this book hardly moving. The plot was not developing and I also had a hard time getting into the magical part of this book. Summer, the protagonist, has a very close connection with the ocean, since she was found by the ocean at age 2 passing out because she was drowning. She also had weird dreams about a bunch of kids that turned out to be those adults from the present. That's a plot twist that I appreciate, because it contains the element of mystery.

Basically, the book goes back and forth from the past and the present. I wasn't particularly enjoying myself reading this book, though I loved the message of appreciating the people around us and to accept changes in life that are bound to happen either way.

A Swirl of Ocean is an atmospheric and suspenseful read about a girl with a mysterious past trying to unlock the secrets of her origin. The setting was well-crafted, giving a sense of small town coziness that's also broadened by the possibilities evoked by the vast ocean. Our main character Summer has a comfortable life with her adoptive mother Lindy that becomes threatened when Lindy gets a boyfriend who is preparing to move in with then. While she is adapting to this change, Summer discovers a curious power granted by swallowing seawater to have dreams of events in her town from a past before she was born, centering around a girl named Tink and her friends. As the dreams reveal more about this girl named Tink, Summer explores parts of town seen in the dreams with her friend Jeremiah, determined to find clues to her origins from these places. The big reveal as to who Tink is will surprise you, but it will also leave you with a sense of coming full circle. This is a book with a touch of magic and mystery that may frustrate with its ambiguity but also provoke thoughtful reflection as readers are given the space to imagine some possibilities for themselves.

magical, beautiful and heartfelt.
A swirl of Ocean was such a sweet story and I really enjoyed reading it.

When I first saw the cover for this middle grade novel, few months ago, I was swept away. I mean, just look at this gorgeousness! Who wouldn’t want to have something so beautiful in his hands?
When it comes to cover design, this book (or should I say author) really hit the jackpot!

The story itself was good, although if I’m being honest, not much happened in it.
I liked the atmosphere and setting the most, and the way the writer put an ocean as part of the story was so brilliantly done, that it felt like the ocean was the character itself.
It does play big part in this sort of coming of age story with magical realism elements.

I loved to read about Summer and Lindy‘s relationship and how their dynamic was shaken after Lindy’s boyfriend came around.

Also, Summer’s friendship with her best friend was so much fun to follow.

The story is written in first person following Summer’s POV, but there are also parts written in third person that talk about Summer’s dreams, featuring a girl named Tink who is somehow connected to Summer.

I have to admit that while I enjoyed following Summer, I simply didn’t care about Tink.
I knew Tink’s story was important but somehow I just couldn’t make myself care enough.

In the end, when it all connected and magical realism played it’s part, I realized that I wasn’t connected to the story enough to be thrilled, which is a shame.

Still, I think many readers will enjoy this book and I feel like it’s a perfect pick for late summer nights.

What a touching fun story. I love everything about this book and I cannot wait to tell everyone about it. The plot the characters the end everything was just phenomenal.

This was a fun book about change and how summer memories can be precious. I really enjoyed Summer's story, her love for shells & her relationship with Lindy. Turtle Lady was also a cool yet weird addition to this book. A perfect middle grade summer read! Be sure to check it on on August 6th 🌊 thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really sweet story about finding family. I loved the setting, and feel like it was the most important part of the story. I think young readers will identify with one, maybe even both, of the main characters.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a wave of nostalgia for me, it reminded me of when I was twelve and read 'Walk Two Moons' the same sort of mysticism and depth to it was in 'A Swirl of Ocean' as well. Summer has always wanted to know what makes her belong to Lindy and who did she belong to before. After getting caught in a riptide and swallowing mouthfuls of seawater, something extraordinary happens and Summer begins to dream about a girl her age in the same town but not the same time.

Things are changing for Summer and these dreams could either be an escape or hold some answers, so which is it?

I thought it was a great middle-grade book and something I would recommend my daughter to read once she hits the age of about 10. Sarno writes in a great whimsical way and she does it at a level that children and adults can appreciate in both style and content.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book #SwirlofOcean.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Swirl of Ocean by Melissa Sarno. The story follows Summer, her friend Jeremiah , and Lindy her guardian as well as a host of other characters. If you enjoy stories that have parallel dream versions and ties to the mystic of the ocean. I suggest you give this novel a try.

This book kept me reading to find out the mystery behind the main characters origin story. I loved that the main character and the person she was living with felt fated to be together. from their very first meeting. I couldn't help but want to know just how that came to be true. The dream sequences and the main narrative were woven together well. The relationships between the friends and neighbors felt realistic.

I received an electronic ARC from Knopf Books for Young Readers through NetGalley.
Told in two time periods - present and a dreamed past.
Summer was found on the beach when she was two. Lindy has raised her for ten years when the book opens. Life is changing around her and she's trying to find her way. She gets caught in a rip tide and Lindy saves her again. Following that, she dreams of a past time on the island and several people who live near her current home. They (Tink, Coop, Alexis, Kimmy, Len) also are experiencing a summer of change.
Sarno interweaves the two time periods along high and low tide times. She captures the frustrations and joys of being twelve and preparing for the teen years. She also creates damaged families who find ways to survive. The ocean's pull moves throughout the plotline.
Middle grade readers will relate to the variety of emotions and activities occurring on the island.