Well suited to the verse novel format. Grief stories are so internal, so much about how the character views the world, that the reflective, broken nature of verse works ill. It's a bit too meandering to get my full endorsement but it's a decent read.

I really enjoyed the dual perspectives of the grieving sisters, and I loved exploring their bonds and the need for connection. However, I feel like this was resolved a little too quickly.

I enjoyed the dual perspectives of the two sisters as they navigated grief and loss and let each other in again. The snowstorm was a perfect setting for the feel of the novel, and I also enjoyed the turtle under ice metaphor and ending lines. While I didn't connect as much as I wanted to with the sisters, as I felt there weren't enough details about their lives, friends, and mother, I can imagine giving this to teens who enjoy poetry, stories about families and sisters, and grief.

TURTLE UNDER ICE by Juleah del Rosario (500 Words or Less) is a young adult novel which deals with grief, sisterhood and questions of identity. Rowena and Ariana tell the story in verse. Their mother died a few years ago and a fresh tragedy brings their grief and insecurity to the surface. Ariana, the elder sister, muses "But when your mother dies, what happens / to your own destiny? / Who are you supposed to be? / What role are you to assume / if your mother isn’t there to guide you?" She has turned inward and is in danger of not passing high school – and I was surprised at the limited support she is receiving from her school and her parents. Are she and Row (a state soccer champion) so practiced at camouflaging grief and pushing others away that no one is reaching out to support them?

I recommend this novel for both independent reads and class discussion. Students will readily relate to these characters and their feelings, as when Ariana says: " ... I hadn't figured out / who I was, and it scared me. Because someday / I need to leave, and what was I supposed to do / with an entire future?" Row also reflects on the tension teens often feel about opening up to others: "It's a serious contradiction, / to want to be heard, to want to be listened to, / to want to feel what I feel without clothing it / in unruffled indifference // and then not letting / Kennedy [her friend] in." With a rather melancholy tone and mystery aspect, TURTLE UNDER ICE is a relatively quick read with appeal for all teen readers, including the reluctant ones.

Turtle Under Ice is a book that didn't work for me. I am assuming I am the wrong audience for this ya book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

After hearing rave reviews about this book, I expected more. I felt no connection to the characters and the plot was practically nonexistent. Overall it was anti-climatic and forgettable.

This book tackles so many important topics like grief, shock, survivors' guilt, sibling relationships, and trauma.

This is a short, novella style story reminiscent of an Elizabeth Acevedo book. I enjoyed the dual timelines although I did feel like it was a bit rushed and too short. I think when dealing with such heavy topics a certain length is necessary to reach realistic resolutions and to fully describe the gravity of the situation(s) within the story. The end for me came a little too quickly and was tied up a little too neatly.

Like I said I enjoyed the dual timelines, I also liked how this story shows how each person grieves differently and how we all deal with things in different ways. It also shows how sometimes the people who are closest to us are the people that we know the least about.

I think that there are other books that deal with similar topics that were written better which is why I gave this 3 stars. It was kind of middle of the road; not bad but not great either.

I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives in this book. That alteration really emphasized how people process grief differently. The verse format added a great touch to this heartbreaking story.

Sadly, this one really didn't work for me. The premise is very appealing to me, which is why I requested a review copy, it's exploring grief and guilt and the disappearance of our main character's sister. But, it's written in dual perspective and both perspectives are written in verse, and for me that was kind of the breaking point of this story for me. The stylistic differences between the two sisters was not significant enough for me to easily grasp onto which sister was experiencing which emotions. I would have much rather one perspective (probably Row's) in verse while Ariana's could have been in traditional prose. I think that would have been a very quick way to distinguish between characters and have a firmer grasp on the actual story.

What I Liked:

Obviously family is a huge focus of this book. It isn't either of the girls' only focus, mind, which it shouldn't be. But I think that especially considering the past circumstances of both young women, it was clear that family was their central focus. And the family was just so authentic. They loved each other so fiercely, but were having difficulty coming to terms individually with all the really crappy stuff they'd been dealt. Which is really fair, how many other families find themselves in similar situations, you know? They're all just doing the best they can, and life is just hard.

The writing was positively gorgeous. I could absolutely feel the pain radiating from the pages. The author did an amazing job setting the tone for the story, and it was sad but with specks of hope dotted, which is kind of perfect, considering the subject matter.

Packs a big emotional punch in a very quick story. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said I didn't love reading a super quick book from time to time. I do, I love it. This one somehow makes the reader feel all the emotions during a fairly short time period, which is impressive.

What I Didn't:

This may be a "me" thing, but I have a ton of trouble connecting to characters in verse novels. Seriously, is this just me? Like I said, the writing was lovely and emotionally provocative without a doubt. I just wanted to feel a little more immersed in the characters themselves, but maybe I need to just let go of that expectation in verse books?

Bottom Line: It's got beautiful writing, and a sister duo who have gone through more than they should have had to. But they go on, as we must, and this story illustrates it brilliantly.

Arianna is failing school, and may not graduate. She hasn’t told anyone and she has one last chance to get some extra credit so she can graduate. She’s doesn’t want anyone to know that she hasn’t done anything since her mother died.

Row is an amazing soccer player. It’s her escape of sorts. When Row wakes to find Arianna missing, she feels abandoned. She and Arianna were supposed to be there for each other, always.


Lyrically written, Turtle Under Ice a story about two sisters who are still grieving their mother’s death many years later. Because the story is told from both sister’s point of view, you feel all of the grief, loss, and heaviness of it all. It didn’t take me long to read this book, which makes me both happy and sad. It makes me sad because the book was written so wonderfully that I felt like I was forming some kind of bond with the sisters. I’m happy because both girls realize that they don’t have to have their grief define them.

I have never read a book written in verse like this and I can honestly say I was a little concerned I was going to have trouble with it. This book turned out to be so beautiful and I’m so glad that I read it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good book about sisterhood and grief.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon Pulse for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the beautiful story of two sisters as a crossroads with grief, and how it doesn’t completely go away no matter how much time has passed. It is the story of how they both learn to move forward with their grief and find each other again on the other side. Heartfelt, and raw, and stunning.

This was such powerful writing to tell such a powerful story. The verse was written very well, however I feel as though I didn't get the full effect of it through my copy, as there were some weird indents. The message and the story overall were very compelling and the themes that went along with it were important as well.

Juleah del Rosario takes the reader through the different but similar ways two sisters deal with the passing of their mother. Ariana struggles with trying to let go of her grief, becoming the perfect role model for her younger sister, and finding her own place in a world so seemingly disconnected from personal emotion. Row struggles to piece together her broken family, and to prove to herself that she's more than just a soccer player.

Things I loved:
- Characterization: They way in which both characters deal with grief are different, but also very similar. Their sadness is impalpable, and it is truly mesmerizing to sit back and let del Rosario pull you gently through their stages of growth.
- Angst: Me being me, I loved the angst aspect of the story. Row and Ariana's narrative isn't just about grief and family. It's also about friendship and kindness and finding your place in the world. As a teenager myself, I found myself really relating to the contemplation of their futures. They are faced with incredible emotional difficulties that add to the depth of the story, such as how to be a good friend, how to move on from a seemingly defining moment in your life, how to forgive and move on, and finally, how to feel okay again.
- Writing: The writing is simply stunning. There are so many lines I would have posted here already if it was legal (arc rules, hehe), but I hope you trust me when I say that some of del Rosario's writing had my heart literally panging in my chest. Her writing is the kind of beautiful that sends you down a twisting tunnel of pain, but not in a terrible "Why would you do this to me?!" way, but more like a comforting, "I know the pain hurts, but it's important to understand" way.

Would I recommend this book?
YES. It's a wonderful story, and regardless of whether or not you have experienced grief, I think this book teaches a lesson about finding the balance between remembering and moving on that really is quite beautiful.

We all deal with grief and loss in different ways.

Some of us become paralyzed in our lives. We are frozen and stuck. Life seems to move around us, yet we are lost without the one that is gone forever.

Others of us move on. We find happiness again with someone new. They don't replace the person that we have lost, but they do help us put our brokenness back together again. The brokenness then eventually allows happiness to enter our lives once again.

Then, there are those of us that bury ourselves in our work. We focus on everything that must be accomplished, and we do not stop until that task is complete. If we move forward, the grief has to ease... someday...eventually.

Turtle Under Ice, is a powerful novel in verse about a family deep in their grief. Two sisters, Ariana and Rowena, have lost their mother, and they have to rely on each other to get through the pain that now surrounds their lives. Bonded by their loss and love for one another, the two sisters help each other as the days after their mom's death seem to come cascading by.

As their dad remarries and the years continue to pass, the sisters find that their relationship and lives have gone in completely different directions. Now, their dad and stepmom are struggling with their sudden miscarriage, Rowena has disappeared, and Ariana is left alone in the house that seems to have seen more than its fair share of grief.

Turtle Under Ice will break your heart as you read through the struggles of Juleah del Rosario's characters. Grief does unremarkable things to people, and you never know how you are supposed to move on. Through the mesmerizing lyrics of this story, you will follow along on the girls' separate, but intertwined, journey to find themselves again.

This was a beautiful novel in verse, perfect for fans of Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling.  Told through both Row and Ariana's perspectives, we are allowed to see the different ways in which these girls still grieve for their mother six years after her death, and grieve for the little half-sister that they never had the chance to meet.  Over the span of just two days, Row's life seems to explode: she can't find anyone to play soccer with her (her only coping mechanism), her sister has gone missing, she's the only one able to recognize what needs to be done in the house, and her best friend is upset with her.  

Ariana's life seems to explode, too: she's failing a course which means she might not graduate, she cannot stop grieving, and she left in the middle of the night to attend an extra credit event and meets her ex-best-friend on the way there.  

Both girls' grief catches up to them, and they must make the mature decision to stop being defined by it.  It's perfect for grown-up fans of Frozen, and great for those who find sisterly bonds the most important bond of all.  I loved the ways in which their grief manifests, how their coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) seem to manipulate their actions and the ways in which they interact with their others, and their family.  

What I find really interesting, though, something that I just now realized, is the fact that so much attention is placed on their late mother, yet there are no real-time conversations with their father or stepmother; an interesting choice that is both subtle and nuanced.  It truly goes to show how important mothers are in terms of navigating young adulthood, and how important sisters are in attempting to support each other.

Turtle Under Ice certainly hits the mark for representing long-lasting grief, and succeeds in its efforts to allow the space and time the girls need in order to process their feelings.


A fantastic book, and one that I can't wait for our library to purchase when released!

Turtle under Ice
by Juleah del Rosario
Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Simon Pulse

Teens & YA
Pub Date 11 Feb 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Turtle Under Ice through Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley:


In this book a teen navigates between grief, identity, and guilt in the wake of her sisters mysterious disappearance in this breathtaking novel told in verse.



Rowena feels as if her family is a frayed string of lights that someone needs to fix with electrical tape. She and her sister Arianna drifted into their own corners of the world, each figuring out in their own separate ways how to exist in a world in which their mother is no longer alive.






Arianna disappears in the cover of the night, in the middle of a snowstorm leaving not a trace, or a track. Row wakes up the following morning to a world of snow and her Father’s empty bedroom and her sisters empty bedroom, she must piece together where Arianna went and why she left, while coming to realize that she may be part of the reason Arianna is gone.


Turtle Under Ice is a powerful novel, dealing with loss, grief, discovering one’s self, and is powerfully told in dual perspectives.


I give Turtle Under Ice five out of five stars!

I liked 500 Words or Less, so when I saw del Rosario had another verse novel coming out, I knew I would need to get it for my school library. This one is full of emotion and the verse is beautifully written.

Ariana and Row lost their mom when they were younger, and both of them are still trying to navigate their grief. When tragedy hits their family a second time, Ariana disappears and Row is left trying to figure out why.

Told by both sisters in alternating narratives, this story is an honest look at grief and all the ways it changes your life. Sometimes it's ugly. Sometimes it's sometimes it's absurd. Sometimes it turns you into a person that others don't particularly like. But there's always hope, if you know where--and at whom--to look.

I finished Turtle Under Ice in a few hours. I couldn't stop reading. Sure it's in verse which certainly makes it easy. However, Turtle Under Ice is lyrical, poignant, and moving. This dual POV verse novel is stunning. It's a lyrical portrayal of grief, sisterhood, and moving on. Turtle Under Ice is obviously lyrical, but it's also haunting. Like the chilling breeze in a winter forest blanketed in snow. There's beauty to its words, surrounded by a setting that is both gorgeous with a hint of something deeper. A stillness of the forest. I adored 500 Words Or Less and del Rosario maintains that same commitment to characters in Turtle Under Ice.

And Turtle Under Ice is moving. Telling us a story about grief, Rowena and Ariana demonstrate the ways grief can push us away, further from ourselves. It changes the molecules of our body. We each process the piercing cold differently. How can we still be the same sisters we were before when we don't even know who we are anymore? I could deeply empathize with the ways the sisters drift away from each other in Turtle Under the Ice. It isn't a conscious departure. It's that steady drifting away of ice pulled away by different currents.

"We all keep boxes of emptiness in the depths of our closets."

I received an uncorrected electronic proof of this book from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and do not reflect the opinions of NetGalley or the publisher. Thank you to both organizations for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in a couple of quick settings. It's a fast read and although the plot moves slowly, nothing feels bogged down or overly drawn out. The poetry in this book reads like a stream of consciousness and tackles heavy topics in a way that feels authentic. The poetry invites the reader in and while reading this book, I couldn't help but think about my own grief. I'm now a decade removed from high school and from having to decide my future, but in some ways, I still struggle with the same issues as both Ariana and Row. Now that I'm out of school and college and graduate school, I'm having to decide which parts of my identity to keep and which to grow and which to scrap. This is a process we are always undertaking and the risk to stagnate comes in different ways, like both sisters in this novel, is real.

I have children in my classroom who have experienced immense grief. I know I have a couple who blame themselves for their losses. I want to give this book to them now. I will definitely be purchasing this for my classroom.