Beautifully written. I love the unique setting in Iceland. The landscape is painted wonderfully (and quite literally as one of the MCs uses painting as a coping strategy).

Oskar is one of the best YA characters I've read. My heart bled for him at times.

It's one that creeps up on you and stays with you long after you've finished reading.

This book was a perfect treat for me as I read it during the holiday season. Every aspect of the plot was really gripping and interesting! Would recommend this to fans of romantic comedy!

I was fascinated by this book from the very first sentence:

“Evelyn Perez’s summer began with a peace offering: cherry pie at midnight.”

I mean, who wouldn’t be immediately enchanted by cherry pie at midnight on a summer night? Very whimsical and alluring indeed.

Seriously, I absolutely loved and adored this book so much. It’s moving and poetic and had an air of mysticism blended into it, just enough so that it kept it in the contemporary genre and didn’t cross over into complete paranormal territory.

The lyrical way in which the author penned this story was beautifully crafted, and blended the past and present together so well. She was able to convey it in a way so that you are able to understand that much better the feelings and emotions of the characters.

The two main characters are Evie and Oskar. Evie is a painter, and uses her artistic nature and painting as a coping mechanism and a means to escape. Oskar has dealt with extreme trauma and is having a very difficult time healing and moving forward. These two characters are very different from one another, but find themselves on the same path towards each other. And although they don’t make sense together, once they are together, it becomes clear that they make even less sense being apart. Watching them come together and and the relationship that forms and the deep bond they form and their love for each other is just simply beautiful.

And did I mention that this book takes place in Iceland?! All the stars for that setting alone!

This a deeply moving, beautiful gem of a book that you will savor and treasure in your heart because of how special it is.

Jen Marie Hawkins is an incredibly gifted writer and a true gem to the writing world.

Highly recommend!

“I write my words here between these pages where they hang, ripe for the plucking, and only sing them when I want to be heard.”

The Language of Cherries is a quiet YA contemporary with a strong mystical aspect.

The story is written in dual narratives, following Evie and Oskar. I love the lyrical aspect to Oskar’s narrative, it put a unique spin on telling his story. I was 100% invested in the story of these two young people. Evie has moved to Iceland for the summer with her father and is distraught that she has left her Abuela behind in the USA. She meets Oskar on his family’s cherry orchard. He is silent, suffering from a strong stutter and grieving for his family. Their lives intertwined and love blossoms through Evie’s magical paintings.

This novel is incredibly heartfelt, unbelievably touching and extremely emotional. It is a novel about friends, family, first love and forgiveness. This is a novel that I couldn’t put down and I would highly recommend this novel.

An e-copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quiet moving young adult contemporary romance novel with a magical element and purple prose, I found it to be very slow-paced for the beginning of the book and it slowly picked up and I began to feel invested in the story of Evie and Oskar.

This book follows Evie who moved to Iceland with her father during the summer. She's upset about the move because it separated her from her grandmother that her father just placed in a retirement facility in the US. Iceland is quiet and her father works long hours and that becomes the incentive for Evie to rebel against her father.

Evie meets Oskar in a cherry tree orchard. There's something magical about the orchard and the boy. Oskar is silent and Evie is unaware that he has a stutter and is grieving for his family. She just thinks he doesn't speak English or understands her and that they have a deeper connection that transcends language. Their lives become intertwined and after eating from the aisling cherry tree Evie beings painting Oskar's life. She paints people she doesn't know but are actually his family members who passed away.

This was a very slow burn romance. I was annoyed that Oskar spent so much time lying about the fact that he didn't speak English. Evie shared all of her thoughts and feelings with him thinking he didn't know what she was saying so I found it hard to trust him because of it. However, both of them genuinely had mutual feelings for each other. I enjoyed the setting as well. 3.5 stars.

A beautiful book, with much to think about. I went through a cycle of emotions, like my own journey of discovery. The best books make you do that.

The Language of Cherries is a YA contemporary novel with a touch of magic. The book had an unique storyline, and I loved the setting of Iceland in the story. The author's writing is very poetic, she can create dreamy scenes which transported me to the location of the book and I felt like I was with the characters there myself.
Now about the characters, I wanted so much more from them.. I wanted to see more character development from Evie and Oscar, the main characters. I loved how their love blossomed through the expression of their flaws and insecurities with each other. It was a slow-burn romance, sometimes a bit too slow for my taste. I wish the author wrote a few more chapters about them to give me the closure from their romance that I need. It was really sweet though.
The magical element of the story was really interesting. Sadly, it wasn't discussed as much as I would have wanted, but that's okay. It added it's own charm to Evie and Oscar's story and I really appreciated that.
Overall, The Language of Cherries was a good read, with it's scenic setting and unconventional plotline. 3/5 🌟
Thanks to the publisher for sending me an a review copy in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

This book is the slowest of slow burns. Don't get me wrong, the writing is lyrical and beautiful and has the softest touch of magic. I loved Evie and Oskar almost immediately. However, if lyrical writing and very character driven stories aren't your thing I highly doubt you would enjoy this.

This is the story about two teenagers who feel lost and out of place. Evie has been pulled from her Abuela and home in Miami to live in Iceland for the summer with her father. She escapes by painting in the cherry orchard behind their house. There she meets Oskar. Oskar is tall, handsome, and refuses to speak. He hates his stutter, and Americans, especially since one caused the accident that took his family away from him 5 years ago. They each, in their own way, find peace with themselves through each other. Oskar's aunt was a fresh breath of levity throughout the story.

I really loved how integral art and music were to the characters, and thus the story. The imagery in here is amazing. I would have liked maybe a little bit more of the scenery of Iceland, but the cherry orchard was a lovely setting. I am not a huge fan of cherries, but I was definitely wanting some by the end of this book. The relationship between Evie and Oskar was such a slow burn it was almost painful. They danced around each other for about 65% of the book. The last 20-25% of the book is where everything really happened. For as much as I like a good slow burn this was almost a bit too much, and yet it went well with the characters and overall story. Despite this, I felt like the ending was almost rushed, which is ironic. 3.5/5 overall

This was a slow read, but it was so worth it for me. It took about a third of the book to fully get hooked, but I had a feeling it would have a good payoff, and I was right. The Language of Cherries was a book filled with emotional depth that I rarely see in YA books.

Told in alternating perspectives of Evie and Oskar, with Evie's being a narrative and Oskar's being his journal, the book swings between positive and optimistic to angsty from chapter to chapter. In other circumstances, this may have been jarring, but it worked for this book and these characters. Evie, though she was having family issues, was overall a positive character; Oskar was a brooding teenage boy. It felt right.

I liked the slightly mystical aspect of the cherries, how they "introduced" Evie to people she never could have met and gives her the opportunity to paint them. The only part that didn't sit well with me was Oskar's silence. I have struggled with a speech impediment my entire life, and it is still a hurdle to overcome. I would NEVER go silent and just pretend I couldn't talk though, and that just felt wrong that he did that.

Other than that, the book was flawless and deep. The relationship that blossomed didn't seem forced, and the setting was depicted beautifully. I highly recommend.

Evie is in Iceland, with her scientist father. It's not where she wants to be, though. She wants to be back in Miami with her Abuela; but Abuela has dementia, and is in a care facility. Evie's mother lives in New York and the two barely have a relationship; Evie's parents split up when she was little, and she was raised by her father and his mother. Having idolised her father for most of her young life, Evie's resentment towards him starts to grow. He barely has any time for her while he's working long hours, and she knows no-one in Iceland, and the WiFi is so bad that staying in touch with friends at home is made very difficult.

She's an artist, though, and the urge to paint is strong. She takes her paint and canvases to the cherry orchard a short walk away, and is inspired to paint like she has never done before.It's in the orchard that she first meets Oskar, a very attractive young local. His aunt, Agnes, owns the only shop in the village, which is also the post office, and café. Agnes is Scottish and Oskar's only living relative. She and Evie form an easy relationship while Oskar and Evie fall for each other, without him ever speaking a word to her.

The story is told from Oskar's point of view, through his journal, and a limited third-person narrator who presents Evie's point of view. His reluctance to speak to Evie is explained clearly, and it's understandable but you know he's going to have to tell her sometime, somehow. The reveal comes at a crescendo of the book - with a culmination of events leading to a sudden change in fortunes for all involved.

The ending is comfortingly predictable, but not twee. 'The cherries play their part, which is revealed gradually, and with a lightness of touch in Jen Marie Hawkins's writing. 'The Language of Cherries' is a gorgeous read. I think what makes it really special is the melding of absolute - almost boring - normality with the lightest touch of magical realism.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Super quick and enjoyable read. The story itself is a slow burn. There is a lot to love about this book, that I can't go into detail about without spoilers. The poems from Oskar's journals were absolutely beautiful.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

IIt was the cover that drew me in – the gossamer cherry blossoms intertwined with the fruit against the pale blue background – a canvas that replicates the tangy taste of first love – confusing yet relishing – like the first bite of a ripe cherry.

Evie and Oskar both first meet in a cherry orchard in Iceland. Evie is from Florida and is here, against her wishes, for the entirety of summer accompanying her dad on his job, while Oskar lives and works in the family cherry orchard with his aunt, who runs a cafe.

Their first meeting is… well less than welcoming. Evie and Oskar, don’t speak the same language; she speaks English and Spanish, and he, communicates in gestures and facial expressions every adolescent boy comes programmed with in his DNA. But, they manage to create a bond because trapped on an island where the only two people are adults, friendship often overrides the barely hidden angst.

We learn what they think of each other and their backstories through their own chapters. Evie’s through her paintings and inner thoughts, is more of the emotional talker between the two and of Oskar through his short length poems that reveal a hesitant but ready flyer who needs but a little more than push and shove to open up.

Hawkins has masterfully captured the teenage angst and the sense of loneliness that comes during the age, where the misplaced sense of ‘me against the world’ thought is worn with a false sense of bravado, hidden turmoils of grief and inapt guilt overpowers rationale, and the need to express feelings comes in spurts and bursts out in staccato, often causing more damage than healing.

The characters are drawn out exquisitely, rich in their personalities, drawing even the most placid reader into the rich world of Evie and Oskar. I guess, the nostalgia of always reading about first love does something to a reader of any age.

Evie, is a talented budding artist who uses her emotional depth to paint the most visceral and vivid paintings, always a re-creation of her emotions on the subject her grandmother. Oskar, whom she chances upon in the erstwhile cherry orchard, is a budding poet or a rapper – it wasn’t clear. Each uses her and his talent to write about their POV; Oskar’s especially grows more loquacious and in depth as he opens up more to Evie and his aunt ergo the reader about his guilt of surviving, his feelings towards Evie and his aunt, and his dreams.

Hawkins writing evokes a sense of protectiveness around Evie and Oskar; given their tragic backstories, but isn’t hesitant to throw them under the bus to get them to see beyond their self-imposed grey tinted glasses.

The narrative dwells on and describes the growth these two very talented teenagers, forced to interact in Iceland for the summer, and how while they challenge each other; overcoming the language barrier and parental opposition, and their own imposter syndrome of their self-worth, they manage to forge a bond and connection that unites them in the future.

A YA book, The Language of Cherries is a simmering book, slow in its pace but it building up to a fragrant cherry pie that is as tart as it is sweet.

Evie and Oskar's relationship was very sweet, but it was incredibly slow. The language was very poetic and sweet as well. The setting was really cool, as the book takes place in Iceland. It took me a while to get invested in the story, with how slow their relationship moved. I thought Evie's feelings and how she handled moving were realistic. I liked the artistic aspects of the book, both Evie and Oskar were artists and very creative. Overall, really cute YA romance novel.

Interesting lyrical read, but a little slow for the first half of the book. Thought about putting it down a few times, but glad I didn't because the last half was so good!

I cannot begin to describe how beautiful this book is. The writting is so poetic and atmospheric. I don't want to talk much about it because I genuinely think the best thing is to go into The Language of Cherries blind, but the relationship between the two main characters has such a right pacing, it's a progression of accepting who you are and accepting love into your life.

I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up all night just to see what will happen. The story drew me in from the location, the main characters, and the cherry trees. Thanks for the free read!

This book will definitely pull your heart strings and make you think. I wasn't sure about this book but I really enjoyed it. I loved that this book was set in Iceland. I also could really relate to the main character which doesn't always happen when I read. I will be purchasing this book for my libraries YA collection.

I dont think I can explain how much I loved this book. The slow burn romance was perfect. The small amounts of magical realism made it perfect. You also have two MCs who have an amazing storyline. It follows a girl named Evelyn and she goes to Iceland to stay with her dad (I cant recall if it was for summer or Winter vacation. There she meets Oskar. He has a speech issue and decides to not tell her about it for fear of being judged by a girl that he develops feelings for. They go through many different adventures and she learns some secrets about his family.
My heart truly hurt for both of them. Oskar made me so angry at times but, I also felt his pain and love.

I recieved this book for review from Netgalley!

The Language of Cherries, an apparently simple romance story with a pretty cover written for teenagers, is a wonderful story that portrays the way loss, in spite of being terribly painful, might sometimes bring you positive change. It also showcases the beauty with which cultural barriers can be overcome. The action of Jen Marie Hawkins’ first novel (published by Owl Hollow Press on February 11, 2020) is set in an Iceland cherry orchard, which is one of the most unique and appealing aspects of this book. It’s full of beautiful Nordic sceneries.
Evie Perez is a Latin-American 17-year-old who has to leave her life in Miami behind to spend the Summer in Iceland with her dad, who’s working on a project for US Geological Survey. She’s missing out on the opportunity to have a real summer with her dear Abuela, whose degenerative illness is only getting more worrisome, and with the first boy who’s shown an interest in her. She’s even missing out on sleep, thanks to the Icelandic midnight sun. What can a girl do in a place where she knows no one and where everything is so different?
She can paint. Evie’s paintings are usually inspired by the music she listens to and she only paints in the Winter – she can’t paint without music, nor can she do it in the Summer. However, in the orchard near the house where she’s staying, her painting hand takes on a life of its own and paints things she’s never seen, while her other hand puts cherries in her mouth. She paints a blond teenage boy who’s stupid cute and who soon shows up in front of her, a real person with a symbol tattooed on his arm – a symbol which she had included in her painting and that keeps showing up everywhere. Is it related to Icelandic magic? What secrets are the boy and the orchard hiding?
In alternate chapters, the book is written from both Evie and Oskar’s points of view. His chapters are part of his journal, which is written in a straightforward manner and in verse. He writes what he doesn’t tell the American girl. He refuses to talk to her, since she must suffer from the same “American mentality” as the tourist who killed his entire family (except for his aunt, who runs the orchard) in a car accident. He leads Evie to believe he doesn’t know any English and cannot therefore understand her. But there’s something instantly attractive about her… She makes him feel like writing songs again, something he hasn’t done since the accident. And how is she able to paint scenes from his past family life in such detail? Will he be able to come out of this lie and talk to her?
This book really shows how true and healthy love stimulates and encourages creativity – instead of draining it, as unfortunately happens in many romanticized toxic relationships in Young Adult novels. Evie gets Oskar to get back into his art again after a traumatic event, and he makes her paint in a new, freeing way, fearlessly and without restrictions or criticism. This story also shows how love can help you get over terrible loss and helps you believe that life goes on and you don’t have to let the bad stuff get the best of you forever. The complexity of family dynamics is also very well-developed: the relationship between the two survivors of an accident which took all their loved one, the relationships between a daughter and her absent parents and between a sick grandmother and her granddaughter.
Finally, the presence of different cultures and the existence of characters who simultaneously belong to two different cultures – Evie is an American of Cuban ancestry and Oskar is the son of an Icelandic man and a Scottish woman – also make this book special. The Spanish and Icelandic words throughout the book get the reader more involved in those cultures without making the reading experience confusing (thanks to some lovely footnotes). The stories of both protagonists’ families’ past also don’t take away from the main story for too long and they create a good sense of their backgrounds. That way, the book becomes more than a one-dimensional heterosexual romance between two white, American people (yes, this is Nicholas Sparks-directed shade).
I have no negative things to say about this book. I’d just like to have read The Language of Cherries as a teenager, when I would have felt even closer to the story and the teenagers’ feelings. Jen Marie Hawkins’ prose comes off as that kind of invisible writing style, perfectly correct and simple, that allows the actual story to shine through, and she wrote a very well-thought-out one, that’s moving and stands out. I will for sure follow her career.

What a fantastic read! An artist and a music loving boy what more could you ask for? I loved the writing style, the chemistry, and the setting was lovely! Oskar is such an amazing character and I can't wait to read more from this author! Now I wish I had a physical copy because the cover is beautiful and this is definitely a re-read for the future!

thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!