Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The Language of Cherries.

This is a YA novel with some magical realism and mystical vibes. For the most part it's a YA romance story.
Evie is living away in Iceland with her father, and she meets Oskar, who is silent.
Things develop, slowly, and I would say the first half, maybe a little less, is quite the slow burner.
This is told in alternating narratives between Evie and Oskar. Overall a good story in the YA genre.

This is a new author for me and I LOVED this wonderful story! You just fell in love with these characters!! Truly an amazing book!!

“The Language of Cherries”, by Jen Marie Hawkins (Owl Hollow Press), is a sweet, passionate romance between two young, lovable characters, Oskar and Evie. It’s an easy, light read, but also touching some dark themes with a bit of a paranormal twist.
Written in a lyrical, evocative prose that suits the subject and also matches the ethereal, supernatural beauty of Iceland’s landscape, the aurora borealis, druids and cherry orchards, the story features a yummy hero, who suffers from an endearing stutter, and an incredibly affectionate and giving heroine. Both are artists and the author’s take on the creative process is very interesting.
I thought the issue Oskar was hiding took too long do reveal, yet I liked that there was no drama about it in the end.
Some parts made me laugh, others I found heart-wrenching and poignant, but, all in all, this is an enjoyable tale about young love, handling themes of family, loss and grief and caring for ageing beloved ones, too.

This wasn't quite what I expected going into it but I was pleasantly surprised! The characters, the setting, the romance was everything. One thing I did love the most was Oskar's narrative, it was so poetic and I absolutely adored it. This was a really good debut novel!

It's so refreshing to read a unique YA storyline, and rather impressive, as I know how hard it is to come up with storylines and make them genuine to bring the story to life. This book takes typical YA (family struggles, decisions about the future, and romance) and spins it to a new level, adding in magic realism and a setting in Iceland. Definitely should get more recognition. I look forward to seeing it on the bestseller charts!

This beautiful book gave me all the feels. The writing is seductive, and the Icelandic setting is stunning. I fell in love with all the incredible characters, but especially Oskar whose narrative comes through his poetry as he's more comfortable writing than speaking, and what he writes is so emotionally evocative, it so often brought me to tears, in the very best way. I loved this book so much.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. "The Language of Cherries" will be released February 11th, 2020. 

I don't think it's a coincidence that, in an early scene, it's mentioned that bookish protagonist Evie is reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "A Hundred Years of Solitude," because I feel like the author was going for a sort of "Icelandic Garcia-Marquez" vibe. That was one thing I didn't expect at all, especially because I put this book on my TBR (months ago...) before its full summary was out: "The Language of Cherries" is more magical realism than contemporary romance. (Hence the Garcia-Marquez connection - I can sorta see the influence of his work here with not only that, but the evocative power of the setting, the importance of Latin American culture to the story, and the lyrical prose.) I don't want to spoil much, but there's a lot more Gaelic druid magic than I expected in a book that seemed, to me, like a fish-out-of-water summer romance story. Usually, magical realism isn't my cup of tea (I still get flashbacks to my 10th grade English class where we had to analyze Latin American magical realism ad nauseum), but it worked here, probably because I'd never seen it used in this setting. The only MR I'd ever read had been set in South America and used various South American traditions, mythologies, and cultures as its backbone, so this one was unique in that it completely removed the genre from the only setting I'd ever known it in. It used Gaelic mythology (the protagonist is half-Scottish) and Icelandic setting for a very interesting take. And speaking of the setting - gorgeous. Super atmospheric, and I want to go to Iceland now. That's a testament to the quality of the writing, which was also excellent. I loved the use of Oskar's song lyrics as vehicles to move the story forward. 

The characters and plot didn't enthuse me as much. 

What I will give Hawkins is that Oskar and Evie are both very fleshed-out, flawed, and real. They seemed like actual people you might know. But as such, they're both kinda...unlikable at times. That actually isn't a bad thing; it takes a good writer to make you sympathize with a character that you also kinda can't stand. They have reasons for being how they are. And I did love their wordless summer romance. But in the end...well, I kinda just didn't like them. I appreciated Evie's growth, though. The plot had a bit of the same: it seemed a little all-over-the-place, more patchy than linear. Yes, things happened along a linear timeline, but each chapter read a little more like an individual slice-of-life vignette than part of a larger story, at least to me. And certain plot points (...druid magic) weren't really elaborated upon. They showed up, they were sort of just there, and that was that. 

I feel like there's more to this book than I can easily convey in this little review, so you'll have to read it yourself if you want to get what I'm talking about. (It's available for free, automatically, on NetGalley - I'd highly encourage all of you to check it out that way!) But, though I wasn't absolutely in love with every part of the story, "The Language of Cherries" is a rich, evocative, and singularly unique novel that's likely to be unlike anything else you read. 

ENDNOTES

Favorite Scene: when Agnes (Oskar's aunt), Evie, and Oskar attend an outdoor market. Super adorable romance-development scene that gives us one of the best looks at Icelandic culture that we get in the entire book. 

What Made This Book Stand Out: its extremely unique setting and magical realism vibes. 

One-Sentence Summary: this is most definitely not what it says on the tin. 

Something that Bugged Me: early in the book, Evie is described as being the only Hispanic student at a Catholic high school in Miami. That had me raising my eyebrows because I go to a Catholic high school in another major U.S. city with a huge Hispanic population, similar to Miami's, and my school's student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic. I didn't want to assume Florida had the same demographics as California, though, so I did some research on demographics...and sure enough, the majority of Catholic high schools in Miami proper have Hispanic majorities. I loved the Catholic school mention because, well, that's my life, but as a Cuban-American, Evie would be far from atypical at a south Florida Catholic school. 

Adult Content: a bit of vulgar language throughout; a fade-to-black implied sex scene + the subsequent fallout; Oskar is kind of a stoner at the beginning; Evie and Oskar's entire relationship is based on a lie at first.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Confused Llamas

From the first few pages, I knew that I was going to like this book. Turns out I loved it. It's not lyrical, per se, or maybe it is, but more so in the storytelling than the writing style itself, which is fresh and well-versed. The Language of Cherries is filled with magical elements I'm not particularly keen on, but it features a whole set of characters, all more lovable than the next, and beautiful Icelandic settings. It’s a solid and impressive debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this writer.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.