I always knew reviewing this book would be a challenge. It’s one of those beautiful heart-breaking books which you come across every now and then, but remember forever. This book gave me complete John Green vibes and though I am not much for comparisons but you could also say that I’d place this book at par with Tuesday’s with Morrie and A Man Called Ove in terms of how much it makes one feel.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is a beautiful coming of age story which revolves around racism, identity, family and friendship. It’s about an invincible summer planned out by two teenagers – Ethan Charlie Harper and Juniper Jones in the town of Ellison, Alabama. While Juniper is a town local, Ethan has been sent to spend his summer with his Aunt Cara and Uncle Robert as a punishment for getting into a fight with someone at school back home in Arcadia, Washington. Ethan’s punishment for the school scuffle is a long way away from the REAL issue - he is a biracial teenage boy in the year 1955, in a town like Ellison.

Ethan’s uncle decides to make him work at his Malt store during the morning shift when it isn’t crowded and when he can’t expect much trouble. Ethan is initially unaware of the logic behind it of course. But it is during one of those morning shifts that Juniper Starfish Jones comes twirling into his life like a colorful hurricane! From this point on, Ethan and Juniper are best friends! They’re inseparable and they – mostly Juniper - come up with an entire list of things they’d like to do to make the summer of 1955 the best summer they’ve ever had. To make it the most invincible summer ever!

Here are some of my favorite things they had on their list:
1. Plant sunflower seeds all across town!
2. Spot and learn all the constellations in the night sky.
3. Try all flavors of milkshakes at the Malt store.
4. And finally, Juniper wanted to learn to swim.

Juniper Jones – her name always reminds me of my favorite childhood fictional character, Junie B. Jones! What can I say about someone like Juniper Jones? What can anyone say about someone like Juniper Jones, someone who is so committed to joy! Someone whose presence and vivid imagination lights up everyone’s heart and soul, someone who is full of confidence and wonder! So I’ll describe her as Ethan did - “She hit him in the best way, like a rainstorm after five years of drought, healing the parched earth with a gentle touch; and in the worst way, like an unexpected earthquake, leaving dust and debris in her wake. She was, in equal parts, a gift and a natural disaster. Her name was Juniper Jones.” Someone with forest-fire hair and hurricane eyes! I don’t have a book boyfriend but really wish I can have a friend like Juniper Jones.

I haven’t shied away from complimenting this book so far but the story does have some triggers which I’d like to warn you about: racism and bullying; and I think the author has done brilliantly to address both these factors in her story. This book was truly an eye-opener for me in terms of the constant fear that Ethan and many like him probably live in. Quoting a part of the book where Ethan states the emotion – “I’m already scared, Juniper. I’ve been scared this whole time”. It was the first time he’d said it out loud, but it was true. For weeks in Ellison, Alabama, fear had been his default. Given the current circumstances and recent events, mainly in America, I think it is important for people of all backgrounds to be educated about the world outside their immediate surroundings.

Today as we try to be better allies, let us remind ourselves to also be empathetic towards each other – those who are still dealing with racism and those who are still learning to be better allies. Let this be a reminder for us all to read more about the emotions of people of color, especially those from the Black community, and push yourselves harder to learn more about their experiences. More importantly, at all times keep striving to be better than you were yesterday. Be kind. Be empathetic. Be willing to sit down and listen. Acknowledge your privilege and use it to raise people up and not hold them back, to make those unheard till now be heard loud and clear!

I recommend this book to EVERYONE, irrespective of your age, it doesn’t matter! It’s the perfect summer read this year and I promise you won’t regret picking it up, because this book made it to my list of top reads this year. It made me cry my eyes out and I am not one for crying usually, but if a book makes me cry, you know damn well it’s a brilliant book! I rate this book 5 invincible bookmarks out of 5!

I'd like to thank Michelle from The FFBC Tours, Wattpad Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in lieu of an honest review. I'd also like to congratulate the author Daven McQueen – who I got the wonderful opportunity to interview (read further) - for writing such a beautiful book!

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is a beautiful story about friendship and race. It’s set largely in Alabama in 1955, a time and place when racism wasn’t hidden but worn as a badge of honour. Ethan is a young mixed-race boy living with his white father. When he gets into trouble in school he is sent to Alabama for the summer to stay with relatives. Here he meets racism at a scale he has never experienced before. But he also meets Juniper Jones, an imperfect girl with a big heart, who makes him her friend.

The language is quite simple, and the lessons in racism and friendship feel rather heavy-handed. However, this is probably appropriate for a YA book. The book discusses issues such as ’what is the responsibilities of a ”not racist” white person, with regards to their family and their community.

’’Part of being family is about making each other better people. And I can’t make any promises she’ll change. But I’m sure going to try my best.”

I’d recommend to teenagers/young adults, or anyone who wants a lovely and quick read discussing important issues!

I just wanna thank @netgalley and @daventhequeen so so much for an e-arc of this book because wow! 💛 This is honestly the first book I’ve read this year that I can’t think of a single thing even remotely negative to say about it, other than it ripping my heart out. I loved it’s main characters, and I never wanted it to end. It confronts race, hatred, grief, and people’s complicity to racism and hatred, even when it affects people they love.

Ethan and Juniper were both characters who were so ALIVE and I felt their joy, their sadness, fear, and heartbreak. Especially Ethan, who as a teenager is having his innocence ripped away in a lot of ways to racism and how people view him, and treat him because of it.

I don’t want to give too much away, but all I can say is please read this book! It’s such a beautiful story, and I wish I could shove a copy of it in every single person’s hand right now.

Growing up with his white father, Ethan, a biracial boy, has been sheltered from the racist view that lives in the 1950s America. He moves to Alabama to live with his aunt and uncle after an incident at school. Here, it quickly becomes clear for Ethan that his neighbors don't want him there. Except for the girl, Juniper Jones, who invites him to join her on adventures. Throughout the story, Ethan learns to stand his ground and speak up for himself when encountered with racism. The story explores how important it is to talk to people who deal with the same problems as you and how racial tensions played out in the 50s. The story is historical, but many of the scenes feel painfully relevant to the world we live in today.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: RACISM, kkk, death.

This book was so heartfelt. I teared up multiple times reading it. I flew through it and just needed to know what happened.

I just wanted to reach into the book and give Ethan a hug. His journey to stand up for racism was very satisfying to see. There's a point in the book where he goes to a city nearby, where he for the first time sees many black people living among white people, and it was such a powerful chapter.

Then there is Juniper Jones. She a ball of energy and excitement. And while her character was so easily loveable and someone you want to be friends with, she is also part of why I don't want to give this book five stars. Because she is a manic pixie dream girl and the parallels to John Green's book 'Looking for Alaska' was crazy. Like right down to the title being about the girl and not the main character. Before I read the synopsis I was sure the main character was Juniper, but no. She's the weird white girl in town.

The book starts with a scene taking place 60 years after the story unfolds and the questions and suspense that build up in this chapter really just elevated my interest in the story. I felt the story was well-paced and easy to read. The language was very atmospheric and I felt like I was right there in the warm small-town with Ethan.

I've read some criticism that the story gives too much praise for the few white people who do the absolute bare minimum against racism. As a white person I can't speak to that, but I wished there were more consequences for the racists, though the way it plays out is probably realistic to the times. The best parts of the book imo were whenever Ethan spoke up against racism and the talk he has with his mother.

Overall, I'm glad I've read this book and would recommend it to anyone who finds the synopsis intriguing.

Thank you Netgalley, Wattpad and Devan McQueen for my Advanced Reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

First off I want to say that this book should be on middle and high school library shelves across our nation. The recommended age is 12 & up and I agree with it. McQueen discusses racism in detail from Ethan’s eyes. He has traveled across country from the Northeastern part of the US down to rural Alabama to stay with his aunt and uncle, but it’s no vacation. Ethan is a biracial 15 year old who learns what it’s like to be outcasted at first glance, to be pointed at and shunned.

He meets Juniper Jones and is whirled into a magical summer adventure creating an amazing friendship, all the while a dangerous cloud hangs above them. The reader gets to experience his surprise, confusion, anger, hatred, love, awe and ultimately fear. “The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones” really puts a personal touch on what we’ve learned from history books.

Even though these topics are hard and confusing, it’s important to have these discussions with our friends and family but most importantly our children. Hatred is learned and can have severe consequences. Look for this book to be released June 16, 2020.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is a beautiful book that will break your heart. It is a story about race but also friendship, family, and the fun and fraught times of being a young teenager. The book begins in 2015 with the notice of a funeral sent to the main character, Ethan, who recalls a summer sixty years earlier that he spent in Ellison, Alabama and where he met a friend who changed his life, Juniper Jones. Daven McQueen spins a yarn of an epic summer between a white girl and a biracial boy in a Southern town rife with racism and anti-blackness. The story hops from the beauty of the town's surrounding lake and forests to the adventures of Ethan and Juniper to the tension of Ethan's interactions with the townsfolk and two white bullies. I really loved this book, I hope everyone reads it. It is one of those books perfect for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers. Five stars!

I really enjoyed this. It was raw, heartbreaking, but also showed the bonds and acceptance within true friendship.

Some important elements:
-Bi-racial main character
-Showed MC struggling with shame for being half White.
-Showed depictions of the disgusting attitudes, behaviors, segregation, and laws during the 1950's
-Showcased a beautiful friendship between a White, redheaded girl who was labeled "freak" and a Bi-racial Black Boy. The friendship reminded me of My Girl.
-Ethan and Juniper had a wholesome friendship with unconditional love and acceptance.
-I really liked that the author made Ethan's character strong and eventually secure in his identity. He hadn't experienced such blunt racism before while living in Washington, but he quickly realized that it's not at all okay and people need to be held responsible. He said it wasn't up to him to do the work White people need to do to not be racist and to be anti-racist. This is SO important!!!
-There was a moment where Juniper witnessed her aunt call Ethan a racial slur to his face and Juniper didn't say anything and was unsure/scared to say anything. Ethan called her out for this lack of action and act of betrayal. It's also sooo important to see portrayals of friends and loved ones calling out toxicity and lack of action and having those loved ones really simmer with their uncomfortable feelings and be accountable for their actions.
-After that incident, Juniper realized her hurtful and wrong mistake of not defending him and chose the path of allyship. She exemplified this throughout the rest of this book by being vocal toward bullies and the laws that tried to separate them. It was beautiful to see allyship and such anger in characters that were only 14.
-It showed the consequences and harm of his dad (who is White) not having a race talk with Ethan and withholding truths about how the world operates, particularly toward Black people. He didn't take the time to learn how to raise a Black kid and how harmful and negligent that is.

Overall, these were strong characters and I do wish we got more time with them and I wanted the author to spend more time delving into these issues because I wanted to learn more. However, it's an important story and one that everyone should read! ♥️


**Thank you to Netgalley and Wattad for this ARC in exchange for an honest Review**

WOW. I HAVE NO WORDS.

This is presumably one of the most spectacular books of today as not only is it beautifully written by the author, but it is also prevalent in today’s current events. This undoubtedly opened my eyes even wider to something that has been happening up to this day. Racism and discrimination have been a crucial issue happening not just in America, but around the world for the longest time. Although we could say it is becoming better throughout the years, however, it is 2020 and it is still happening. This is an issue that the society has been striving to put an end to in the hopes of one day, racism will not ever grow and foster. We are all humans, despite our differences regardless of our skin color or ethnicity, at the end of the day, we are all the same. We all deserve a peaceful world to live in where fear has no room for.

This book is truly invincible and unforgettable. It is a story of friendship, race, history, adventures, and one summer that impacted so many lives. The message of this book is extremely powerful. A must-read for all!

“She hit him in the best way, like a rainstorm after five years of drought, healing the parched earth with a gentle touch; and in the worst way, like an unexpected earthquake, leaving dust and debris in her wake. She was, in equal parts, a gift and a natural disaster. Her name was Juniper Jones.”

Juniper Jones- you stole my heart. This is an incredible debut of YA Historical Fiction. Originally, I felt it may be middle grade, but I won’t spoil as to why I switched gears. Just be prepared to discuss the content with a younger reader.

With that being said, this book BLEW ME AWAY. Ethan Charlie Harper is 14 years old in 1955 and has been suspended from school for punching a boy. As punishment, his dad sends him to live with his Aunt in Ellison Alabama for the summer. We eventually learn that Ethan is biracial, born to a white dad and Black mom. Being from Washington state, Ethan quickly realizes he isn’t welcome in Alabama.

Until he meets Juniper Jones. Spunky. Smart. Quirky. Juniper gave me Pippi Longstocking vibes with her wild red hair. She befriends Ethan and vows to protect him from the racism in her town. Ethan begins to realize how difficult life will be should he choose to stay in Alabama as a person of color. His anger and dears over racism that develop throughout the novel, move him further away from his lighthearted child-like ways.

Spoiler free as always, this book moved me, especially towards the end. A very powerful coming-of age story. A must read.

Title: The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones
Author: Daven McQueen
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

It’s the summer of 1955. For Ethan Harper, a biracial kid raised mostly by his white father, race has always been a distant conversation. When he’s sent to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle in small-town Alabama, his Blackness is suddenly front and center, and no one is shy about making it known he’s not welcome there. Except for Juniper Jones. The town’s resident oddball and free spirit, she’s everything the townspeople aren’t—open, kind, and full of acceptance.

Armed with two bikes and an unlimited supply of root beer floats, Ethan and Juniper set out to find their place in a town that’s bent on rejecting them. As Ethan is confronted for the first time by what it means to be Black in America, Juniper tries to help him see the beauty in even the ugliest reality, and that even the darkest days can give rise to an invincible summer.

This is an excellent read! I was by turns horrified (by people’s treatment of Ethan) and enchanted (by Juniper and her personality) throughout the entire book. I’m sure the portrayal of life in small-town Alabama in 1955 is accurate. Sadly. But it’s interesting to see how far we’ve come as a society—and how far we still have to go.
Juniper is such a quirky, spirited character, and I enjoyed her antics so much! It was sad seeing Ethan’s realization of how life in Alabama was different from what he’d known. I loved this read!

Daven McQueen lives in Boston. The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is her new novel.

(Galley courtesy of Wattpad Books in exchange for an honest review.)

WOW! I absolutely LOVED this story. So powerful and emotive!

This gorgeous book is an unforgettable story about friendship, racial tensions, history, heartbreak, resilience and having an unimaginable summer. As a powerful coming of age story, Ethan is stripped of his former innocence when he realizes how prevalent racism is in people he doesn’t even know.

The historical aspect of the story contributes to the dialogue of historically prevalent racism. In this small southern town (although, let’s be real, these things happen(ed) everywhere), Ethan beings to recognize more racial tension and discrimination than he ever experienced before. As the only black person amidst a town of white people, he is shocked and disheartened to learn firsthand about the injustices and prevalence of racism.

Daven McQueen creates such unique yet relatable characters in this story. Ethan is so sweet and gentle, and quickly finds a home in your heart. Juniper is so quirky and hopeful, full of whimsy and mystery – but always so sweetly optimistic. However, I would love to have more backstory about her!

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones brings out all the feels! I’ll admit, I was sobbing at one point! It’s heartbreaking and resilient, joyful and disheartening, hard-hitting and nuanced. This story is filled with visceral imagery and relatable emotions, as it weaves together issues of racism and discrimination set in a beautiful story about friendship. It’s the perfect read in the world’s current racial climate – essential for people of all races and ages. I can’t recommend this enough!


Thank you to NetGalley and WattPad for a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A tender story of a young friendship set against the background of 1955 Alabama . We are as stunned and shocked as Ethan as he discovers how differently he is viewed in his Father’s hometown, where he has been sent door the summer, From his experience in a very different state. What seems at first to be teenage bullying develops into something far more sinister counterbalanced Aby the sweetness and optimistic naivety of his friend Juniper and her imaginative creativities. . As the situation develops we share the mounting horror of the situation his own family has put him in.
Beautifully and poignantly written, the narrative is both historical and topical revealing the lived experience of white privilege and Black discrimination. Rarely has a book made me laugh with delight and also reduced me to ugly sobbing . I am not an emotional reader in this way but this beautiful heart wrenching story touched me deeply. I read it throughout one entire night and went out to walk as the sun came up to think about it. It deserves to be read and do well. Highly recommended.

Although I finished this book several weeks ago, I had to let it sit for a while before I could come back and write the review it deserves. Even now I'm not sure I have the words to accurately describe how deeply this powerful novel affected me. It's not often that a book brings me to my emotional knees, but The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones definitely did.

I was swept away from the start of this summer tale, feeling as if I were riding my bike alongside the characters, the hot, humid air of Alabama whipping through my hair. But this isn't just a story of carefree, aimless days during summer break. This is a story full of social relevance that is apt now more than ever. After being banished to rural Alabama as punishment for a scuff up at his west-coast school, Ethan finds that the world is even harder for black men than he ever could have imagined.

Not that he was free from prejudice in Oregon, but the sheer scope of the civil rights movement in the American South was still very far removed from his own experiences. Ever on tiptoes, Ethan not only had to survive a summer in exile from his friends and family, but he had to survive a hostile environment that could very well kill him.

We'd like to think a book about racism that took place over a century ago would be outdated, but unfortunately not much has changed. I'd be amazed if Ethan's situation would have been any different if he were to have gone through this in a more contemporary time. With the streets of America erupting over racial inequalities and violence against POC, it's apparent that we're not all that much closer to equality than our parents and grandparents were.

The relationship Juniper and Ethan forged in the face of this was profound on several levels. Both outcasts from the town's close-knit society, they became each other's lifelines. The moments of happiness the two were able to carve out were all the more special, truly displaying what friendship really means. That's why the ending hit me as hard as it did. I was outside in my hammock reading the final chapters and even though I could sense something was coming, I wasn't prepared for it. I wept for a solid 45 minutes out there, my heart broken for more reasons than just the way the story ended.

This is a complicated, horrible world at times, but if we had more people like Juniper Jones out there in our corners, society would be in a much better place for it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for giving me a chance to read a book that I know will stay with me a lifetime.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this up. It turned out to be more than I had hoped.
This book deals with the topic of racism in the 50s but it is also full of hope. When Juniper arrived, the story just took a life of its own.
At times, Ethan annoyed me due to his attitude. Yes, he was dealing with stuff that no person should have to suffer through but he seemed to think that he was the only one in the world with problems and took it out on Juniper.
Juniper is such a fun character. She does not let others influence her and goes after what she wants. She is so uplifting and just reading about her made me happy. I felt like I was living in 1955 with her and riding on the bike pegs, going over every bump in the road.
I'd recommend this to anyone who liked A Walk to Remember. Daven McQueen is definitely an author that I plan to keep my eye on.

Rating:
Language: s*** used a handful of times, the n-word is used, d*** in various forms
Romance: n/a
Spiritual: n/a
Violence: a bit due to racism

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required. Quotes are taken from an ARC and subject to change before publication.

Favorite Quotes:

The town was out there, somewhere, and in it, Noah and his friends, and the whispering townspeople -- and somewhere else, far away, Arcadia, Washington, his family, and home. But here was Juniper Jones, in her muddy skirt, wearing paint on her cheeks like a badge of honor and spinning through the grass with her arms wide enough to embrace the moon. Ethan thought that if the world were to disappear at that very moment, and this was the last sight he ever saw, he wouldn't mind at all.
She had forest-fire hair and hurricane eyes, and when he met her, it was as if his world had been set aflame. She hit him in the best way, like a rainstorm after five years of drought, healing the parached earth with a gentle touch; and in the worst way, like an unexpected earthquake, leaving dust and debris in her wake. She was, in equal parts, a gift and a natural disaster. Her name was Juniper Jones.
It was not long before not only the trees, but also grass, the dirt, and Juniper's face were splattered in flecks of every color of the rainbow. But she ddin't seem the slightest bit aware of the mess she was making; every part of her was solely focused on the canvas in front of her. She didn't seem to breathe. Ethan couldn't look away.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. I had never heard of this book or author before coming across the title on Netgalley. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to read it. It was touching, funny, heart breaking, and eye opening. This is a book written for older kids and teens but equally enjoyed by adults. This story provides a good look at racism and segregation while also teaching the importance of acceptance, of embracing differences, and creating true friendships. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this title and would easily recommend it to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks also to the FFBC for including me on the blog tour for this book! 4.5 stars rounded up.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones… What do I even say? This is not an easy book to swallow or digest! I’m not going to lie, I read the majority of this book with one of those ‘movie intro’ voice overs (along the lines of Morgan Freeman’s soothing voice) narrating in my head because from the word go this book literally played out like a movie in my head (a la My Girl, Forrest Gump etc.).

I knew that this book would affect me but what I didn’t expect was how much. From the opening notes by the author to the final pages as Ethan gets his ‘closure’, this book is tough. I’m pretty sure I cried through 80% of it not only because it was such an emotionally heavy read, but also because of how relevant it is at this moment. There has been so much hurt, anger, sadness and frustrated energy that has been projected globally after the death of George Floyd, and the following protests and riots; so maybe that has influenced my reading experience. Although I’ll say that as an emotional reader I’m quite sure I still would’ve ended up crying for a good chunk of this book even with none of what’s happening right now.

First, I want to touch on the writing. There were points when the writing did get a bit too purple but overall, it was very atmospheric and beautifully descriptive. I loved how McQueen described certain things (whether objects, surroundings or people) in ways that I would’ve never imagined but I was still able to so easily call these images to mind and picture it unfolding before me. McQueen manages to bring the hot and sticky summer days in Alabama to life and it felt as if I was there in the heat with Ethan and Juniper, adventuring through a quiet town surrounded by trees with a lake in the middle. Despite the fear that dogs Ethan’s summer in Ellison, there was a certain childhood whimsy to the ‘invincible summer adventures’ between the two that really warmed my heart and made me nostalgic. At the same time, I felt the underlying current of dread that kept me on my metaphorical toes while reading as I waited for the other shoe to drop, and it made me want to stop reading but also keep reading at the same time!

I loved Ethan and Juniper. I felt so much for both of them being the outcasts in this small middle-of-nowhere town full of racists and small-minds. They both experience such growth over the course of a summer and it was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I don’t have adequate words to express how horrifying and devastating it was to read Ethan’s innocence be so quickly and completely swept away as the days passed in Ellison. I can’t imagine having to deal with that level of anxiety and fear at such a young age for just being who you are; because of the colour of your skin. I was flabbergasted that Ethan’s father, who(‘s white and) grew up there and knew what the people are like, could even think to send his biracial son there. So much wilful ignorance and it boils my blood! Like many YA novels, this book has the ‘missing parent’ syndrome, although Ethan’s aunt and uncle were more-or-less present they didn’t have a big role, but I wished that Ethan’s parents were more visible; especially his mother as it would’ve given the book more depth/strength.

On the other hand, Juniper was… a breath of fresh air. She was a total whirlwind and brought so much life to the page that her character seemed almost real in front of me. She “marches to the beat of her own drum” and you can sense she has experienced a lot of her own suffering, yet those differences makes her more understanding and accepting of others. She was by no means perfect and even made some painful mistakes, but she really tried her best in the way she knew how and ended up being a very headstrong and wonderfully supportive friend to Ethan. I’m quite sure we could all benefit from having a Juniper Jones in our lives! I do wish we learned more about her backstory but I do understand why we didn’t. *Gah, so many emotions!*

When the story opened with Ethan in 2015, I thought I knew where we were headed and who he was originally talking about but… wow, I was so wrong? Maybe I was naive to think that nothing worse could happen but that ‘twist’ in the story sprung up on me and left me gasping! I just…oh my days. I think what’s the most painful to realise is that despite this being a historical fiction, it’s evident that not all that much has changed. As a POC, I have experienced instances of racism from when I lived in Australia and the UK but never to the extent that I’ve had to fear for my life because of the colour of my skin; and it’s upsetting to say that that in itself is a privilege because it shouldn’t be.

I’m not sure what else to say. This book couldn’t be more relevant right now and I think it contributes well to the discussion of how deeply racism is rooted in society and how privilege is there whether you want it, acknowledge it, accept it or not. The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is well-written and although the subject matter is complex and difficult to digest, it’s accessible. I’m so glad that I read this book and I’ve already pre-ordered it to for my physical shelves!

“It’s important for us to know where we come from and what’s been done to us, otherwise, how’re we supposed to fight what’s happening to us now? It’s all connected.”

Reading The Invincible Summer Of Juniper Jones a book that primarily takes place in Ellison, Alabama during the summer of 1955, in June of 2020 it’s very hard to feel like a whole lot has changed since then. Now if I’d read this book two months ago my views may have been slightly different, but today the realization of just how far we still have to go in terms of race relations in this country feels like it weighs a ton.

”Sometimes you need to be angry. A lot of the time, these days, you need to be angry.”

Daven McQueen’s debut novel set in a small southern town tells the story of Ethan Henry a biracial 14 year old boy raised by his white father, who after an incident in his home town, is sent to Ellison to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle. Ellison is not a welcoming place for a boy like Ethan and they make that fact abundantly clear. Everyone except for Juniper Jones, the town outcast who just also happens to be a ray of sunshine for Ethan. If Ethan is going to survive this summer as the only colored boy in an Alabama town he is going to need a friend like Juniper, and while he may not be quite ready for everything Juniper has planned for the two of them, he clearly knows that this is going to be the most invincible summer ever!

”It was hard to feel patriotic in a place where he wasn’t welcome. It seemed impossible that this could be his country too, when he so obviously did not belong.”

I’ll admit I was not prepared for this book. I was not prepared for this book, by a baby faced author to knock me out in so many different ways. For the characters to come alive in the way that they did, especially Juniper. For the time and the place to feel so authentic. Or for it to break my heart in so many different ways. I don’t think that if I’d read this book at any other time in my life it would have had the same impact, and although I struggled daily to focus on reading, not because this book was anything less than amazing but because it’s been hard to turn away from the news of what’s going on in the world right now, I am so glad that I picked it up when I did. If you can please support this young talented Black author when this book comes out on June 16th, I promise you will not regret it.

”Because people are afraid of what will happen if we are really free. When you trap people for hundreds of years, make their lives a living hell, they’re bound to get antsy. And furious. And so white folks think the harder they make it for us to live, the longer they’ll be able to put off a revolution.”

This book was so painful and raw, But at the same time it was beaitiful and stunning. It held my attention through the whole book. This book is one of those books that is hard to explain.. trust me you just have to read the book and experience the book yourself. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Five star for stunning story, and while there are things that don't sit right, the fact it was a solid 5 tissue cry at the end, well...!

It tells the story of a long hot summer that seemingly lasts for ever, and it reads as such as well - there were moments I wondered when *something* was going to happen - but it clearly lulls the reader into a false sense of security.

Opening the tale with a 'flash forward', you learn that the main character, Ethan, is still alive, and heading back to Ellison, Alabama for a funeral- meaning you spend the rest of book trying to guess who the funeral is he's going back for. I guessed very wrong, but think that was the point!

I mentioned there are things that don't sit well with me: that Ethan's father would leave his son in a town in Alabama in 1955, is almost negligient. The range of white characters who do nothing in the face of mounting tension is baffling.

Even though I got this through Netgalley, I've ordered the paperback and will be glad to have this on my bookshelf!

This book 🥺 what a book!!
I read this book without much knowledge of the plot tbh. And it broke me. Goodness.
Juniper is a breath of fresh air in the middle of darkness and chaos. I loved her and I couldn't help but relate her to the enthusiastic Anne from green gables. Not the perfect character, it was so good to see Juniper accepting her flaws and being such a great badass girl!!
Ethan was another favourite. He was a cute little bean who you'd want to protect at all cost. And so did Juniper. Reading about their friendship was so nice and jolly, it filled my heart with hope and content.
At the same time, the dangers related to race and racism did look large. Ethan's skin colour created problems for him in a town that directly marginalized and isolated people of color. It was so scary and heartbreaking to read his context, how he felt in the new town where he was far from welcome. Although it was years ago, set in 1950s, you cannot help but see the uncanny resemblance to racism even today.
The ending, though 🤧 I wasn't prepared for it, I really wasn't. It broke me too much and I just cried. Just cried.
Written in beautiful prose, full of colors and light and hope, this coming of age novel is one of a kind. An important book on racism and how it breeds, on friendships that defy, and hope of a better future - The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones will surely take you on one of an adventure!

Thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc. All views expressed are mine.