Thoroughly enjoyed the immersive storytelling from author Getten. Will be recommending to patrons at the library.

Hi!

I am super happy to be back after my little sick break last week. I was able to do some reading last week during that time and I actually read what might be one of my new favorite books of 2024. We will definitely be talking about that book soon but today we are going to talk about When Life Gives You Mangos, I have had this book on my TBR since before the move and I am super excited that I was finally able to make time to pick it up.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Clara lives on an island with her mom and dad as well as many people she has known her entire life (like the older lady up the road who makes Clara do chores). Clara is kind of the outsider of the group of kids on the island and spends a lot of time hanging out with her uncle. Clara also has problems with her memory. Last summer there was a bad hurricane and ever since Clara has struggled to remember what happened that summer. Sometimes she gets small bits and other times nothing. But she does really want to know what happened, everyone around her knows and it really bothers her not knowing. As time goes by Clara gets more and more upset with the situation and her parents decide after she is caught up at her other uncle’s home (where she is not supposed to be at all, no one is supposed to be there) that the three of them are going to go on a small trip to the city but when they are in the city disaster is posed to strike on their small town and they must return but what about Clara’s memories?

I absolutely enjoyed this story. Clara’s missing memories were the central point of the story but we get to learn so much more about her, her family (the rifts and cracks within the family), and what happened to Clara that one summer. We also get to see how the family and the people on the island react to Clara since the incident last summer. I would love to try more from this author in the future, but in the meantime, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

This book was mind blowing. I loved the characters and mot importantly I loved the themes that this book had brought it. This book brought up the aspects of loss, letting go, starting fresh, overcoming your fears, family, and the value of friendship. The main character is named Clara who is having a hard time remembering what happened last summer, bur as she figures things out her life becomes more complicated. But I will say that she can see ghosts. When I found out that she can see ghost my mind was completely blown out of this world. But everything started to make sense and as I was reading closer towards the end of the book I literally started tearing up. This book hands down was a great read that kept me guessing and constantly had me turning the pages because I wanted to find out what happened next.

Thanks so much for the review copy. Enjoyed reading about Clara’s life on an island. Highly recommend this book for middle grade children.

“Deft storytelling and an authentic rendering of a child’s voice make this a promising debut.” —The Horn Book

meeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh didn't finish reading it since it didn't capture my attention.
meeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh didn't finish reading it since it didn't capture my attention.
meeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh didn't finish reading it since it didn't capture my attention.

Ok, I didn't actually finish this one, but I read a good bit of it to see if it would be a good fit for my classroom library - it is! Great for middle grades into middle school.

This book is absolutely amazing!
Getten is a skilled writer. I found myself unable to put the book down due to the descriptions, the characters, the mystery surrounding what happened last summer. As Clara and Rudy work to find out what happened the previous summer, Clara's parents are tiptoeing around her, unsure of what to do, with the town's preacher thinking it's all due to a lack of God in her. There are so many layers to the story, and the twist worked so well, even though I never saw it coming.

I stand in awe of Kereen's storytelling abilities. I want to order multiple copies for my classroom. This is a wonderful story exploring the trauma young kids can go through. between the break up of friendships, the confusion of family drama, the destruction of community, and death. A wonderful, beautiful story.

This was such a cute story! I loved all the drama coupled with real emotional in the small village. The author did a good job of pulling me into the setting, which I found relatable. I also love the author's writing style. Very...elegant and almost lyrical. I am looking forward to more from this author.

This is a middle grade book. I do read a lot of middle grade books because I volunteer at my daughter's school library, and I like to know what books are about to help find a good book for them. I was so excited to read this book, and this book was so worth the excitement. The main character is Clara, and she is having some memory problems. I love that books is about a girl with mental issues (memory loss), and it was really well done. She feels everything is changing. She is working through it all during this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such an emotional read for me. Clara was such an easy character to connect with, and I was constantly trying to figure out the mystery surrounding her memory loss. The plot twist was definitely a surprise for me! I also really enjoyed the Jamaica setting being so vivd. Definitely a great book for upper middle graders who love books about friendship and family!

This was a little slow to start, but I really liked all the characters. The mental health issues were handled in a subtle way that was almost gentle while still hitting on the issues at hand.

Wow, that twist!!! Just kidding, I didn't care for the twist at all. I guess I've read too many books that have a similar plot twist, because I didn't find it that surprising - but that might be because I knew there was a twist in the first place since I read some reviews beforehand.

The setting of When Life Gives You Mangos was really cool, but I was kind of bored with the actual story. I'm just glad this book was so short - if it were any longer, I may have taken even longer to finish it.

This book was fine, but I didn't really care that much for the ending.

This was such a surprising read for me! I requested it on Netgalley on a whim, and I expected something completely opposite but I liked the direction it went. When Life Gives You Mangos is such an emotional read, and the father-daughter relationship was such a joy to read. The entire support the main character got from her family was lovely to read, too! The setting was another stand-out aspect of this story. I felt so immersed in the setting--Jamaica--and I think it did a great job of incorporating some of the culture and setting in the story. Also, as the story goes along, things become clear and there is a twist I did not expect. There is a supernatural aspect with ghosts that I loved, and it adds another layer to the plot.

This book is about family, friendship, loss, grief and I thought it was so beautifully done. I think it definitely transcends age, so even though you're not in the targeted age range, I would definitely recommend you give it a go!

Yes, yes, yes. I loved this book. I recommend this for anyone who loves YA novels. This would be a great addition to a classroom library!!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I found this middle-grade book to be a fun little read and there were twists and turns even I didn't see coming. Kids will really enjoy it.

Clara lives on an island in the Caribbean in a small town called Sycamore. On the hill where she lives everyone knows everyone. They're family whether they are related by blood or not. So the entire hill knows what happened to Clara last summer. Everyone knows, everyone except Clara. For some reason, she's blocked out the events of the previous summer, and no seems to know what exactly to do to help her.

The hill is all aflutter with talk of the new girl in town, Rudy. And though at first she thinks they'll have little in common, Rudy and Clara become fast friends. She tells Rudy everything, about the annoying neighbor boy Calvin, about her hermit uncle, and how her cousin, who used to be her best friend, has suddenly become so annoyed at everything Clara does.

This book was such a fast read, I didn't want to put it down. Clara is such a charismatic, engaging character, I wanted to figure out her truth with her. I never saw the big reveal coming, which was a thrill. My only complaint is that I wanted more from the story. Getten's characters are well written. Common themes of friendship and family, loss and grief make the story relatable for her audience. I thoroughly enjoyed Clara's story and look forward to more from Getten.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book grabbed my attention when I first read the synopsis. It had me intrigued to figure out what the mystery that happened that made Clara lose her memory. I was not expecting the truth of the matter and the plot twist that was revealed honestly surprised me! I am glad, because not many plot twists get me anymore and this one was done in a way that was perfect for the story. This story involves so many different pieces of the puzzle that are laid out so intricately that the puzzle isn't solved until the author shows you the solution. Excellent work! The writing and atmosphere were great and I enjoyed every minute I spent with Clara and her friends. I would recommend this book to any middle grade reader or older.

I so enjoyed this debut! It was truly transportive and showed the author’s beautiful talent with words. Especially in the Iast five chapters or so, I just couldn’t put it down. I definitely plan to read more from this author as she continues to write!