BOOK REVIEW: Hurricane Summer
Release Date: 5/18/2021
5 Stars
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It’s always fun to be transported to another part of the world and learn about a different culture. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover but I stayed because Tilla and her sister’s journey were both so heart-breaking and interesting.
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Tilla wants to get to know her dad who lives in Jamaica. Tilla and her sister might see things differently on what that means but I loved their sisterly relationship. I was drawn in by Tilla’s frustrations with her dad’s aloofness and absence. Tilla struggles through most of the book to fit in and understand the poor community to which she has been vastly left alone to navigate. Tilla may be poor in America but she’s considered rich in this area of Jamaica. There are lots of secrets both the adults and teens around her keep and we are there as Tilla uncovers them as well as the intricacies of her culture. I loved her cousin who is treated as badly as she is due to the color of his skin. He is kind and their connection is lovely.
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Expect complicated family issues, mean girls, racism, coming-of-age, abuse and sexual assault elements.
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The beginning is a bit slow but hang in there because the ending did a deep dive into action and her relationship with everyone around her. It gave me all the excitement, feels and everything I didn’t realize I needed. Tilla survives an actual Hurricane and the symbolic ones brewing inside herself. I loved the person Tilla became as she is forever changed by her Hurricane Summer. This is one of those books that by the end has become one of my favorite reads of the year so far.
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Thank you #NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read #HurricaneSummer in exchange for an honest review.

CW: sexism, racism, sexual assault, religious shame

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

Hurricane Summer is a book that happens like a storm. Tilla is sent with her sister to live with their father on the island of Jamaica for the summer. Their mother is concerned because it is hurricane season, but their father wants them there anyways. Staying with relatives out in the country, Tilla is thrown into a world where she does not feel welcome. While her sister is treated like a child and is allowed to be free, as a young woman Tilla is seen as something dangerous. By even so much as daring to look at a boy, she is given the label of slut, something that she cannot seem to shake, no matter how pure her intentions are.
The writing is beautiful and I was immediately swept away. I was unable to put it down. Tilla is a character with a perspective that I wanted to hear. The other characters were also well-written, with a dynamic of friends and foes. I wish that there had been better female friendships, but it is understandable why the other girls saw Tilla as the ‘enemy’ and treated her like an outsider. There is a culture of religious shame that goes against all the women in this book. When you divide a group of people, it is difficult for them to bond together against that system. The other girls that Tilla interacts with use this culture of shame to attack her instead of bonding together to help defeat it. I also loved how the hurricane was both real and metaphorical. While they combat the storm in real life, Tilla understands who she can become despite the horrible things that have happened to her.
I loved this book, even despite the heartache that it causes. Tilla is shamed, abused, and has to learn to find her voice. It tells the beautiful story of finding your voice and emerging from a storm victorious despite the scars. I hope everyone gets a chance to read this book.

Asha Bromfield's debut is at times a hurricane of emotional tumult, but breathtakingly beautiful at others. Hurricane Summer addresses many important and hard-hitting topics, including classism, colonialism, colorism, classism, and sexual assault. The book is much heavier than I expected based on the Netgalley description, which made it difficult for me to get through at times. With the amount of struggles and trauma Tilla faces, it almost felt gratuitous and repetitive, and I was in a constant state of anxiety reading about her going through all that she did. Though I was frustrated by how other characters in the book reacted to Tilla, such as slut-shaming her, I understand that it's a painfully realistic experience for many women and girls. Another thing that bothered me was how the sexual assault seemed to be too easily dismissed and wasn't addressed as fully afterwards as I would like to have seen it on the page. I also felt that the beginning of the novel felt slow, while the ending seemed rushed. However, I did enjoy Bromfield's writing style, and I would be happy to check out future books from the author. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this arc!

There are a lot of things I loved about this book, but I first want to tell you that you are going to need some tissues and junk food to deal with your emotions because this book packs a punch.

Tilla wants to badly to earn her father's love, and the abuse she takes is absolutely heartbreaking. Part of me wants to understand where she's coming from but the other part wants to shake her and ask her WHY? Granted, I am the type of person to cut my losses, being a teenager and wanting so badly to be loved is familiar territory for a lot of young girls. Teenage girls go through a TON and our loss of innocence is different than boys when it comes to sexual exploration and coming to terms with our bodies and minds. Like Tilla, we tread across hot coals in being free to explore our desires and knocked down and burned when society deems us wrong for our choices. Tilla sees this first hand in the way she's treated by her family and those around her. She makes mistakes, yes, but there's no ill-intent. All Tilla wants is to be happy, to find her place, and connect with her past.

I did have an issue with how glossed over the sexual assault was, but had faith that in the end, Tilla's journey to coming to terms and healing from her past were part of her development although it wasn't clearly stated.

This cover!!! GORGEOUS. Definitely need this one on my shelf. This book was so emotional! It gave me all the feels. Loved the characters and the plot. Wonderous all around.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a story that fills my heart and break it simultaneously. A story of family, lost, trauma, and self discovery. This book gives all the feels and tackles so many things. It’s explores colorism, toxic family, abandonment, and a culture that still bares the Mark of slavery. This story in the backdrop of Manchester, Jamaica, there’s lot of Patios through out but the author has a word bank at the beginning , but you are free to message me if you need some clarity on some lingos ☺️.
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Synopsis : Tilla and her sister embark on a summer vacation to spend time with their Dad and his side of the family. hoping to strengthen their relationship and heal from the abandonment Tilla tries to be on her best behavior , but what she discover on this tropical island is much more than beauty but a family that severely fractured and a dad that living a double life . Her summer is filled with adventures but also abuse and neglect , just when Tilla think she can’t handle any more , hurricane Gustav blows through wreaking havoc on the island and taking a piece of her heart.
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Y’all, it’s so hard to read a story and not get emotionally invested ( how do y’all do it ??), I saw myself in Tillas’s story, the difference is that I was born in JA and then emigrated to USA at a young age to live with one parent. Every summer I would head back to Jamaica and it would have the time of my life, going to the river, climbing tree, eating mango, playing games, going to church , visiting different family member . My home in the hills is pretty much like what describe in this book, every kind of tree you can think of , dirt road and multiple house in the land. I loved it and I still do. Even though we’re all scattered all over the world now ( literally 😩) those summer will always be the brightest spots of my life !

DNF 64%

Trigger warning: abuse, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, racism, slut-shaming, and violence.

This book attacked my anxiety so angry that it left me, I could have finished it because it is a very quick book to read but it was making me feel bad so I decided to stop
I hated everyone in this book (aside from Mia) they are all hateful, annoying, and mean, to be honest, I know the author tries to kind of justify and bring us the vision and life of a community that we normally don't read about but even so she could have a character that is not an asshole because everyone in this book is on some level.
Our protagonist is totally passive she accepts the things they do and says about her, she likes to please everyone so she doesn't defend herself and it made me so angry that I just wanted to get into the book and shake her up and say come on girl says something, position yourself, do anything and when she does something it is stupid.
The story itself is nothing special either, we just follow our main character day to day being treated awful and making bad decisions or no decisions at all, we don't even have the relationship with her father that I was expecting, but the book talks about very important topics that I thought were treated in a very sensitive and truthful way.
I think you have to read this book very patiently both with the annoying characters and with the slowness of the story, but the fact that the author brings their language into the book makes reading more slowly because you have to go researching what words mean but I liked that I liked how the author didn't translate things right afterward.
I think you are interested in this book, go into it very cautiously, I know no didn't finish but as far as I read this book can be a very heavy read.

Hurrricane Summer is a beautifully written story that pulls at the reader through so many emotions. The characters are relatable and as the reader, I felt I was there with Tilla throughout. A powerful story of strength, personal growth, and realization that things are often not what they seem. I loved this book and will be watching for more from Asha Bromfield.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beautiful, poignant read.

Hurricane Summer is an adult #OwnVoices novel that touches upon many themes; classism, sexual assault/rape, colonialism, colorism, and abuse, to name a few. It is a deeply atmospheric piece following 18-year-old Tilla, who wants nothing more than to reconnect with her drifter father.

There was a lot to this book that challenged me. First, most of the dialogue is spoken in Patois, a dialect that I had very little experience with. It made me want to immediately remedy that. The second was the fact that while I was prepared for an emotional journey, I was definitely not prepared for the sheer amount of trauma and horror that Tilla would go through. Reading this book was like being lost in a dream and finding everything around you falling away to reveal everything that you never knew you were afraid of. It was almost overwhelming at times, though, that may just be me.

You can feel Bromfield's heart in this book. From the very first scene, there is a rawness to Tilla. An ache in her every movement. She longs for her father; her shining star. But sometimes she longs for the strength to tell him how much he hurt her. Either way, Tilla aches. This was a visceral feeling throughout the entire book.

The setting was beautiful., every inch full of symbolism and metaphor. A jungle, a farmhouse in the country, and breathtaking waterfalls—and hurricanes. The characters were nuanced and wonderfully flawed. While there were aspects of this book that could be considered melodramatic, I remember too well the breathless way your emotions would burn you from the inside out. Yes, there were things I thought were too poetic to be outright thoughts or dialogue, but mostly, to me, it was the sound of a young heart wanting something it couldn't have.

I won't give anything away, but this book will be difficult for people with any of the triggers I listed above, please take care of your heart first.

If you're ready to have it ripped out of your chest, however, Hurricane Summer pubs on 04 May 2021.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with his ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hurricane Summer – Asha Bromfield

I have to preface this review by remarking on a journey to Jamaica that I took several years ago. We flew into Sangster Airport in Montego Bay and then took a bus from the airport for the hour plus ride to our all-inclusive resort in Negril. As we drove out of the city and into the countryside, I saw many of the scenes that are depicted in this novel. The free ranging livestock, the men on the sides of the roads selling their wares, the homes – cozy appearing, but so much less than what many of us are accustomed to. But, being on the outside looking in briefly, I had no clue about what I was missing from their lives and culture – this book delivered it in such a mesmerizing, yet frank way…it is a story full of rich characters and experiences that I will not soon forget…

Tilla and her younger sister Mia are flying to Jamaica to spend two months of their summer with their father. For much of her life Tilla’s father has spent half of the year with her family in Toronto, and the other half with his extended family in Jamaica. While Tilla does not want to make the trip, a part of her is anxious to see her father, his family - and cousins that she hasn’t seen in years.

Upon their arrival to Mnachester the girls are re-acquainted with their extended family and many of their cousins, including Diana & Andre, and Aunts Adele & Herma and Uncles Wayne & Junior. There’s some jovial banter as the girls are referred to as ‘foreigna’s’ as they settle in to the house. These few pages were a bit tedious as all the introductions were made and I struggled with the Patois dialect more than a bit - but keep reading – you’ll not be able to turn the pages fast enough shortly!! I promise!

Shortly after the girls settle into the room they’ve been provided, their dad lets it slip that they’ll likely be staying here for a few weeks, and that he’ll be going back to Kingston for work. When Tilla attempts to interject, he shuts her down and basically leaves the two girls in the company of their family, of perfect strangers. As Tilla struggles to fit in and get to know her extended family, she is randomly subjected to many themes - hostility, discrimination, racism among her family members, love, jealousy, complacency, abuse, subservience and more. It is a sobering, sad and sometimes frightening look into a culture that I, personally, had no idea ever existed – or never thought twice about.

Very aptly named Hurricane Summer, not only for the storms that batter the island each year, but for the storm in Tilla’s heart as well. A wonderful read that will resonate long after the final page is turned…

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & St Martin’s Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit Netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

HURRICANE SUMMER by Asha Bromfield is an intense coming of age debut novel! This story follows Tilla, who travels from Toronto to Jamaica with her sister, to spend the summer with their father and his family. There was so much to unpack in this book as Tilla discovers who she is and deals with the issues in her relationship with her father and summer romance. I loved the stunning setting of Jamaica and I really felt transported as the characters spoke Patois. It was great that there’s the Patois word bank included to translate. I really felt for Tilla as she had so many struggles during the summer and I was so hopeful for a happy ending. I would definitely be happy to read Bromfield’s next book!
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Thank you to Wednesday Books for my advance review copy!

This is a thing of beauty...

It's written as if it were a Young Adult book, but the ideas, the issues, the feelings are all so incredibly adult and not at all childish.

On the surface, this seems like it is just a coming-of-age romance, but it is SO much more than that.

This is the story of love, hate, heartache, growth, loss, life, and death. It's the story of one teenager's summer that completely reforms and shapes her identity.

It's written beautifully, with so much imagery that I felt as if I was in Jamaica the whole time I was reading it. The words are poetic and metaphoric. The symbolism (and realism) of the hurricane was so perfect and really incredible to read.

My only issue with it (and it's a small one) is that it is written in Jamaican dialect (patois). This made it difficult to read at times, because some of the words aren't even close to American English. The author made a whole key at the beginning of the book, but when reading it on a kindle, it's not easy to get back and forth quickly.

Oh how I loved this book. I loved seeing Tilla grow into herself and discover who she is and the land she came from. Her connection with her family members was so interested and seeing how she learned abour her heritage kept me engaged. The love story aspects kept my attention and of course the family drama and worries about hurricane season just added to the intrigue.

I did take a star off because frequently I was frustrated with Tilla and the decisions she made. There were also a lot of issues brought up, but very little resolution. I would have liked to see some change coming from the things Tilla learned.

Overall, this is a great read for summer.

HURRICANE SUMMER is a sweeping coming-of-age story that captures the difficult and at times dangerous transition to womanhood. Tilla is recently eighteen and heading with her nine-year-old sister, Mia, to Jamaica, a place where her father spends most of his time and where Tilla has not visited since she was little. Her father seems unable to stay with the family in Canada, and this failing feels like her own.

Once she arrives, she learns about life in Jamaica, where her middle class lifestyle is seen as royalty and her family is not at all eager to welcome her. Her father soon pulls another disappearing act, and Tilla is left to navigate this world that feels so foreign to her among people who seem determined to see her fail. As a hurricane physically and emotionally approaches, Tilla will have to decide who she is and how she will handle the things that are thrown at her.

From the very first lines, this book pulls the reader in and wraps them in Tilla's world. She feels 18 - the age when you are able to navigate the world on your own terms, but not always prepared to do so. She is a highly compelling character, who is learning about her family and herself in circumstances where she is basically on her own for the first time. The book is also written with characters speaking Patois, which helps with the immersive nature of the book.

The book contains a lot of really heavy topics. There are the smaller dynamics of the way girls/women react to each other and related backstabbing, as well as shaming of sexuality, which is not within control. These expand to the bigger and more dangerous dynamics of abuse (physical and sexual) that she witnesses and experiences. This was a book that was very emotional and heart-wrenching. It ultimately focuses on the way that Tilla handles these things and comes into her own, despite the way she is treated and the things that she experiences.

Other themes in the book include classism and wealth disparity. Although Tilla's clothes and shoes primarily come from Walmart and she feels that her family is struggling to make ends meet, the level of poverty in the Jamaican country is different. Some of them don't have shoes or ones that fit much less so many clothes, showing persistent poverty, which also stops them from being able to leave.

Internalized colonialism and resultant colorism is also a theme, where her cousin with darker skin is seen as less than, not being allowed to pursue education and treated as though he is less capable and intelligent as well as the use of Mass (short for Massa or master) as a title for some men who are seen as somehow better than others. There is also a lot of sexism and internalized sexism in the approaches towards men and women across generations, including perpetrated by her father and others in the family.

Although realistic, Tilla was failed by the adults and people around her, even those who are supposed to love her. I did wish there was more justice for her, and I was concerned that she didn't really voice what happened to her. When reading, it would be helpful for accompanying resources for readers who may be dealing with assault.

HURRICANE SUMMER is a compelling and emotional read about coming-of-age and defining yourself in an uncertain and dangerous world. With intense and heavy themes, this book would be great for book groups and discussion.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I think my main issue with this book is that it is marketed as YA, but it probably should be left as a new adult book. Especially due to the trigger warnings and how in detail some things were.

Other than that I adored it. As a protagonist and character I loved Tilla. I am not Jamaican however the book took me back to when I visited with my family. The atmosphere was so well described that it felt like I was there again.

The book is incredibly well written and the characters are well rounded. This book made me bawl my eyes out and as someone who likes to actually feel things when I read books, I loved that.

TW: sexual assault (on page), rape (on page), physical abuse (explicit), death, slut-shaming, colorism

Hurricane Summer is a powerful Jamaican OwnVoices story about womenhood and coming of age. The story was heavier than I anticipated for a YA book - colonialism, sexual assault, sexism and abandonment.

Tilla, the female protagonist and her sister travel to Jamaica to visit their father who they haven't seen for than a year. For nearly two months, Tilla is exposed to the countryside and family she has little recollection from her youth. She meets dreadful characters, who take advantage of her naive understanding the island including her Aunt who deals her blow after blow of cruelty.

The word Hurricane sums-up Tilla's life on island to her journey home to her mother - destruction, resilience and rebirth.

The book is written in the dialect of the region which at times was challenging to decipher even with the handy dictionary that is in the beginning of the book. This would be better served as an audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the Advanced Reader Copy for an honest review.

a heartfelt coming of age story that will move your heart with a gorgeous cover! but i do have some opinions about it (full review to come)

This book is gorgeous. The writing is so lush and the storytelling is on point. The story is wholly original, but gave me real Elizabeth Acevedo vibes, which is the best possible compliment.

Hurricane Summer is a heartwrenching and powerful story, full of beauty and pain amidst the backdrop of a Jamaican summer and a looming hurricane. Tilla is an amazing main character, her vulnerabilities splayed across the page in brutal detail as she faces down both cruelty and joy, and is reborn through it all. This book tackles father-daughter relationships, classism and privilege, colorism, and misogyny in the ways that young women's bodies are weaponized against themselves by others. It is a beating heart of a story, full of so much hurt but also survival.

Hurricane Summer is the first book I’ve read in a long time that has left me with such mixed feelings. For this reason, I’m finding it very difficult to give it a star rating. There were things I absolutely loved about this novel and then there were things that bothered me no matter how I tried to rationalize them. I’m hoping I can explain my thoughts, without giving any spoilers. And settle on a rating by the end of my review.

Hurricane Summer is an #OwnVoices young adult novel that touches on many things: classism, racism, sexism, abuse, sexual assault, rape, abortion (mentioned), infidelity, grief, and death. It’s hard to read at times, and I recommend keeping tissues nearby and taking breaks.

Let’s talk about what I loved first, because that’s always more fun. My favorite thing about Hurricane Summer is the setting. It takes place in beautiful Jamaica—and not the touristy Jamaica we’re all more familiar with—but mostly in the countryside, where the poorer people reside among the farmland, the deep forests, the rivers, and the waterfalls. The reader is transported to what’s probably a new and unfamiliar place. Even the language is different. The Patois dialogue took some getting used to—I forgot to use the handy word bank at the beginning of the book since I was reading an ebook—but once I quit trying to translate each word and settled into the story, it wasn’t an issue. In fact, it enhanced the book for me, forcing me to be even more immersed in the world.

Secondly, the fact that this novel is an #OwnVoices made the story even more powerful. I could feel the author’s connection to her main character, Tilla. I felt like Bromfield was using Tilla to speak her own truth, and it was heartbreakingly honest.

And it’s worth it to read this novel for those reasons alone. It’s why I have no regrets for picking it up, and I’m fairly confident it will be a novel that sticks with me for a long time.

Now on to what bothered me…

Bromfield has written many beautiful passages, I highlighted many lines, but it often became too melodramatic, and I couldn’t help thinking that maybe less would have been more. BUT, I also kept reminding myself that the book is considered young adult, and more purple prose is acceptable in the YA genre.

The many side characters are hard to keep straight in the beginning. While a few of them are standouts, well-rounded and real (particularly Tilla’s father and her cousin Andre), there are several side characters that I wish had been given more attention, primarily Tilla’s mother and her sister Mia. The book also has multiple antagonists—more than what’s typical for YA, and it becomes almost overwhelming. I felt like I was left with little time to process between each traumatic experience Tilla endured. Maybe the author was trying to do too much instead of just focusing on a few issues, leaving the reader with little breathing room.

Without spoiling anything, I’m not sure how I felt about the ending, as well. It felt rushed, but I was ready for the novel to be wrapped up after such an emotional ride. Maybe if the middle part of the novel had been shortened a bit and the ending extended, it would have given me more time to sit with the characters and process what I’d just read?

I hope my review doesn’t dissuade readers from picking it up. It’s a novel to be discussed, and I’m eager to hear your thoughts. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been so conflicted about a book, and to me that’s not necessarily a negative thing. Reading Hurricane Summer is enlightening and inspirational. It deals with important and urgent issues that deserve the utmost respect. And I feel like this is only the beginning for Bromfield. She’s written a novel from the depths of her heart and soul, and I’ll be eager to see what she does next. So where does that leave my rating?? I’m gonna average out the positives and negatives and settle on 3.5 stars.