This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for a arc of this story. Let me say that this is such an emotional and powerful and strong book it made me angry, sad then happy then sad again, I liked the dialect and language and the atmosphere of the country the main character was in.

Tilla is a teenage girl with a father who's more in love with his homeland, Jamaica, than he is with family life. So every six months or so, he leaves the family and travels back home. In an effort to reconnect with her absentee father, Tilla and her sister join their father and his family in Jamaica for the summer. The girls experience a fair amount of culture shock and prejudice when they meet their extended family, who view them as "city girls". With an impending hurricane, the stresses and tensions in the family come to a head as Tilla tries to understand how to navigate her new reality and love, family and her relationship with her father.

I think that Hurricane Summer is a powerful and heart-wrenching YA novel that explores some incredibly heavy topics. The writing felt a little... overbrearing? at points, as if the writer felt like each moment needed to be fully explained to the reader instead of leaving the reader to interpret things and the dialogue (particularly the internal monologues) felt a little to stilted and unnatural. This is not an easy, light hearted read, but if you're looking for something powerful and potentially thought provoking, I'd recommend picking this one up.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Hurricane Summer follows Tilla while she visits Jamaica, where her father lives, for the summer with her younger sisters, Mia. I will say right now, there are explicit scenes of sexual assault, and quite a few other scenes of serious mistreatment that I would call emotional and verbal abuse from family.
Tilla has a really hard relationship with her father. She remembers the good times in Canada when her mom and dad were happy. She remembers the time where they fight and yell and then her dad goes back to Jamaica for periods of time before returning to her family. This time he’s been gone for a while and she doesn’t think he will be coming back. So, her and her sister are going to Jamaica for the summer and Tilla is so angry with her dad. She feels like he forgot about her, like he doesn’t want to be a part of their family anymore. But the moment she sees him at the airport, all that goes away. She’s happy to see him, to be with him. But the plans keep changing and she has to keep reminding herself that her father never sticks to what he says. Tilla and her sister end up at the family home in the country. They’re both excited to meet their family. Tilla is especially excited to reunite with her cousin Andre, one of the few cousins she remembers. The summer doesn’t turn out to be all sunshine and quality family time as she hopes. One of her aunts treats her horribly when her father isn’t around and tells lies when she reports back to Tilla’s father. Every time Tilla finds an afternoon of happiness, it’s torn down by her family, people that are supposed to love her.
This was a really emotional story. From the familial abuse, to the death of a family member, Tilla does her best to hold it together. She was such a strong main character. She always did her best to make the best situation she could for herself. I absolutely loved the moments she spends with her cousins, exploring the country. These were some of my favorite parts of the book. It was really hard to see Tilla just take the abuse from some of her cousins and aunts, and even her father. I was so proud of her when she finally stood up for herself. Even though she didn’t always get the results she wanted, I was so proud of her for speaking up.
Overall, this is not an easy story to read, but it was a stunning story about what it means to be a woman dealing with assault and abuse. It shows what it means to have a father that doesn’t believe in you, one that you feel just doesn’t love you anymore. It talks about racism within the community of Jamaica. I think this book did everything it was trying to do and it did it so well. I highly recommend this book to anyone that can handle these hard topics.

This book was heart-wrenching. I did enjoy the different use of dialects in it and makes me want to learn a new language asap. The story itself is powerful and not what I was anticipating. The plot really didn't leave me with the feeling of any plot holes so I was impressed by that. Overall, I would recommend this book but I would definitely let people know of the content warnings because this book can be a trigger for people.

This story was captivating. It grew me, killed me, shored me up, and broke me back down. Tilla’s journey was mine. My heart soared and broke. This was the ultimate coming of age story and I loved every moment! Can’t wait to see more from this incredible author in the future, her story and truths are brilliant and beautiful! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion! I loved it!

Beautiful story, sometimes painful to read, stirring up emotions of anger. Tilla and her sister are traveling to Jamaica to spend the summer with their father. Although their parents settled in Canada, their father spends part of his life in Jamaica. It is a coming of age story, beautifully written!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TW: sexual assault, colorism, classism, sexism

This #OwnVoices story by Asha Bromfield is a beautiful coming of age story that clearly shows the “different perspectives the world has about girls and young women.”

Tilla has always been told by her mother that “you get two birthdays—one the day you are born and one when you leave home and give birth to yourself”. When she is sent with her younger sister, Mia, to spend a summer in Jamaica with their largely absent father, Tilla experiences much heartbreak and growth.

Upon arriving, Tilla quickly realizes that the summer will be spent in the countryside with extended family while her father remains in Kingston. Tilla and Mia have strikingly different experiences throughout the summer. Tilla comes face to face with the classism, colorism, and sexism present in Jamaican society while her younger sister has a carefree summer playing with younger cousins. In addition, Tilla faces bullying from her aunts and cousins who are jealous of her life in Canada, and she quickly realizes that the only true friend she has is her dark-skinned cousin, Andre.

At the heart of the story, Hurricane Gustav wrecks the island of Jamaica much like the ways Tilla’s life has been wrecked by her experiences. Yet, Tilla finds her voice and learns to protect her heart while recreating herself into the woman she wants to be.

I loved the characters in this story, and I appreciated that most of the dialogue was in the local language (Patios). The context clues were strong enough that this could be read without needing to flip to the Patios dictionary that was included. I just wished there was a bit more resolution about how Tilla & Mia were changed by this experiences as they returned to life in Canada with their mother (at the end of the book).

This book was hauntingly beautiful, filled with every emotion you can imagine. My heart was ripped to shreds and put back together again by the end of the story.

Asha Bromfield will mark her spot amongst the other YA powerhouses (I got Elizabeth Acevedo and Angie Thomas vibes from this) and I cannot wait to see what else she writes in the future.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my early copy of this beautiful book.

This is a beautifully written story about a young woman finding her way in a foreign land. She heads there to spend time with her absentee father but instead finds love, family, and the mystery and power of weather. There are parts of this story that are hard to read, times that I was so angry I could barely breath around my rage. Of course, a testament to the author's amazing writing and message was that I couldn't stop reading, I needed to finish this story and know how Tilla faired through it all. Amazing story, wonderful words. I loved this one.

I really loved the character development and the way the island was described. The first few chapters seemed as if they were slow and it was hard to get through. Once I got to the second section of the book, it started to flow better. This was a hard read for me because I felt like the main character never caught a break. She was continually knocked down, mentally and physically. It was exhausting. She didn't have any positive experiences on her time on the island. It is difficult to read a story where you root for the main character that never gets a win. She was constantly battling someone or something. I wish it ended on a more positive note. I know that life isn't perfect and that books aren't always supposed to have happy endings, but geez, let Tiila have one positive experience in Jamaica. There are a number of hard topics in here for a YA book too.

Hurricane Summer was clearly heartfelt. The pacing kept me reading, and I did truly care about the characters of Tilla and Andre. Unfortunately, the book as a whole fell flat for me. The writing was heavy-handed; I found myself getting sick of the melodramatic turns of phrase and Tilla’s perfectly crafted monologues - which she was somehow able to consistently deliver in heat-of-the-moment situations. The story needed space for the reader to infer. I was dying for some “show not tell” moments, and I didn’t get any. The ending was certainly emotionally charged, but it felt abrupt.

I commend the heart behind this book, and I hope that it finds its way into the hands of people who need its message and can appreciate its delivery.

Tilla is eighteen her sister Mia nine. Their parents are separated. They live with their mother in Canada. Their father lives in Jamaica. He occasionally goes to Canada to see his family. This time it's been more than a year. The girls will be going to Jamaica to spend the summer with their father.
What Tilla discovers about herself, her family, her father and the island will be with her forever.
Things, people and places are not always what they seem.
A coming of age young adult book. It has everything you'd want in a novel. Love, hate, revenge, headache, betrayal, courage, and honesty. Great read!

Tilla and her younger sister Mia are traveling from Toronto to Jamaica to spend the summer with their father. Their parents' marriage is shaky at best, and neither their mother nor his daughters provide enough reason for him to stay in Toronto. Tilla pictures all the times she has missed her father and is excited by the thought of all the time they will spend together.
That isn’t exactly what he has planned though. He leaves the girls with their extended family in the country and heads back to Kingston and ‘unavoidable’ work obligations. While Mia has fun with her cousins, Tilla feels unwelcome from day one. The cruelness of her family, combined with her longing for her father, lead her to embark on a relationship shrouded in secrecy.
There were so many important topics explored in Hurricane Summer. Friendship, family, young love, jealousy, racism, poverty, sexual assault, and the power of community. My heart broke for Tilla, so many things happened to her. Not all of them are bad, but it seemed that even the beauty of the Jamaican countryside was tainted by the attitudes around her. At first, I had some difficulty understanding the Patios language, but after a few chapters, it wasn’t an issue.
Tilla winds up being hurt in so many ways, but she also grows as a woman. To say much more would lead me to spoiler territory, so I will just say that this was a compelling read and one that I had a hard time putting down.

Incredible coming of age story. I've never been to Jamaica but the descriptions in this book made it easy to picture. I found the Patois glossary extremely helpful. Well written and well developed characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and ST. Martin's Press for the arc.

There was a lot to digest in this book. Relationships with family, abuse, sexual abuse, harrasement etc.
Tilla and Mia are going to Jamaica to spend the summer with their father who they hardly see and hardly know. Tilla is on the ledge of growing up and her body is changing as are her emotions. Being in a unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people makes coming of age that much harder for her.

All of Tilla's journey is set against the back drop of Jamaica. Bromfield does a wonderful job of bringing the setting to life which only added to the beauty of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am in a puddle of emotions. The raw pain emanates from the pages the further you get into it. You feel it within you. It’s powerful yet beautiful. The understanding of that pain rattled throughout me as I read. An understanding I wish I didn’t have, but there was beauty and realization in the same respect.

Following the story of Tilla during her summer in Jamaica, you learn what it’s like to understand your roots. Her journey of love, pain, growth and understanding is entwined in hurt and learning. In the prose and flow of the words Asha creates a land that is beautiful but full of pain. I can’t get over how stunning this was. Truly. As someone who has had the issues Tilla faces, I felt the words and the hurt she was going through. Watching her journey was powerful and painful at the same time. It also gave me a view of Jamaica I don’t think I ever would’ve gotten.

This story is filled with understanding, love, learning and growing through the pain. You see the family dynamics, coming to terms with your home land and learning who you are. Beauty comes from storms and that’s the wonderful thing.

Grab your tissue box because you're going to need it. This was a heartbreaking tale about a girl finding her voice and discovering just what she's made of. Reminiscent of the self-discovery journey in Their Eyes Were Watching God and the magic of nature in Bridge to Teribithia, Hurricane Summer paints a story worth remembering.

I normally have an issue with dialects. There's just something that trips me up. But between the helpful Patois Word Bank and our narrator not being as familiar with the Jamaican way of speaking, it wasn't impossible to understand. And by the end of this novel, I had gotten the hang of it. I am immensely grateful for this, as it made it possible for me, an individual who has barely "mastered" the art of one language, to read this novel and understand what was going on.

All in all, this was a poignant read that really emphasized the power of storms and the power that comes with growing up and discovering just who you are. It was a beautiful, at times heartbreaking, OwnVoices story by a debut author. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that this is Asha Bromfield's first novel, and I'm interested to see what she'll write next!

It is worth mentioning that the blurb states that this novel deals with classism and colorism. It also deals with a lot more; including sexual harassment & assault, phycological trauma & abuse, and sexism.

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books for the eARC. I really appreciated the opportunity to read this novel!

Thank you to Asha Bromfield, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

"I am screaming out to finally hear my own voice."

This is a fantastic coming of age story, about a Canadian teenager who goes to visit her father in Jamaica for two months during hurricane season. Tilla is a great character, albeit a little naive. The dynamic between Tilla and the myriad of characters she interacts with (whether it's her favorite cousin Andre, her new crush Hessan or her terrible Aunt Herma) is very well written. This story also goes to show that no matter what you look like, you can feel like an outsider within your own family, especially if you're a "foreigna".

I did find the book a bit hard to understand in the beginning due to the Patois language. Once I got further into the book, I was able to discern the language a lot easier.

I loved this story, and can't wait to read more from the very talented Asha Bromfield.