After a violent incident with her boyfriend Darius, Angel’s mom sent her away from their northern California home to live with her uncle in Brooklyn. Now, she’s trying to make her way in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, while at the same time trying to heal, both physically and mentally, from her trauma.

This short, beautiful novel stitches together brief vignettes, all written from the point of view of Angel, along with several poems and a few text exchanges. As the book progresses, the nature of the “incident” and the abusive relationship that led to it becomes clear, as do her feelings of guilt, self-doubt, grief, anger, and resentment, as well as her PTSD. But Angel finds hope and life in the books that she reads – powerful works by female authors of color like The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison – and in the music she listens to. This book is in part a love letter to books and music, and the powerful effect they can have on our lives. She also learns a lot about how to love herself by finding people who love and support her in healthier ways than she is used to.

Representation: People of color, black main characters and side characters, lesbian and bisexual characters, main character has PTSD

CW: Domestic violence and abusive relationships

Vinyl Moon is a book that should be in every high school's library. The characters in this novel are diverse - not only in their identities but also in their experiences. Angel, the protagonist, moves to New York to live with her uncle after an alarming incident occurs back home in California. The reader learns more about this incident throughout the book, but it is apparent from the beginning that it involves her ex-boyfriend. One prominent theme in this novel is the importance of community. Angel hasn't really had a strong support system around her up until this point, including her immediate family, and she first starts to make these connections in New York. I just wish that the ending of this story wasn't so abrupt. I think that there were definitely some topics that were left unresolved and my rating reflects that.

Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Browne is a powerfully written YA novel about finding the people who lift you up and second chances. It is about Angel, who is sent by her mother in California to live in Brooklyn with her uncle for a fresh start. When Angel arrives as the new girl in high school with a black eye and arm in a sling, it is a challenge for her to connect with anyone - her trust and trauma run deep. But thanks to a remarkable group of supportive teachers, a few new friends, and a love of books and music, Angel gets out of her own way and learns that second chances and the right inspirations are what can heal.

I loved the character development and the way that the story unfolds though flashbacks and poetry. I also appreciate the nods to literature and music and that Angel finds her truth through it. I highly recommend this book!

CW: partner abuse, PTSD


Advanced copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What?! Why did this book have to end?! I’m not ready to let it go! I want MORE!

In California, Angel has been responsible for her siblings for most of her life. Her dad is gone her mom is in a constant struggle to make ends meet. Angel meets a boy who turns out to be toxic and ends up suddenly moving from California to Brooklyn to live with her uncle. She is enrolled in a school where she is placed in H.E.R. for home room. This school has administrators and teachers who care! I am all about that. Angel’s journey to selfhood is brave and true, influenced by new friends and mentors and music. This book NEEDS to come with a playlist. Heck, I turned up my Hamilton playlist when I was forced by life to put down this book and danced through my day.

This is a must have for my high school library. I will have plenty of takers. One copy will not be enough. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I rated this a 3.5 and rounded up to 4.

This was a really good read, but there were a couple of things that I didn't quite enjoy.

Vinyl Moon is the story of Angel, a California transplant to Brooklyn with a secret. She arrives in Brooklyn with a broken arm and a broken spirit to match. She starts at her new school and makes friends with the girls in her homeroom, eventually developing a love for books. Her love of music strengthens her newfound drive for reading.

I wanted to read this book for obvious reasons. I'm a book lover and a music lover, this book was made for me, well maybe a younger me. I related to Angel’s desire to read books authored by POCs, I never liked reading the quote-unquote classics usually pushed on students because they weren't about people like me. I fully understood her need to see herself in the literature she consumed.

Something I didn't like about this book was its hesitation to tackle tough subjects. Angel's parents had an abusive relationship, her mother was a neglectful alcoholic, and Angel herself was in an abusive relationship. All things were mentioned, but never fully explored. I don't mean I wanted all the gory details, but Angel never really gets a chance to process her trauma. She holds it all in, and then at the end of the book she shares her experiences with her homeroom and suddenly she's magically healed? Nope, didn't buy it.

Another thing I didn't really like was the ending. It felt too neat. Nothing was ever really resolved or addressed. I appreciated that Angel reconciled with her mother, but was the only thing that felt genuine. Really, not much of anything happened in the book. It was kinda like having a few bites of delicious food, good but unsatisfying.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mahogany L. Browne has such a distinct, unique voice. I will never claim to understand the world her characters live in or the things they experience. But she writes with such a deft hand that I can’t help but climb into their world. I adored her first book, Chlorine Sky, but this book is on a whole other level. Vinyl Moon is poetic, heartbreaking, uplifting, and stunning. I haven’t loved a book like this in a minute. There’s something about Angel. She’s so raw and real. The life she left behind and the one she’s living dictate who she is, and the struggle to be comfortable in one’s own skin is prevalent in this book. I honestly can’t wait to have a physical copy in my hands to share with my students!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. First of all, I love the way Mahogany Browne writes. So much is packed into such slim books. I loved Angel and the growth she showed throughout this story. I also loved the way the story was told in various ways: poetry, snippets of text messages between characters, and more traditional chapters. Overall, this was a great read that I will recommend to students and my teenage daughter.

I wasn't expecting to like this book because of my weird past with poetry, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. The setting was perfect for the atmosphere of the novel and I was rooting for our main character, Angel. I could see this book being very popular with young adult readers, especially in Brooklyn. Vinyl Moon is a genuinely great addition to the YA Poetry scene and I'm looking forward to reading Browne's future releases!

When her boyfriend's abuse elevates to physical assault, Angel's mom sends her across the country to stay with her uncle in Brooklyn, New York. It's a lot different from California, and Angel is missing the younger siblings she practically raised herself. Fortunately, the girls in her new class understand her more than anyone back home, and her teacher opens her to a world of influential Black literature that just might save her life. Vinyl Moon is a short yet impactful novel of growth, healing, and flourishing, with the help of good friends and family to lift you up through tough times.

4 stars

Browne just keeps turning out great reads in small but powerful packages; this is no exception.

Angel, the m.c., has recently arrived in Brooklyn to live with her uncle after some sort of violent incident with her partner, Darius. Details about this incident roll out over the course of the text, but what matters much more than these details is how Angel's circumstances - and Angel herself - have changed as a result.

When readers meet Angel, she is immediately post-move, she is furious with her mother (whom she comically only refers to by first name), and she is adjusting to her new circumstances. It becomes clear quickly that while Angel loves her large immediate family, she also has way too much responsibility in that space. She gets to grow in New York not only because of the environment and removal from toxic external individuals, but also because she has the space to finally be a kid. I expect that a lot of young readers will relate to this feeling and circumstance.

The subject of domestic/relationship violence is handled so well here. Readers get insight into the good times, the emotional abuse, the incident that left Angel with a seriously wounded arm, and everything in between. The depictions of emotional abuse and gaslighting are especially well managed. Though Angel is a great character in her own right, the inclusion of these issues will be what makes this book a standout for a long time to come.

I'll absolutely be adding this to my list of recommendations for students and will continue to look forward to these sure winners from Browne.

I really enjoyed this book! I found parts a bit hard to get into and the characters were sort of hard to connect with at times but I think that actually might work really well for students. It wasn’t over the top dramatic or emotional as some YA fiction tends to be and I think a lot of students will appreciate this. Great book. Will add to my classroom library.

This story of hope and resilience uses lyrics and rhythms of music and life to carry a young girl through a very traumatic time. After an incident with her boyfriend, Angel is uprooted from California to live with her uncle, leaving behind the life she has known and her younger siblings. Through music, poetry, and books that provide windows and mirrors of her life, Angel slowly begins the process of healing both physically and mentally. This poignant story will be enjoyed by fans of Jason Reynolds and Elizabeth Acevedo.

Wow, I could not put this book down! It drew me in with its beautifully written prose and it’s main character, Angel, was such a likable character. I felt like I was watching episodes of a teen drama unfold and although it was heartbreaking, I could feel how the character felt in that moment.
I really loved the references to other amazing books written by brilliant Black authors and how they related music to books.
So much to still think about and still process but I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone I know!

A beautiful, hopeful, and highly readable story about the power of community and the written word to foster healing and growth. Angel has left behind all she knows— her younger siblings, friends, abusive boyfriend— when her mother sends her from California to live with her Uncle Spence in Brooklyn. As she tries to make sense of her new reality, she slowly finds respite in Ms. G’s classroom, where she gets to know her classmates with their own experiences of pushing through trauma to find joy. She’s also introduced to powerful literature from Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward, Sapphire, Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros…
I love the way that Browne blends prose, free verse, text messages, rewinds, 20 questions. The short bursts come together to form something beautiful.
The ending is a little abrupt, but that may only be because I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to Angel.

Thank you, Crown Books and NetGalley, for the electronic arc.

This is a fantastic story that alternate between prose and poetry. I alternating format really draws in the reader and helps to connect with the character. It tells the story of a high school girl who is sent from CA to New York to live with her uncle because she is in a abusive relationship with her boyfriend and a complex family dynamic with her mom. As she works to make new friends and fit into a new school, finds herself comforted and connected by books. She also begins to discover more about who she is and her own value.

4 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This is a great story alternating between storyline, flashbacks, and poems. I would highly recommend for middle grade or young adult readers. It was a fast an enjoyable read of a teenage girl starting over after an abusive relationship.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. "Vinly Moon" by Mahogany L Browne is the dating violence book that I wish every person who has been in this situation could read. Instead of focusing on the abuse itself, the book focuses on Angel and how she has become a stronger person after everything. How she is a survivor and is a leader in her school and community. This is ultimately a book about hope and the good things that can come after. I especially like the abrupt ending, because anything and everything can happen.

Vinyl Moon is a fish out of water story, the story of a California to New York transplant after a traumatic incident. Throughout the text she finds community and redefines family. The dialogue is so masterfully done, and I easily heard the voices of the young people I teach in those words.

The sole fault I have with the text is that the ending is a bit abrupt. I checked multiple times that there wasn’t more to the e-ARC that I somehow missed. But I believe there is value and beauty in not tying up everything with a pretty bow – that is not how life works.

Altogether a great and relatable story for many of our young people.

Mahogany L. Browne, what are you doing to us?!? I thought there was something wrong with my digital ARC from NetGalley. I was happily reading Angel’s story--celebrating with her, crying, hoping. . . And it ends. I definitely was not ready to say goodbye to Angel, Eva, Sterling, Uncle Spence and the colorful, complicated, real cast of characters that accompanied Angel on her journey to find her voice. And Ms. G and Ms. B? The more I think about this novel, the more characters I want to get to know better. You must give us more!

Honestly, the plot on Vinyl Moon is one I’ve read before. Angel, a teenager forced by circumstance and her mother’s choices, has had to be in an adult role, taking care of her brother and triplet sisters. Growing up exposed to domestic violence, Angel, in a way, comes to expect it in her own relationships. After the incident happens, Angel’s mom, Elena, decides to send Angel 3000 miles across the country--from California to Brookly, NY--to live with her Uncle Spence. Angel, almost silent at first begins to blossom and finds the voice that has been snuffed out as she adjusts to a new life in Brooklyn. Though I’ve read novels with similar plots--I have not read one so expertly woven with poetry, vignettes, 20 Questions games, texts, and letters. Browne brilliantly constructs Angel’s world and invites us in. I was hooked from the very first page.

My students are going to love this novel. I definitely can see middle and high school students reading this book and finding themselves in the pages. It’s brevity will keep from scaring away more reluctant readers, and the multi-genre approach will help students take a taste of the possibilities of novels in verse. I cannot wait to get Vinyl Moon into their hands.

I first discovered Mahogany L. Browne through the poetry collection, Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice. Then dove into Chlorine Sky, her debut YA novel (in verse!). And now Vinyl Moon? Browne has cemented herself as one of my favorite writers and one I cannot wait to share with my students.

This honest, voluntary review has been written in exchange for an E-ARC. Thanks, Crown Books and NetGalley the advance copy!

Angel is currently the new girl in a new place. She has moved across the country from California to New York to live with her uncle. Through a series of poems and prose entries, we get the story behind Angel's move east. Angel was in an abusive relationship and the best thing for her it to move far away from her mom and siblings. She feels incredibly self conscious as she starts her new school wearing a sling for her shoulder. She is placed in Ms. G's advisory class and it is here where Angel learns to love herself. She finds power in the written word and in music. Moving east has given Angel the chance to be a teenager and to have the time to figure out who she really is and what she wants, not just being the person everyone else wants her to be. So powerful and beautiful and I cannot wait to introduce Angel and her friends to my students.