This Golden State combines hidden identity and family secrets to create an intense reading experience. From the start, there is a looming feeling that at any minute the ball will drop because the family is on the run. While the premise is intriguing and the start of the book starts strong, it starts to unravel as the reader gets further into the plot and the romantic relationship is introduced. It seemed unrealistic that the protagonist would not try and find out who she was. The romance took away from what the central story was.

Gah! I think there must be something wrong with my arc because I know that is not the end of the book! No way!!!!

Poppy is such a great character. She is smart and independent! At 17 (going on 18) she asks questions and comes face to face with answers about her parents and their strangely nomadic life. If there is anything I have learned from true crime books and podcasts it’s that no one can hide in this day and age!!! Too much info is discoverable with DNA and cell phone pings.

I couldn’t help but compare the two sisters. At 8, Emma needs her parents and not much else. At 18, Poppy needs more. Sniff. Makes me want to hug my toddler and pick her up when she asks even if she is way too heavy!!

This book was interesting. I liked the math teacher a lot! I was not as thrilled with harry. Was he necessary?!?! I still want to know more about poppy!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for a copy of this book. Sorry it took me so long to read it!!! And thank you Sharon, for your recommendation!

This Golden State delivered what has been missing from YA, and especially YA mystery, for so long: a unique voice. When a mystery emphasizes the "whodunnit" and doesn't even bother to pay attention to character development, I tend to lose interest in even figuring out the mystery at hand. Luckily, Poppy's voice drew me into this book immediately. This was a very ambitious book that kept me turning the page to the very end.

I absolutely loved this book. I am actually mad at myself for not getting to it for several months! It's a title that is technically YA, but definitely is not solely for that genre. I was surprised that Marit Weisenberg is an up and coming author because she demonstrates the skills of storytelling and crafting complex characters like a pro.

I was immediately sucked into the storyline from page one. Poppy is a daughter of fugitives and her whole life has been on the run with her family. Only problem is she doesn't actually know why. Impulsively, Poppy takes a DNA test to find out some answers about who she and her family is while also breaking the "rules" of her family- she tells someone her real name and makes a friend for the first time in her life.

The ending was just as good as the beginning. I had one chapter left and I was anxious for how this book could possibly wrap up. But the author kept me captivated through the last paragraph before giving a great resolution.

10/10!!!

I went into this story not really sure what to expect regarding the plot twist, but I think it definitely made the story more interesting. One of the main highlights for me was the relationship between our two main characters, Poppy and Harrison. Harrison quickly becomes an important figure in Poppy’s life and readers will root for both characters and their relationship. Overall, I found this to be a really engaging read.

This book was super engrossing and I read it really quickly. I loved the plot and enjoyed Poppy as a character. I also grew up in the Bay Area so it was cool to see places I recognized in a book. The only disappointment for me was the ending - it knocked it from 5 to 4 stars,

*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I really really enjoyed this book! It's not my usual genre, but it was fantastic nonetheless.

I thought the ending was perfect for it, but I wish the "big reveal" would have been bigger.

When I say that these are some of the most well-crafted characters I have ever read, I mean it. There are many times when you can see the answer to the mystery from a mile away, but Weisenberg kept the reader guessing until it was time. Poppy and her family were beautiful characters. I smiled and cried and everything. This book was so wonderful. I cannot say that enough.
Amazing prose. Amazing story. Amazing writer.

This book was deep, in a way I did not expect. The characters were relatable and the story felt raw. I enjoyed it.

This was such a compelling and thrilling ride. Poppy, her parents and her sister, Emma (who is only 8) have been on the run their entire lives and Poppy doesn't know why. All she knows is that her parents did something and they are running from the cops, which means they basically change identities and schools every few months. They all have that one possession they grab when they have to leave in a rush and they are very isolated - they basically just have each other.

But then they stay in California and Poppy is able to take a math class that she absolutely loves and she even finds a boyfriend. For the first time in her life, she starts thinking about what she wants. Poppy frustrated me so much because she was SO obedient and it wasn't fair that she was punished for things that her parents did. But the character development was so well done and I understood her struggle between doing what was best for her family and focusing on her own future. The ending was so bittersweet and I think it was just perfect. Fantastic read!

This is one of those stories where going in blind is best. From the very first page, I devoured this. Our main character Poppy had my heart pounding the entire time for her. The suspense? The drama? The romance? BEAUTIFUL! This reads like the most thrilling, suspenseful movie. I shed so many tears towards the finale of this story. Oh how I wish there was a little more to the ending because I was not ready to let this go.

~Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

A family constantly on the run, not allowed to tell anyone their real names or make any permanent connections. Poppy doesn't know why her parents are running from the law, but keeping her family's secret is all she's known. When they stop in California for the summer, things begin to change and Poppy decides she finally wants to know more about her parent's past and start to build a future for herself.

The premise is so interesting and exciting and I dove right into this book. I needed to know what secrets the parents were hiding and I wanted Poppy to finally have a place to call home. As an outsider, it's easy to say that Poppy should have just confronted her parents and refused to move until she got answers. Once she turns eighteen, she doesn't have to go along with their constant moving and paranoia any more. But Poppy has grown up like this and these three people are all she's ever had. I can understand that the thought of losing them is terrifying and that she would hold on tightly, even while resenting the secrecy.

This is fairly quick paced and I liked the tidbits of information we got throughout the book. The family dynamic is well written and Poppy's relationship with her parents is complex yet loving. The ending was partly what I wanted and partly not, but overall pretty satisfying. I wish there was an epilogue ten years later so we could see what changed and where Poppy is in her life. It was nice seeing her becoming independent and taking charge of her life.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the copy

This is a top book of the year for me for sure. I could not put this book down. I was wrapped up in the constantly hiding lifestyle these characters lived from the very beginning. I couldn’t wait to see what happened. Although this book is labeled YA and I think YA readers would thoroughly enjoy it it did NOT read like a typical YA book at all. As an adult I was completely immersed in this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second. The second half just seemed to be a bit repetitive to me. I did enjoy the plot quite a bit.

A deeply intriguing mystery lies at the center of this novel, as Poppy slowly unravels the secrets that lie at the center of her family's off grid and on the run existence. I enjoyed both the mystery aspect, as well as Poppy's character development, as she grows up and learns to define her own existence.

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg is about "a family on the run, a restless teenage daughter hungry for the truth, and the simple DNA test that threatens their carefully crafted world." For her whole life, Poppy and her family have been on the run, hiding from something or somebody. Poppy loves her family very much and know that they love her too, but she is tired of hiding. So, she starts searching for the truth, and what she finds is not what she every would have imagined. I really enjoyed this story, and I appreciated so much Poppy's care and concern for her family while trying to gain her own independence. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Poppy and her family are especially close. They are all that they have. She doesn’t know why but her parents have kept their family on the run and she’s always gone along with what they’ve said but as she gets older she’s wanting definitive answers and solid ground. She loves her parents and her little sister but she wants more than their little bubble of existence. Poppy wants more of everything that life has to offer but she also knows wanting more means very possibly endangering the safety of her family.

I was immediately invested in Poppy and the precariousness of her everyday.
You wanted more for her and her sister because of the unfairness of the life that was thrust upon them full of responsibility with no room to just be kids without the constant worry of their world being upended at a moment’s notice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books with providing me with a copy for me to read.

If you've ever read a book about characters in witness protection, the framework here will be familiar. Characters who can never risk getting close to anyone, forming friendships, or showing any special aptitude for anything. Characters who need to go unnoticed regardless of their natural inclinations This one stretches realms of beleivability and bounds of technology. While it succeeds in asking some bigger questions about freedom, prosperity, responsibility and such these reflections are fairly shallow, making this more simple entertainment than it wants to be.

This Golden State was an excellent YA Mystery novel. It it the definition of a page turner and I was never bored while reading it. I loved learning about Poppy’s parents as she did, feeling the hurt and betrayal through her character. My only gripe is that I feel the end of the book was rushed, and I wish we had more time to process the ending.

Where do I even start with this novel? I think my expectations for it were too high.

I really, really wanted to love this! I thought the plot was just so interesting and sounded like such a good mystery, and it started so good. The ending just.... fell flat for me. I wasn't expecting the ending and it just left me wishing there had been more, had been more to the mystery and more to the ending rather than leaving it open ended.