Poppy knows better than to truly want anything. Her entire life has been an exercise in trying to create something close to normal, only to have to leave it all behind without so much as a look back. Her family lives in a constant state of running from an unknown enemy and that enemy has led them to the golden state of California.

To Poppy, this move feels different. Maybe it’s the fact that their house is just a little bit nicer than usual or the fact that her parents have agreed to let her attend a summer math class. And maybe, just maybe, it’s the hazel-eyed boy who always sits beside her.

On the surface, Harrison Addison looked like a typical Silicon Valley rich kid. But when Poppy gets a closer look, she finds someone who is just as broken as she is. Being with him makes her want things that she never has before – truth, love, and freedom to be who she really is. So, when it’s time to run again, will she choose her family or the dreams of her heart?

I can’t think of a better way to bring my blogging hiatus to a close than with the newest book from Marit Weisenberg. She became one of my favorite authors after reading The Insomniacs in late 2020. It shot to the top of my best reads of the year, and I couldn’t wait to see what she would do next. Well, I can now say that it was well worth the wait!

With This Golden State, she delivers a multi-genre punch that had me holding my breath in anticipation until the very end. Her characters are authentic and complex. At first glance, they appear to be one way but then evolve in almost heartbreaking ways. Poppy is a trusting innocent in the beginning and on the journey to understand choices made by her parents, she becomes formidable in her own right.

This is one of those rare books that somehow combines all the best elements of mystery, young adult romance (I may have a bit of a crush on Harry!) and literary fiction all at the same time. The result is unique gem that’s simply unforgettable…

It's official, I'm going to read anything Marit Weisenberg writes. After loving 2020's The Insomniacs , I was beyond excited to start This Golden State (and thrilled to be invited to the blog tour, naturally). And I am happy to report, it delivered, which puts the author firmly on my auto-read list.

The premise obviously hooked me from the start. I mean, not only are Poppy and her family on the run (and have been for as long as she can remember), but Poppy hasn't the faintest idea why. Let's stop for a second and think that through. Can you even imagine? Your whole life is lies, you know it's lies, but you just have to keep being lied to, keep being pulled from your makeshift homes, quasi-friends, schools you finally got yourself sort-of settled in. It must have been so exhausting, so lonely for Poppy. And I think that is what makes her such a compelling character from the start. When we first meet her, she's literally being ripped away yet again. She's just started to feel a little at home in her new town, made some friends, has actual things to look forward to at school... then bam . She's yanked out of town yet again.

The family finally reaches their new destination, the titular Golden State, of course, and Poppy finds herself questioning her parents more than ever. And it makes total sense! As a reader, I found myself not only cheering on Poppy's questioning because I too wanted answers, but because I was so invested in her finally getting some answers too. Her fear and apprehension makes sense. She hasn't a clue how the world works, is barely technologically savvy, since her parents have kept her as sheltered as possible, for the reasons you can surmise.

This is, obviously, a coming of age story for Poppy, and a story of Poppy finding out who she is- both in the very literal sense, and in the figurative journey we all take. The story is certainly beautiful in that regard, as Poppy navigates growing up and figuring out who is she, both in the context of her family, and outside of them. But when you add in the other incredibly thought provoking bits, it becomes even more compelling. You can't help but question the morality of Poppy's parents, what the best choices for Poppy are, if there even are any good choices in the circumstances Poppy finds herself in. Plus, the mystery that Poppy begins to unfurl made me pretty much unable to stop turning the pages.

Bottom Line: Incredibly readable, with a very sympathetic and likable main character, I was obsessed with this book from the start.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited by this books synopsis, and then I could get past 15% and literally nothing much was happening that I scimmed to the end to find out the secrets and I was unimpressed with the parents' reasoning to constantly uproot their daughters and not giving them any kind of stability. They didn't even give me the romantic interest in those first several chapters so I can't tell you my impression of him. Overall I couldn't get through it, kudos to those who loved it!

this golden state being a modern-day bonnie & clyde but with kids is the absolute page turner that readers can expect! just truly hooks readers right in, as i could not put down this mystery thriller and read in one sitting. following poppy, at almost 18 has been using fake names her whole life and doesn't even know her parents' real names, it hurts to see the situation no kid should be put in and how she could never let anyone get close to her. as the family never stays in one place for more than a few months maximum definitely less if people come close to recognizing. immediately entering the story seeing the pattern of poppy's life once again being taken away from a town she was just getting used to and the toll it takes on her emotionally. their move to california is definitely one much different than their previous ones with being a location poppy has dreamed to go to and with how excited her mom is more than usual. we get to see our main take advanced math courses with a stanford professor and poppy is a character who hasn't been able to settle enough to see her potential, academically particularly and is highly intelligent in stem courses able to keep up with kids her age who took years of tutoring. but soon she meets a fellow classmate, harry that she finds herself instantly connected to him though not being able to open up completely as a family on the run yet they truly begin a whirlwind of a romance. the romantic subplot wasn't exactly my favorite i did enjoy harry's character a lot and what depth we see of him, but its more of a plot device to further poppy's search for her parents' true identities with him being her access to technology after both found each other mailing in ancestry.com dna tests. you truly feel the building tension and anxiety for poppy as the story furthers as she gets closer to the truth. with trying not to give anything away, weisenberg genuinely builds a great structure of a story with little easter eggs all throughout and weaving them all together how it connects back to the true story of poppy's parents. the only critique i have is that i agree with fellow reviews of its ending and wishing we got to see more of what comes after but i do understand that the book would have gone on for much longer if that were to happen. all in all, i think readers looking for a quick paced, mystery that keeps one at the edge of the seat will be satisfied with the rush that this golden state gives!

Thoughts

This book was really, really good, but I also... didn't have strong feelings about it. There's nothing wrong with it, really. There's a lot that's great about it. It just doesn't feel like something that'll stick with me. Do you ever feel that way?

Pros
Engaging Voice: Marit Weisenberg nails the character voice from the first page. Poppy really sucks you into the story from the start. The setup, the settings, even the characters themselves are no different than one might expect from a YA thriller,. Even so, something about Poppy's voice is very engaging. Though this book doesn't, immediately, reach new places within the genre, I was pulled right into the story from page one.

Lowkey: Though the plot is high-stakes, the narrative itself is lowkey. This is such a nice change of pace when so many YA thrillers are high melodrama (which is definitely not my thing). There are some downsides to the lowkey-ness of this story that I'll mention down below, but it was still nice to have a thriller that isn't quite so breakneck and hyperbolic.

STEM Girl: It's great to have a female character interested in STEM in a YA (or any!) book. It's especially great here because Poppy's interested in an underrepresented subject: mathematics. She's a logical character struggling to set down roots in a world where she's constantly on the move, and that's why she latches onto math: the only constant between school curriculums. Math is logical and sensical. It follows rules, and that's something she clings to. And I love this reasoning, this backstory, as much as I love the math-girl rep.


Cons
Slow-Mo: While I liked the lowkey nature of this story, it was ultimately slow-moving. And that's such a weird experience in a thriller. At a tenth of the way through the book, we were just getting to the location where the plot would happen. Up until that point, it was all transition time, and it seems weird to have spent so much time on that transition, that move to a new location--especially since this moving-around is supposedly an all-the-time occurrence for Poppy, not something novel or exciting. The pacing was just off.

Frustration: The lack of information was super frustrating here. I know that was part of the plot, as Poppy tries to fill in the blanks surrounding her family, but it comes back to pacing again. The pacing was off on the slow revelations, the pulling back layers of the mystery, and that was very irritating for me as a reader. I should have known more and felt more earlier on--just hints, as the character starts piecing things together. This glacially slow revelation added to the slow-motion-ness of the plot itself.

Mid-Scene Breaks: Maybe this was for dramatic effect. I'm not sure about the reason. Whatever this case, it definitely wasn't effective. More often than not, the scene and chapter breaks tricked me into thinking that I got to have a break myself, but the exact same scene would continue right after the page break. This was frustrating, because I often had to look back to figure out what, exactly, was going on. There shouldn't be a break where it makes no cognitive sense! This style of narrative break reminded me of Dale M. Courtney's infamous book Moon People. Check out the Huff Post review, and I'll say no more.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10

Fans of Courtney Summers's The Project will appreciate the more serious tone to this new YA thriller. Those looking for layers of family secrets after Rory Power's Burn Our Bodies Down will appreciate these complicated family dynamics.

Hey Marit, I'll give you 5 out of 5 birds for This Golden State! I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Marit gained my attention just with the book blurb and the story didn't disappoint. I feel like I've said this about every book I've read in 2022, it must be on trend, but this was another slow-burn novel. The story slowly unravels and keeps you wanting to find out why these girls can't have a normal life! They have no idea their parents real names, don't have any technology, and literally are on the run 24/7. I really liked the main character Poppy and the highlighting of her interest in a STEM field. It was refreshing. There is some definite teen angst but never did it feel over the top or sexualized for YA which I appreciate, I mean it's mentioned, but not the focus or depicted in depth. I loved the growth in poppy and was happy sad with the end. Overall, this book was a fun read. It gave me some Good Girls Guide to murder vibes. I'd put it on my TBR list, it drops March 1, 2022.

I really enjoyed this book! Poppy and her family have been on the run for her entire life. Poppy has no clue why or what the real names of her parents are. I was intrigued from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to see how this story was going to end. If you enjoy puzzles and mystery you will not be able to put this down!

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg, 400 pages. Flatiron Books, 2022. $19.
Language: R (78 swears, 18 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Poppy (17yo) has been known as Katie for the weeks spent in Illinois. Now they're moving again, but it doesn’t feel the same as past moves; her parents are more on edge. Poppy tries to just be happy about finally seeing California and about the bits of freedom her dad is allowing, but the secrets her parents keep loom larger here – and the answers she’s always wanted to know feel within reach.
Poppy’s desire to know who she is and her longing for freedom to make her own choices are relatable struggles, and I felt connected with her in the first few pages. I wanted to know the truth just as much as Poppy did – the suspense nearly choking both of us – and I hope Weisenberg is already working on a sequel because I’m not ready to let Poppy go. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, mention of drug use and alcoholism, illegal activity, intense make out scenes, partial nudity, and mentions of sex and nude photos. The violence rating is for gun use, manslaughter, and mention of suicide.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Loved this one! This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed the writing style as well as the plot. I was intrigued from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to read more! I will definitely be looking for more by this author in the future.

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg is a young adult coming of age with a side of mystery. The main character in the story is a teenager with a quest to find the truth after growing up in an abnormal situation.

Poppy has grown up with parents that love her but also with parents that lie to her every day. Poppy’s life has been on that is always on the move and Poppy learned at a young age that her parents are afraid of the law.

Now that Poppy is almost eighteen she can’t help but wonder what it is that keep their family picking up and running never getting close to anyone or settling anywhere. On a whim after the latest move Poppy submits a DNA test looking for answers as she tries to figure out what the future holds for her.

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg was a story that I couldn’t help but become engaged in when I picked this one up to read. The idea that not only the main character but her little sister are living this anonymous life without a stable foundation was intriguing. I enjoyed that there was an air of mystery to the family and why they ran and also watching Poppy grow as she struggled with who she was and who she would be. This was the first I had read by Marit Weisenberg but I would certainly want to read more in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Poppy and her family have been on the run for her entire life - she doesn't even know the real names of her parents, or why they're running at all. After abruptly leaving yet another life behind, they settle at a house in California and Poppy begins to notice the cracks in the life they've been living. After growing close with a boy in town and a split second decision to steal an at-home DNA test, Poppy is suddenly faced with the decision to keep running with her family, or try and settle into a normal life with her own future.

I FLEW through this book! I almost never read thrillers or mysteries, and while this was definitely thriller-light I found myself really enjoying it. I loved finding the little clues that Marit Weisenberg was dropping throughout and kept turning pages faster and faster. Maybe I should read more mysteries??

I was immediately on Poppy's side and wanted the best for her, and was glad when she began to let others see glimpses of her life and seek their support. While I thought the ending was a bit abrupt and could have given me a bit more ~drama~ it was such an easy read and would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a bit of a puzzle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the advanced e-book!

I genuinely enjoyed this story and how the characters were written. This story was intriguing and really sucks you in. It's a quick read! We love a story with rules and if someone can stick with the rules. Highly would recommend!

There are an overwhelming amount of positive reviews on Goodreads for this book, and they are all well deserved. This book was very hard to put down. Part Romance, Part Suspense, Poppy is about to discover why it is that her family is always on the run and why her name keeps changing with each move. It is a riveting family drama/mystery with a satisfying ending.

A fun page-turned about a unique family and the circumstances that keep them on the run. This novel has something for everyone including mystery and tension along with a forbidden love story and growing up. This would be a great book for a vacation read or a rainy day read - it’s fast and propulsive. Heartfelt thanks to Flatiron for the advanced copy!

"We'll always be together."

Poppy's parents won't tell her anything about their past. Instead, they live by a set of rules designed to keep them safe - don't tell anyone your real name, your mother can never be seen in public, if anything feels off, go to the meeting place. Every time Poppy or her younger sister Emma start to get close to someone, the family packs up their bags and moves, picking up a mysterious package with new fake identities and a wad of cash. But one day, on a whim, Poppy takes a DNA test, setting into motion a chain of events she can't take back, no matter how much she might want to.

Poppy's seventeen, facing a future where she can never keep one identity long enough to finish a class, much less go to college or build a career. When she enrolls in a number theory class on a whim, she discovers how many gaps she has in her knowledge and how many opportunities she's missed by moving around so much, but she also discovers she has a keen intellect ready for the challenge of catching up, and a handsome boy in her class ready to help her discover all the things she's missed. But stopping running means giving up on her parents, a choice Poppy isn't sure she's ready to make. Poppy's determined to find out why they live the way they do and what her parents are running from.

This book is complete with tension, drama, a handsome rich boy and a star-crossed love story. The mystery of Poppy's parents' identity kept me hooked, frantically turning pages to find out what clue Poppy would discover next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in one sitting, absolutely devoured it. Still trying to figure out how I feel about it but man did it suck me in! It’s extremely fast paced and compelling.

A fun page turner that felt like less of a thriller to me than a teen romance with a high stakes premise, (one that may be familiar to older readers.)

The lead character, Poppy is raised by parents who are on the run--the truth behind which is nicely drawn out for much of the book. At its surface, the family's situation is a smidge unbelievable, with them changing towns and school districts every few weeks with seemingly little need of a paper trail or records and leaving no trace behind. But it's best you don't get too caught up in those specifics.

Basically the overprotective, but also strangely detached and troubled parental storyline makes an excellent set up for a traditional, "the summer that changed everything" sort of tale for Poppy. While going to a high level math camp, Poppy meets a mysterious boy with his own secrets, begins to unravel her own, and finally starts to imagine a future for herself.

I thought all of this was all handled nicely. The relationship was believable, the teacher played a helpful and supportive role in Poppy's growth, and the mistakes Poppy makes in protecting her parent's anonymity are understandable, (she is understandably clueless about the repercussions of leaving a trail behind on the Internet.)

You can both understand and yet are also baffled by why these parents believed their kids would play along with their charade for decades without ever having their questions answered. But I suppose this is an apt metaphor for adolescence. It is a time in which we're still mostly oblivious to the dysfunction in our family of origin, but learning that there are other worlds and ways out there to explore.

Overall, there were some nice, heartfelt moments in this story with some solid dramatic tension, and it was easy to get invested in the characters and storyline. The book is not action packed per se, but there is a nice "will she or won't she stay?" build up toward the end.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

First!!! I wish I could give six stars. It was crazy that a lot of the clues were dusted all over the book you just have to pay close attention. I loved the setting of the story and I felt that it served the story very well. The way the book was written made you feel immense emotion for our main character. It was super well written. I loved every minute of this book and I can't wait for more. Man, was this an amazing book. I can't get over how well written this book was.

Poppy doesn’t know why her family has spent her entire life on the run—or even where they’re from. She can recognize the subtle clues that her family is ready to flee to another location, another life, and another identity.

Now, Poppy, her mom, dad, and younger sister are on their way to a new location, but there are subtle differences this time. Although they won’t say where they are heading this time, her mother is determined, resolute, and her father is reluctant. Poppy is surprised when the family arrives in the one place she’s always wanted to go—and the one place her parents always refused: California.

With a new opportunity to take part in an advanced Math summer program Poppy has the chance to get out of the house and have some new experiences. Temptation proves too much though when a vendor sets out genetic testing kits for the genetics class. Before she realizes it, Poppy has snagged a kit, spit in it, and sealed it. Can she bring herself to send it out? And what will she discover about her family and herself?

In addition to that, she also finds herself drawn to a boy in her math class, someone who’s very presence in her life could prove to be a risk to her family.

This Golden State is a fantastic exploration of how hard it is to find yourself when you don’t know who you really are. What an interesting journey through the very real teenage struggles of wanting to be loyal to your family while yearning to establish your own identity. Marit Weisenberg has crafted a deeply engrossing and emotional novel that I didn’t want to put down. I highly recommend this one!

This Golden State will be released March 1, 2022.



*I received an ARC of This Golden State from Netgalley and Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review*

This is a really compelling mystery. It is interesting to see all the little clues sprinkled through the story as a picture of who her parents were starts to form. I thought the setting was really well done and added a lot to the mystery. I thought how the family was shown to be both so stressful and oppressive and also loving and close was super well written and really showed the complexity of the characters and their situation. All around this is a cool story and well done.