As a reader, I love going into books blind as the stories end up impressing me and I often find myself enjoying them more and that is what happened with This Golden State as I originally must have read what the book was about with the blurb but had forgotten, so went in not knowing what to expect and then loved the way the story played out as new identities are a favorite trope of mine.
Ever since Poppy was a little girl, she remembers that her family has been on the run from the police. She doesn't know why and how it began but all she knows is that every couple of months - the family will up and leave and disappear and then reappear with new names and identities. She doesn't even know her parents' real name or what her real surname should be. The family is now headed to California and things are feeling a bit off for Poppy as her mum is acting weirder than usual and rules that have guarded their lives for the past eighteen years are being blurred. Poppy and her little sister Emma adjust to a new town where Poppy is finally allowed to experience a real summer school course at Stanford University where she can put her love of maths to the test. While in class, she meets Harrison Addison aka Harry and the pair become fast friends. During her time at Stanford, she overhears a class on genetics and it gets Poppy thinking about her parents and their past lives. On a whim, Poppy takes the DNA test but when the results come back and she later discovers the truth of who her parents are, will it put her family in danger, or has the time come for Poppy to finally be able to stop running and live a normal life? I did love the twist and reveal of her parents' identities but had wished that maybe we got to see more interaction with both of her parent's families.

This was a fast page turner for me. It’s a crazy Bonnie and Clyde on the run story, but wait it gets kind of complicated when they have 2 daughters. Poppie, the narrator is about to turn 18, and has always lived her life moving from one place to the other. She has no idea what her parents did. Poppie, doesn’t even know their real names and hers is always changing, too. She is not allowed to use a cell phone or have a computer as that would make it easy to track the family down. She also can never make friends and that is the hardest part. She also starts to wonder about her future, is this always going to be her life, jumping in the car and racing to the next place or is there something and someone better for her waiting? So, this is a YA Thriller, but also love that it ties in the pull of being attached to your family.

I stayed up really late to finish this one. I just had to know how it would end up for Poppie and find out who she really was. As Poppie’s heart was racing, so was mine. When she was scared, so was I. Recommend this for all who enjoy getting into someone’s head about a world most would never have to encounter. You will become immersed with the drama of this family.

Thank you NetGalley, Marit Weisenberg, and FlatIron Books for giving me an ARC of this book.

This is one of the most compulsively readable thrillers I've encountered in a long time. The writing was great, the main character's voice was immediately gripping and immersive, and the overall mystery was an incredibly propulsive device. That being said, I could not fully get over how terrible these parents are, and that made the book a slight slog in parts (being a middle aged person, far removed from the alleged target audience of the book, definitely affected how I read these heinous adults).

I struggled with the first book of Weisenberg's I read years ago, which made me hesitate to request this one at all. I'm glad I did because I see a lot of improvement here, which is nice. The premise is intriguing and it encouraged me to continue reading, even when the pacing felt off in places. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

I just reviewed This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg. #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published March 1, 2022.

4.5 stars

This book had me from the very start. Why does this family have all these rules? Why doesn’t Poppy know her parent’s names? Why are they always on the move? It was a gripping story that never let up. No spoilers here but very happy with the ending.

Review also posted on GoodReads.

Poppy has spent her 17 years of life on the run her parents past, a past they won’t share with her. Tired of life on the run and the secrets they keep, Poppy mails in a home DNA test and sets forth a series of events that will unravel her whole life and put herself and her family at risk.

I found this book to be just okay for me. I wouldn’t jump to recommend it, but I wouldn’t not tell some to read it. It just didn’t live up to its potential for me. Slow pacing, the characters felt underdeveloped and I just didn't care about them much.

The summation of the book puts so much build up on the unraveling of her families past, but that entire plot felt like a side note to me. The book focused more heavily on her relationship with her math class friend, Harry, than it does on her family and their past.

The ending didn’t feel like it resolved the book for me and I felt like I just wanted a more resolved ending, and a different one at that.

This Golden State is about Poppy, a teen whose entire life has been built around the fact that she and her family could (and have) need to vanish and start new lives at any time.

When Poppy and her family land in California she signs up for a STEM program, falls for a classmate, Harry, and finds out that her family definitely has reasons for their lifestyle after she takes a DNA test

The ending is perfect--not everything is neatly wrapped up, and it really helps the novels themes of what is known and unknown hit home.

This was a really enjoyable book. The story sucked me in right from the first page. Poppy has had strict rules all of her life. She can’t let anyone know her name, can’t remain in one place too long, if you sense anything wrong go immediately to the meeting spot, keeping the family together is everything and her parents can’t tell her who they or she is. Poppy is very relatable. She’s young and has never really had a normal childhood. You really feel for her as she navigates doing what her family wants and finding herself.

Without spoiling anything I really enjoyed the clues and twists and turns and it made the big reveal all the more exciting. I couldn’t put this book down, I had to know what would happen. I loved the romance aspect that was included. There are a few loose ends and unanswered questions I still have. I would love for there to be a sequel, but overall this is a wild page turner.

Thank you Flatiron Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Poppy and her family are not your usual family. They live way off the grid. No internet presence, no smart phones, no real names and they're always on the run. But her whole life, Poppy has always believed that family is the most important thing, even if she doesn't know why her parents are constantly on the move. When Poppy decides to take a DNA test, it brings into light everything that her parents have been hiding from her for her whole life.

Here we have another NetGalley late approval for me. This sat in my Not Active folder for a long time and then one day, boom approved! I was surprised but couldn't get to it right away. However, I wish I had because once I started reading, I couldn't put it down! In addition to a really compelling mystery, Poppy is an amazing character. She's flawed but smart and really good at math despite the obvious gaps in her learning. This book broke my heart in more ways than one, but I'm not going to go into detail because I want to keep it spoiler free. I really felt for Poppy and totally connected to her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. It might be a little early to say but I think this will be one of my favorite books of the year.

Page-turner alert! The author perfectly built the tension surrounding the mystery of who Poppy's parents are and why their family is on the run. The relationships between all of the characters were complex and empathetically written. Poppy's inner struggle between loyalty to her family versus her own future was integral to the story. This was a compelling read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books for access to this arc.

Poppy is a teenager who has lived in many places and who has had many names. Her parents often drop everything at a moment's notice and leave for the next place, where new identities await.

And Poppy sure doesn't know why. Are her parents on the run? Why?

After they end up in California, things seem to have improved Poppy starts taking a summer class and meets a cute boy.

This book didn't go where I thought it was. And once I understood why her parents were running. I got bored. Still, my students might love this one.

Poppy is the oldest daughter of two in this family that has been "on the run" her entire life. While she knows they have been on the move, she has no idea why they are on the move and doesn't even know her parents real names. They leave one city and head to a home that feels lived in and like it has a past and her parents start acting weird and then all sorts of things start to unravel!

While there is a mystery in this book, no one dies, but there is definitely a secret that needs to be unfolded in this book. Before you roll your eyes, the author doesn't obsessive over this secret, and instead the reader is brought into this young woman's world and the secret is in the background that dictates her decisions. Yes, the secret will be revealed but in the right time!

This book is really about Poppy. It is a coming of age and the reader gets to see her on the cusp of adulthood as she must decide what a future away from her family could look like - which for her may seem impossible as her whole life has circled around her family.

While it took me a few days to read this book, each time I picked it up, I was engrossed and couldn't put it down! My first Marit Weisenberg book, but will definitely not be my last and I want to dip into her backlist in the near future.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. Poppy was written in such a way that you couldn't help but feel for her. The story about her parents was about what I expected. I also wanted more from that ending. I would like a sequel (or even an epilogue) showing a glimpse into Poppy's future.

P.S. but was anyone else really stressed about her returning that book to her teacher or are you normal? 😂

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The rules for the Winslow Family are simple
1. No one can know your real name
2. Don't stay in one place too long
3. If you sense something is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot
4. Keeping the family together is everything
5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can't

Poppy, the older, teenage daughter of the family NEEDS to know why her family has been on the run her whole life. She takes it upon herself to take a simple at home DNA test that threatens to undo decades of careful work by her parents.

As a person who finds those genealogy DNA tests semi-sketchy and a huge invasion of privacy, the premise for this novel was especially interesting to me. The reason why the family was on the run didn't quite add up to me, but the excellent writing and suspense throughout the novel made up for that. It certainly makes you think about what lengths you would go to, to protect your children/family.

Thanks You Net Galley and Flatiron Books for the free e-galley.
Publication Date: March 1, 2022

I loved everything about this. The characters, the story, everything. Harry and Poppy are so cute! I loved the ending, I'm glad she was reunited with family.

i picked this book up and couldnt put it back down. The writing is beautiful and that makes it so you can get lost in the story super easy. I love books that you can speed through, yet still understand. the only thing that fell flat for me was Poppy’s character- they felt very 2D to me.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of Marit Weisenberg’s writing, I couldn’t wait to read this novel. And it was well worth the wait! Teenager Poppy Winslow has been on the run with her family for as long as she can remember. After settling into her brand-new life in California, she takes a DNA test as part of her summer school curriculum and the results shake the foundation of her already unstable family situation. Torn between claiming her own identity and protecting her parents, Poppy struggles through family secrets, an intense crush and meeting her goals. This book is about identity and belonging, family histories and their consequences on future generations and having the Bay Area so aptly portrayed as the backdrop to the story was an added bonus. I loved spending time with Poppy and empathized with her so much through all of her challenges. This is a page-turning young adult thriller with Running On Empty vibes. I loved it! Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the advanced review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This Golden State

Marit Weisenberg

Publication: March 1, 2022

This is my first Marit Weisenberg book and I am so happy I discovered this brilliant talent to put on my author to watch list. I have the dark shadows under my eyes this morning to prove I could not put it down!

The dynamics of Poppy’s family (such dysfunction but also loving—what an oxymoron!) and even Harry’s relationship with his parents held you captive. The mystery, the secrets, the suspense…everything leading Poppy on a path of self-discovery as well as the reality of who her parents truly are.

This book had it all! A perfect balance of heart pounding suspense as well as a sweet first love. I was so invested in all of the characters. Their choices and consequences absolutely made my heart hurt even when I knew they made the wrong decision. I really loved the relationship Poppy had with Harry and Professor Alexiev. Sigh. She finally had her own people…and that girl truly deserved to have someone in her corner.

I would love to have a book two or even an epilogue to see beyond that last page… I highly recommend this book!
5 Stars

Although it was a little slow to get into, I suddenly stayed up through the night to finish this book in one sitting. The mysterious plot of not knowing who Poppy's parents was quite interesting, although the mother's backstory was a little obvious once they moved to the new home in California. Although the ending left me underwhelmed, the author kept an engaging storyline on the fugitive parents while also providing insight on Poppy and her relationship with Harry. In the end, I wish the conclusion had been developed a little better as Poppy's father really could have reacted differently to what happened.

I have a headache from reading this so fast - it was a long book and I could not stop reading! Started and finished it in under 24 hours. It was well written, the romance was both believable and adorable (grew over time and each character was well fleshed out, vulnerable, and realistic), the supporting characters were also well written and complex, and the storyline was compelling.

The “big reveal” didn’t end up being as interesting as I might’ve liked, and I thought Poppy’s concerns about how Harry felt about seeing/being near her mom and dad (omg! He SAW a fugitive! He must be so conflicted!) were a little overblown - it’s not like her mom was an axe murderer or on the FBI’s most wanted list. There were definitely some plot holes (all this moving around but her parents were never seen by anyone at school?? How did the kids get registered at all their new schools they were constantly going to if the parents don’t allow technology but also back away slowly whenever someone looks at them twice in public??). The ending was kind of abrupt, but it was realistic and still satisfying, while leaving you with a few questions (or perhaps leaving the door open for a sequel).

Definitely think this will be a hit with the YA crowd, but even as an adult this was a great read that gets you rooting for the main character. 4/5 stars.