The Winslow family are close but their past is a secret, even from their own children. Poppy does not know why her family is on the run, but she accepts it. Until she settles in to a new life and meets a boy.

This was a unique thriller. There was a family, but it wasn’t a domestic suspense which I’ve had so much of lately. I enjoyed the mystery of the plot. However once I discovered the family’s secret, I was not as enthralled. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say it was a familiar story for true history. I was hoping for something different and new. I did enjoy the coming of age aspect of the story.

“One: no using your real name. Two: no staying in one place too long. Three: If something is weird, take one thing and run to the meeting spot.”

This Golden State comes out 3/1.
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I really hate to say this, but this book has been one of my biggest letdowns of 2022 so far. I requested this book twice last year because the blurb intrigued me, so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered I had been approved. As a result, I read this book over the course of one day.

Did it meet my expectations? Not really.

The biggest thing that jarred me a bit was just how, feel-wise, this book is more of a contemporary romance than an actual thriller. I didn't feel the suspense at all, and to me, the romance scenes and the main character in her math class took up more time than spent actually following the mystery. And when the big reveal occurred, it wasn't that big of a reveal because I had already seen it coming, which, as you can imagine, kind of ruins the whole thriller twist ending in general. 😅

The main character also felt like the stereotypical teen girl that you read about in most contemporary romance novels. Throughout the whole story, I found her frustration with her family understandable, but not enough to really relate to her or see anything more to her personality than just her ... uh, interesting family situation.

And the whole message of the story was basically finding your own way, and doing what you want? It felt a bit anticlimatic to me, especially the end (if you've read it, you know). But I also have a pretty big issue with books like that (Amelia Unabridged is another that comes to mind) because it leaves so many threads hanging AND just leaving your problems behind for a great life on your own and not dealing with them is selfish, not to mention unhealthy.

Overall though, while the premise of this book is interesting, I don't think the stakes were upped high enough for it to be really anything much more than a contemporary romance. But hey - I've never written thriller, so what I do I know 😂

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher!

This book- holy crap. When I request the ARC I had skimmed the description of the book and it caught my eye. I was so emotionally invested in this book that it was insane. Poppy's family is constantly on the run and she truly doesn't know why. Soon, Poppy meets Harry and everything changes when she completes a DNA test and finds out who she is.

Poppy is such a lovable MC and truly you become so invested in her life and daily choices. I found myself rooting for her. This is a YA "thriller" and it is very fast-paced. I finished this one pretty quick because I just HAD to know what was going to happy. Yes, there was parts which could have been more developed but overall a very well written book, 5 star for sure.

I have to thank to the publishers from putting Marit Weisenberg on my radar! I already added Insomniacs on my swollen-about to burst any second tbr!

Rules are clear and simple for Winslow family( even though this is not their real family name) 
1. No one can know your real name.
2. Don’t stay in one place too long.
3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.
4. Keeping our family together is everything.
5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.

They are runaways for 17 years, living under radar, changing states at each 4 months, homeschooling kids, working at pay under the table jobs, suffering from poverty. But at least they have each other to hold on and their special poker nights. Now they finally moved to San Francisco, living in an old, vintage house, planning to stay longer. But when 17 years old Poppy finally demands answers about their past, she puts her family in very dangerous path without having any knowledge!

This book is such a thrilling ride! Especially the first quarter about family’s running away from authorities kept on my toes. I lost my poor nails, my favorite cushion( there are disgusting bite marks on it) my right arm ( good news; my teeth are stronger than my German shepherd’s ) but it’s worth it! Then at the second quarter book’s genre completely changed into YA realistic romance when Harrison Addison appeared on the chapter! ( rich, charming, troubled boy who caught the attention of out sweet, loyal, innocent, clueless, shy heroine Poppy)

The combination of mystery thriller and YA romance perfectly worked fine for me: it was gripping wild ride to read how Poppy learns about the secret by applying for DNA test and how her under radar relationship with famous politician’s son Harry will bloom.

I couldn’t turn pages any faster to find out how the story conclude! It was fast paced, heart throbbing with well crafted characterization! Of course Dan: ex navy, the father of Poppy is my favorite character and after learning his back story, I truly respected him more!

Throughout my read, I got a little agitated with Poppy: why she was so obedient? why didn’t she want to learn the ugly truth before? But the characters are realistically developed and when I read about Poppy’s 8 years old sister Emma, I quickly understand why Poppy chose to enjoy bliss of ignorance! When Emma is the rebellious one who learns the importance of selfishness at the age 8, Poppy was created as a character who putted the others first because she was too afraid of losing everything she had! She loved her unique family more than herself!

The big revelation was truly jaw dropping and overall I liked smart, whirlwind drama, mystery, teen love so much. Only thing I didn’t love is abrupt ending which held me give five stars to this great thriller!

I don’t want to give too much away but I need more answers: actually I have pages of questions and I keep wishing the author gave us a sequel because there are so many unfinished business left behind and I’m dying to know what will happen next! I hope that sequel comes or I have to write fan emails to author for kindly requesting it!

Anyways, I highly recommend this mind-bender, stomach-churner, jaw-dropper, Ozark meets Bonnie & Clyde journey! At some parts Dan reminded me of Ozark’s cool and determined Marty who does what it takes to save his family!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Poppy has spent her whole life on the run with her family because of something her parents did before she was born. She doesn’t know what crime they committed, she doesn’t even know her parents real names.
Kept in a technological void life, she has no chance to find answers until she meets a boy, and her life how she knows it is changed forever.
How far would you go to keep your family together?

This Golden State follows Poppy and her family as their life on the run as the past starts to catch up to them. While having strong elements of mystery that kept me wanting more, this story definitely leaned more into the contemporary side of its genre as it explored Poppy and her family's story and relationships with themselves and the outside world. While the pacing felt a bit off at times and the ending left me wanting more, This Golden State was a wonderful story about coming to a crossroads between loyalty to your family and wanting to make your own path in life.

I’m happy I was approved for this one because the anticipation of wanting to read it was killing me! Haha. This wasn’t what I had expected for a couple different reasons but I still enjoyed it nonetheless because it was a nice surprise.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Poppy Winslow. If that is her real name. She has gone her whole life moving from place-to-place because of whatever her parents are running from. It isn’t any life a now teenager wants and she is willing to risk it all to find the answers she seeks. Even if that means putting her family in danger.

Poppy was a very interesting characters, just like pretty much everyone in the book. She was very smart and maybe that was in a way the reason for wanting to know more. She wanted the school and college experience and how are you going to get that when you keep switching schools. I really can’t blame her for the choices she made. Curiosity will get the best of anyone! Poppy may have lost sight of following the rules every now and again which was selfish on her part but again, I couldn’t blame her for that. She was trying to do her best to life a normal life for once.

The other characters in the book were just as good and I wanted to know more about them. Each one has skeletons in their closets and throughout the book we learn about the secrets they are trying to hide. They all just felt very realistic and it was never over-the-top drama either. I definitely wanted to hug more than one character and tell them it would be okay. Life is just rough!

The plot is filled with mystery and at times it can be thrilling. Poppy’s family is always watching their back and never letting anyone get too close. If her dad feels like something is off they are gone before the sun comes up. There is no room for mistakes when it comes to their safety. I had my theories as to why they went through it all but I only guess about 1/3rd of it. It left a lot to be surprised about! I wouldn’t say that this is your typical mystery/thriller as it is a bit slower paced with the twists but I think that is why I loved it. It just felt more realistic and a nice change from the usual.

I will say that my biggest complaint would be the ending. If you are like me and do not like open-endings, well this one may disappoint. I honestly got to the end and was like, “That’s it?”. There is no epilogue and I just needed to know that everything would be okay!

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I may not have liked the ending but everything else was still satisfying and loved getting to know the characters in this book, especially Poppy.

I really enjoyed This Golden State. I thought the characters were well developed and the story was perfectly paced. I wish it was a little longer and went more into depth on certain topics, especially the ending. I feel the end was rushed, like the author was just trying to quickly finish or ran out of ideas.

After a strong start, the pacing seemed to slow down a bit and I got bored. I did enjoy the writing style but like I said the plot was just a little too slow for me personally. This would be a great book for younger teens who are looking for a mystery/drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THIS GOLDEN STATE by Merit Weisenberg in exchange for my honest review.***

Poppy’s family has been on the run her whole life, though from what crime she does not know. She only knows she wants to stop running. She knows she shouldn’t take a DNA test, that’s gotta be against the many rules she must follow to remain safe. Taking a summer class she encounters a boy with secrets and a caring teacher who sees more of a future for Poppy than she can imagine for herself.

Though unevenly paced, THIS GOLDEN STATE held my interest and “forced” me to read straight through to see what would happen next.

I couldn’t give THE GOLDEN STATE five stars because of the disconnect between Poppy’s adoration for her “wonderful” parents and the actual quality of their parenting. The dad was paranoid, controlling and narcissistic. His needs to keep his family together under the guise of that being in their best interest was selfish and damaging to the kids. The mom seemed more under his spell than a driving force in the family and try as I could, I disliked eight-year-old Emma.

My other criticism is the abrupt ending. THIS GOLDEN STATE would have benefited from an epilogue unless there is a second book upcoming. If that’s the case, sign me up. I’d love to read more of Poppy’s story and find out more about Harry.

A fun title for those who like YA mystery/thrillers. I had higher expectations from the description and was a little let down by the predictable plot and the ending. Will still purchase for my library because I think teens will like it but I don't think there will be lasting interest.

A well-written YA contemporary, this didn't quite grab me in terms of the thriller element (the mystery felt as if it was unraveling in slow motion, and when the revelations came, it felt like it was too late for them to really sink in), but was engaging nonetheless. The tension of Poppy trying to choose between what she needs as an individual versus her family's needs was very well drawn out, and unlike many stories, didn't actually have an easy answer. The ending felt as if it came in a bit of a rush - I'd have liked some kind of epilogue - but struck a great bittersweet note.

I appreciated Harry as both a side character and a love interest, and enjoyed the portrayal of tensions in his life (between his mentally ill, tech genius dad and his mom, Not Kamala Harris) although I would have liked more resolution with his storyline. Professor Alexiev was probably the standout side character, and although I didn't necessarily need all the math talk, her connection with Poppy felt potent without overstepping.

(One very odd note: I thought at the beginning that there might be a futuristic/dystopian element to the book because there's an early scene where the family has to go through a border crossing to get into California. Was it vestigial from a version where they detoured through Mexico? Confusing...)

I was not expecting the harrowing twists and turns in This Golden State, but I LOVED them! An unforgettable masterpiece of plot writing and character development. I wanted MORE at the end, in the very best way.

Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put this book down. I went into this thinking it would be a standard thriller, but it was so much more than that.

This book is really a story about family. The ways you can love your family so much and still feel like there’s an ocean between you and them.

There were so many beautiful nuggets of wisdom in this book and I loved Poppy as a main character. My only complaint was that it ended too soon. I wanted to keep going on this journey.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This started out strong but then I felt like the pacing lagged; the story dragged on until the rather abrupt ending. Tween/teen girls looking for drama will enjoy this.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. Read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. Enjoyed the characters and the mystery around their story. Well written and thoroughly entertaining.

I almost gave up on this and wish I had. It took too long to get exciting, actually never got all too exciting. And anyone remember Patty Hearst? What a rip off of that event - and not done very well at all.

Unputdownable.

Poppy has lived her entire life on the run. She doesn't know her own parent's names. She doesn't use her own real name at school. She's never had a lasting friend. And she has no idea why her family is on the run.

Are her parents spies? Criminals? Witness protection? Who are they? The reader will be just as curious as Poppy throughout this journey of discovery which reveals family history and futures.

This read is unlike anything I have read recently, and was totally fun and refreshing. The characters were interesting and likable. I loved that Poppy is interested in a STEM future. We need more female protagonists that have a natural inclination and talent for math.

I was given an early release copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the first page I was hooked. Sometimes the thin line between family and freedom is more like a wide canyon.