Free spirit Tillie experiments with all that life throws at her in a quest for self-identity and self-expression in the 1960s. Tillie Bishop has always been a free spirit but her journey to find herself takes her from being abandoned by her mother to surviving by any means necessary to experience what life is all about. It is a long and twisted road with many pitfalls. From Calgary to Toronto to San Francisco, Tillie embraces the sixties revolution and freedom of expression. With each adventure comes soaring highs and debilitating lows but for Tillie, it’s shaping her into the woman she’ll become. Like an orange, she needs time to ripen to her full potential. Take an unforgettable trip to the past with Tillie and you just might find a piece of yourself you’ve been missing.

The Ripening is a gritty literary coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s. Tillie is a fascinating woman who lives by her own set of beliefs and views. I first met her in the novel, Freefall, and I instantly connected with her. When I think of a sixties young woman, Tillie’s personality immediately comes to mind. The Ripening explores a part of society not normally talked about. The descriptive narration reeled me in and didn’t let go until the very end. Through this book, I truly felt like I went back in time and lived the life of Tillie. The Ripening is a coming-of-age story but the subject matter is very adult. If sexual situations are a trigger for you, you might want to skip certain sections of this book. At the heart of this story is a young woman who learns what life is all about and how life can be what you make it. If you’re looking for a wild coming-of-age story, pick up The Ripening. Lily Iona MacKenzie transports readers to the sixties in a stunning tour de force. Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it. My thoughts are completely my own.

My Rating: 5 stars

I'm going to give this 4 stars, but with the caveat that I haven't finished it. I am here primarily for Young Adult, and this personally isn't something I would see moving in my libraries collection; it reads a lot more adult to me. That said, it was well written, and it sucked me in really well, so I would highly recommend it to adult readers.

The Ripening: A Canadian Girl Grows Up.

Spoilers ahead, and trigger warning for sexual assault (and sexual assault of a minor at that).

So, when I looked at the cover and saw the title of this book, I 100% assumed this was a good kinky book. Tillie is a young Canadian in the 60s, trying to find her way in the world. It’s an interesting book, but it’s a solid mediocre book.
Tillie’s story is told in different timelines, with one chapter revolving around 4 year old Tillie, and the next chapter about 18 year old sexually active Tillie. I personally didn’t like the way the story was told. It feels gross to go from 4 year old Tillie in the back yard running around with the chickens to 18 year old Tillie who has slept with 20 different men.

I felt like Tillie was sexualized throughout the whole story, which doesn’t sit right with me. I understand that it’s a coming of age novel, but a lot of adult things happen to Tillie when she was a minor. And she seems to just… move on from them without any mental health repercussions, which doesn’t seem realistic to me. Tillie is never given the sex talk, and as a result does not fully understand consent. She is groped as a minor twice, and just. Moves on from it without expressing any sort of trauma response.

Tillie’s family sucks. Her stepfather is an abusive piece of shit and her mother is just unable to be present for her daughter. It really bothers me that Tillie’s mother never gives her the sex talk, because then Tillie finds herself in unwanted situations because she didn’t know any better.

This book is honestly just sad. Tillie’s trapped in a cycle of abusive, poverty and ignorance. This plot doesn’t seem to go anywhere and just ends rapidly without coming to any real solution to Tillie’s problems.

Overall, I enjoyed the author’s writing style and characters but I felt gross reading it. This was not the erotic fix I was looking for.