While this book was about a teenager who lived full time on an island of New Jersey Shore and wanted to protect it from vacationers, it often felt like it was written by a tourist. The poetry format did not help the story, often leaving emotional moments feel clunky, staged, and excessively wordy.
The titular Hurricane is only seen in a handful of small flashbacks, and the destruction left behind is touched on very briefly. The rebuilding and strength of locals is supposed to be marvelous, and yet you never get a sense of what they all went through. The teenage characters never talked like teens, but in scripted monologues about deep issues of protecting the environment and finding true love.
It wasn't a bad story, simply disappointing in its delivery, concentrating more on a "deceitful" romance than the actual conservation of the New Jersey Shore.

I may use this for an interdisciplinary unit on climate change, despite the fact that I didn't love the novel. It does a fine job with the environmental issues. I appreciate the examination of class struggles, though they feel flawed here. The "townies" seemed to take quite a disdainful attitude toward the wealthy out-of-towners, and while I appreciate the reasoning, it did not feel entirely earned in this case, especially on an individual basis. I would love to get the physical version of this, as it felt as though the verse format was somewhat less than stellar in the ebook.

This novel written in verse was a nice change of pace for me from what I usually read. I enjoyed this one a lot, and it was beautifully written. This was an emotionally charged piece of literature that shares a lot about the emotional journey of the main character, Eliza, who is trying to figure out how to deal and cope with lingering trauma from 5 years earlier when a hurricane disturbed her home and life.
Eliza has grown up and become more into and passionate about climate change. She tries to do more good in her community and with her family and others. She meets a guy, who's a rich tourist that comes to visit her quiet town and she wants to hate him but instead falls for him.
This is about how Eliza has to continue on with life, deal with PTSD, go to therapy and still live her normal life with friends, family, and romance among other things as well. This is a quick and easy read with a lot packed into it that is great for all ages not only Young Adults. I would definitely recommend this one to everyone to check out.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books/Bloomsbury YA for letting me read and review this wonderful story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fantastic novel in verse, especially for reluctant readers and readers new to novels in verse. The story was especially relatable to me. Just five years ago I lived through Hurricane Harvey. Like Eliza and her family, my family and I found ourselves surrounded by flood waters from the storm. Ellen Hagan captured the emotions of going through that kind of traumatic experience, from storm tracking to what to leave behind to rising flood waters to the road to recovery and rebuilding. The book also focuses on our impacts on the environment and discusses climate change. I think it will urge fellow readers to learn more about the topic. Readers will also enjoy the romance between Eliza and rich tourist Milo.

I enjoyed the format of the book (although reading it through netgalley seemed to take away some of the magic as the formatting was off). Love books in verse and this one was a good one!

Every so often I pick up a novel in verse. Sometimes they are hits or misses. But oftentimes, I find myself longing for more like I did with this work. There were parts that absolutely hit hard, but when you compare those to the whole you feel overwhelmed by the potential.

The perfect story for anyone who loves verse. I'll be honest, I am not a huge verse reader nor is it a favorite of mine. I got the story added solely because I loved the cover. I went into this blindly and that was my bad.

Don't Call Me a Hurricane is a really great book, and it's in verse so it flies by. It opens up a lot of fabulous discussions on climate change, gentrification, PTSD, and therapy.

This was the first book I've encountered that discusses therapy for people, post a massive trauma, in this case surviving a hurricane. This is something I've found myself oddly curious about, survivors left behind, when the news finds a new tragedy. I found it refreshing, and crucial as we've been in unprecedented times for almost a decade, but who's keeping track right?

I normally don't read books that are told in verse/poetry but I was really intrigued by the synopsis so I decided to try it! I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed Eliza's story. It takes place near the ocean so it is the perfect summer read if you're looking for something a little more serious than the average summer book, though it does have a touch of romance, there is more than that to this book.

Don’t Call Me A Hurricane by Ellen Hagan

I picked this one since it is this month’s book club choice with @the.bookish.mama! She is always bringing new and unique books to my attention.

This was a beautiful book. Eliza is a wonderfully deep chapter. Dealing with the trauma of a hurricane that destroyed her house and town, she is a teen looking to move on but also to help rebuild her community and fight for what she believes in. I really loved how the book explored her vulnerability in opening up, accepting outsiders and looking at things from other perspectives. This is also basically a love letter to the ocean, really recommend reading this one on a beach if possible 🌊.

I love books in verse more than I thought I would. Although I have to say I would love to have listened to this one. My only problem with verse is I find my eyes skim or drift down the page, not even on purpose. I just find I have to go back and read a page over again to really absorb what’s being said.

Have you read a book in verse? If so what is your favourite?

Thank you to @netgalley and @bloomsburyya for my copy!

#thebookishmamabookclub #dontcallmeahurricane #novelsinverse #books #yabooks #bookish #mybooks #kindle #ebooks #netgalley #bloomsburypublishing #bloomsburyya #bookreview #bookrecommendations #reading #beachread #summerreading

From the beautiful cover to the last page, this novel in verse was an easy book to fly through and come back and read parts again to really understand what the protagonist is feeling and experiencing after natural disaster caused her and everyone she loves to rebuild their coastal town from the ground up.

I’m sure you’ve probably heard the saying “time heals all wounds”. I personally would have to take up argument with that as humans have nervous systems and brains that hold memory and trauma . Don’t Call Me a Hurricane is a prime example of time not being a healer of wounds, as Eliza and her family and town are five years out from the hurricane that ravaged their lives, and they are still dealing with the aftermath. Eliza, in particular, shares how she still remembers the days surrounding the disaster and how terrified she was of losing her home, her family, and maybe even her life.

Eliza is used to having tourists and rich folks summer in her hometown, and it’s clear that she sees a divide between herself and them. She is passionate about the ocean and keeping it clean, and nurturing the land that was almost lost in the hurricane, and the people who come to vacation and then go back to their lives somewhere else just don’t seem to get it. Making the situation worse is the fact that the land Eliza views as precious is being bought up by contractors to be developed into extravagant mansions for the summer vacationers to buy.

Of course, what would a summery YA book be without a little romance and heartbreak, right? Enter Milo, a boy Eliza has no desire to get to know. He’s one of the dreaded summer tourists and she really can’t relate to him or the kids he hangs out with. Eliza’s group of friends is eager to teach him how to surf and maybe help her open her mind up to having a new friend, but Eliza just can’t get past the fact that he lives a completely different lifestyle most of the year. Then Eliza finds out a little bit more about Milo, something he didn’t want any of them to know, and it might just change the whole course of her summer.

Overall, this was a deep book about trauma and how events that happened in the past can impact our lives even years down the road. I thought it was important that Eliza was a teen having all of these complex feelings about her life and family and the hurricane that almost swept it all away. I think this is a book that a lot of young readers will relate to and find easy to read and comprehend!

Review of a Digital Advanced Reader’s Copy from Bloomsbury Children’s Books

This is a beautifully written novel in verse. I really enjoyed how in such a short time we were able to experience a story of friendship, first love, summer adventures, and fighting for what’s important.

With the way this novel is written it was a little difficult for me to remember who all the characters were at first, but as the story went on it definitely became easier.

I was expecting less of the romance and more of a focus on the post hurricane journey, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much of a focus the romance had in this one.

I also liked that her therapist was not only mentioned but that we got insights into some of her sessions.

This is powerful novel that is geared towards teens but would be impactful for readers of all ages.

This review will post on 7/18/22.

I think this is my favorite solo novel by Ellen Hagan. I loved the descriptions of Eliza out on the water, whether she was swimming or surfing. Those felt so much like my own experiences when I’m out on the water and feeling connected to nature and what’s happening around me.

Another great thing about DON’T CALL ME A HURRICANE is the scenes showing the meetings to raise awareness and protect the island’s marshland. It gave a visual to Eliza’s activism– though we see that in lots of other areas, too. She makes conscious decisions to buy clothes from thrift stores rather than purchase fast fashion items. She bikes all over the island. She and her siblings compete to see who can take the shortest showers to save water.

Those things might seem extreme to someone who isn’t experiencing the effects of climate change in their community. But as Eliza grapples with rising tides and new construction devastating natural habitats, her decisions, her proactiveness make so much sense. (Not that it should take direct experience to make a change…)

Eliza’s story isn’t simply the story of a girl fighting for climate justice. It’s also the story of a girl wrestling with trauma from surviving a violent hurricane, and a girl falling in love for the first time. Her emotional journey through the pages of the story gripped me. I loved each triumph and rooted for her through each heartbreak.

I think readers who enjoyed THE SEA IS SALT AND SO AM I by Cassandra Hartt or WE DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS by Adi Alsaid will not want to miss this one.

Don’t Call Me a Hurricane is a ya contemporary fiction novel written in verse. Our main character, Eliza, or as friends affectionally call her, “the Wave Whisperer”, is preparing to spend the summer at her small town on the Jersey Shore surfing and working to save the nearby marshland endangered by a large construction project. Eliza and her family have already lost so much in the hurricane that ravaged their island and destroyed their lives. This summer she will do whatever it takes to preserve what is left of her home, even if that means ignoring the advances of the handsome Milo, a wealthy tourist spending the summer in Eliza’s town.

This book has so much going for it:
- a whirlwind summer romance written in beautiful verse;
- a charming beach town setting;
- an environmental justice warrior fighting to keep her community and the natural habitats that surround it from being swallowed up in the name of tourism; and
- a hurricane survivor grappling with and being treated for her resulting PTSD, learning to feel safe in her home and love the ocean again.

Eliza, like many of the kids in her community, began receiving therapy after the hurricane that wrecked their island five years ago, and openly acknowledges to herself and other characters how helpful it has been. This is such important representation to bring to YA, especially in the wake of years of COVID related trauma. I will always support normalizing conversations about mental health symptoms and treatment.

A note for anyone nervous to read a book written entirely in verse:
This is so unlike anything I've ever read before and I'm here to tell you that the experience wasn't scary at all. At times the cadence sucked me in and it felt like I was flying through the story, but I also found that the format kept me from taking in more than small chunks at a time. Those first few reading sessions were mentally exhausting and exhilarating all at once, and that's okay! After three or four days of smaller reading sessions, I finally found myself getting into the rhythm and able to read for longer stretches. In fact, Eliza's advice about not fighting the ocean, instead just letting the waves just break over you, helped significantly. Let the words break over you. Don’t try to control the impact, just catch the rhythm where you can and let the words carry you through the journey. It really works, and I eventually found myself loving the way Hagan's cadence ebbs and flows as it talks about the rhythm of the ocean. This will not be the last novel in verse I read!

Thank you to Ellen Hagan, Bloomsbury YA / Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, so glad I had the opportunity to read it. It was definitely more involved and so layered than I was expecting but that just added to the story.
Really enjoyed all the climate advocacy content and environmental content within this book. It didn't just feel like she was telling us a story but she really got me invested in the conservation of the marshlands and the ocean and the surrounding community. I also loved the group of friends/characters we got, they were so much fun and think they were a nice balance to the plot of the story.
I thought the little twist of the love interest being involved with the construction company was nice layer for the story as well.
Any coming of age story is always nice to read, just to see how different authors relate to the characters and the community they are writing, really enjoyed Eliza's enthusiasm and her involvement with the cause!

This book was an interesting one for me. I liked it but it also felt drawn out to me. I loved that it was written in verse though.

I really enjoyed this. As someone who are up in a place where hurricane evacuation was commonplace, I really respect the way Hagan approaches each line of this book and the real impact these natural disasters can have on physical spaces as well as the emotional toll of surviving such a catastrophe. More than that, there is such a clear call to action for young people around a number of topics - most prominently, climate change - and it is wonderful to see this in a fiction book, let alone a novel in verse. Will definitely be recommending this to my students when it is published!

Seventeen year-old Eliza Marino just wants to enjoy her summer before senior year. Her small, island town of Holgate, New Jersey was ravaged by a hurricane five years prior. Eliza's family barely survived and had to rebuild. Now, Eliza is in therapy to help with the trauma and is an avid climate activist with her friends. They are fighting to keep development away from Holgate that will threaten the sand dunes, cause erosion and damage to turtle habitat. When Eliza meets Milo at a party, she believes she has found love, but Milo is harboring a secret that is against everything Eliza is fighting for.

Don't Call Me a Hurricane is a brave book about teens fighting for their home and the planet. Eliza and her friends are climate activists who are dealing with the destruction of their home as well as facing climate anxiety and an uncertain future. Written in verse, the emotional impact of the writing was strong. I could feel Eliza's fear in the flashback scenes during the hurricane as well as her anxiety and need in the present day to do something to help her home. Eliza's passion, fear, confusion and spirit continuously shines through in the writing. I enjoyed watching Eliza and her friends organize for climate activism, how they found help and advice from outside sources, listened to those who have succeeded before them, planned fundraising, sit-ins, and protests while still making some mistakes along the way. Eliza and Milo's romance was realistic and integrated well into the story. Milo introduced conflict and challenge for Eliza as she had to reassess some of her beliefs, think about what was important to her and grow in ways she didn't know she could. Don't Call Me a Hurricane is an important book for the current world as teens and young adults face impending climate disasters and climate anxiety.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.