I received this Arc from Netgalley. Thank you for the chance to read this book early. My review is honest and 100% my own thoughts about the book.

Trigger warnings:
* Mother/ Parental death
*SA
*Murder

Oh my goodness this book had me picking my jaw up from the floor. This is a surprising coming to age book. The MC had the world going against her from day one. With only her uncle on her side and being a model student, all of that turns upside down. Things happen where she is scared to be where she is and afraid to come forward to tell her story. One thing happens after another. Decisions are made and secrets are made to keep. But the author teaches us all that not all of the secrets that are being kept are what they seem.
This books was suspenseful and stressful to read. I was scared for the MCs well being. But this mystery with a small amount of romance was awesome and had me page turning.

Wow, another book about sexual abuse added on my "some of the formidable books I've read in my life". The protagonist's story is one of the many young girls thoughout the world and we need such stories in our world. This book is real and the struggles of the main character are things that will haunt you while you read this book.

You've gotta be pretty tough to read this one! The way grief and guilt are explored in this book is absolutely beautiful. Such a good read!

Not for the faint hearted! Great writing and left me with that feeling of suspense, second guessing what was going to happen next. Very well thought out characters and an overall great read!

Swatting at Butterflies by SA Fanning is an intense read! Trigger warnings for SA, abuse, parent death and violence. The story follows Chloe, a 16 year old who just lost her mom, as she attempts to get used to life living with her Uncle's family. She is relieved to make a friend when her charming cousin Andrew shows up but slowly realizes that he is no friend but instead someone who will change her life forever. The authors unique writing style and vivid imagery make this book an unsettlingly realistic thriller. She covers topics of grief, pain, and survival in a way that shows the humanity of dealing with these hard things. This book was a difficult read but came to a satisfying conclusion. Check the trigger warnings but I would definitely recommend it!

What I liked':
The excellent portrayal of grief
The realistic depiction of trauma
And as a survivor myself, I feel like the SA scenes were handled well. The author managed to show the reality of the situation without making it too graphic.

What I didn't like:
I thought that a lot of the big plot points in this book were very poorly executed. Which is a shame, because this book could've been incredible. The ending was also very rushed unfortunately.

2.5 stars (currently rounding up to 3, but I might round down after I process more)

Swatting at Butterflies by Pete Fanning is a really intense book. It deals with grief, trauma and sexual assault. The writing detailing the main character Chloe's feelings throughout this novel was excellent! I really felt what Chloe was going through at each moment. I enjoyed the premise of family and friendship being there to support her when she needed it. Overall this book may not be for everyone due to the sexual assault of a minor, but I highly recommend this book to be added to your to read list. I hope there will be future books about Chloe and her friends.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own volition.

Please only read this book if you are in the right head space and you are not triggered by SA

where to start about this book, the grief and trauma is respectfully written and makes you feel there pain as you are following the story line. the feelings you are made to feel are not good ones and so hence why i said you need to be in the right head space for this book. The character development was done very well. You truly felt for the MC worries around what was going on.

This is a story that I hope many people will read in order to understand what people might feel when going through trauma.

2.5

Not completely sure how to rate this one.

The good:
*well written
*very quick read

What I struggled with:
*the suspension of disbelief
*protag
*the boyfriend
*overall message and ending

I found our protag's actions and thoughts quite disturbing. And the ending was bizarre.

I'm actually still struggling with the whole thing. Our protag is rewarded for doing something despicable, just because she had a hard life.. It was weird and uncomfortable.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

'Swatting at Butterflies' took me by surprise. It's one of those unique reads which explore confronting topics in a very thought-provoking manner.

The depiction of grief, trauma and SA in this book is graphic and I had to pause reading a few times to process my thoughts. This book is difficult to read but I was immersed in Chloe's story and Fanning's beautiful writing.

Chloe's character arc was compelling and evocative. Her emotions are very palpable and readers can't help but empathise with her adversities. Whilst this book is on the short side, I know that Chloe's story will stick with me for a long time.

This book is not for everyone because of its sensitive nature. But it is authentic and definitively worth reading for those who are interested in the premise of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5) stars

This book was difficult to get through, not that it was bad, just that it was hard to read graphic depictions of SA of a minor. I did appreciate how the book explored Chloe’s experience with grief and trauma, subjects that are often overlooked in books like these. Her character arc was written well as she struggles with these topics and learns to grow and process the changes in her life that were difficult to adjust to. You truly feel for Choloe and want to reach through the pages and comfort her.

Nothing unlikable about this book, I just wasn’t in the right headspace to continue reading it.
That being said, the writing itself is spot on. I reviewed another book by the same author and their writing style just flows. I did prefer Please Don’t over swatting at Butterflies. While the other book also involves assault, it is nowhere as triggering as this one.

This book was <i>gripping</i>. Recently, I’ve been taking longer to read ebooks but I couldn’t put this one down. It was uncomfortable to read at times, but this book does an amazing job at showing Chloe’s grief as she encounters this new and extremely horrific trauma shortly after. She’s a fascinating and truly intelligent character.

Admittedly, the pacing of the story was odd to me. I think some parts could’ve been further expanded on to give the story more depth. But that being said because I cannot come up with the words, I still loved the book.

“Chloe knows she should tell someone Andrew assaulted her. But that person is gone. Not only that, she’s ashamed of the kiss, tormented by victimhood, and struggling to keep her counselor, teachers, and even her best friend in the dark. What Chloe really wants is revenge. Fueled by a rage that’s been simmering since her mother’s death, she discovers that Andrew is not the only one capable of violence.”

*spoilers*

I really thought I was going to love this one. But it was just too unrealistic for me to really get into it.

The first half was great. I couldn’t put it down. But, then it got too far from real life for me. A teenage girl murdering a grown man, hiding the body under her bed, and then disposing of it in broad daylight with no one seeing her? Life just doesn’t work like that.

And while ultimately, law and order came out on top, I had already lost interest. Still, it was not the worst book I have ever read and I do think it was very well written.

The assault scenes were just detailed enough to bring you fully into the moment without triggering you. Chloe was a likable protagonist. It was easy to empathize with her about the loss of her mother and the loss of what Andrew took from her. You could feel Chloe’s internalized victim blaming and shame and her struggle over who to trust enough to share her secret.

Overall, I would recommend this book. But I would say that it is necessary to go into it fully understanding that it is a work of fiction and not expecting too much realism.

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for gifting me an advanced readers copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Swatting at Butterflies
by SA Fanning
I was given an ARC to review my honest opinion. It would a great teen/young adult book. Of course these days with book censoring in schools they would not have it in school where it would be most useful. I felt so sad for sixteen-year-old Chloe.

Let me start by saying I did enjoy this book, however it was one of the harder ones to get through. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but some of the topics mentioned throughout made it difficult at times. The book deals mostly with Grief and Trauma, both of which were written very well. I felt as though Chloe’s character was well written, along with her character development throughout the book. The author did a great job representing her feelings as she tried to process the sudden changes in her life. Overall I think the book covers some topics that aren't addressed enough. With that being said there are graphic details of sexual assault, so please be aware going into this book if that's something that may trigger you.

This book was one of the harder ones to read, and I don't mean as in I thought it wasn't good but because of the situations the main character, Chloe, is put in. This book shows a perfect representation of what it's like to be someone who has dealt with sexual assault. While reading this book, you almost form a bond with Chloe and feel like reaching in and hugging her. I loved the character development in this book as well. This book is sure to yank on your heartstrings and make you feel a certain type of way. I recommend this book to anyone, BUT please know that there is graphic detail of sexual assault. If you feel that this might trigger you, I would recommend passing on this book.

Wow. Where to start? This book explores grief, guilt and trauma perfectly. It shows the feelings someone can go through when what happened to Chloe happens. Parts of it were very thought provoking. You really felt for Chloe and the people around her. The character development was done very well. You truly felt her worries around what was going on.
This is a story that I hope many people will read in order to understand what people might feel when going through trauma.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was well written with a decent amount of characetr development and an interesting storyline that I think is important for the Young Adult market as this could be a possibility for many of the young adults within today's society. It was a quick read.

This isn't a hit at the book. I just tried this out knowing it be a strong possibility I wouldn't finish it. These sort of stories never seem to mesh with me. But this one sounded really good.
So I feel like a lot of people will like it.