Emery’s twin sister Logan died from an autoimmune disease at a young age. Their mother struggled with the loss of her child which was made more difficult when she looked at Emery saw Logan. Years later when Emery discovers she has the same disease, she decides to go to live with the father who left the family 10 years earlier. Emery’s dad has a new wife named Cam and she has a son named Kaiden who is the same age as Emery. Kaiden is a popular jock at school and starts out being mean to Emery. They soon realize that they have both lost someone close to them and are able to share things with each other that they have kept inside. This bond is the beginning of their friendship and more. While I enjoyed the fact that Emery finally got the family she deserved and a best friend she could confide in, I hate that her mother was so selfish and couldn’t realize the fact that Emery also lost Logan and heeded her mother to be there for her. Emery felt that she couldn’t say how she really felt because of how others would react so she kept so much inside. This book was such an emotional read with many touching moments.

Thanks to @NetGalley for the e-arc copy

I normally don’t get emotional when I read but Underneath the Sycamore Tree nearly broke me. This was not an easy read, the amount of heartache shook me to the very core. Em & Kaiden, an unlikely duo. She’s just trying to live and Kaiden is just running. They find companionship in each-other and it was beautiful and oh so heartbreaking to read. I was dreading the end and the epilogue brought me to my knees sobbing.

B Celeste's words are haunting yet beautiful, raw, pure and such poetry. You know a book is perfection when it get's an emotion out of you and Underneath the Sycamore Tree did just that. With this being my first book by B Celeste I will definitely check her backlist.

Underneath the Sycamore Tree is a full length, standalone, na novel by B. Celeste. Underneath the Sycamore Tree is the first book I read by this author and oh boy, I'm so glad I gave it a try. This book is everything I love in a great read.
Underneath the Sycamore Tree tells Emery and Kaiden's story. A heart wrenching, gutting story that put me through a roller coaster of emotions. This book is unputdownable, believe me.
It's told in a mostly single pov.
Underneath the Sycamore Tree is one of these books I didn't want them to end. It's a gripping and highly emotional story, excellent written and beautifully told.
I recommend the book. 5 Stars.

This one is a tear jerker!

Em is a senior in high school and has an autoimmune disease, the same one that killed her twin sister years ago. As her mom battles depression, she moves in with her dad, his new wife and her step-brother Kaiden.

The writing made me I feel so much sympathy for Em, I could truly feel all of her emotions. And Kaiden is so troubled, but has these moments of humor and true kindness. And while this book does have a step-sibling romance (I can’t say I loved the 🌶️ scenes because of that aspect) it is so much more than that. It is about grief, healing, family, love and loss.

“We don’t always get a happily ever after no matter how hard we work for it.”

“Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It just means that it can no longer control our lives.”

*Thank you to Sourcebooks, B. Celeste, and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC of "Underneath the Sycamore Tree" in exchange for an honest review*

So going into this, I was already aware of "Underneath the Sycamore Tree" reputation as a tear-jerker (one of my favorite genres). I really related to how Emory delt with her chronic Illiness and her passion for reading. I wasn't too convinced with the romance, and the ending felt too rushed to be emotional impactful for me.

When I first saw this book advertised for fans of Colleen Hoover I jumped right on grabbing it.

I really wished I’d read more into the synopsis and storyline. This one has a lot more spice than I’m personally comfortable with, and I really struggled with the step sibling story line.

Thank you so much Bloom Books for giving me the opportunity to read this one. It just wasn’t for me.

Heart wrenching, comedic and meaningful are some of the words I feel when trying to summarize this book.
I was gifted an arc from netgalley so thank you net galley and B. Celeste for the ability to read and review Underneath the Sycamore Tree.

We have Emory who is still grieving over the loss of her other half, her twin sister Logan due to a chronic illness. She is also coming to terms with her own diagnosis. Due to a disconnect with her mother she goes to live with her dad, stepmom and stepbrother as a way to stimulate healing for her entire family.

What she doesn’t anticipate is falling for her mysterious, brooding, and surprisingly sexy stepbrother Kaiden, who is battling his own demons as well.

These two go on their own sneaky journey of self healing and love as they attempt to complete their senior year.

I really loved Emory’s vulnerability as well as her resilience. Her being a book lover made me fall in love with her character even more.

Kaiden just seemed like a teenager with anger issues and an attitude problem, however his remorse and care for Em as she dealt with health issues showed the humanity and soft side that she knew was there from the beginning

This book had me bawling at multiple times during the plot so if you need a good cry definitely read this one.

Although it was sad at times it also had some sexy banter that kept me super entertained.
Kaiden says “the only reason I’m not going to fuck you senseless is because I’ve seen what one little touch does. Imagine what I’d do to your body if I got between those pretty little legs of yours.”

I honestly dropped my jaw for a second as I wasn’t expecting him to come on to her so strong.

Some of my favorite scenes can be read here such as him taking care of her when she’s sick, one bed, no one is allowed to mess with her as well as her being the only girl he takes to special places.

Do yourself a favor and pre order a copy of Underneath the Sycamore Tree. <3

WOW. This book took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions which I'm still recovering from. The honest descriptions of life for one with an invisible illness was gut wrenching; in regards to both Emery and Logan. The detailed history gave such a depth to the storyline and made Em's experiences, decisions and emotions very believable. The relationship development and redemption arc really drew me in and I didn't want to put the book down! A brilliant piece of writing: honest, raw and so needed. I'm so happy I came across this book!

I AM IN PAIN!!!!!

Underneath the Sycamore Tree was so good but so freaking sad and I can't even tell you the amount of tears that were cried over this book!!!

Well that was a nice sucker punch to the heart. I don't know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't this. I needed a little reprieve from my usual reads and wow did I get it. This was such a sad, funny, intense but beautiful read and I found myself devouring it, sneaking in a chapter here and there throughout my day before delving fully into it at night. I would love to see this as a one series show like Little Fires Everywhere, or even a movie. For anyone who enjoys romance, sad, well written books, you will absolutely love this one. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC.

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub/Re Pub: 1/3/23 Repub.

Book's cover: Beautiful pinks and yellows

Format: NetGalley shelf

Source: "Thank you Net Galley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own."

Page Count: 370

Book's Price: 4.49

Price I'd Value: same

Setting: Bakersfield

Genre: YA/NA

Tropes: chronic illness, loss of sibling, stepbrother romance

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: No

Epilogue Included: yes, 1-2 years later

Character(s)POV Spoken: h-Emery

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: 19 year old grieving sister’s loss, suffering debilitating illness.Moves in with Dad, his new wife, and grumpy stepbrother with a bad attitude.

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Representation: Chronic illness of h

Contains Cheating: no

Contains Children: no

Flashbacks: yes. h remembering sister, how parents deal with child’s death. H remembers love for father.

Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h: h gets a little jealous of H’s hook up

Amount of Sex In The Book: h’s 1st time

Overall Smex Rating: 3

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Heroine: Emery/Em Matterson

Heroine Description: 19, high school senior. Twin sister Lo has been deceased for 10 years, but Em still grieving. Moved with estranged father and his new family. Avid reader, self proclaimed nerd, very introverted . She spends her time reading when not dealing with lupus.

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Heroine loves books/writing: yes, always reading-mentions book My Sister’s Keeper a few times. Joins school book club.

Hero: Kaiden Monroe

Hero Description: High school senior, plays lacrosse, the “big man on campus.” Hostile towards mother Cam. Very withdrawn at home, but total extrovert, leader at school. Doesn’t spare Em’s feelings with mean words and sarcasm.

Hero Likability Rating: 3

Hero loves books/writing: no

Secondary characters:
Logan/Lo - deceased twin sister, had same illness Em does. Was total opposite -outgoing , never let illness get her down.
Henry-Em’s father, left when kids were 9yrs. Wasn’t there for Lo’s last days, hasn’t seen Em in 10 yrs. Not sure what to say to Em now,
Joanne-Em’s mother. Grieving and devastated by Lo’s death, unable to care for or even look at Em without seeing Lo. She painted stills and landscapes, works as a school nurse.
Cam- Em’s stepmother. So nice and welcoming to Em. Does small things to make her feel better. Doesn’t know how to connect with son Kaiden.
Rachel- Kaiden’s hook up, jealous of Em
Mr. Nichols- English teacher who takes an interest in Em, wants her to join book club. Kaiden is suspicious of his motives with Em because all the girls at school crush on him.
Riley-attended high school with Kaiden, was overweight, had eating order kids bullied her and committed suicide.
Adam- Kaiden’s deceased father, suffered from depression, had brain tumor. Abused Kaiden mentally and physically, pushed him away so he wouldn’t see him suffer.

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

Endearments: Mouse- Kaiden calls Em

OW/OM/Exes: yes, Rachel. Kaiden has sex with her but treats her badly.

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: no

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: severe grief,depression, suicide(not H/h)

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: B. Celeste

New or read before & any favorites: Read 2 books in The Truth About series. Everett and River very similar to Em and Kaiden’s relationship

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Technical/Editing Quality: 4

Writing/Content Quality: 4

Overall Rating: 4

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: no too sad, very triggering

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: One of those reads that hit home and will stay with me. Having a chronic illness myself, I understood the pain and fatigue Em experiences, I’m also very introverted and a bibliophile. Em and Kaiden’s relationship starts off rocky. I might even say Kaiden bullies Em. He softens after seeing her in pain, becomes a fierce protector. Their relationship teeters between best friend/brotherly love to boyfriend material. I saw a hint of Em’s teacher Mr.Nichols being inappropriate with her. Kaiden sees it and lets Em know he’s watching. So glad Kaiden starts communicating with Mom after being dismissive and disrespectful. Kaiden listens to Em’s problems with her mother, knows how much she likes Cam. He gives his mother a chance. because of Em. A lot of emotions with this book, so be prepared.

Favorite line: “Inside the sad shell of my agonizing existence is a battlefield, and I’m on both sides holding trigger-ready guns waiting for the bullets to leave the barrels.” Em thinking about how disease makes her feel.

I really don't know how I feel about this book. I'm very neutral. At times, I really liked Kaiden but most often I hated him. I can't relate with Emery because I don't know what it's like to have a chronic disease. I wish Kaiden would have been nicer to her through the whole book. I was really hoping for a shocking turn of events. But overall, I knew how it was going to end. My favorite part of the whole book has to be the epilogue when you finally see Kaiden's true feelings. I hate that it took so long though.

This was really emotional but such an important and beautiful book, so glad I read it, I would recommend it

Well, I'm currently sobbing uncontrollably. What a book, what a story. B is an incredible author and did not shy away from the hard topics or emotions in this book. I absolutely loved Em and Kaiden so much, their shared life lessons and how they communicated throughout. I loved the realness of this book. Even though I knew how it would end it didn't make it easier. My heart will be hurting for a while from this one.

Thank you netgalley for this earc in exchange for an honest review

It’s our first time reading a book by B. Celeste, and we’re glad we started with UTST. We must admit, the blurb piqued our interests, but it was the heartfelt dedication addressed to those dealing with chronic diseases that spoke to us and kept us invested from the start ❤️

Although the progression of Emery’s condition was mildly dramatized (this has been acknowledged), Celeste handled the concept of chronic diseases in a manner that was both sensitive and comprehensible to even the most unaware reader. Unlike most of the books featuring chronic diseases that we’ve read, which tend to lean heavily on technical details to emphasise the gravity of the situation, UTST shifted the focus onto the emotional roller-coaster one experiences when receiving such a diagnosis. Emery’s denial, anger, frustration, and acceptance were beautifully portrayed, and we found ourselves relating to her internal struggle, considering our own experiences with chronic diseases. We especially loved a line that so eloquently described living with an autoimmune disorder as "a battlefield, and I’m on both sides holding trigger-ready guns waiting for the bullets to leave the barrels".

Even the sentiments shared by her family and the uncertainty surrounding her fate were conveyed wonderfully. Yet, despite the realistic nature of the writing, there remained a poeticism that ran throughout the book, which made UTST an enjoyable read.

Furthermore, Emery was never just her diagnosis. Her character was well-rounded and relatable (a girl who loves books and binges on reality TV: we love! 😁), and she was immensely likeable from the start. Kaiden, conversely, was quite unbearable at the beginning; however, his character arc was exquisitely developed, and he eventually grew on us. While we initially liked the dynamic the leads shared, its progression felt a tad unnecessary in our opinion- although we understand why Celeste chose to go down that route. We also loved Emery’s sassy grandmother!

Overall, the story held promise. And the ending… it was gut-wrenching and had us teary-eyed.

IMHO, UTST definitely holds potential for film adaptation!

We thank Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the eARC of the book.

UTST is slated for re-release on 3rd January, 2023! Grab your copy ASAP!

L&L Rating: 4 Stars

TL;DR: Honest representation of living with a chronic disease, with a new adult spin.

UNDER THE SYCAMORE TREE is one of the most hyped books I have seen on various places on the internet over the past few years. People told me it was one of the saddest books they ever read, and I had to read it myself to decide this. I can absolutely confirm that B. Celeste has written one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful stories I have ever read. This story will absolutely stick with me for a long while, there is truly no words for the impact of Kaiden and Emery's journey. I will absolutely be reading whatever Celeste writes next.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this amazing book!! What a loving, heartfelt and heartbreaking story that brought me to actual tears. I think anybody and everybody should pick up this book right now! I promise you will not regret it!

Interesting storyline as I see a few similarities with another book from a different author. However, I was not a fan of the romance between step siblings. I would have enjoyed it more minus the romance between siblings.

This was SUCH a beautiful story. I loved every second of this, even though it was so emotional! I can't wait to check out more of B. Celeste's work .

I devoured this book In a day. Be prepared to have the reality of life to break your heart again and again
I love this what is style and the way she doesn’t shy away from the tough subjects

I definitely recommend this book