I would recommend this book to readers who love unconventional coming of age stories centered around absent guardianship and stories about finding one's voice amidst deep hurt.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This is a rather meandering plot, frankly without much in the way of action. It's very reflective. A pleasant enough read that explores grief and a particular cultural experience.

Summer is orphaned and is trying to keep from being discovered by child services until she turns 18, which is in a few months. She only has her skateboard, a few clothes, and little money. But when she turns 18, she’s free, according to her. But is she really?

This story is beautifully told. My heart ached for Summer as I discovered her parents abandoned her to flee the police because of a credit card scam. I couldn’t imagine being so selfish that I would leave my child to save my behind. But I suppose if you're a criminal and you don’t find anything wrong with scamming people it’s not too far a leap in leaving your child behind.

As Summer moves from friend to friend’s home trying to outwit child services, they soon discover that she has no one taking care of her so they send her to live with her cousin Olu, who moved back to Canada. Summer has only met Olu a few times so she’s not sure what to expect. Soon, Summer discovers true family, friendship, and trust again living with Olu.

I really enjoyed this book and I think it would be a wonderful addition to school libraries offering teens and middle schoolers a look into what it's like to be abandoned and discover what true friendship and family looks like.

A beautiful journey, full of complicated emotions. I was rooting for the main character the entire time. Highly recommended to young adults and older readers as well.

Resilience. Strength. Tanacious. Growth
This coming of age piece will take you on this character’s journey as she transitions through stages all the while helping others tap into their truth!

The melancholy of summer is an YA coming of age novel that focuses on finding one’s voice admits deep hurt and absent guardianship while being displaced. Summer Uzoma has been abandoned by her parents who are wanted for credit card fraud and are on the run.

Summer is moving from home to home, staying with friends while trying to be low key, counting down the days to her 18th birthday. A social worker insisted on Summer staying with a cousin that she barely knows. She is forced to confront the ways on how abandonment has affected her. Onome took the risk in using characters that are imperfect, flawed. It was a ride of emotions especially in the final part of the story. It gives hope and reassurance that things can be okay as long as you’re willing to open yourself to love and support.

“The Melancholy of Summer” is a deeply moving YA novel about a young Nigerian-Canadian girl, Summer Uzoma, who is struggling with her experiences with homelessness. At a pivotal transition point in her life, Summer is abandoned by those who are meant to always prioritize her, her parents, and it affects her much more than she ever wants to let on. Once a social worker finds out that Summer has been on her own for the better part of a year, it’s determined that she must officially live with a responsible adult, and instead of staying with her friends and their families as she’s been doing, they find out she has a distant cousin who lives nearby and ship her off to live with them. What follows is a young girl’s journey to and through the pain, anger, and restrictions that come with her unique situation.

As someone who has personally experienced homelessness, this story hit a lot of really important marks for me. So many scenes brought back up memories and feelings that I’m grateful to no longer be facing, but will never be able to scrub from my mind. I related so much to Summer, and I believe that readers, even without having a personality connection to her story, will be able to put themselves into her shoes to understand the hopelessness and desperation that often goes hand in hand with experiencing homelessness. Those feelings are magnified further by the fact that Summer is dealing with the harshness of her parental abandonment and circumstance-derived apathy about the specific details of her future. Summer learns that no matter how far you run, how hard you skate, or how many loving people you try to push away, you can’t truly escape the realities of your situation without dealing with them head on. 4.5 stars & I highly recommend for those looking to expand their understanding of a reality that many face in silence.

This book was a good read… Starting the book I could tell that Summer loved to skate on her skateboard. What she was going through because of her parents was
rough especially for a child in high school. what I didn’t like was that her Aunt seemed to know alot more yhan she let on but for some reason wouldn’t
tell Summer anything. So picture you’re a teenager your parents just up and leave you home alone. They don’t check on you or anything and you go from living in your house until you get kicked out. From there it’s pillar to post on friends couches etc. You would be devastated right? Reading this my heart was breaking for
Summer however a lot of things that Summer went through as far as not getting help until it was forced on her was because she wanted to act like everything was ok when I’m reality it wasn’t. She couldn’t function nor think because all she could think about was that everyone always leaves her. I am glad that in the end she was able to get the help she needed. And she also learned that everyone wasn’t like her parents. Yeah they left for college etc but they wanted her to be better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

Summer has been left by her parents just shy of turning 18. They committed a crime and are on a run, and just left her. Losing her house and couch surfing, someone from CPS finds out about her...thus initiating finding her cousin who is 20 and a Japanese popstar to live with since she's in the area. Summer has so, so much confusion and rage and trauma which impacts her relationships as she thinks everyone always leaves her and she doesn't belong. She has always been in survival mode, and now she has to relearn her life.

It was really slow and hard to get into for the first part of it. I thought about DNFing it just because it was very repetitive with Summer pushing everyone away, always running away, etc. Then, I got to the last 25% of it and consumed it as Summer stops running, her cousin Olu figures out who she is, etc.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed my previous experience with Louisa Onomé’s work, and enjoyed The Melancholy of Summer just as much. The narrative here is a great spin on the coming-of-age and teen drama narratives, and A lot of what worked really came down to the way Summer was written. She’s in a dire situation, having been abandoned by her irresponsible parents and not really having a stable environment after that, and it was easy to feel for her, especially with the mix of emotions she feels, chiefly, as the title suggests, melancholy. But I enjoyed seeing her find her way, forming connections, and ultimately finding that some of those were more valuable than the ones she lost.
I particularly enjoyed the relationship she formed with her cousin, Olu. Olu not only is making an adjustment to being part of Summer’s life and being responsible for her until she turns eighteen, but she’s also a Japanese pop star, and I enjoyed what complications that brought to the dynamic between the two of them.
This was a great read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for coming-of-age stories with Black protagonists.

I enjoyed this one! Summer is left alone when her parents make a run for it leaving her abandoned for a year before she is sent to live with a distant cousin. As you are reading, you can feel the emotions that Summer is experiencing particularly around abandonment. As she is approaching her eighteenth birthday, she is feeling as though she can do it all alone but realizes, that despite not having her family, her chosen family (friends) support her along the way.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story follows 17 year old Summer Uzoma. Summer is currently staying with friends due to her parents being on the run after they commit a crime. When a social worker starts to question Summer’s living situation things take a turn. Surprisingly her cousin Olu, who is a Japanese popstar, takes her in. Olu is only a few years older than Summer at 20 years old.

I did enjoy both Summer and Olu’s characters. Both are adjusting to their lives. Summer adjusting to abandonment from her parents and really having no other family connections. Olu is adjusting to being responsible for Summer and adjusting to her popstar life while being a new adult. This was my first read from this author and I can see myself reading more in the future. I absolutely love the cover of this book as well.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Summer may be melancholy, but this isn't just standard teen drama; she has good reason to be frustrated. The great news for readers is that she's easy to feel for, root for, and watch (hopefully!) win at times.

Though her 18th birthday is just weeks away, when the novel begins, at 17, Summer is legally still a minor, and this puts her in a tough spot. Summer has been on her own because her parents seem to have committed a fairly serious crime jointly and went on the run, leaving her to fend for herself AND to have to try to process who these people really are, what they've done, and how this is all impacting her. Couch surfing is working out but only in Summer's mind. Everyone else understands that she needs and deserves more stability, and she gets this in a surprising place: with a 20-year-old relative who is also a Japanese popstar. While Summer thrives on her ability to take care of herself and her general frustration over someone who is barely older than she is having responsibility for her, she also makes an intriguing transformation as the novel progresses.

Summer is a great character, and her coming-of-age storyline, especially being on the 17/18 cusp and considering what's next by way of her independence and higher education options, will be extremely relatable to many readers. The central challenge with this book is the lack of relatability in two other areas: parents who are on the run for criminal activity and a popstar cousin. The thematic connections are there (absent guardians, lack of agency, a general sense of unfairness, etc.), but some readers may find these details distracting and/or too out there to be particularly transferrable.

This is my second read from this author, and I continue to enjoy the works. I will be looking forward to more from Onome and recommending this one to students, especially those looking for insight into this particular age group and time of life.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.