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.

+ NetGalley provided a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.+

With tears in my eyes, I clutched this title to my chest and took a deep breath as I read the last page, so grateful to have had the chance to read it. Leanne Lieberman has crafted a beautiful story that is at once a love letter to native and organic gardening while at the same time a raw look at the realities of addiction and how that plays out in family life in Canadian cities as told through the eyes of 16-year-old Jess.

"This could be the perfect place for a secret garden," Jess muses. "You wouldn't even need walls; the sumac would hem it in. Wild grass could frame the garden, and there could be black-eyed Susans and Queen Anne's lace and milkweed to attract monarchs. You'd have to know about the garden to find it, to know where the break in the sumac was."

With a soundtrack that speaks to her musical talents, Lieberman also explores the rich friendships that evolve over a summer season through jazz, country-pop, and the joy of learning to play and express yourself in song.

The rich depth of characters Lieberman invites to meet - some of whom Jess may or may not ever come face-to-face with throughout these pages - is simply remarkable. She provides the readers with just enough to know why we care about these fascinating, relatable people. This is realistic fiction at its finest. Many readers will see themselves in various ways in this story (mirrors), have glimpses into important issues in Canadian contexts (windows), and are invited to step into the story from Jess's point of view (sliding glass doors).

I sincerely hope that this book lands on shelves in classrooms and libraries from coast to coast to coast and beyond.

Jess is a 16 year old girl with dreams of going to college to study landscape design. She lives with her unemployed alcoholic father who blows what little money he has on booze. Jess is determined not to let addiction and poverty ruin her future, so she cleans houses to save money. When she starts cleaning for a wealthy family, she is initially jealous of their daughter, Quinn. She seems to have the perfect life until Jess finds her diary and realizes there is more to Quinn’s story.

This is a YA novel that starts off strong but doesn’t quite finish. What I enjoyed most is the characterization. Jess is a mature, strong-willed teen who had to grow up too fast due to an alcoholic father and absent drug addict mother, and I was rooting for her the entire time. I particularly loved the characterization of Jess’ teacher, Mrs. M. She is the only positive adult Jess has in her life, and their relationship is so sweet. I even liked how Jess’ dad was portrayed. Yes, he lets his addiction run his life, but you can tell he loves Jess, which makes his actions at times even more frustrating. His complexity was very authentic, as was his relationship with Jess. This book touches on several important points: overcoming obstacles, how people rise or fall based on their circumstances, and addiction and how it doesn’t just plague poor people. Unfortunately, none of these topics are fleshed out enough. The ending is super abrupt and doesn’t feel finished at all. I read an ARC, and I’m seriously wondering if I’m missing a few chapters because it felt totally cut off. Some parts of this book really shined while others fell extremely flat.

Thanks to NetGalley, House of Anansi Press, and Leanne Lieberman for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A heartbreaking tale about trying to find the life that you want, when you are trapped. Reading this book was an exploration of the what-ifs, and how we truly don't understand another's perspective.

Such a beautiful book, from an incredible perspective. Could not stop thinking about this book, so I had to finish it. I'd highly recommend it!

I can immediately think of specific teens who would love this title. It has a sweetness and wholesomeness that many other young adult titles don’t have, and the intensity of loneliness and drug abuse and suicide are peripheral to the protagonist which allows for an exploration of these topics without triggering. I think it’s a really important perspective to have someone who is living with a family member who is addicted.

This is not an actual review because I did not have an e reader that would accept this books format. I am disappointed because this book sounded like a good read. Wish authors would stick to epub for arc ebooks. Or say in the intro which format it will be in before you request it.

3.5 stars
This was a young adult book with some pretty heavy issues.
A teenage girl is basically raising herself because of the neglect from her alcoholic, non-employed father. She is very self-motivated; this young teen seeks out house-cleaning jobs for herself, and plans on becoming a landscape developer. On one job, she inadvertently begins to discover that the family that hired her and pays her well to clean their huge, beautiful home has some problems that can’t be solved by their wealth…
Red Flags:
Parental neglect; alcoholism; drug use
*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

Jess and her her dad live in a trailer and because dad is usually drunk and out of work, Jess cleans for people to earn money. Jess gets a job cleaning for the Guptas, who are only there occasionally. She is told their cousin, Matt, lives in the back in the barn and gardens. While cleaning Jess opens a bedroom room and discovers a bedroom trashed. Days later Jess goes back in the trashed bedroom and finds a diary. Over the weeks Jess, begins reading it and finds that it’s Quinn’s,the Gupta’s daughter. She finds Quinn took painkillers and Jess wonders what happened to her. As she and Matt become friends, he asks her to play in their band something she’s never done before. Will she do it?