This was such a quick read for me, because the writing flowed so well, and I felt so invested in Summer's story. When Summer's parents go on the run for fraud, they leave her all alone, couchsurfing between her friends' places. Child Protective Services ends up connecting with her cousin Olu, who's only two years older but has a place to live as she's a famous Japanese singer. Summer moves in with her, but Olu has problems of her own as well. At the heart of this was so much care for others, and I loved the dynamic between Summer and Olu, which was complicated because they hardly knew each other and had their own things going on. Summer was such an easy character to care about, and I was happy to see her learn over the course of the book that there are always people who care about her and that she doesn't have to do everything alone.

I won this book in a giveaway. I would recommend it to teen/YA audiences. The story allows the reader to experience homelessness and the stress of being displaced at such a young age.

This book gave me all of the Lupe Fiasco "Kick, Push" vibes!

The Melancholy of Summer is best summarized as a sad girl summer read. This is a YA contemporary that focuses on themes surrounding abandonment and self-discovery while being displaced.

Summer, our main character, has been abandoned by her parents who are wanted for credit card fraud and so are on the run. They left her, with no explanation, to fend for herself. For the majority of this story, she is in a very dark place -- moving from home to home, staying with friends while trying to be lowkey, waiting out the summer and counting down to her 18th birthday when she will have full autonomy of her life.

Very early into the story, a social worker gets involved and is insistent on Summer staying with a cousin who she barely knows. During the time spent with said cousin, she is forced to confront the ways that abandonment has impacted her, which becomes the primary focus of the story.

What I appreciated most about this book is the flawed characters. Summer's parents particularly stood out to me, as we see a unique representation of flawed African parents. Usually, in a story about children being done wrong by parents of Caribbean or African descent, we already have an idea of what the wrongdoing will be. I loved that the author took this risk, as African communities are very close knit, and to have parents abandon their child is pretty much unheard of -- this is explored in Summer's inner monologues.

Summer, too, is a flawed character who has a lot of unpacking and mending to do, particularly where her relationships with her friends is concerned. But, despite being flawed, she has a very likeable voice and is very easy to root for.

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.