NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A sweet coming of age story with a bit of mysticism thrown in by way of ghosts. It will be up to the reader to discern if the ghosts are real or not. Jericka has to deal with a new town, a dying grandmother, and keeping her feelings and emotions at bay, while finding love. This story is one of discovery, family, forgiveness, and first true love. Some may find it lacking in the horror department, yet for some the horror Jericka faces are real. Abandonment and being let down by those you love, truth replaced with lies. All in all, this was a good one sitting read.

My first thought while reading this book was "finally! something written from my part of Maryland." I felt very seen for the first time in a book, and I never thought I'd be so excited. Based on a few things mentioned in the book, I can actually pinpoint where in Maryland the author got her inspiration.

That aside. I wasn't 100% on to the story. It's definitely a coming of age, learning to love yourself and your family and where you come from. The supernatural element was there but it was underplayed and I just couldn't really follow along with it. I was expecting something scary, then at the very least something . . . meaningful? The "ghosties" (I forget what the author called them) felt more like figments of the imagination than actual apparitions.

I still really liked this book. It's small town, connecting with who you are, and apologizing for nothing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 out of 5 stars

I am a little late to reading and reviewing this book, as it came out in April, but I had to get around to it.

First, my gripe: (And this not something about the author or the publisher or even NetGalley) Goodreads has this first listed as horror. Currently, the genres, in order of shelving, are horror, young adult, LGBT, contemporary, gothic, lesbian, etc., etc.

Not horror. Also, while there may be some gothic vibes in a few places, it's not really gothic. I feel like the overall emotional weight of the book was confusion and curiosity, but not a heavy gloom that one would normally associate with gothic books.

But the confusion and curiosity is what made it good. I felt that Jericka's character was well fleshed out: her hurt over her father not being in her life (there is a surprise twist to this, so don't pin this too hard on the cliche donkey just yet), her anger when she discovers a part of her life that was kept from her, her back and forth between being angry at her grandmother for her mom and wanting to get to know her before she dies, the way she shoves her recent past under the bed and dives headfirst into her new relationships in this town she has ties to but has never known.

It ends up being more of a coming-of-age story than anything else. Even the magical realism feels like the background of the true meat of the story: Jericka getting to know and understand herself and her place in the world.

As I mentioned before, the character-building was great. I felt that every character, from Jericka to her mother to her grandmother (maiden, mother, crone, anyone?) to Kat to Uncle Miles all had their own unique voice, and none of them fell flat. Even the side characters felt real. I was thoroughly vested with Jericka, and the emotional "world-building" was stellar.

The "ghosts" in this book were what made the book less-than-perfect for me. I felt as though they were incorporated into the story solely for the genre push of gothic, but that is not what this book ended up being.

Still, the writing was captivating, and the characters... Well, I will not continue to wax poetic about Burch's character-building prowess.

I am waiting with bated breath for the next Ciera Burch novel.




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This book was a really beautiful read and I cannot believe I am still not hearing many people talk about it. We discover the beauty of first love, what it means to be home, and how the weight of one's choices can be heavy on others (even when they think they're doing what is the best for all).

With Something Kindred, we get Southern Gothic/Magical Realism vibes all with an easy to digest writing style.

There were several golden quotes that really resonated with me as someone who has had to figure out the meaning of home and when it was time to stop running. The addition of the echoes and what hold they have over the women of Coldwater was hauntingly beautiful in their sadness and the journey of Jerika's photography portfolio was very intriguing.

I am a die hard for special editions and would LOVE to see one for this book showcasing her film after it was developed.

I really enjoyed this book very much and it will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for granting me access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summary

Jericka Walker was supposed to have the best summer before senior year, but instead she finds herself in Coldwater, Maryland so she and her mom can say goodbye to Jericka’s grandmother who left Jericka’s mom and uncle when they were kids. Jericka uncovers family secrets and the secrets of the town where people never seem to be able to leave forever. All the while, the town is haunted by ghosts and Jericka wants to capture them for a film project.

Review

I liked the way that Burch shows all the different ways and reasons you might decide to forgive someone and why someone might decide to forgive you. Jericka’s relationship with her mom becomes complicated as she learns more about her family’s past and feels betrayed as she learns just how much her mom kept from her. Jericka must learn how to forgive her grandmother for abandoning her mom and uncle and therefore never having the opportunity to build a relationship with Jericka. Giving forgiveness is complicated and learning to forgive oneself is equally complicated. Jericka makes mistakes with people back home in New Jersey and with Kat, a girl she feels pulled towards.

I liked the story overall, but I wasn’t a fan of the pacing so 4 out of 5 stars. (This also could’ve just been a time when I was an impatient reader.)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and to ciera burch for the advanced reader copy of "something kindred". i will admit, this was not exactly what i was expecting. in my opinion, the synopsis made "something kindred" out to be much more spine-chilling than what it actually was. i was expecting more horror elements, but it felt more like a gothic coming-of-age tale that has social commentary on generational trauma and grief. it definitely leans more into the "magical realism" as mentioned in the synopsis than the horror and southern gothic elements. there's a lot of talk in the synopsis of ghosts, but that was not really a major focus to the story.

This book was a change of pace to the normal books I read, and I really enjoyed it. The book was able to tie together family issues, teenage life and town life. It was such an nice change.

I was reeled in the second I heard Southern Gothic. I will say I was expecting more of a horror/spookier vibe than what was actually present. I didn’t fully feel the southern gothic vibes, it came and went as the story went along. The storyline was more about grief and growing and that overpowered anything else that was present.

I enjoyed the book and Ciera was very thoughtful in the symbolism she wanted to showcase within the echoes. How Jericka views of them changed throughout the novel showcases how she grew over the summer and learned more about who she was.

My minor complaint I did have was the relationships Jericka had with others who weren’t her grandma felt not fully thought through. I understand her and Kat were never intended to be a solid couple due to they both were going to live in different places but Jericka still had many cold and rude moments with her that weren’t really talked about. Kat said no worries but I think it would be more beneficial if Jericka pushed for that conversation like she did with others so she was no longer ignoring confrontation like her family likes to. How she treated her ex boyfriend was really just sad and I think their ending was rushed so she could be with Kat. I think he didn’t fully serve a purpose to the storyline he was just a character that was unnecessarily hurt by Jerickas actions. Jericka isn’t perfect and was never meant to be which I appreciated, I just wished she hadn’t dragged him around and it never really got acknowledged that she kissed Kat fully knowing he was waiting for her to simply talk to him.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story. There’s a lot of important conversations of many topics that could be discussed because of this story. I think this could be an important read for many young readers who trying to figure out life, family, or simply what comes next. I hope others can find the beauty in the chaos like I did.

3.5. Another case of mismarketing here--this is less ghost story than a coming-of-age novel/family drama with elements of magical realism--but it sets up Jericka to go on an introspective journey to figure out what love and acceptance means to her. I wish it were spookier and that Ciera Burch had gone into the history of the town even more, but, again, mismarketing.

I enjoyed the story, plot and characters! It’s nice to see a different POV of this kind of book! If you read it, I hope you enjoy it!

A totally unexpected yet utter delight of a book. SOMETHING KINDRED is riddled with coming-of-age perfection, teenage petulance, and a dose of magical realism. We follow our main girl, Jericka, as she is whisked away by her mother to her hometown to take care of her ailing grandmother. What follows is a stunning portrait of grief, family, and the reckoning all of us have to have with ourselves over the allure of leaving what you've always known to find what is new. The premise of this book was a bit of a surprise as I went in expecting this to be a little more horror or supernatural than it really was. The magical realism of it all was only a blip and a cleverly used plot device to parallel our characters and their emotions. Ultimately, this was a true coming-of-age novel that felt like a perfect cameo to capture one girl's summer experience. I loved the family dynamics and the grief hit me hard and fast, real proof of how well Burch crafted emotion to come alive off the page. The acknowledgments section was dear, and I know that in writing this book Burch felt healing akin to Jericka. There's something so magical about that parallel, and I'm honored to have had this book in my hands. Excellent all around and deserving of so much love!

Thank you to NetGalley and FSG for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Rating: 4/5 stars

Something Kindred is a summer derailed. It exists in the liminal space of living and dead, of uncovering secrets and ghosts. Family that hurt us, that we are angry at, but we still love and care about. People who test the boundaries of our love, our forgiveness, and our anger. Something Kindred explores cyclical mistakes and the ways consequences ripple down. It's perfect for fans of small towns, rules and social niceties, the people who never leave.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Ciera Burch’s young adult debut novel is a contemporary fiction that follows Jericka Walker during a Summer where she meets her estranged grandmother, learns family secrets, and confronts a town’s haunted history. This novel is told in first person from Jericka’s perspective, and the pace ranges from slow to medium.

I really liked this debut - it brings up some deep themes: a town haunted by a tragic and racially induced event, estranged family members, and family secrets. It’s a good first book, but it left me wanting more. I was interested in finding out more about the echoes and seeing more of the relationship between them and the people in town who could see them. I was also invested in/confused by Jericka’s relationship with her grandmother, primarily because it felt rushed - from one chapter to the next they went from barely talking to each other to being super close.
I enjoyed reading it at the time, but looking back, I couldn’t tell you what all was going on for so many pages. I know Jericka struggled with finding out the truth about her family, dealing with the echoes, and accepting that she doesn’t want to be with her boyfriend. Her best friend from back home randomly disappears, and isn’t spoken about again after perhaps 60%.

[spoiler alerts ahead]

There’s so much Burch could have gone in deeper with - the echoes and the relationship between the women from each generation. Unfortunately the novel was pretty surface level. Burch has events that happen that are never explained, such as what went wrong with Jericka’s camera and her computer not working properly, and her SD card moving from one place to another. Like, all these mysterious events need to be explained. Yes, it’s easy to infer that the echoes had something to do with all of the sabotage, and why they did it, but how, and is it something they’re capable of in this story? There was also an implication that Jericka’s grandmother becomes an echo after she passes, which does not make sense, because others who’ve died in this small town did not become echoes.

[end of spoiler alerts]

I really like Jericka’s stepmother - Cora. She was such a comforting presence for Jericka in the midst of everything she finds out. Even I felt safe around her. The end was good! Jericka’s decision did not come as the biggest surprise, but it was an interesting choice - a decision like that couldn’t have been easy to make.

While reading this book, I was reminded me of “We Deserve Monuments” by Jas Hammonds, and I wanted so badly to cry like that again. To be so consumed by a book that I couldn’t contain my emotions despite being in a public space. But this didn’t do that for me.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes small town vibes, rediscovering family, and a hint of ghostly hauntings. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into any of the themes that I just mentioned, I don’t recommend this book.

Trigger warning: domestic violence, abandonment, death, family secrets

- SOMETHING KINDRED is like Jas Hammonds x Courtney Gould, and I loved it.
- This is a book about relationships between women and how generational trauma can affect them. I loved all the women in this book, and watching them grapple with the choices they had made in their lives.
- These relationships dovetailed so beautifully with the exploration of small town life; how something can feel like home and be stifling at the same time. The imagery and feelings it evoked will stay with me for a long time.

Not entirely what I expected, but I loved it. And to be fair, the "magical realism meets Southern gothic" tagline is relatively accurate. Something Kindred is a queer coming of age story about how how the past intersects with the present, whether through generational trauma, grief, reconciliation, and more. But it has a paranormal twist and a romantic subplot as well! It's a quieter, more thoughtful book than I anticipated and is at once a slow burn and a fairly quick read.

This follows Jericka, a bisexual young woman returning to her hometown for the first time since she was a young child. She's always been with her mother who flits from place to place, but now her grandmother is dying of cancer and they are returning to help care for her. But old hurts and old secrets rear their head in this haunted small town. Meanwhile, Jericka is working on a photography portfolio for art school, is uncertain if she wants a future with the boyfriend she left behind, and befriends a girl who is a bit of an outcast as a lesbian who says she can see ghosts.

I think I was expecting this to be more of a paranormal story than it was. Those elements are there, but they're really a vehicle for talking about grief, hurt from the past, and what it looks like to forgive and move forward in a healthy way. It's a deeply emotional and beautifully written book, filled with flawed characters who still have a lot of love to offer. I was a fan. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Is this a ghost story? No. Not in the way people want a ghost story. This is a coming-of-age story about a young woman discovering her bisexuality and the meaning of home and family. Yet, the town is haunted with echoes, ghosts stuck in the town of Coldwater. Not everyone can see them. Only a few can, and those ghosts are filled with sadness, which makes others feel that sorrow and despair.

As Jericka prepares her photography portfolio for Parsons, she struggles with finding a topic to shoot until she decides to photograph the echoes.

But all of this is such a small part of the story. The main part is Jericka's relationships with her estranged grandmother, her father (whom she hasn't seen since she was 4), and his new family, her mother (who carries a secret that could destroy her relationship with her daughter), and her new friend Kat.

This book focuses mostly on family relationships and the need to run away, far away, from the people that hurt you. There are generations of people that leave Coldwater and the pain this small town causes. But this book also focuses on mending those past hurts and letting go of the past.

All in all, I think this is a great book to give to a young woman preparing to leave home for college or a new life, especially if they're running from a lot of pain. Speaking from experience, there are some rifts that can never be mended. Sometimes, the healing comes at the end of someone's life. There are even those instances where there is no forgiveness and the trauma shapes us and our decisions to stay away from the places that brought us our greatest despair.

Coldwater represents that pit of sadness that will never be fixed. But there are people who choose to make the best of things and create a home in that place because it's where they found their peace. A hometown is different for everyone.

The author did an excellent job diving into these themes, working out the suffering inside to find peace in the things that haunt them...the echoes.

I really enjoyed this story it had just the right balance of family and every day teen issues It was also not too long and I liked how the town was depicted. Ciera Burch has a very unique voice.

I enjoyed this story. I liked that this story was a family drama/gothic story. The way that the story knits together all of this town and family mythology is really intriguing. This was an emotional read, with discussion on generational trauma, but with a supernatural and gothic spin.

When I started this book I was expecting a gothic horror novel but I think this book was just more of a family dynamic drama that included some romance.

However, even though it wasn’t what I was expecting it was still a very good book. It held my attention and I thought the book had a great message about family and forgiveness.

I definitely look forward to more from this author.