I am absolutely smitten with this book! I love how it is written in verse with some pages devoted to adorable drawings. I love how it gives me all the feels from attending a summer camp and the close friendships made there. I adore this book!

The Lightning Circle was a clear 5 star book for me. I read it in one sitting!

The Lightning Circle is a phenomenon where the charge of a lightning strike is passed between a large group holding hands. No one dies, because the charge is distributed among many, a la Guardians of the Galaxy when Peter and the gang hold the power stone.
Vikki VanSickle did a beautiful job writing a teen coming of age story about our girl Nora/Nova, who has escaped to a sleep away camp as a first time counselor after a heart break. I loved the accompanying illustrations done by Laura K Watson.
The really intriguing piece to this novel is that it is told in verse. It felt like I was reading Nora's diary. She gave us exactly what I remember trying to write or not write down as a teenager, especially if I was trying to recover from a heart break.
Vikki captures the small details beautifully in Nora's verses. Like, having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night at camp and vowing never to drink water after 8pm again. Or the silky insides of a shell found on the shore of a lake or beach. Or the intricate rules of friendship bracelets.
The phenomenon of the lightning circle is used with great effect and emotion. I loved the imagery of the bonds of womanhood and friendship helping the group through the difficulties in their lives. It made me reflect on how this has worked in my life.
All in all, this was a refreshing read. Nostalgia, reflection, healing, and peace were my main takeaways.
I would recommend this book to teens and up. There is some mildly crude language throughout, typical of young adults. But I would definitely recommend this to any woman who needs to feel the healing and restorative power of genuine female friendships.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly this was sweet, albeit simple. I'm probably not the target audience and it would resonate more with younger readers, but it just... didn't light a spark in me. The illustrations were lovely and I adore how they captured so many different faces and looks. All in in, not quite my cup of tea!!

As someone who is from West Virginia, I had to read this book. A cute story told about a teenager that just had her heart broken by a boy and needed to get out of the house. So she goes to a youth group camp in the mountains of the old Beaty of West Virginia. There she learns life lessons and that you don’t need a boy to be happy.

Excellent coming-of-age book told in verse about Nora going to a summer camp. There she works with many girls and they tell her camp is “ cleansing.” The girls all help each other out and have fun together. When Nora receives a letter, she hurts. She tells the girls things she’s never told anyone. Nora sees how great it is to have friends or “summer sisters” help you through tough times. Nora feels forever changed in a good way.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was an easy read and the perfect book for me to read before bed. I would highly recommend this book to others!

I am in this reading phase where I am obsessed with nostalgic books, this is one to add to my list. This book is so good, it feels like it is going to be a classic(but like the booktok classics). It reflects themes other books don’t such as periods(something labeled “explicit”!).The other books are like, “Let’s put here some romance to save her life(I have done that on most on my [unpublished]novels, so I am guilty)”. But this books doesn’t base on romance, it is more on friendship. And on friendship between girls. Solely, Sisterhood(between girls who aren’t related). So that is what makes it so good. It deserves the five stars. Congratulations to Vikki VanSickle. 5 out of 5.

A coming of age book about heartbreak and the power of female friendships. Told in verse, line drawings, and letters/notes, it’s a gentle and nostalgic read.
Thanks to NetGalley & Tundra Books for the ARC!

***Thank you to Netgalley for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Nora Nichols decides to go to summer camp for the first time as a counselor after getting her heart broken. Over the course of the summer, she forms deep, unbreakable bonds with the other counselors and campers. Told through verse, in the format of Nora’s own diary, The Lightning Circle is a nostalgic, coming-of-age story for all ages who long for the good old days at summer camp.

The Good:

✔️ Withers

✔️ The gorgeous art

✔️ The nostalgia of summer camp

✔️ The bonds formed between the girls

The Bad:

❌ It ended up just kinda meh for me

Content Warnings: eating disorder

This was not the book for me. I never went to summer camp and I have no nostalgia for it. But if a book relies solely on nostalgia to sell it’s not that good of a book. I don’t know what I was expecting from “verse form”, but it’s not poetry, it’s just normal writing chopped up into separate verses. That being said, I did enjoy reading this. It’s short and ridiculously easy to read.

I loved the stupid discussion of Wither’s name. Nora’s all like ‘she picked that name because she withers people with her glare.’ And Withers just goes ‘no, it’s because I’m a horse girl.’ I love horses so I might be a little biased.

“Riding can be especially powerful for a girl who feels like she has no power in her life, because if she can learn to control such a powerful animal, then maybe she can learn to control other things too.”
― Vikki VanSickle, The Lightning Circle

It might just be me, but I didn’t like Nora’s whole ‘I told my best friend I had a crush on him but he didn’t reciprocate so now we’re just friends but I’m still pining over him’ thing. It seemed incongruous to the sweet, childlike summer narrative. But I do appreciate that they didn’t try to force a romance onto Nora to help her get over it like a lot of other YA novels do.

There is a frank talk about an eating disorder and periods. I loved Nora helping one of the girls through her first period and how Nora herself lied about getting her first period for a year because she didn’t want to be the first of her friends to get it. We don’t get this kind of talk in books a lot, but we really should be talking about it more.

I’m probably not this book’s target audience, but I enjoyed it all the same. If you’re looking for a low-stakes, easy read about female friendships this might be for you.

THE LIGHTNING CIRCLE by Vikki VanSickle is written in a very unusual format and it works perfectly for this story. Told from the point of view of the main character, Nora tells the story of the summer using poems instead of a standard format. The poetry captures the journey from being a newbie counselor with a team of experienced camp counselors and then how she relates to her group of campers who view her with different layers of interest and skepticism. She tries her best to learn about the job while learning about herself in the process. I love how much personality the author was able to capture for each and every character and how on target it was for the age group provided. The angst comes through and I love how in trying to help the campers process their feelings, she teaches them the most when they see her confront her own problem. My teenage daughter is reading this now so I’m interested to see what she thinks. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review.

From beginning to end, I enjoyed reading The Lightning Circle. It was a simple coming of age story about a young girl’s first experience at a summer camp while recovering from a broken heart. Told in verses, the story chronicles what its like as a young teenager during the summer while away at camp.

What I enjoyed about this read was the lyrical style and illustrations. The verses were simple and easy enough as a reader for you to understand what was going on. And the illustrations were simple and went really well with the verses. It felt exactly like I would expect a journal of a young girl to feel like and gave me a good idea of Nora’s thoughts while she was at this camp.

What I also enjoyed about The Lightning Circle was the topics discussed. A lot of this story was told in a way for girls way younger than me to understand, but in a way that you knew what was being talked about without the author having to go into too much detail. The best example that comes to mind for me is whenever one of the young girls Nora is responsible for experiences her period for the first time. When it happened, I knew exactly what was going on without more needing to be said and felt like anyone else reading this book would also know as well.

I also enjoyed seeing these female friendships forming and getting to experience camp life through Nora’s eyes. The way these young girls come together in this story is wonderfully done and I enjoyed getting to read about it. I especially enjoyed the lightning circle moments because that’s when as a reader you see their friendships with each other strengthen and they realize how much they care about each other. I also enjoyed getting to experience camp life through Nora because I myself never went to summer camp, so it was nice to see what it was like for Nora since it was her first time there. It was nice to see it all from her perspective as well because you as the reader can see how her time there changed her.

If I had to choose anything about this book I didn’t enjoy it would have to be that it felt too short to me. I felt like the story itself was wonderfully done and enjoyed the verse style and the illustrations. However, I wish there had been more in it as I felt like as a reader I didn’t learn all that much about Nora, the other counsellors she met and the girls she was watching over during her time there. Yes, I found out some details about all these characters, but I still wanted more than what I read. I don’t know if its because this book felt like too quick of a read to me or because I didn’t get to see any of how this summer camp experience changed Nora’s life when she returned home. I just know it felt too short to me at times and wish there was more in the story.

But overall, I enjoyed reading The Lightning Circle. It’s a wonderful coming of age story that I recommend to anyone with young children getting close to becoming teenagers who want to read stories about people close to their age. Or to anyone who enjoys reading young adult stories that talk about experiences you’ve had before. The Lightning Circle is coming out on March 26, 2024, for those who would be interested in giving this book a read.

The Lightning Circle by Vikki VanSickle is an exquisite coming-of-age novel that weaves together delicate verse and captivating line art to create a beautifully immersive experience. The story follows seventeen-year-old Nora Nichols as she escapes her heartbreak and embarks on a transformative journey at an all-girls' camp in the mountains of West Virginia.

Through Nora's camp journal, we witness her growth and evolution as she navigates new friendships, faces challenges, and discovers the healing power of female camaraderie. The author skillfully captures the essence of the summer camp experience, immersing readers in the sights, sounds, and emotions of camp life.

The poems flow gracefully, adding depth and atmosphere to the narrative. They provide a unique insight into Nora's thoughts and emotions, allowing readers to connect with her on a profound level. The accompanying illustrations further enrich the story, perfectly complementing the poetic flow.

As Nora finds herself through the intimate conversations around nightly campfires and bonds with fellow counselors and campers, we witness her development of confidence and self-discovery. The portrayal of female friendship and its transformative impact is particularly powerful and heartwarming.

The Lightning Circle is a quick read that captivates from the very first page, drawing readers into Nora's world and holding their attention until the very end. Vikki VanSickle's writing is both evocative and beautiful, creating a vivid and unforgettable portrait of a young woman coming into her own.

In conclusion, The Lightning Circle is a wonderful coming-of-age book that will resonate with readers of all ages. With its poetic prose, engaging illustrations, and heartfelt exploration of friendship and self-discovery, this novel is a true gem that leaves a lasting impression.

4.6 rounded up to 5/5

The deep conversations, campfires, horse back riding, friendship bracelet making, Pink soap bubbles, a rainbow of sweets spilling onto the grass, and rainy afternoons that are made for dreaming. This book had me instantly hooked.

Favourite annotation: But until then I will soak up the river, dig my fingers in the sand, and roll in the grass.

I loved everything about this book. I love the cover, the art on the cover, the drawings in the book and the color of the drawings. And also it was the first book I read in verse and it kept my interest to the end. I definitely recommend reading this book.

This is about a seventeen year old girl who had her heart broken and wants to escape her hometown. So she takes a job at a Summer camp as a arts and crafts counseller. This is a beautiful coming of age story.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars, i liked this but i didn't feel like it was something absolutely amazing. one thing i loved was the illustrations, i liked the verse format and thought nora's voice was ok. i loved the summer camp setting too. i just didn't really connect with the story or the characters, which is probably what led me to not like the book as much. i would still recommend it to others!
thank you to the publisher tundra books and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I apparently have a thing for novels told in verse. This one was beautiful—a coming of age story about a girl and her summer at camp. It was beautifully written, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this novel. Opinions are my own.

- This book is about Nora (seventeen) who attends a summer camp for the first time while trying to move on from a heart break. This book is truly about female friendships and finding yourself.
- I love the illustrations of this book. I didn’t expect it and I felt like it added so much to the story. I also loved the format of the book! It was such a simplistic style but it was a wonderful read. This book perfectly describes what is it like going to a summer camp, how the camp counselors don’t go by their real name and how their nicknames have a meaning to them.
- The poems are so intimate and I feel like I am truly in the main character (Nora) mindset and deep interpersonal thoughts. The description an intimate coming of age novel perfectly describes this book.
- The intimate and deep conversations that the characters have suck you into the storyline and draws you to the book until you have read every single word

Thanks to Net Gallery and Penguin Random House Canada for letting me read this copy in advance.

The Lightening Circle is a great coming-of-age story told in verse. I really enjoyed it, the atmosphere and characters are fantastic. While I did not have a camp experience like the girls in the book, I know enough about them to know this was spot on. Because the writing flows so well it is an extremely quick read. I loved it and hope to read more by this author.

The Lightning Circle wraps around you like a blanket of nostalgia and Summer's spent away at camp. It's a beautiful coming of age story with beautiful illustrations and wonderful narrative poetry. I truly enjoyed the flow of the poetry, the way you get to see Nora Nichol's narrative transforms through bits of poetry. I'm so glad I got to put time aside and finish it in one sitting, allowing myself to let the moments I highlighted sink in. I was left with wanting the book to be longer, to see Nora after camp. And read about her coming home. But still, beautiful book and as an adult, I truly enjoyed it wish I would have read this as a teen.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

a coming of age story that focuses on the importance of female friendships, told through lyrically written verse. i really enjoyed this!! it was the first book i have ever read in verse and i thoroughly enjoyed it :). i loved the way the story was told, and the writing was absolutely beautiful. i understand why we only saw snippets of the summer, and did not fully get to know all of the characters and think it works well in the context of the book. overall i really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others!

the lightning circle is literally the only perfect read for some serious summer nostalgia! i loved how the highlight was healthy friendships between girls and their growth with each other. nova finding herself was very sweet and emotional despite the hurt. it was really beautiful and definitely reminded me of a Judy Blume book!! it was just tender and really sweet and the characters grow on you. NOT to mention that the art and the sage green/black/white palette was heartwarming >_</. I'm definitely buying this when it's released :)