Two sisters are at two totally different places in life. But when their mother is deported and sent back to Brazil, they find themselves back on Nantucket Island, awaiting to see how their mom will get back to the US. Elise has just graduated college and had different t plans for her degree but now that she is on the island she finds herself working her old job and living in her childhood home. Sheba her, wealthy, best friend is on island and has just inherited her grandfather’s home. The girls, financial status never came between them but now is her current situation Elise is unable to make sense of the disparity that separates them. This was a well written book but dry at points. It touches a lot of topics but none really well. Overall this was a three star read for me. It just was lacking something and I am not sure what it was. I want to thank Netgalley, Gabriella Burnham and Randowm House Publsihing Group for my copy of Wait for an honest review. I am glad I was able to read and review this story. It is always a pleasure to read books by new to me, authors.

I feel as though the title was a bit too on the nose, as I felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen. I appreciated the truly gorgeous writing at some points, but it was just a bit too slow for my liking.

I like plot driven books and I like really well done character driven books, unfortunately this book didn't have either. I feel bad giving a lackluster review but I honestly didn't even finish the book.

I respect the vulnerability with which Gabriella Burnham writes--especially knowing that this is a personal story for her--but I felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen (which, I suppose, is the point of the title). The ending also feels rushed and unfinished.

Elise returns home to Nantucket after years away when she gets a call from her sister that their mother is missing. When they learn that their mother has been deported to Brazil, the girls figure out how to move forward, fending for themselves and navigating the social complexities of the island.

The novel examines the contrast between Elise’s upbringing and the life she’s wedged herself into—the life of growing up in a household with an immigrant mother who had to work 70 hours each week and the life of the wealthy, Nantucket socialites that her best friend is part of. It’s a thoughtful reflection, but I wished for more depth and plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Wait by Gabriella Burnham. This story tackles a lot. Elise is just about to graduate from an elite southern college, when she finds out that her sister and mother are not going to come to the graduation because her mother has been deported. Elise grew up on Nantucket. Her best friend from college also has a house on Nantucket. But their lives could not be more different. Elise’s family barely got by, and Elise achieved and made it to a great college-the American dream. Sheba’s family has crazy inherited wealth, and lives a very luxurious life. In college, they were able to make the friendship work, but will they be able to on Nantucket? This is not a light hearted summer read, but tackles a lot of issues. It’s a coming of age story, and we see Elise and her sister be forced to grow up. #wait #gabriellaburnham #netgalley #bookstagram #takeapagefrommybook

Since this book really doesn’t have much of a plot or any character development (in my opinion), I can’t really describe what it’s about or whether there was a theme. The central character is definitely Elise, a new college graduate who has to skip her graduation ceremony and quickly return home to Nantucket Island to be with her sister, Sophie, who just graduated from high school. Elise and Sophie’s mother was deported back to Brazil and the girls must figure out where to live and how to support themselves. Fortunately, the third character, Sheba, who was Elise’s college roommate, is very wealthy and has a large family beach house on the island so offers the girls a place to stay. And that’s about it - Wait is an appropriate title because the reader is left waiting for something to happen with these girls. I won’t describe what little I learned about the girls because such descriptions would be spoilers since that’s all there is to this book. I’m probably rating it higher than I normally would just because I love Nantucket and the book was easy to read and short. That’s all I got.

Sophie - I knew she was going to go places. She deserved to be on her own, find her own personality instead of getting paid for work she did not do or bend the knee to some rich girl. I rooted for Sophie since the beginning of the book. She heard everyone including her mother, but she created her own path.

Elise - For an elder sister, she was not as helpful as I thought she would be. But also she was 22 years old, so I could not be too tough on her. On one hand, she was under her friend's influence forgetting the practicalities. On the other, she was trying to solve the immigration riddle of her mom. I'm glad that she could be glad for her sister and support her on her path to college.

Sheba - The fluke. The brat (not in a good way). I cannot deal with people who constantly do thing they should not do and start crying and apologizing when they are caught. Back bone is important to me and Sheba lacks one. I have to give it to Burnham though. She described her nonchalantness so perfectly that I have strong reaction to this girl.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House One World for an eARC of "Wait" by Gabriella Burnham" in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this to anyone who loves themselves a family centered contemporary litfic. It is very slice of life and discusses social inequality, but I found myself unable to relate to the characters, which made me struggle to continue to stay gripped with the story. However, there were heartwarming moments that lead me to believe that this is a book I would still recommend, even if it is not my cup of tea!

Wow?!? This was an incredible insight to the impact of immigration and deportation on families. I also loved the dynamics between Elise and Sheba of the role wealth and power dynamics play in friendships.
My only critical feedback is that I wish Elise could have had a happy ending for herself with a guy!

Wait by Gabriella Burnham is the story of Elise and Sophie whose mother is returned to Brazil as part of a deportation proceeding. We meet Elise as she's waiting for her mom and sister to come to her college graduation and when Mom disappears Elise returns to Nantucket where she grew up. During the course of the story, we see the challenges that Sophie and Elise face due to their Mom's deportation. Sheba who was Elise's college roommate also factors into the storyline. I enjoyed this book though it did feel like Sheba's storyline just dropped off.

The book cover and the setting of Nantucket could lead a reader to think this is a more traditional summer Nantucket book but it is much more of a family and relationship story.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Wait in exchange for an honest review. Wait is available now.

When the mother of two daughters is deported for overstaying a work visa, she seems to have vanished. Her daughters, Elise in college and Sophie in high school, are suddenly alone as their mother attempts to return to the US. In the meantime, they are evicted from their home and taken in by Elise’s wealthy college friend. As the waiting time stretches, they are introduced to an extravagant world very different from their own.

The premise of this story is compelling and ripe for a woven narrative that covers the “wait,” as life might unfold among the wealthy of Nantucket, while also taking an intellectual approach to the complexities of citizen children with undocumented parents. This book has much to offer, but I had hoped for more depth in the writing and approach to the subject matter.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Burnham’s phrases beautifully evoked the many complicated emotions related to growing up, sisterhood, friendship, and the immigrant experience. It felt like home.

I enjoyed this novel about two American born sisters - Elise, a recent college graduate and Sophie, a high school student, whose mother, illegally in the U.S., was deported back to Brazil after being arrested for long overstaying her work visa.

How the sisters. American citizens, manage alone on Nantucket Island, their home, while waiting for their mother to apply for and acquire a green card from Brazil is the crux of this novel, a story of one illegal immigrant and her children.

Heart warming as well as revealing, the book looks at the children, especially the older child Elise, who is more affected by the change in their family situation than her younger sister. That the girls have to live their own lives on their own in the U.S. and their mother adjust to her own life back in her country, Brazil, leaves the reader a little sadder.

A wonderfully written and executed book on a timely and relevant topic.

As a lover of books set in Nantucket, Wait gave a totally different perspective of the island. In Wait, Elise returns home after graduating college to find that her younger sister, Sophie, is alone and their mother has been deported. Through the course of the summer we learn more about the sisters, their mother's struggles in Brazil, and summer people vs. residents of Nantucket. Beautifully written- I could not put it down and Wait got me out of a book rut!

This book was interesting and has a good storyline. Two sisters reunite for the first time in years in their childhood home in Nantucket and soon they realize their mother was deported to Brazil. I loved the theme of family and the fractured relationships they have with each other, and especially of the growth and bonding that inevitably occurs. The friendships also are difficult ones, and I often felt frustrated with many of the characters. A bit of a slow and difficult read, but lots of great promise and captivating themes.

#wait #netgalley #bookreview

wait is an appropriate title for this book. there is a lot of waiting. It wasn't really what I was expecting.

Elise and Sophie, sisters accustomed to their mom's occasional absences, face a harsh reality when Elise returns from college to find their mom deported to Brazil after weeks away. Left to fend for themselves, they cling to hope that their mom will return.

However, the book doesn't progress much beyond this premise. It simply follows the girls as they navigate work, home, and staying with a friend. The stakes remain low most of the time and the characters never develop through the book. There's is just no real adventure, suspense, or even romance.

Sorry but cannot recommend this one.

This was a solid read and even at the characters' worst, I still felt empathy for them. I loved that the book was split into three parts, it made for an easy read.

Wait is a perfect title for this book since that's what Elise and Sophie do while her mother is deported to Brazil and they're in the process of bringing her back. Elise, who just graduated from college comes back to her hometown island in Nantucket where her mother and sister Sophie live. This book is about how the two sisters struggle to survive without her mother, who worked very hard as an immigrant to support her two daughters and now that she was deported to her home country Brazil doesn't know what to do with herself. Shortly after she is gone, Elise and Sophie are evicted from their home, luckily Sheba, Elise's college best friend, has a vacation home on the island and takes the sisters in while they get back on their feet. This book talks a lot about resilience, the mistakes one makes when they're young and to always keep going. I liked the writing and the narrative of a real problem of the locals living on a tourist island that is being rapidly gentrified and the broken immigration system.