“I smile to myself as I wave to everyone waiting behind her. Maybe we'll skip the chrysalises tonight. Maybe tonight we become butterflies.”

Mackenzie Werner has a haze. And every emotion she feels, it manifests as colors. Because of that, her parents moved to Serenity, a town where “all the lemons become lemonade”, where everyone is supposed to be happy. Positive. Nice. But when Stacey, a prominent film director, comes to Serenity with her daughter, Rayna, to record a documentary of this extraordinary town, everything changes. Because for the first time, Mackenzie wonders if being happy is truly Serene.

⭐⭐⭐. 5 // 5

If I were to have a haze (which is very cool, despite how some might feel. Ahem, everyone in Serenity ;)), my colors would be a real rainbow. After all, this book was such an emotional rollercoaster! I was always so hooked, and I felt like Mackenzie herself! Which is partly because of the wonderfully-crafted first person point of view. However, sometimes, the book seems to lack a lot of action. Although this book is heavily emotion focused, I would’ve appreciated more action compared to the constant changing emotions. Which felt a bit redundant after a while.

Which brings us to the plot structure. And, wow. There are so many subplots! While they might be somewhat unnecessary at first and don't always contribute to the main problem, it was so fascinating to see all of them come together to create a beautiful symphony.

And Abby’s writing style is also notable. She portrayed every character’s voice so well I was almost in shock. However, there are minor things like unrealistic dialogue, but they highlight the unique concept of the book even more. Still, they are off putting sometimes.

Speaking of characters… They are all wonderful. Unique in their own way. Their motives are so distinctive, reasonable, yet clear, They feel so familiar yet new, and so relatable too. They each have so many depths and layers to them, it’s hard not to think of them as real humans. And they dive the story completely! But sometimes, their internal conflict seems a little strategic. Like it’s too planned out by Cooper, it feels sort of too reasonable. Which makes them kind of hard to believe.

But still, I 100% did not regret reading this book. Sometimes when I read too much, the story kind of faltered, but I actually read for hours on end each day, because the story was just so captivating! And I promise, I’m not exaggerating! But the best thing I got from this book was inspiration. Not only did this book make me feel, it made me think, as well. It also inspired so many story ideas, and made me motivated to try new “magical-realism” books like this! Which is, honestly, the best thing a book can do to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Mackenzie and her family moved to the small town of Serenity when she was just five years old. Everything is perfect in Serenity and people are only ever happy and positive.

At least that’s how it appears, except for Mackenzie who has a haze that visibly displays the spectrum of her feelings like an aura.

However when feeling overwhelmed her haze explodes and suddenly most of the town also has their feelings on display and they’re not all cheery.

This was a great middle grade novel about the importance of feeling all the feelings and avoiding toxic positivity. Also excellent resources at the end for kids and parents (and a yummy cookie recipe!).

ARC COPY...That was an interesting with an important message too. It's much happier and positive to show one's true emotional colours. I did sense from start "the perfect town" is actually oppressive in nature alias "stepford" in a misguided way via aspects like the online forums, and community notices which contributed greatly to the world building.

This book was pretty good. I liked the writing style and the story, and I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and change. I loved how all the people who made fun of the main character's haze suddenly got one of their own, and were able to learn to accept it and the fact that everyone can't be happy all the time. Overall, it was an interesting book with a great message. Would definitely recommend!

✰ 3 stars ✰

“Maybe complicated and confusing feelings aren’t what make me—or anyone else—different, weird, wrong, or bad. They’re what make us belong.”

How exhausting it must be to be always so smiley and chirpy and constantly optimistic and happy, without any preamble of ever feeling down or gloomy or reserving the right to be upset. Ugh, I shudder at the thought. But, it's not like I don't want to be happy - I just don't want to give up my other feelings and emotions, too.​ 😔 The ability to have a choice to dislike or be upset by something is to give air and room to breathe. And for Serenity, a cultish type of secluded colony that prides itself on always promising kittens and rainbows lifestyle - 'a little utopia, our little corner of peace in the ever-chaotic world' - it's only when an outside element arrive that threatens their idyllic society's way of living, is it inevitable that everyone's True Colors will finally come out.​ 💥
​

Abby Cooper's middle grade debut touches upon how there has to be a balance of conveying our emotions - in the literal sense. For twelve-year-old Mackenzie, who's always been the only one to emit her feelings through a swirl of colorful haze around her, it's a cruel awakening for her when all the rampant emotions that she's kept stored inside erupts in a burst of colors that not only reflects her own, but brings out the true nature of what everyone is feeling, as well. 'We don’t need anything different, but if I’m honest, something different sounds exciting, too.' It's definitely an alien notion when you're suddenly voicing all these harsh thoughts or feeling these negative emotions - not ever realizing that you'd always had those emotions within you. The sad truth is that there are some people in this world who don't have the ability to express emotions in various ways, but to have that image forced upon you - without any semblance of free will to feel what you're truly feeling - that's a right that shouldn't be taken away from anyone.​ ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

“Feelings. All kinds of feelings.
Feelings … like mine.

For the first time since the explosion, it actually sinks in. People have all kinds of feelings, just like me.”

Mackenzie was a very honest and expressive young girl; it was interesting to see the world burst into colors before her eyes, and I liked how the author captured her uncertainty and confusion over whether or not it was okay to allow these negative and dark thoughts to enter her heart and mind, especially when it's something so severely and strictly frowned upon. Ha, frowned upon! As if anyone in Serenity even knew how to make a frown.​ 😟​ 'I don’t want to be two Mackenzies. I just want to be me. But who even is that?' Despite how much opposition she and outside forces who bring about change that challenges the system of peace they've worked so hard to maintain, it felt so natural to see she and her friends shed that weight of repressed emotion and embrace their true selves - to be content in being sad or upset or hurt or disappointed - "where it's okay not to be okay'. What a revelation!​

The reaction of her friends and the other members of the community was very real and believable. I could ​feel​ their panic - their shock - their​ intense fear of not understanding what was happening to them. The hard rejection of an unwanted presence invading their heart and soul. The sudden shock, like a mask that you're desperately trying to claw off your body, not understanding - not even willing to perceive the concept that these feelings are innate - that they have always been within you - just lying dormant, because you had to keep them repressed. 😢 Completely suppressed - until like a burst of colors they shined through. It gave me such a newfound appreciation for my ability to feel - to reason - to hurt and to smile - that I have a choice and say in the matter. Something as simple as simply feeling - it's an alarming thought to think even something like that could be cut off that you feel emotionless - or is it simply that being happy is the lesser evil than facing the darkness of your heart?​ 🖤

“And the fact is, when it comes to tricky feelings, no matter how bad you may want to avoid them, you can’t go over them. You can’t go under them. You can’t go around them.

To actually feel better, the only real way is through.”
​

I admit that it did become a bit confusing at times to keep track of all the various colors Mackenzie had assigned to her feelings; it got a bit wordy and took up the majority of the story that could have been explained better for other parts. I liked the interactive way in which readers were presented with others' feelings and thoughts, and the message boards that showed the common person's reactions to each incident that was inching closer to an eventual fallout.​ 😔 'I force a smile so big that there’s simply no room for a lump in my throat, or for the bad feelings that come with it. Because it is no big deal, and I am very okay.' It gave this cryptic yet eeriness of impending doom, one that could not be ignored, much like the warnings Mackenzie silently received. I do understand why the founders chose to build their community the way that they did; but, it's not fair to the children of the world who don't have the ability to choose on their own, especially when they are still feeling the hurt and pain that 'normal' people are still facing.​ 🫂

The feelings of life - of loneliness, and bullying, and identity crisis, as well as living up to parents' expectations - these are sentiments that can't be smothered down. That it's not fair to not openly express what you truly feel; how can you stomach cruel sentiments with a smile on your face? How can you bear the pain of a broken heart and still be bright and chipper the next morning? It's a sad and emotionless thought, and to see it through Mackenzie's eyes and the thoughts of the community who are suddenly awoken to their real emotions - that is the basis of what it means by wearing your heart on your sleeve. ​💗​ 'The bakery is louder than it’s been in a long time, but all I can hear is the silence of everything we haven’t said.' That it is never wrong not to be expressive and emotional and go off on a tangent or a tirade or even love strongly and loudly. It is a gift to feel and we should never have to tamper it down or be judged harshly for it. There is a balance to everything and even when the motto is 'I will maintain an air of gratitude and look for the silver lining even on the cloudiest day', there's no shame in taking a breather and simply allowing yourself a moment and feel.​ 🥺

And yes, if your first initial thought upon reading the title was Cyndi Lauper's 80s classic, True Colors, then yes, this definitely lives up to the lyrics that this surely reminds us that you can still shine like a rainbow, even on the cloudiest day - that the two can coexist and it will be okay.​ 🌈

“Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow​”

*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

True Colors is an interesting concept. The main character, Mackenzie, emits a haze of colors that show her emotions around her. At age twelve, she is terrified of getting her family kicked out of the town on Serenity, which is supposed to be a happy place. She believes that by showing her true emotions, it will get her family kicked out as there is a three-strike system. When a documentary film-maker and her children come to town, Mackenzie is exposed to the outside world.

The underlying message of the dangers of toxic positivity was excellent but I am not sure how well this may resonate with the intended audience. I want to try and have a student read it before deciding on purchasing a copy for my library. In some ways, this felt aimed at an adult audience.

Thank you to Net Galley and Astra for this eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

A book about the importance of feeling your emotions fully and not succumbing to toxic positivity? Blow-my-mind-lemon-lime! It had a very sweet message: it's okay to not be okay, discomfort is an important tool for learning, and talking through things helps. Toxic positivity is something that exists heavily in elementary/middle schools, so it is wonderful to help kids recognize that "bad" emotions have their place. It also normalized therapy for ALL ages.

Unfortunately, the execution of this book left me feeling confused. Cue the wiggly wildberry layer.

Some of the elements helped move the story along, whereas others felt very out of place. The interviews for the documentary were very strong, and I loved how they revealed a bit about each character. I also enjoyed the addition of the SerenityChat, as it drove home the idea that nothing was ever serene in Serenity. However, two emotions got chapters where they were personified? At one point, the hill in town was personified? It was very distracting from the story. Also, if the whole point of Serenity was that it was isolated like a chrysalis, then why was there still so much contact with the city? How was Mackenzie able to still see her therapist? The world-building was disjointed. Last thing: I've been in therapy since I was seven years old, and I got lost in a lot of the therapy-speak. If a teacher does this as a read-aloud, prepare for a loooooot of clarification needs.

I'm afraid that this will be confusing for middle-grade readers, and it will lead to them missing some of the important lessons. With a book rife with important lessons, it's disappointing dragon fruit to have them get lost in the tidal wave of wiggles.

One last note: in the eBook version. nearly every time there was a double-f in a word, one would get deleted (of instead of off, diferent instead of different, etc.). I'm not sure why that is, but I saw someone else have the same issue.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a really cute middle grade book that teaches middle schoolers how to acknowledge their feelings and work through them. There are book recommendations for both preteens and adults at the end, and even a chocolate chip cookie recipe! I’m all about cookies….yum!

I honestly don’t think I could have gone to public school if everyone could see all of my feelings at all times through colors that appear around my body (known as the “haze”). This is what sixth grader Mackenzie has to deal with, no matter where she goes, and she’s the only one with this condition in the town of Serenity, where everyone is supposed to be happy all the time. For real, as in, you get kicked out if you break the rules three times, and that includes being on the internet or being contentious. It’s a perfect little bubble where happiness reigns supreme.

Or is it?

Mackenzie struggles with being content and is constantly using strategies to swallow her real feelings and project a yellow haze of happiness. However, those pesky other colors keep slipping out! In a stressful situation, Mackenzie loses control and explodes her colors onto everyone else in a wide radius.

Uh oh. A lot of people are now unhappy at having the haze…and it shows. What will happen to Serenity now? (that’s for you, Seinfeld fans)

I wholeheartedly recommend this! It’s so important not to shove our true feelings down, and middle school is a time where kids have a whole lot of emotions that they don’t know what to do with. Reading this book will help them process those uncomfortable feelings.

Now, I do have to mention one thing, because it really bothered me as a proofreader: Words that should have double letters just….dont. Like “stuff” as “stuf” and “different” as “diferent”, and it kept throwing me out of the story, especially when “off” becomes “of” and totally changes the meaning of the word. Also, sometimes random letters would be capitalized in the middle of words at the beginning of each chapter. There was no explanation for these odd stylistic choices. Maybe others won’t care, but it annoyed me.

I very much enjoyed the book otherwise, though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

In Serenity’s closed-off bubble of happiness and positive thinking, things go awry when the haze extends itself to the other residents. Initially, Mackenzie only has the haze, where her emotions—both the good and the bad—are on full display to everyone. Now a good amount of people have the haze. This sends everyone panicking because everything in Serenity is supposed to be okay, nice, happy, normal, positive, kindness, all smiles and good intent, staying in that lavender haze.

This was a story on the importance of emotions—acknowledging them and feeling them. It reminds us that it’s okay to not be okay and we have to feel some uncomfortable emotions so we can enjoy life and be true to ourselves. It’s a great analogy for mental health care and emotional intelligence. It doesn’t just focus on kids; it also highlights that the adults need to feel things, too, and that we shouldn’t run from our emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra books for the ARC :>