The Grove by Brooks Whitney Phillips was a well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
The characters were all realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

The Grove is one of those novels that quietly lodges itself in your heart and stays there long after the final page. As someone who typically gravitates toward fantasy, I found myself deeply moved by this coming-of-age story set in the raw heat and tension of 1960s Florida. This isn’t escapist fiction—it’s emotionally grounded, beautifully written, and profoundly human.

Pip and Sissy are unforgettable. Their bond is the soul of this book—tender, playful, and tragically tested. I was completely drawn into their world: the sun-scorched orange grove, the aching poverty, and the brief flashes of joy during carnival season. Phillips captures the innocence and weight of adolescence with a quiet power, and the emotional beats hit hard without ever feeling overwrought.

The writing is lyrical yet grounded, painting scenes thick with atmosphere and emotion. It’s not a light read—there’s trauma, heartbreak, and a shattering family secret at its core—but there’s also hope, resilience, and the complicated beauty of love in all its forms.

If you love stories like Where the Crawdads Sing, The Secret Life of Bees, or This Tender Land, The Grove belongs on your list. It’s a powerful, haunting novel about the lies we live with, the truths that break us, and the family we fight to protect—even when it costs us everything.

This is a fantastic YA debut for Brooks Whitney Phillips!

The Grove is a tender coming-of-age story set in the 1960's, when socioeconomic status ruled the way people acted. This book follows two teenage sisters, Pip and Sissy, who live in a struggling and damaged family. The girls are not just sisters, they are best friends...until one day, they aren't...

Pip and Sissy wait every year for the traveling carnival to arrive in their tiny Florida town. It's the only way they can escape from their daily life; a mother who is constantly unhappy, a father who is perpetually angry, doing endless chores on their family orange grove, and living on the brink of poverty. But things are different when the carnival arrives this year.

A young sword swallower captures the attention of Sissy, causing Sissy to pull away from Pip, and feel like a stranger. With Sissy's change in attitude, Pip grows closer to her friend Silas, who works for their father in the orange grove. Soon things intensify as Sissy hides a growing secret; she feels like a completely different person to Pip. Pip looks to Silas to escape the hurtful words of her sister and worsening family situation, but Silas is not looked well upon by her family and those in town. Pip must find her way through her struggles to happiness.

The Grove is a wonderful and tender story. It opens the readers eyes to the class and economic tensions of the early 1960s in America. It is a story of sisterhood, family bonds, what we do to make each other happy, and the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive. It's a story of young love, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to for those we love.

I highly recommend this book!

Brooks Whitney Phillips has a strong writing style and am excited for more, it was everything that I was hoping for and glad I read this. I thought this was a fantastic concept for the genre and was hooked from the first page, it was everything that I was looking for in a coming of age story. Pip and Sissy was a strong characters and was written in a realistic way and was invested in what was going on.

While there are a lot of things to like about this book, I found that it just wasn't really for me, personally!

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved this book!!!

Such an immersive read! The setting and atmosphere absorbed me into the compelling tale of the true love shared between sisters. I was completely transported to the heat and humidity of Florida while following the growth, change, and challenges Pip and Sissy faced throughout. Phillips has created authentic characters you can't help but root for!

The Grove by Brooke Whitney Phillips is a beautifully written, evocative novel that captures the innocence and complexity of family, friendship, and the struggles of growing up. The story of fifteen-year-old Pip and her sister Sissy is both touching and thought-provoking, set against the vivid backdrop of a small Florida town and its fleeting summer carnival. What I appreciated most was the authentic portrayal of the girls' bond, which is tested by secrets, changing relationships, and difficult family circumstances. Phillips expertly explores themes of loss, hope, and resilience through Pip’s perspective, drawing readers into her emotional journey as she navigates the fallout from her sister’s secret and her own desires for escape and independence. The rich characterization and lyrical writing elevate the story. The novel’s vivid imagery of the orange grove and carnival scenes brings the setting to life, making this a compelling read for fans of coming-of-age stories with emotional depth. I highly recommend The Grove to anyone interested in heartfelt narratives about family secrets and the courage needed to forge one’s own path.

I haven’t read a book in under 24 hours in a couple years ya’ll. This one really entrapped me from the get go.
I’ve been devouring fantasy after fantasy novel lately and I could feel myself getting a little burnt out so I set down what I was reading and dove right into this and it was the perfect little break.
This story was endearing and heartbreaking all at once. It spoke volumes on those awkward teen ages when you’re not really a kid anymore and no where near being an adult. As well as shown a light on struggling farm families, small town life, and life in the 60s for the working class.
While all of these things played a role in the plot, the true journey was the evolution of the bond between sisters, and the ways that tough emotions can unravel and restring relationships.
We spend the whole story in the eyes of Pip as she watches her older sister, Sissy, transform before her eyes and their lives as they knew them be upended by a series of bad decisions they both make.
The was nothing grandiose about this book, there was no high stakes plot to save the world, no world ending catastrophe, no life stopping moments (at least on a grand scale, I’m sure the Bean family felt their lives stopping for a moment more than once over the course of this year that we follow them). But it did speak volumes on generational traumas, economic and social classes, the bonds of sisterhood, the pain of leaving girlhood behind, and the ebbs and flows of everyday life.
Books like these remind me that we’re not alone in our suffering. And that’s a comfort every time.

This was my first book by Brooks Whitney Phillips and my third historical fiction of 2025—and listen, Historical fiction girlie unlocked.

The Grove takes us back to 1960, where we meet 15-year-old Penelope "Pip" Bean—sharp, observant, and full of quiet curiosity. She lives on her family's orange grove, working alongside her parents and older sister, Sissy. The girls spend their days handing out fresh-squeezed orange juice and souvenirs to passersby from their roadside stand. But the real thrill? The annual winter carnival. It’s the event they look forward to all year. Only this time, the carnival brings more than excitement—it brings change. And not the easy kind. What unfolds sets off a series of events that mark Pip and Sissy in ways they’ll never forget.

This story is stunning. Truly. The writing feels like slipping into a sun-drenched memory—warm, rich, and full of feeling. Even when the narrative shifts into heavier territory, like racism and inherited prejudice, it handles it with grace and honesty. Phillips doesn’t shy away from hard truths, but she delivers them with the kind of care that stays with you. She makes it clear: hatred is learned, not born—and that message comes through loud and clear.

Pip’s voice? Unforgettable. There’s something so special about seeing the world through her eyes—raw, curious, and still learning. Watching her grow, stumble, and slowly learn how to stand taller in her own skin was beautiful. Her journey isn’t just about the people around her—it’s about learning how to be loyal to herself. I especially loved watching her let go of the need to be "enough" for others, and instead realize she already is.

This book was such a gift. From beginning to end, it wrapped me up and pulled me in. I’ll be thinking about these characters, and especially Pip, for a long time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this early. I feel incredibly lucky to have been invited into this world before the rest of the world gets to fall in love with it too.

Absolutely adored this one! YA, historical romance? YES please. Give me 12. I 1000% would recommend this and read this author again!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Brooks Whitney Phillips’ The Grove is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of 1960s rural Florida. The story follows two sisters, Pip and Sissy, whose deep bond is tested when Sissy falls for a charming carnival performer, leading to secrets and heartbreak that will change their lives forever. Through vivid prose and an immersive setting, Phillips captures the tension between sisterhood, personal ambition, and societal constraints.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its atmospheric storytelling. The orange groves, the dusty carnival grounds, and the small-town landscape come alive with rich, sensory detail, making the reader feel fully transported to Pip and Sissy’s world. Phillips also excels at crafting complex, deeply human characters. Pip’s yearning to find her own path while living in the shadow of her sister’s beauty is both relatable and heartbreaking, while Sissy’s impulsiveness and longing for escape add layers to her character. The novel’s themes—family duty, dreams deferred, and the limitations imposed by class and gender—are woven seamlessly into a gripping narrative.

Phillips doesn’t shy away from exploring difficult topics, including economic struggles, classism, and racism, but she does so with nuance and care. The relationships in the book, particularly the sisterly bond at its core, feel authentic and raw, making the story both heartwarming and bittersweet.

With its lyrical prose, rich setting, and poignant exploration of family and self-discovery, The Grove is a deeply moving novel that lingers long after the final page. Fans of historical fiction and character-driven narratives will find much to love in this beautifully crafted debut.

It's kind of funny to me that right before I started reading this, I had an obsession with oranges. Maybe it was foreshadowing?


The Grove is set in 1960 and follows Penelope Bean (Pip), a fifteen-year girl who lives and works on an orange grove with her parents and older sister. Pip and her sister, Sissy, are in charge of running a roadside stand giving out souvenirs and fresh orange juice. Every winter, the two girls wait impatiently for the carnival to come to town. This year in particular it brings new surprises that cause a drastic change in Pip and Sissy's lives. The effects of the carnival haunt them for months to come and we watch as Pip's relationships change and grow, some for better and some for worse.


This is such a beautiful novel inside and out. The writing was so comforting, and it was so easy to sink into the story. There were a few serious topics discussed, such as racism, which was done very well. Phillips did a wonderful job showcasing how racism is something that is learned, not something you are born with.


Pip's way of seeing the world is something I'll keep with me for a long time. It was incredible getting to see her grow and how the dynamics between her and the other characters grew as well. I especially how Pip's relationship with herself grew as well and how she was able to grow more confident, no longer seeking the approval of others.


I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this book, and I definitely recommend picking it when it comes out! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

This was an amazing. Ya historical fiction book. Is was very deep and emotional and it made me feel so many emotions.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
No matter how hard she tries to escape the groves, something always pulls her back.
1.5/5
When I first started reading the book I was very excited for the 1960s setting and for the sisters story. Surprisingly, the book was very fast paced which was nice, but with that the writing style was very new YA. Which I personally didn’t enjoy that much. I just went through the book but it wasn’t until I had less than 100 pages left where I felt things finally really picked up. Granted there were some scenes I enjoyed, and the complexities of the relationships, but it was the writing style I really couldn’t get past.

I binge-read this novel over 24 hours—the absolute definition of unputdownable. This is one of the most beautifully written, emotionally unsettling YA books I've ever read. A hope-filled yet honest gut punch of a novel that doesn't shy away from the idea of consequences, yet openly embraces the concept of brighter beginnings if we're brave enough to walk into them.