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kindredbooks's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I received a copy of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson from HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.
There is a lot of trauma within these pages of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet - something that even the author notes from the start of the book - to allow readers to make the choice of whether or not to pick up the book. And within all the trauma is also a story about family, strength, resilience, and surviving against all odds in a system that is designed to keep you down. We enter the story as Lou is entering a summer of transition - her mother is going to travel this summer, she's got a boyfriend who is pressuring her into things that she doesn't enjoy, and her white biological father is out of prison and is reaching out. This is a story about a Métis girl who is still trying to figure out who she is, caught as she is between identities and the pressures of wanting to blend in and fit in. The story truly is one that is bitter and sweet - the reality and trauma behind Lou's story and the hope that endures that the world and its people can be changed for the better when we are able to find the right people around us to face and fight the injustices.
There is a lot of trauma within these pages of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet - something that even the author notes from the start of the book - to allow readers to make the choice of whether or not to pick up the book. And within all the trauma is also a story about family, strength, resilience, and surviving against all odds in a system that is designed to keep you down. We enter the story as Lou is entering a summer of transition - her mother is going to travel this summer, she's got a boyfriend who is pressuring her into things that she doesn't enjoy, and her white biological father is out of prison and is reaching out. This is a story about a Métis girl who is still trying to figure out who she is, caught as she is between identities and the pressures of wanting to blend in and fit in. The story truly is one that is bitter and sweet - the reality and trauma behind Lou's story and the hope that endures that the world and its people can be changed for the better when we are able to find the right people around us to face and fight the injustices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
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