Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson

7 reviews

klutzykara's review against another edition

medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

The coming of age story of an Indigenous teenage girl in Canada (Métis like the author herself) and the trauma, racism, discrimination, & abuse they face is an important one. I am always wanting to read more from Indigenous authors and would be interested to read more from Jen Ferguson in the future if I thought the below wouldn't be an issue.

My overall enjoyment of the story was sadly dampened by the way other topics (of identity&mental health, not the above topics) were handled. I didn't want to give this story a bad rating because Indigenous stories are so important, but because of the harm I felt and fear others could fear I feel I need to.

I was upset by the way Lou's best friend, Florence, was treated. Her manic behavior is described and glossed over, sometimes pointing out how it makes her flaky, drink too much, & cheat on her girlfriend, as well as references to not being on her meds. Yet, Lou never wants to be the one to reach out and check on her. She was cast aside, it felt like, and treated badly by the character and portrayed negatively in the writing for too long. As someone affected by this, I think that if you can't address it with care and compassion, it should not be included. I had heard it would be in the story, and knew it probably wouldn't make me feel good, but it still hurt & the story's effects stick with me.

I also think Lou's feelings that her identity (asexuality/demisexual) was a result of the trauma (her own & generational) were understandable and valid, and important to work through, but I think it may have become more harmful than helpful for some readers as it takes a while to get to Lou work through it. It would have helped a lot to have Lou to have this conversation earlier (& perhaps not with King but a family member even? It felt kind of like he was mansplaining although that could just be me and could have been better from a family member) and also for other characters' bisexuality to be discussed with more respect.. King was very flippant about it and Florence was once again not treated with much empathy.

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This own voices story features a biracial, Indigenous Métis and asexual/demisexual main character. Lou spends the summer sorting through complicated feelings around sexuality, race, her history of trauma, her family, and her predatory rapist father reappearing in her life. It was well-told with vibrant imagery and characters you couldn't help but feel attached to.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

This book took me longer to read than usual, and that's definitely not because of the writing. Ferguson dives into some really tough topics, topics that are not always easy to read. Lou is carrying a lot of emotional baggage, on top of trying to figure out her own identity. And trying to figure out her past and her future. It's a lot for a teenager to carry, and you feel all of these emotions throughout the book.

The side characters were also really well developed, providing complex relationships for Lou all around. One of the best, most complex relationships was hers with King. King was just so patient with her, which was something she wasn't necessarily used to. I loved the way their relationship evolved throughout the book, and it evolved with the way Lou was learning about herself throughout the book.

And the discussions about asexuality! That conversation Lou has with King is so important to have in teen books, and I'm so glad that it's there. There are some other reviews that talk about the maybe not-so-great portrayal of bisxuality in this book, so I would check those out as well because there are some valid points there.

I think this is a book I'll be thinking about for a while. It's a greta debut, and I can't wait to see what Ferguson does next.

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avabudavari's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.0

The Summer Of Bitter And Sweet is the kind of book that hits on such a deep level. It is hard to come up with the right words to describe everything that this story means. Louisa undergoes so much trauma and challenges that so many indigenous women and girls are forced to face, trauma that spans generations, and it is written about in such an insightful and thought-provoking way. But she also is surrounded by the people that she loves and gets to experience the joys and triumphs of that. I will be thinking about the story for a long time, and you will too.

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

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agathecadieux's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ARC from Harper Collins Canada/HCC frenzy

I loved this book. Such a beautiful, even if hard, story and loving characters. I don't know how a book can possibly give more in terms of beauty, complexity and ice cream! I totally recommend. Look out for TW before reading.

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre. Une histoire vraiment magnifique, bien que difficile, et des personnages incroyables. Je ne sais pas comment un livre pourrait être mieux en termes de beauté, de complexité et de crème glacée. Je recommande totalement. Faites attention aux TW avant de lire.

Thanks to the publishers and author for this ARC !

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fromjuliereads's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

** Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions.**

NOTE: I cannot speak to the representation in this book. Please read reviews from Indigenous and/or Indigenous reviewers in the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

I have been trying to put my thoughts together since finishing this novel. I had thought the premise sounded so interesting, and when I heard that it was an Indigenous LGBTQIA+ novel set in Canada, I was sold. I absolutely loved getting to hear Jen Ferguson speak at an HCC Frenzy event as well.

There were a few things I really liked about the book:

The exploration of friendship, and how different friendships can look or function differently. Some are easy to continue or go back to, while others take a lot of work. And just the dynamics of friend groups, one-to-one friendships, and how they change over time. I like that the friendships were just as important as family in the novel.
The family relationships. They aren't perfect, they are more realistic than most novels make them seem. Families argue, struggle, but stay close and important.
The depictions of racism, especially anti-Indigenous racism, was dealt with well in the novel. There were the difficult pieces, the difficult conversations, people coming together to support, falling apart because of it, and the persistence of it in a small community. So many people think that racism isn't something that happens in Canada, but it is. And to see it in a novel is a reminder that it is as big of an issue here as it is in other places.
I absolutely loved all of the Canadian references, terms, places. Mentions of Timmies, bunnyhugs, the Royal Tyrrell Museum - all of it! There are so rarely books set in Canada, and I am always so excited when I find ones that talk about places I know, things I recognize immediately. Ordering a double double and vanilla dip at Timmies? Hells yes. My Canadian heart is happy haha.

The two pieces that I struggled with, though, were very large and integral parts to the story - I think that's why I couldn't rate this any higher. It made my enjoyment dampen a bit.
There is so much lying, deceit, anger, secrets. While teenagers have secrets, and I could never speak to the issues and difficulties that Lou has faced, I really struggled with the lies and secrets. They were so prevalent and big, they overtook the story in a way. I understand that part of it was the fallout of keeping secrets, but it seemed like that was thrown out multiple times in the story before things started to get better. And the biggest fallout about secrets happened before this book even takes place, something we are only given hints to.
The bigger one that I struggled with though was the acephobia. It was really hard to read, since it was both internalized and external. I understand that is common and acephobia is so prevalent in today's world, but it was really hard to read it. It's not even discussed in more detail until the very very end of the novel. I wish it had been discussed sooner because it felt almost like a "convenient" wrap-up - and I hate saying that, but things were kind of quickly discussed and worked through VERY quickly at the end, after being a major issue through the whole book.

I think I was just definitely not the audience for this book. And that's okay. I did take a lot away from reading it, but there are others who this book might be better for.

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