khairun_atika's review against another edition
3.0
A sweet and endearing story of second chances, friendship and love. Penny Berne is the star of the school's theatre company, who feels responsible for her mother's downward spiral to depression. Feeling unworthy, she quits her lifestyle and adopts a queen bee one instead, losing her friends and her true passion. Things take a turn when she got struck by lightning and survived - but lost all her memories of the past year. Penny tries to navigate how she transitioned so much, and how she misses her old life. This is a beautiful story of building and mending friendships, of making amends and admitting to your mistakes. I loved reading it, and look forward to more from Rebecca Maizel.
wandereaderr's review against another edition
5.0
If I could give A Season for Fireflies more than five stars, trust me, I would. I mean… I can give it more than five stars… this is my fucking blog. So… I give this book ALL OF THE STARS AND ALL OF THE FIREFLIES. I knew I’d be in for a treat because Between Us and the Moon was incredible. I think I read it in six hours in one sitting last summer. Ugh, Rebecca Maizel, what are you doing to me?!
The first 38 pages of the novel consist of one version of Penny Berne, our lovely protagonist. A couple things happen and then the novel fast forwards from the end of Penny’s sophomore year in high school, to the beginning of Penny’s senior year of high school. And there is quite a difference in the two versions of Penny that Maizel presents us with. But of course, they’re still the same Penny, deep down.
A record number of fireflies are showing up in Penny’s town and no one can figure out why there are thousands of fireflies showing up in September. That doesn’t stop Penny and her bestie Kylie from partying, though. But then, a freak lightning accident happens and the next thing Penny remembers is waking up in the hospital. And it’s as if the last year hasn’t happened. She doesn’t remember becoming friends with Kylie or exactly why she’s not friends with her old theatre posse. And thus begins the journey of Penny Berne figuring out exactly who she is.
I honestly think I’m in love with Penny Berne. Even when she was the sidekick to Kylie, she still lit up every room she was in and she was the life of the party. She might’ve been closed off when it came to actually opening up to people, but it’s hard to be open to judgment. There is something so special about Penny and who she is, deep down inside, that will have you following her around with puppy eyes. Rebecca Maizel always writes such well-developed and lovable characters.
I have to talk about Wes next. He didn’t say much throughout A Season for Fireflies, but I fell for him just as much as I fell for Andrew in Between Us and the Moon. Again, Maizel writes her characters so incredibly charming it’s hard to not fall for them, you know? The way that he never really stopped caring for Penny even when she went through her “lost year.” (Her words, not mine!!) He was just so cute and I love him. He’s mine!!!!!
Also, he’s a great gift giver. That is honestly just beautiful.
I really loved Kylie and Penny’s friendship. It was born out of a need for something new and maybe not the healthiest place in Penny’s heart, but it was still a genuine and true friendship. And I really enjoyed Penny’s friendships with all of her theater friends as well. I think it just attributes to Penny’s personality and how fun and caring and friendly she is!
A Season for Fireflies is truly a story about second chances. And I absolutely love Penny’s character arc and how much she changed from her sophomore year to her senior year. It’s a beautiful journey and I’m so glad Rebecca Maizel gave me the opportunity to take it with Penny!
The only thing is I wish it were longer! I need more. But, that just makes me think that we don’t get many details of what really happened in Penny’s “lost year” so it’s like we have the same memory loss and it just fits so well. But, of course, with any good book I want so much more.
Please, pick up this book!!! It’s incredible.
Happy Reading!
Love,
The Cosmic Reader
“They think I’m just loud, funny Penny, top ten in the class and the party girl at Kylie’s side who never takes anything too seriously.”
The first 38 pages of the novel consist of one version of Penny Berne, our lovely protagonist. A couple things happen and then the novel fast forwards from the end of Penny’s sophomore year in high school, to the beginning of Penny’s senior year of high school. And there is quite a difference in the two versions of Penny that Maizel presents us with. But of course, they’re still the same Penny, deep down.
A record number of fireflies are showing up in Penny’s town and no one can figure out why there are thousands of fireflies showing up in September. That doesn’t stop Penny and her bestie Kylie from partying, though. But then, a freak lightning accident happens and the next thing Penny remembers is waking up in the hospital. And it’s as if the last year hasn’t happened. She doesn’t remember becoming friends with Kylie or exactly why she’s not friends with her old theatre posse. And thus begins the journey of Penny Berne figuring out exactly who she is.
I honestly think I’m in love with Penny Berne. Even when she was the sidekick to Kylie, she still lit up every room she was in and she was the life of the party. She might’ve been closed off when it came to actually opening up to people, but it’s hard to be open to judgment. There is something so special about Penny and who she is, deep down inside, that will have you following her around with puppy eyes. Rebecca Maizel always writes such well-developed and lovable characters.
“Wes made me a planetarium?”
I have to talk about Wes next. He didn’t say much throughout A Season for Fireflies, but I fell for him just as much as I fell for Andrew in Between Us and the Moon. Again, Maizel writes her characters so incredibly charming it’s hard to not fall for them, you know? The way that he never really stopped caring for Penny even when she went through her “lost year.” (Her words, not mine!!) He was just so cute and I love him. He’s mine!!!!!
Also, he’s a great gift giver. That is honestly just beautiful.
“’You’re back, babe.’ She laughs. ‘My number one bitch.’”
I really loved Kylie and Penny’s friendship. It was born out of a need for something new and maybe not the healthiest place in Penny’s heart, but it was still a genuine and true friendship. And I really enjoyed Penny’s friendships with all of her theater friends as well. I think it just attributes to Penny’s personality and how fun and caring and friendly she is!
“To be brought back together, to be reconciled, I had to lose myself in the shadows and find my way back out to the light.”
A Season for Fireflies is truly a story about second chances. And I absolutely love Penny’s character arc and how much she changed from her sophomore year to her senior year. It’s a beautiful journey and I’m so glad Rebecca Maizel gave me the opportunity to take it with Penny!
The only thing is I wish it were longer! I need more. But, that just makes me think that we don’t get many details of what really happened in Penny’s “lost year” so it’s like we have the same memory loss and it just fits so well. But, of course, with any good book I want so much more.
Please, pick up this book!!! It’s incredible.
Happy Reading!
Love,
The Cosmic Reader
jang's review against another edition
4.0
Rebecca Maizel is quickly turning into one of my favorite contemporary YA writers. After the cute and fun coming-of-age Between Us and the Moon, she captured my fun-loving side again with her new summer offer A Season for Fireflies.
By now, it feels like I have somewhat memorized Rebecca Maizel's writing style. Her books are always cutesy, always happen in the summer, caters specifically to highschool readers (a target audience of which I am so far beyond but who cares), always has celestial/environmental themes in between (she's so fond of stars and planets and it's endearing), and always has a confused female teen going through intense adolescent changes and realizations as her heroine.
Her writing always tugs at the feels because they're relatable and emotional. Her books always feel like a throwback to that phase of my life. I can seriously identify with her characters because I also went through that confusing, insecure, what's-fucking-wrong-with-world/this-guy-is-cute-but-I'm-shy teenage period. It's difficult at the time but looking back at it now, I just can't help but smile. Good times tbh.
A Season for Fireflies was a quick and light read that features a geeky drama club girl (Penny) who lost her memory when she was struck by a lightning at a friend's party. The storyline was new and shocking and interesting and all kinds of ridiculous if we're being honest but the dialogues and the characters were legit good that it was really so easy to fall in love with the story.
I liked Penny's realizations and the changes that she went through to get better. She was able to stitch back her life together and even connect her past with her present even if some of the things in between got muddled after the strike. She was able to find true friends, true love, true family love and most importantly, she was able to find herself.
What I didn't like about the book was the missing arc about her mother's alcohol addiction and her other personal demons. It was mentioned here that the reason her mother drank all the time was because of Penny, and how she was bottling up all her rage because of Penny and because of their life as a family, yet the story never really explored WHY. What did Penny do to make her drink herself to oblivion, why is she having issues and a pent-up rage towards her family especially her daughter, when did the drinking start, why did she tell her daughter she's a piece of shit, where was her husband in all of these?
So many unanswered questions regarding that vital make-up of Penny's life. I wish RM explored that angle more just so I can finally give one of her books a five-star rating. To be quite honest, I hated myself for only giving Between Us and the Moon a three-star rating when it deserved a four because that story wouldn't leave me for weeks (which to me was an obvious sign that I enjoyed and loved it). But looking back at how that book also left a lot of missing pieces for the young readers to ponder made me hate myself less. Because of all those blank spaces in between, the book warranted just three stars.
Still, I enjoyed A Season for Fireflies. It's very young and light and emotional all at the same time. I want more of Rebecca's book just so I can feel this young again and smile at the ridiculous, tender moments that her books always offer.
By now, it feels like I have somewhat memorized Rebecca Maizel's writing style. Her books are always cutesy, always happen in the summer, caters specifically to highschool readers (a target audience of which I am so far beyond but who cares), always has celestial/environmental themes in between (she's so fond of stars and planets and it's endearing), and always has a confused female teen going through intense adolescent changes and realizations as her heroine.
Her writing always tugs at the feels because they're relatable and emotional. Her books always feel like a throwback to that phase of my life. I can seriously identify with her characters because I also went through that confusing, insecure, what's-fucking-wrong-with-world/this-guy-is-cute-but-I'm-shy teenage period. It's difficult at the time but looking back at it now, I just can't help but smile. Good times tbh.
A Season for Fireflies was a quick and light read that features a geeky drama club girl (Penny) who lost her memory when she was struck by a lightning at a friend's party. The storyline was new and shocking and interesting and all kinds of ridiculous if we're being honest but the dialogues and the characters were legit good that it was really so easy to fall in love with the story.
I liked Penny's realizations and the changes that she went through to get better. She was able to stitch back her life together and even connect her past with her present even if some of the things in between got muddled after the strike. She was able to find true friends, true love, true family love and most importantly, she was able to find herself.
What I didn't like about the book was the missing arc about her mother's alcohol addiction and her other personal demons. It was mentioned here that the reason her mother drank all the time was because of Penny, and how she was bottling up all her rage because of Penny and because of their life as a family, yet the story never really explored WHY. What did Penny do to make her drink herself to oblivion, why is she having issues and a pent-up rage towards her family especially her daughter, when did the drinking start, why did she tell her daughter she's a piece of shit, where was her husband in all of these?
So many unanswered questions regarding that vital make-up of Penny's life. I wish RM explored that angle more just so I can finally give one of her books a five-star rating. To be quite honest, I hated myself for only giving Between Us and the Moon a three-star rating when it deserved a four because that story wouldn't leave me for weeks (which to me was an obvious sign that I enjoyed and loved it). But looking back at how that book also left a lot of missing pieces for the young readers to ponder made me hate myself less. Because of all those blank spaces in between, the book warranted just three stars.
Still, I enjoyed A Season for Fireflies. It's very young and light and emotional all at the same time. I want more of Rebecca's book just so I can feel this young again and smile at the ridiculous, tender moments that her books always offer.
sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
Penny's mother is an alcoholic and her issues are now beginning to become apparent to world outside of the family. Her mother looses a prestigious job because of the drinking. When Penny tries to get her mother to shape up, she flies off of the handle and blames her drinking on Penny (who she says is overly dramatic and needed--I kinda agree, but you don't tell you kid that or blame someone else for your own poor choices). Penny taking this drunken rage to heart, quits the play and gives up her old friends. She falls in with the popular crowd and tries to become something her mother will approve of (which is never going to happen because her mother is a sick woman and totally not in the head space to provide any serious interaction with her daughter. Flash forward a year, everything has changed, but then Penny gets hit by lightning and looses her memories of the last year. She can't figure out how she got from point A, last year, to point B, this year. Penny tries to reach out to her old friends, new friends be darned.
Penny was very nearly too over-dramatic for me. I just couldn't handle her angst. The love story was standard and it was an easy read, but I just could not get on the Penny train.
Penny was very nearly too over-dramatic for me. I just couldn't handle her angst. The love story was standard and it was an easy read, but I just could not get on the Penny train.
biblialex's review against another edition
4.0
It's another review based on a galley from Edelweiss, and I think this one could be a hit this summer. A Season for Fireflies is an all-around solid YA contemporary with an interesting premise, likable characters, and a charming romance. Also, it's a good read-alike for anyone who enjoyed Oliver's Before I Fall.
kspear22's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this story of second chances and redemption!
I've been in a book funk for a little over a month now. Most books have been in the miss category lately, thanks to an exquisite book that released last month. When I first picked up A Season for Fireflies I wasn't sure if it was the right time. Even upon starting last night, I almost decided to put it down temporarily. Not because of the story, but I just wasn't sure if I'd give it my full attention. I am so glad I stuck with it!
Penny is a theater star. She is best friends with most of those who work with her in theater, including her best friend, Wes. Who she's realizing has changed and she possibly has feelings for. But she has problems at home. Her mother is an alcoholic. She's on a fast downward spiral. And it's affecting Penny. She won't talk to anyone about it --- she keeps it all hidden. Finally, everything blows up. The story jumps from sophomore year to senior year. It's here we see a new Penny. She has ditched/abandoned her old crew for the popular one. On an odd evening, she is struck by lightning. And once again, everything changes. When she wakes up, she's stuck a year in the past. She doesn't remember her most recent life.
Once the accident happens, I was really sucked into the book. As Penny starts to relearn things, she is also made aware of how she's been acting. It truly bothers her and she wants to make things right. She just isn't sure how. After so long, no one from her old life is willing to talk to her. But she never gives up and I loved that about her! It was tough for me to figure out what should happen. I think she needed her old crew, but also needed Kylie (the newest BFF) for reasons. People come into out lives at the right times, when we need them. And this was no different. And even though we probably weren't meant to love Kylie, I think she had good and bad qualities. I felt sorry that Penny had forgotten her and was more focused on winning back the theater group. But I also understood that was closer to the real Penny in a lot of ways. The real Penny was a mix of the two, she just needed to figure out how to get there.
And Wes! As is the case in any good story, he's a gem. The perfect guy we'd have liked in high school. Their interactions were painful at times. I knew Penny had work to do, but it was clear his feelings had never changed. It was just a matter of being on the same page at the same time. And forgiveness.
I really liked this story. It was never slow for me --- I think I finished in a matter of hours! Things aren't resolved in seconds. It takes time, and even at the end, some aspects aren't magically perfect. The real struggles are still present, as they most likely always will be. I loved that realistic aspect, too. Plus, this is more than a romance disguised as something else. It focuses on EVERY relationship in Penny's life --- family, best friends, love, even academic ones.
If you want a fast-paced, fun, and easy read, I recommend A Season for Fireflies.
I've been in a book funk for a little over a month now. Most books have been in the miss category lately, thanks to an exquisite book that released last month. When I first picked up A Season for Fireflies I wasn't sure if it was the right time. Even upon starting last night, I almost decided to put it down temporarily. Not because of the story, but I just wasn't sure if I'd give it my full attention. I am so glad I stuck with it!
Penny is a theater star. She is best friends with most of those who work with her in theater, including her best friend, Wes. Who she's realizing has changed and she possibly has feelings for. But she has problems at home. Her mother is an alcoholic. She's on a fast downward spiral. And it's affecting Penny. She won't talk to anyone about it --- she keeps it all hidden. Finally, everything blows up. The story jumps from sophomore year to senior year. It's here we see a new Penny. She has ditched/abandoned her old crew for the popular one. On an odd evening, she is struck by lightning. And once again, everything changes. When she wakes up, she's stuck a year in the past. She doesn't remember her most recent life.
Once the accident happens, I was really sucked into the book. As Penny starts to relearn things, she is also made aware of how she's been acting. It truly bothers her and she wants to make things right. She just isn't sure how. After so long, no one from her old life is willing to talk to her. But she never gives up and I loved that about her! It was tough for me to figure out what should happen. I think she needed her old crew, but also needed Kylie (the newest BFF) for reasons. People come into out lives at the right times, when we need them. And this was no different. And even though we probably weren't meant to love Kylie, I think she had good and bad qualities. I felt sorry that Penny had forgotten her and was more focused on winning back the theater group. But I also understood that was closer to the real Penny in a lot of ways. The real Penny was a mix of the two, she just needed to figure out how to get there.
And Wes! As is the case in any good story, he's a gem. The perfect guy we'd have liked in high school. Their interactions were painful at times. I knew Penny had work to do, but it was clear his feelings had never changed. It was just a matter of being on the same page at the same time. And forgiveness.
I really liked this story. It was never slow for me --- I think I finished in a matter of hours! Things aren't resolved in seconds. It takes time, and even at the end, some aspects aren't magically perfect. The real struggles are still present, as they most likely always will be. I loved that realistic aspect, too. Plus, this is more than a romance disguised as something else. It focuses on EVERY relationship in Penny's life --- family, best friends, love, even academic ones.
If you want a fast-paced, fun, and easy read, I recommend A Season for Fireflies.
amanda1620's review against another edition
3.0
Finished this book pretty quickly (read it on an airplane journey). I feel confused when I was reading this book, there are a lot of plot holes, unanswered questions. The things that the Penny did was somewhat confusing. It would be nice if this book is longer and we can see more personality of the other minor characters. The firefly? I feel like it has no meaning... But it's pretty interesting, the connection between the firefly and the memory loss and the fading of the marks.
sheilabookworm3369's review
4.0
A coming of age, coming to adulthood story. Some larger bits cringingly true to life, smaller parts improbable, a sprinkle of whimsy here and there for glittery accents. Really enjoyed the shifts and twists between friendships. Probably deserves 4 1/2 stars because I finished it in one go.
bookmarklit's review against another edition
3.0
That was cute! I really wish there was a bit more though; it's a short book and could easily have benefitted from at least 50 more pages. I needed some more info from before her accident so I'd have more FEELS when it came to the romance or friendship(s). There were some heavier topics that never felt like they got resolved, which ultimately impacted my rating too. I liked it and it was a SUPER quick read; I'd recommend it to some readers.
//Full thoughts//
I tore through this book pretty quickly – it was a really easy read for me and frankly just what I needed at the time. I have some issues with it overall and really think the book could have benefitted from 50-100 more pages.
We don’t get enough information about her life before the accident to FEEL anything. There’s one small section of the book where we see her quit drama club, ignore her friends, and keep secrets (her mom’s drinking) from everyone. All of this basically happens in one afternoon. In that same day, she meets the popular girl, Kylie, and they kind of hit it off right away. The book jumps ahead to a year later, where her and Kylie have been best-friend-ing it up. She’s ignored her other friends and moved on from them for what feels like no reason at all. Kylie is apparently vague about her life and Penny enjoys being able to ~hide things~ from her without feeling guilty. THIS is why she completely reinvents her life? I just didn’t buy it.
The romance was super meh as a result of everything above. Before she abandons her friends, she has a budding romance with one of her friends, Wes. Something is about to happen between them when she says BYE EVERYONE and moves on to bigger and more popular things. Why!? I literally don’t get it. Because she didn’t want them to know about her mom’s drinking? It just seems kind of stupid to me. I’ve never dealt with a problem like that, so I don’t really know how I would react… but abandoning my favorite hobby and potential career, my almost-boyfriend, and my best friends? I don’t think it would happen that way. The resolution of everything was cute and I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t able to ship anything too much because I just didn’t see the chemistry beforehand as much as I would have liked.
It was a super fast read but could have benefitted from more pages. The ARC is short – only 250 pages or so. The book could have really benefitted from more information before the accident. I would have liked to FEEL the chemistry and friendship before she abandoned them, as well as seen her friendship with Kylie a little more. The book could have been fantastic if there was just MORE. I loved being able to read it so quickly and I was generally pretty invested in the story from the very beginning.
I didn’t understand a lot of her motivations. As I said, I didn’t fully understand how she was able to make the choices she did. I know that her mom had a drinking problem and she was trying to hide it from her friends. Not much of a spoiler but I’ll be overly cautious – I just don’t understand. I didn’t get how that was even the case because Penny’s character wasn’t fleshed out enough for it. I wanted more closure about some things too.
I love the memory loss concept! I’ve been interested in this topic in books a lot lately and was happy to see it included here. It’s always interesting to see the main character start putting their life back together and trying to see how they’ve become the person they are now. I explored this a bit in my review of What Alice Forgot with Cristina. I couldn’t imagine waking up and not remembering the past year. My life truthfully hasn’t changed AS much since then, but five years ago I would be BAFFLED by how my life is like this!
Overall, I would cautiously recommend this book to people looking for a fairly unique contemp. It wasn’t a home run for me by any means, but I’m generally glad I read it. The author will remain on my “of interest” list I think. I knew a lot of my rating would be impacted by the ending of the book and the closure it provided about her family issues.
(Also, side note – I didn’t understand the point of the firefly thing! I don’t know if it signified something deeper or anything. It just felt pointless even though it was generally kind of an interesting aspect? Idk.)
//Full thoughts//
I tore through this book pretty quickly – it was a really easy read for me and frankly just what I needed at the time. I have some issues with it overall and really think the book could have benefitted from 50-100 more pages.
We don’t get enough information about her life before the accident to FEEL anything. There’s one small section of the book where we see her quit drama club, ignore her friends, and keep secrets (her mom’s drinking) from everyone. All of this basically happens in one afternoon. In that same day, she meets the popular girl, Kylie, and they kind of hit it off right away. The book jumps ahead to a year later, where her and Kylie have been best-friend-ing it up. She’s ignored her other friends and moved on from them for what feels like no reason at all. Kylie is apparently vague about her life and Penny enjoys being able to ~hide things~ from her without feeling guilty. THIS is why she completely reinvents her life? I just didn’t buy it.
The romance was super meh as a result of everything above. Before she abandons her friends, she has a budding romance with one of her friends, Wes. Something is about to happen between them when she says BYE EVERYONE and moves on to bigger and more popular things. Why!? I literally don’t get it. Because she didn’t want them to know about her mom’s drinking? It just seems kind of stupid to me. I’ve never dealt with a problem like that, so I don’t really know how I would react… but abandoning my favorite hobby and potential career, my almost-boyfriend, and my best friends? I don’t think it would happen that way. The resolution of everything was cute and I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t able to ship anything too much because I just didn’t see the chemistry beforehand as much as I would have liked.
It was a super fast read but could have benefitted from more pages. The ARC is short – only 250 pages or so. The book could have really benefitted from more information before the accident. I would have liked to FEEL the chemistry and friendship before she abandoned them, as well as seen her friendship with Kylie a little more. The book could have been fantastic if there was just MORE. I loved being able to read it so quickly and I was generally pretty invested in the story from the very beginning.
I didn’t understand a lot of her motivations. As I said, I didn’t fully understand how she was able to make the choices she did. I know that her mom had a drinking problem and she was trying to hide it from her friends. Not much of a spoiler but I’ll be overly cautious –
Spoiler
Her mom blames her drinking problem on Penny. Because she’s too dramatic? And everything is always about her?I love the memory loss concept! I’ve been interested in this topic in books a lot lately and was happy to see it included here. It’s always interesting to see the main character start putting their life back together and trying to see how they’ve become the person they are now. I explored this a bit in my review of What Alice Forgot with Cristina. I couldn’t imagine waking up and not remembering the past year. My life truthfully hasn’t changed AS much since then, but five years ago I would be BAFFLED by how my life is like this!
Overall, I would cautiously recommend this book to people looking for a fairly unique contemp. It wasn’t a home run for me by any means, but I’m generally glad I read it. The author will remain on my “of interest” list I think. I knew a lot of my rating would be impacted by the ending of the book and the closure it provided about her family issues.
(Also, side note – I didn’t understand the point of the firefly thing! I don’t know if it signified something deeper or anything. It just felt pointless even though it was generally kind of an interesting aspect? Idk.)