A review by kara_jane
Gather The Daughters by Jennie Melamed

5.0

Years ago ten men came to island off the coast of a crumbling nation, where they make up their own society based on ancestors worship. Generation later community is still following these rules. The only people who are allowed to leave are the wanderers, the discendants of the original ten men. 

The daughters once shows signs of puberty have their summer of fruitation which is when they go from childhood to marriage. Once they have their two children and their children have children and are no longer usefil they take the final draft and die. 

***SPOILERS MAYBE?***

In Gather The Daughters meet four girls Amanda who had her summer of fruitation and is expecting her first child with her husband Andrew. I really like her she wants nothing more then to protect her unborn child.

Vanessa is the daughter of a wanderer who is very well educated for a girl because her father sees nothing wrong with her reading books (WAY TO GO DAD!) she hasn't had her summer yet. 

Caitlin is the daughter of a family who arrived on the island to have a better life, she doesn't remember anything from the wastelands. 

Lastly is Janey a girl who is in her late teens and hasn't had her summer yet. She is one of my favorite main characters, she is firece and will not let anything stand in her way even if it kills her. She is very headstrong independent woman who wants nothing more then to protect her sister Mary and the other girls who haven't has their summer of fruitation.
This book had me staying up late on a work day just to know what happens. I love how you get more POVS of different girls and how they see their society. Jennie Melamed did a fantastic job in her debut novel. I honestly didn't even know of this book until I saw it's on a bookstagram account called salt water reads where they had Jennie's book as their August pick.  So thank you for introducing me to this amazing book! I hope to see more from Melamed.