A review by rachelholly3
Blowin' My Mind Like a Summer Breeze by Benjamin Roesch

4.0

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

This book falls somewhere between a coming of age and a coming out story, interspersed with a good hit of music trivia and a reasonably honest depiction of what being a teenager can be like. Rainey Cobb has spent her whole life on tour with her parents, as part of the family band, but now 15 years old, she falls in love for the first time and desperately wants to learn what being a 'normal' teenager is like.

It's very relatable in parts, and I loved that it wasn't super sickly sweet and unbelievable in the romance. I really liked that whilst the romance was in there, it was by no means the only thing explored in the book, and the other themes, of finding yourself and not knowing what to do with your life, were just as present.
Rainey Cobb is a really likeable character, and I found myself rooting for her, however there were definitely instances where I found myself thinking I was being told the characters feeling, rather than shown in how they were acting. I found some sections of the narration quite condescending towards the reader, and the use of slurs in the book is jarring and unnecessary.

Overall though I did really enjoy it. Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC.