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A review by jang
A Season for Fireflies by Rebecca Maizel
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.