The story is great, featuring a young Southern girl, Turtle, who comes of age in the late 1970s, a time when civil rights was thought to be over... except in the South. Turtle spends her summer days carefree at the local watering hole with her brother, her cousin, and their friends, until she befriends the new girl from Sri Lanka. They are faced with the ugliness of racial division, including visits by the KKK and a tragedy that makes them look deep inside to discover who they are. This was a great read with well-developed characters, and it made me ponder just how far we have come but how far we still have to go.

First of all I have to thank NetGalley for the honor of reading such a touching and heartfelt book. It is truly a story that everyone should read.

I hate prejudice. It’s something I find I have very little patience with. I was born and raised in the south and have alway rebelled against hating someone because of the color of their skin, or their religious beliefs or sexual preferences. I try my best to love everyone and treat everyone with respect. Now, the bigots, haters and ones who think their race is the only one that counts; I throughly detest. I can’t tolerate haters. I have NO use for them be it in AL or in WASHINGTON. I won’t get polititacal here, but sure could with all that is going on right now in 2017. It’s a shame. It’s sad beyond words. That being said.....

I loved this book. It was written with such beauty, such eloquent words. In a way that to me most haters could read and it might get through to them. Maybe not, but maybe

Each character was formed so beautifully. Each person, each response to what this story was about, was written perfectly in my opinion.

I loved the setting and the Blue Hole reminds me in lots of ways of a place some of my friends and myself went to during hot summers when I was a teen in the 70s. I don’t remember there being trouble if someone different was there but I know in lots of places there was much trouble. Much hatred and pain.

This should be a book that kids in high school should have to read. Maybe it would teach them something. Something about belonging. Not being a bully or a hater. Just maybe it would get through to a few. You never know.

This book starts out great and it never let me down. I love how it started out with Turtle grown then going back in time to tell her story. Or the story I should say. It was just the right way to do this. She had a good story to tell albeit sad at times and very sad about half way through. Each character was touched by the New Girl, Sanna. Maybe some in not so good ways, they being haters. But the mangy pack took her as their friend and never let her down. She was different and some people can’t accept different, even now. She was kind and loving and a good friend. Em, he was one of my favorite characters. He loved reading and was kind in so many ways too. (Turtle’s brother). Then Jimbo. He was probably my very favorite person in this story. The son of a preacher. He was funny, well spoken, loving, kind and fell for the wrong, in their opinion, no mine, girl. I hated what happened to him.

I knew this was going to be a story that would get under my skin but I read it anyway and am so glad I did. It was so worth it. All the characters were so well written and so perfect for their part. Even the mean hearted. I wonder if the mean people do that out of fear of something or if they are truly just mean cruel people? I’ve often wondered about that. In this story you get to know each character and feel bad for some and happy for some.

It has something for everyone and lots of tears to be shed so be warned that you will need that box of Kleenex.

I gave this book a 5 star rating and would have given it many more if I could have. It is true to it’s time and it makes me wonder why there are some that would go back to that time or worse if they could. Or they think they would anyway. The author did a great job and I thank her for writing such a good story. It touched my heart deeply and completely

This is a book I will always remember reading. To me it was an emotionally difficult read. I read it with dread in my stomach almost the whole entire time. I wanted things to be so different and I knew they wouldn't be. It is so well written. There are so many lines that were very descriptive...one made me wonder how there could be such extreme hate... "The human heart gone to rot." It made me have so many feelings spending the summer with the "Mangy Gang" and living their lives through the racial tensions. I couldn't put the book down, I had to find out how it was going to end. It broke my heart in so many places and the realization that it took place in the late 70s, early 80s wasn't something I ever knew happened. I highly recommend this book. TY Joy Jordan-Lake for this literary work. I received a kindle copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A moving coming of age story that will leave readers with much to think about.
Told in retrospect, from the first person viewpoint of a woman recalling a pivotal summertime when her small world in the North Carolina mountains lost its sense of peace, and the 'blue hole' swimming spot became a crucible for friendship, justice, and mercy.

Told in the lyrical Southern style of mountain raised teenagers, the story lulled me into feeling like I was there, jumping into the back of a pickup with the 'mangy pack' on a hot day in 1979. It was an interesting, well drawn set of characters, full of the hopefulness of life, yet finding the truth of things the hard way. Fell a little in love with 'Jimbo' like Turtle did, as his kindness and sincerity was shown in "...always digging out room for a chance that somebody could change." Felt sad for Sanna as she realizes America--at least in that corner of it--isn't the end of the rainbow that her father hoped for.

The series of events built up the tension so well, it was liking watching a show where you knew that something awful would happen, but couldn't look away until it was over. The main theme of the destructiveness and evil of prejudice is sadly still one our country struggles with. Also the courage it takes to stand up against it is hard sometimes, but not doing anything is like agreeing with it. It felt like a story from the 50's, not in my lifetime, but unfortunately is based on real incidents of the late 70's.

"...maybe we were all fools...for believing that love makes you better, and bigger, and braver--but not safe." But that the unsafe is worth it.

Readers who enjoy stories with realism, social issues, and a redemptive theme will want to dive into this moving tale. It had me reaching for the tissues more than once. 4.5 stars

The author makes you feel like you are one of the “gang” in Pisgah Ridge, North Carolina! “Turtle” begins her story by seeing a woman walk by that looks like an old friend!
But this is not just any old friend, she looks like a girl from Sri Lanka that was Turtle’s only friend who was a girl back in her high school days. When Turtle was a sophomore in high school she made friends with Farsanna Moulavi, a girl who was different from every other person in that small mountain community.
Turtle, her brother Emerson, his best friend, Jimbo, the pastor’s son, L.J., her cousin, and Welp all hung out at the Blue Hole, a brownish pond at the bottom of a scraggly cliff. Turtle invited Farsanna to go with them to the Blue Hole, and she went, and the boys couldn’t get over how pretty she was.
This friendship with Turtle and the boys started a lot of trouble for everyone because Pisgah Ridge was not kind to anyone who was different, you will have to read the book for yourself to learn about the tension between the boys, the reaction of some of the town’s unaccepting residents, and the tragic events that were driven by hate.