Trigger Warning: This book features racism.

When I read that the main character from The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith, Leila, has seasonal affective disorder, I desperately wanted to read it. But sadly, this book just wasn't for me.

Leila has recently been adopted, and is struggling to come to believe that this is her life now, that she won't end up back in the group home. She also has seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mental illness that has been too difficult for previous foster parents to deal with. And then there are the voices she's heard in her head all her life, that no-one but her best friend Sarika knows about, which have been growing louder and clearer. To distract herself from her worries, she throws herself into her passion for saving the environment. She and her best friend Sarika join the local environment club, and during a field trip to Fairmount Park, and she's drawn to a certain area. After exploring with Park Ranger Langdon, and following the voices only she can hear, Leila discovers something in the grove of Fairmount Park, days before everything in the grove is meant to be flattened; the trees, the nearby derelict mansion, and the mansion's gardens that lead to the grove. Leila quickly becomes determined to save the grove, and save what she's found their - because if the grove is torn apart, then Philadelphia will be in jeopardy.

The Girl and the Grove is by no means a bad book. The problem is me rather than the book; it heavily focuses on saving the planet, which is important and something I'm interested in, in general, but not something I enjoy reading about in fiction, I have now discovered. So it's just down to personal taste here. The description above clearly states that Leila is into environmental advocacy, that she monitors message boards and joins and environmental club, but I thought they were just hobbies, things we would read about, sure, but I didn't realise the whole point of the book was going to be based around environmental activism.

This is a fantasy book, but the fantasy elements are quite small. It's difficult to talk about without spoiling the story. However, we don't really see that The Girl and the Grove is a fantasy until just before 50% into the book. I felt it was quite slow to get going, and, considering the title, quite a while before Leila discovered the grove. Despite being slow, and being about something I now know is not my cup of tea, the writing kept me reading. It's written in such a way that I was interested in the story, even though I wasn't interested in the topic. Most chapters end on mini cliffhangers, and I always wanted to know where the story was going next, and the more I read, the more questions I had. But once we discovered what was in the grove, the focus switched to saving the grove, rather than on what was in the grove itself. We get very few answers to the questions that pile up. In the great scheme of things, not much time is spent with what's in the grove, so we find out very little. This looks to be a stand alone novel, so I don't think I'm going to find out any of the answers, which is a little frustrating.

I loved how the story dealt with adoption and fostering. It should also be noted that Smith was himself adopted, which I knew before reading having previously read the article, and so this part of Leila's story felt especially poignant. Leila really struggles with accepting she's now been adopted. Time and time again, she's been let down by foster carers and potential adoptive parents who always sent her back to the group home, partly down to her having SAD. So, understandably, despite actually being adopted now, she's worried it's going to happen again. She calls her parents by their names, Jon and Liz, rather than mom and dad, and she tries not be too much trouble. At one point, during a conversation about a willow tree in their garden that has been struck by lightning - damaged beyond repair, needing to be torn down - Leila feels they're giving up on the tree, and gets anxious that that's how they'll feel about her, and because of the emotional turmoil, accidentally cuts her hand badly enough to need stitches. Her parents want to take her to the hospital, but she misunderstands and thinks they want to take her back to the home, and panics. It's a heartbreaking scene, as, in tears, she practically begs to stay at home, saying it won't happen again, saying she'll just bandage it and will be fine. It's so upsetting. It's really emotional but also so beautiful to see her realise, over the course of the story, that Jon and Liz don't want her to go anywhere, that this is it for her now. They are her parents, and this is her home.

I also loved how it covered the stupid questions people would ask about her being adopted and her biological parents. I was completely dumbfounded that anyone would be that ignorant not to know you just don't ask. My Nan was a foster carer, so I grew up knowing lots of foster children, so perhaps that's why it seems so obvious to me, as I was brought up not to ask. But come on; you don't know anything about the past of a person in foster care, or who has been adopted. In Leila's case, she doesn't know her biological parents, but no-one asking the questions knows that, they have no idea what she may have been through that led to her going into foster care. You don't ask about things that could be painful and upsetting, or even triggering. You just don't. You wait to be told, or you never know. It's none of your business. So it just made me so mad whenever it happened.

The Girl and the Grove is the first book I've ever come across that features a character with seasonal affective disorder, which is why I wanted to read it so much. What's great about it is, it's not about Leila having SAD - this isn't a book about mental illness, it's about a girl who's trying to save a grove, who has a mental illness. We don't find out too much about it; we know Leila can feel depressed, she takes medication, and has to use a therapeutic light box for fifteen minutes each morning - which we see each morning at breakfast. We know foster parents in the past didn't really get it, and would ask questions about how she was feeling depending on what the weather was like, even though the weather had nothing to do with it. But we're not really told what it means. We see Leila experience anxiety and at least one panic attack, and she mentions that she has depression, but there's never a "I have SAD, and this is what that means," moment. But that seems realistic for me, because she's already adopted, so her parents already know, as does her best mate, and it's no-one else's business, so there's no reason to explain it to a person, and she's not going to randomly "think" about what SAD is as part of her narration to explain it to the reader. And as it's not a story about Leila having SAD, I think it would seem weird and clunky, to have her explain it when it's not a major part of the story. If the reader doesn't know what SAD is, the reader just has to look it up. Yes, that means more work for the reader, and that may be frustrating, but it's not Leila's job - or any real person with a mental illness's job - to explain and educate about their mental illness. And those with SAD who are reading this book? They don't need an explanation, they know what it is. This is about representation, so teens with SAD can see themselves in a book, not about educating everyone else.

And speaking of representation, it was great to see the various marginalised characters in this book. As well as having SAD, Leila is also black, which is important as I've found only a few YA novels featuring mental illness where the protagonist is also a person of colour. It's not just white people who have mental illnesses, but from looking at YA books, you would think it was - or at least rarer for people of colour to have mental illnesses. Leila has also been adopted by interracial parents, with Liz being black and Jon being white. Sarika is South Asian - and, sadly, experiences racist bullying, and has a racist slur used against South Asian people hurled at her.

As I said, The Girl and the Grove isn't for me, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. The writing is captivating, and the adoption side of things is so beautiful. It was just a mismatch with me on the environment/conservation side of things. Do read more reviews before deciding whether or not you'll read this book.

Thank you to Flux via NetGalley for the eProof.

It's rare to find a book that really captures how teens experience the internet and ways activism manifests. Smith brings forth such a strong friendship in Leila and Sarika. They were so fun to read about, very supportive, and balanced each other out wonderfully.

I enjoyed how low-key the magical element was, given that it showed up so late. The way Leila's passion for nature had been grounded in the familiar was really well done. It made her relatable but also helped the audience care about the things she cared about. She was headstrong, but compassionate. I especially loved the way she related to her parents, particularly Jon. He bumbled a bit, but ultimately, he cared about her. Lisabeth could have had some more page-time, but the moments she was present were great.

The weakest element for me was the antagonist. It felt like some character development was missing because she was so one-dimensional. I thought establishing the real villains—those wanting to destroy the grove—was handled much better. It would have been nice to get some foreshadowing there in the beginning.

Overall, a great read about fighting for what you love and so many good family feels.

A very unique and interesting novel with a slow and intriguing start.
I wasn’t too sure what to think of this one but it absolutely picks up. I found that I absolutely loved the protagonist and her weird and whimsical approach. Very unique and definite good read!

The mythology was interesting and I love the relationship with the adoptive family of the main character, but all in all I couldn't really connect with the story. I think it was because how immature most of the characters seemed, I disliked everyone but the protagonist.

This book has an unique and different storyline and I was really enjoying it until about halfway through when it just got really weird and explained well enough.

This is the type of book that keeps you guessing as far as what’s really going on. At First, it feels like a contemporary novel that deals with the issues of adoption, loss, and a sense of not belonging. I think that any teen will be able to relate to those issues, even if they haven’t experienced this type of loss. Of course, like most contemps, there’s a romance—though the path to that romance isn’t as straight and narrow as we’re used to seeing. There are also hints of mental illness … or is it? About halfway through, the book takes a major jump into magical realism territory, which blends into fantasy for a brief spell… but then we stay firmly in what I’d call magical realism. I think some people were thrown by all of this, but I mostly enjoyed figuring out where things were going. And I liked the overall magical realism, though I do wish it had been introduced a little earlier in the book.

I liked Leila, and I felt for her in her struggle for identity. I also connected to the romance in the book, and I loved the sense of environmental activism. There were a few negatives, though. The biggest one for me was the mean-girl character, who was completely over-the-top stereotypical. She’s out to destroy people’s lives (and the environment) with almost no motivation that we can see, which is frustrating. There’s a comment thrown out there about her dad not paying attention to her, but her character is so undeveloped that it’s hard to feel anything but disdain for her. Then there’s an almost-love-interest who feels a little all over the place. I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to like him or not by the end, but I mostly didn’t.

Still, I think younger teen readers especially will enjoy this one. And the adoption themes alone make it a unique and interesting read. Overall, I give it 3.5/5 stars.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

This was such a unique read! This brought a fresh perspective on a very overdone trope, The Chosen One.

This follows a teen named Leila who has a passion for saving the world. It was refreshing to see someone love something so much.

Leila is a foster child and seeing the way she couldn't believe that she finally found a home and family brought tears to my eyes. And I do believe this is an ownvoices novel for adoption, which you can really tell. Her adoption is a big part of the story, but I loved reading every word. Her parents were awesome! Her dad had the typical "dad jokes".

The Girl and the Grove brings a fresh, fascinating view to the contemporary fantasy game, centering on threads of environmentalism and family rather than the norm of romance or the magical creatures, although those two things are still present and relevant.

I should have loved this book. Own Voice environmental urban fantasy? Totally my jam. It should have been wonderful, but I can't let go of the fact that I did not believe in... 70% of this book?

Leila is the only character who looks real and I love her to pieces for that. She's a foster-child who's been bouncing from family to family all around Philadelphia. She is struggling with S.A.D. and what seems to be fear of abandonment, which make it difficult for her to settle with her new family, to accept Lis and Jon's love and love them in return. The Girl and the Grove has a beautiful arc about family and finding home in unexpected places and people. The fantasy elements, though minor, are a lovely addition to it. But then...

It's hard to describe, but my main problem with this book is that, all the other characters? They don't seem real, even Sarika, Leila's BFF. They are tools to tell a story and tackle themes, but that's it. They're puppets and I can see the strings, I should not be able to see the strings! But I do. It's so frustrating when you can see that characters like Shawn and Jessica are being pushed into acting a certain way, saying certain things at certain times to address particular issues, which I can feel are important to the writer, but it doesn't feel natural at. all.
If I don't believe in the majority of the characters, how am I supposed to believe in the fantasy elements then? There are [Spoiler] in a grove in Philadelphia, and I can't see them because this book barely describes anything, that's kind of sad.

Eventually, I lost interest. There's also a romance in there somewhere, but... :tiredshrug:. I'm just disappointed, I really wanted to love this book.

Title: The Girl and the Grove
Author: Eric Smith
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Leila hasn’t had an easy life. Bounced from foster home to group home, the only constant she’s had is her best friend Sarika. Now Leila is adopted, and she loves her new home, even if she’s still waiting on the other shoe to drop and her new parents to decide they don’t want her.

To make new friends, Leila joins an environmental group at a local high school, and soon finds herself chatting with the cute leader of the group, whose ex-girlfriend is determined to make trouble for Leila and Sarika.

Then the voice in Leila’s head starts demanding her attention, and her coping methods no longer work. On impulse, she follows the voice’s direction to a grove deep in the local park. The grove is a place of old magic, and Leila discovers the truth about herself, and a danger that threatens the entire city.

A YA book about environmental issues? Yes, please. Throw in a diverse cast of characters who also fight against racism, and that upped my interest even more. I loved the premise of this novel, and the magical element made it even more promising. With Leila’s fears and insecurities from being adopted front and center, there was a lot going on in this book.

However, Leila and Sarika weren’t consistent enough to make them completely believable to me. Leila had a wonderful strength, was very outspoken and strong-willed, yet sometimes she seemed so naïve and childish in her thoughts and actions. Sarika was brazen towards others, although she showed her softer side to Leila. Their friendship was amazing, but then they’d throw in an f-bomb or two, and it seemed totally out-of-character, as if the cussing was just to make them seem more adult. Gratuitous profanity just didn’t fit the rest of their character. Actually, all of the teenagers had this dichotomy of personality, so their actions and personality were never cohesive. I never got a good sense of the why behind this erratic behavior.

Eric Smith is an author and literary agent. The Girl and the Grove is his newest novel.

(Galley provided by Flux in exchange for an honest review.)

Leila hears voices in her head and taking deep breaths and focusing on what is real around her , a routine she’d been running through all her life, one she and Sarika had developed together at the group home when the voices came. And the voices pulled back into the depths of her mind, as they always did. Leila had been adopted by her foster parents Jon and Lisabeth. No other family had treated her this way, they didn’t fuss over her like she was someone …. different. Asking stupid questions like how to wash her hair or freaking out every time the seasons changed. The group home had been honest about her seasonal affective disorder and every other foster family had pushed and pressed Leila about it. They let her take her meds on her own and since she was the only child there was no questions about her therapeutic light box. For years Jon had been a corporate lawyer but now he had a new camera and he had a new career as an environmental journalist and it suited him better, even if he wasn’t exactly great of taking care of anything green around him. Jon wrote for news outlets such as: Slate, Farm And Agriculture, The New York Times, and Grid. he also taught part time at St. Joseph’s university in their small environmental department.Leila and Jon shared their interest/love of nature and the environment.The voices were weak and muttering when out here in the in the suburbs of the city. The group home had been big with a lot of rooms but this house - her home was narrow yet somehow cozy. Here it was hard for Leila not to see her new parents at all times or bumping into one of them when turning a corner or not hear them talk when she was in her room.It was strangely comforting, nice even. Leila could not use the words mom and dad everything was to new and she was afraid they would yet send her back she wasn’t sure if they could do that since they had adopted her but she couldn’t take any chances. She knows how much Jon and Lisbett wanted to hear the words she would try harder though to be more bending wwith them. Since the storm two weeks ago the voices had taken on a new tone with a hint of something strange that Leila couldn’t quite figure out. The voices came and went with the seasons. They faded and disappeared in the winter and rampaged back loud in the spring. Sarika worked in Adam’s cafe as a barista . then a cute boy named Shawn was putting up fliers. He said hey to Leila and told her he’d see her around. Sarika came running over from behind the counter she had been working at and shreiking she said that cute boy had totally been checking out Leila. The Sarika went back to work and Leila checked out one of the fliers the boy had put up -it was for the Belmont Environmental Activism Club - B E A C- any high school student could join. It was starting on Wednesday at three. Leila grabbed a flier. Sarika came back out and again startled Leia as as she asked Leila what the flier was about. For whatever reasons the voices decided to be particularly loud this morning and over the past two days since hanging out with Sarika at Adam’s Cafe and going through the motions at Summer Enrichment at Belmont they suddenly became clearer. Leila could tell Shawn was into her the way he stared at her across the room and the awkward way he said goodbye at the end of the meeting. But Leila wondered about Shawn he had been going out with Jessica the leader of the three girls who had been bullying Sarika and Sarika ghad even fought with Jessica and made her nose bleed that she had never told Leila about and just told Leial she couldn’t protect everyone. Shawn asked Leila to meet him and go for a bike ride together Sunday and some lunch and Leila agreed. The voices had come when Leila when Leila had been rapidly pedaled away from Shawn and his intrusive questions and the disaster of a date. Leila had seen a young man with owl trying to get it to fly but then Leila flew over her handlebars as she jammed on her breaks. Leila ended up with a cut on her head and a mild concussion. The voices had told Leila the man and the owl were the one that could help them and her. Apparently they were in trouble but what had the voices done for Leila but distract her, scare her, and make Leila feel crazy? They had given her a dark secret Leila had to hide from everyone but Sarika. A grove is to be destroyed as well as an old mansion that was in the middle of the park. Leila does listen to the voices that have gotten clear now and goes to Landan and tells him everything he said she should get help about the voices but he will help her as much as he can with everything else.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I felt this was technically an easy read yet at times I got confused. This had a lot going on in it. I loved how the author addressed how Leila and Sarika felt and what they went through being in foster care so long and the group home, the back and forth they had experienced and they shattered hope every time they returned to the group home. I also loved how the author described how Leila as well as ehr new parents felt and what they went through being the adopted and parents of a special care needed to be taken with Liela - but ever patient and loving toward Leila. I thought this could be realistic in these aspects. I liked that the author also addressed prejudices and racism. I really liked the enthusiasm stressed on the environment and progress wanting to destroy trees and parks etc. This did drag for me at times then after a certain part of the book it kinda felt rushed. I liked the dryads part and wished that had had been gone further into. I did love how close Sarika and Leila were and for a long time. I was also happy Landan was willing to help Leila as much as he could. As I said i Had mixed feelings on this book.

The Girl and the Grove tells the story of Leila.
She’s 16 and has been in the foster system since she was 2. Until recently, when she was adopted.
Leila is very shy and has a deep connection with nature and follows a path that leads her to a grove that may die if a construction project goes through.

This book had everything. A cute romance, a strong friendship and some family drama. I liked the characters. I liked how passionate Leila was about the environment and I found her to be a very interesting character allover.
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story though and I sometimes found the writing style a bit hard to stay focused on. And I’m kinda done with stories containing the ultimate mean girl…
Other than that, I found this story really interesting and very poetic. I liked the social media end of chapters and I now want to watch How to Train Your Dragon again...

I had high expectations for the Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith. I follow him on Twitter, and I was super excited to read this book. I thought the concept behind the book was really cool. Leila was a very interesting main character, particularly her background, and I really liked the adoption aspect of it. The actual grove itself seemed like a beautiful, magical place. I also really liked some of the other characters. However, they weren’t very well developed, nor was the plot. While I thought this story was cute, it didn’t live up to many of my expectations. I would recommend it though for someone looking for an interesting magical realism book with plenty of diversity.

This is a great book that I really enjoyed. The fantasy elements mixed well with the genuine conflicting emotions experienced by Leila, the young main character of this story. Leila's adoption (while obviously a massive part of her life) takes second fiddle to the mystery of the voices in her head and the hidden grove she is drawn to. 

There is commentary on school bullies, the delicate balance between the environment and development, and also commentary on school groups, friends, romance, social media and coffee. I loved secondary character Sarika, Leila's best friend. I also loved the characters of Leila's adoptive parents. This is a great tale that doesn't focus on the adoption journey but on what happens after. Leila's emotional journey into accepting her adoptive parents while learning about her biological family. I enjoyed the social media pages of conversations between characters. A great standalone book. A good read.

I really enjoyed this! It was quirky and heartfelt. Although I'm disappointed it wasn't a portal fantasy (that's definitely the vibe I got from description) and this at times read more like a contemporary, I wasn't disappointed by the story itself. I love anything that touches on saving the environment, and this was a great YA Urban Fantasy to tackle the topic. The adoption angle was the most profound part, simply because you know that is an #ownvoices aspect. I've followed Eric Smith for a few years now and I can see how much family is part of his life, same goes for Leila here. This also held a great note of humour. Leila's father, John, in particular really made me giggle. The dynamic between them, and the growth in their relationship was really sweet.
I'm writing this in a hurry so a more comprehensive review on my blog to come.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Girl and the Grove is a heartfelt book about a girl, Leila, who is adopted and lives with seasonal affective disorder.

Leila is a big environmental activist, and when she learns that a hidden grove in Fairmont Park is going to be destroyed, Leila and her nature-loving friends fight to prevent the demolition of such a beautiful place.

I really enjoyed how the topic of adoption was handled well in this book. It’s often a hard and heavy subject to accurately convey, especially with the awkwardness of questions people who are adopted are often asked and the inner conflict a person who is adopted must go through at some point in their life.

I also really enjoyed the sense of activism and passion for the environment this book had. Had I been able to read this book when I was younger, I would’ve been more inspired to get involved with such clubs my school offered.

I adored Sarika, Leila’s best friend, who followed her through the system. Sarika is funny, confident, and says it like it is, and I felt that she was a great addition to the story.

One thing that did feel out of place for me, at least when it was initially introduced, is the magic element. I felt that it was introduced a little too late into the story, and would’ve been fine if it was completely removed and Leila did not have any relation to the fantasy creatures she finds in the grove.

Overall, Girl in the Grove is a beautifully written book that artfully handles the strong themes of family, friendship, and trust.

There were so many things to like, the friends, the new parents, the main character. I loved Leila and that she was a foster care kid. Let me explain, I didn't like her struggles but I liked how her emotions about being adopted were so real. I just loved her. I was also quite surprised that she telepathically connected to trees or dryads, or meliae, the hamadryad, the nymph, the slabhanjika. When these nature beings explain themselves they give all their names. It was still very cool to read about this unique power/gift. It made her the best environmentalist. She could communicate with trees!!! Of course she uses this power for good. However, other than that it was just eh for me. Maybe it's because it was an ARC. Someone else pointed that out on the reviews. I don't know if the final copy differs much. I still enjoyed it very much.

There was a lot I was expecting from The Girl and The Grove and everything that I wanted didn't really come out. There were parts I really enjoyed and parts where I just had to put the book down. This one was a DNF from me.

Leila, a recently adopted girl living in Philadelphia, lives with seasonal affective disorder. I loved that we got to have a brown girl with mental illnesses as the main character. That was the coolest thing ever.

But the writing itself threw me off too much for me to be able to happily finish the book. If you know me, I hate DNF'ing books. I'll push myself through an ARC just to be able to feel like I can fully review it. But DNF'ing something also tells you a lot about the book itself.

I jumped at the idea of The Girl and the Grove when I first saw it. I love urban fantasy stories and I was already imagining all the cool fantasy elements this story would have--Leila's a dryad! Living trees! Technology and nature existing in harmony!

But none of that really happened. I couldn't get into it to really get to the meat of the story and the writing wasn't nearly engaging enough for me to want to stick around in anticipation of a successful twist. Every time I tried to read more, I just got more bored and I'd rather go to be an hour early and sacrifice my pre-bed reading time than force my way through a book I wasn't engaged with.

This has some of the most amazing adoption representation I've ever read. Despite my own adoption background being very different from Leila's, there were so many things I could relate to. The family dynamics between Leila and her new parents, Jon and Liz, were so sweet and heartwarming that I almost cried several times. I was also so happy to see Seasonal Affective Disorder representation, and to see the use of a light box normalized. The plot itself fell a little flat for me, and I felt like the world building could have been expanded. The romance was not my favorite either as I felt the love interest wasn't held accountable for his previous actions. Overall I did enjoy this story and it's one that I'll be buying for my own collection.

The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith

The Girl and the Grove is the story of Leila, a teenage girl who has never had a family. She’s lived in a group home, with different foster families and now she’s been adopted by Lisabeth and Jon. She has been best friends with Sarika for years now. They met in their group home and bonded over books. Their friendship has only grown with time. Sarika knows about the voices that Leila’s been hearing. Sarika even helped her find ways to cope with them. But now they are getting stronger and they seem to be pulling Leila into the last place she would expect to go in Philadelphia: a hidden grove in the forest.

This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the way Smith chose to tell the story. He used a third person narrative throughout, but also injected messages from an online message board, as well as direct messages, social media and text. It gave the book a very modern feel because these are all the different ways people, and especially teens choose to communicate with each other. I really enjoyed the relationship between Sarika and Leila, that time tested and true friendship was endearing especially when you come to understand the amount of constant change they’ve experienced with living in group homes and in foster care. The relationship between Leila and her adoptive parents was also really well done. There was a level of uncertainty there that comes with new relationships and finding your place while staying true to who you are. Smith did a great job fleshing out all of these relationships and characters.

My only complaint with this novel really comes from the pacing. It took this story a while to get to the magical realism elements. Once it did I felt like the story really began to take off. It became a more fast paced, more intense novel. I think this this novel is really creative and unexpected. I loved that these teenagers resonated and wanted to make a difference in their homes. This book makes me want to read more from Smith.