Edwards is the author of This I Know, and here, once again, she creates a powerful story based on a youthful yearning for identity. My thanks go to the author and her publicist for the printed galley, and to Kensington and Net Galley for the digital copy. It will be available May 28, 2019.

Our setting is a small commune in California in the early 1970s. Our protagonist, Clover Blue, sleeps in a tree house with some of the other commune members. There’s no running water or electricity, but we don’t miss what we don’t have, and California has a mild climate. Though decisions are made collectively, with younger and older residents each having a vote, Goji is the spiritual leader of the group. In place of formal education, young commune members study with him. Blue can read as well as other children his age, and he knows more about nature than most would because it’s part of his everyday experience. He doesn’t remember living anywhere else; his life is happy, and his bonds with his communal family are strong ones.

But everyone wants to know their origins, and Blue is no different. As puberty approaches, he begins to ask questions. He gains the sense that older members know things they won’t tell him, and it heightens his desire to find out. Goji promises him that he will be told when he turns twelve, but his twelfth birthday comes and goes, and still Goji evades his queries.

And so the story darkens just a bit as Blue undertakes research on his own. He has a hunch as to who his biological parents might be, and despite the communal culture that regards every older person as the mother or father of every younger person, he wants the particulars and is determined to get them. The things he learns are unsettling and produce further questions.

A large part of the problem the communal elders face is that the State of California does not recognize the commune, and the living conditions and educational process used there are not legally viable. Because of these things, Goji discourages interaction with the outside world, and sometimes essential services—such as medical care—are given short shrift because of the risks they pose. Instead, naturopathic remedies are used, often to good result.

Edwards builds resonant characters, and I believe Blue, the sometimes-mysterious Goji, and Harmony, the member of the commune that is closest to Blue. There is enough ambiguity within each of them to prevent them from becoming caricatures; everyone holds various qualities within them, none being wholly benign or malevolent. The way that we judge these characters isn’t built upon their ability to do everything well, but in how they deal with their mistakes when they make them. In addition, some writers of historical fiction—which technically this isn’t, but it has that vibe—fall into the trap of establishing time and place through the cheap shortcut of pop cultural references and well known historical events. Edwards doesn’t do that, but she does use the speech of the time period so effectively that at times, I feel transported back to my own adolescence. There are aspects of the period I’d forgotten entirely that surprise and delight me; if there are errors, I don’t see them.

Ultimately, the story takes a turn that harks back (somewhat) to George Orwell’s classic, Animal Farm, in that while everyone at the commune is said to be equal, some are “more equal than others.” Cracks in the foundation of their once-idyllic lives form, and we see who has strength of character, and who is lacking.

If I could change anything, I would make the ending less rushed, and I’d also urge the author to be less afraid of letting the ugly parts play themselves out as they most likely would in real life. In this novel and her last, it seems like the tragic aspects that occur near or at the climax are a hot stove, and we have to move away from them quickly. I’d like to see Edwards let the stove burn a little more.

I do recommend this book to you. In fact, it may be a five star read, but it’s almost impossible to evaluate it without comparing it to what the author wrote earlier, and this made the five star standard difficult to achieve here. Those that love historical fiction should get it and read it.

I could not put this book down! Beautiful and unique story following Clover Blue, a young boy growing up in a commune who is trying to figure out his history. I was fascinated by the lifestyle of the Saffron Freedom Community, and I was drawn to the characters and their relationships. The writing made me feel as though I was part of the community. Highly recommend. I will be following this author's future work!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy of this book.

LOVED this book! I was a teenager during the time of the Hippie communes. Living in the midwest we heard rumors of what they were like. The author paints a vivid picture of that era.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this.

Omg I really loved this book!!!
This read shows you how family isn’t always blood. I really connected with the characters and could not put this read down once I started.
Finished this wonderful book in one day.
A definite must read!!!
Way to go Eldonna Edwards!! Will definitely be looking for more from this author.
Thank you for this AMAZING read.

Clover Blue is the first book that I have read by Eldonna Edwards. She tells the story of a boy named Clover Blue who lives in the Saffron Freedom Community, a commune of people that lived in California in the 1970s. The story takes place during Clover Blue's twelfth year and he has just begun to question his life story. Although he is very happy living in this setting, and cannot remember anything that happened before he came to the commune, he knows that he was not born there, and can't seem to get a straight answer from anyone there on how he came to live there. This is a very realistic depiction of what day to day life was like in an era in which communes, free love, and going back to nature were all the rage. The book is a coming of age story in a setting that most of us had heard of, but were not involved in, and Ms. Edwards does an excellent job in describing the members of the commune and demonstrates interactions and struggles that are very real. After finishing Clover Blue, I am now interested in reading more of her books.. Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing Company for giving me the opportunity to preview this book.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

There are many things twelve-year-old Clover Blue isn’t sure of: his exact date of birth, his name before he was adopted into the Saffron Freedom Community, or who his first parents were. What he does know with certainty is that among this close-knit, nature-loving group, he is happy.

I wasn't entirely engaged with these characters and the story moved a bit too slow for me.

2.25☆

Clover Blue by author Eldonna Edwards is a fascinating read! She takes you back to the 1970’s to a commune called Saffron Freedom Community which is located somewhere in Northern California. It’s a story about a young boy named Clover Blue who was stolen from his family by two of the commune members when they were high and told he was adopted. The entire story is about Blue trying to figure out who he is and where he came from and where he belongs. The author goes on to tell about all the other members of the commune and their daily lives so it made it easy to imagine what it was like to live that way. The only thing I couldn’t picture was the tree house that they all slept in! The one character that I didn’t care for was Goji, the leader or guru as they called him. There was just something about him that I didn’t trust right from the beginning. What I think really made the book great was towards the end there was a bit of surprise or twist that you don’t expect that has to do with one of the newest members that they called Rain. I really loved the way the author ended the story with what I thought of as a happy ending although I’m not sure I myself could of been as forgiving as Blue was. I would like to thank NetGalley, Kensington Books and author Eldonna Edwards for allowing me the privilege to read and review an early copy of this story. I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to all readers regardless of your genre preference. It’s that good! I give it 5 stars.

I read Ms. Edwards first fiction book, This I Know and was just blown away, it was one of my best books of 2018, yes, it was that good. So I was excited to receive an advance copy of her latest. When an author has a novel that is absolutely remarkable, you always wonder if the next one will be comparable, unfortunately this is the case of “not so”. I’m not saying this one is not worth the read, I’m just saying this one doesn’t meet the caliber of her previous one.
This book takes us on a journey through the 1970’s (I’ve been through them once already) with hippies, free love, pot smoking and living in a communal environment. The star of the story is young Clover Blue, telling of his coming of age and unknown beginnings. This is a quick, easy read introducing several members of the free-love family and covers quite a few details of how the communes survived, raising their own food, meager expectations and controlled thinking.
If you like a light story with just a little touch of growing up, this book would be for you. If you want an awesome story with heart, love and a wonderful storyline, her previous book is better.
I was given an advanced copy from Kensington Books through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets 4****’s.

Clover Blue, by Eldonna Edwards, perfectly captures the anti-establishment counterculture of the 1970s. Set on a Californian commune this novel is actually a coming of age story about a boy, Clover Blue, who has been raised in an unconventional life style. Edwards writes eloquently about life on a hippy commune during he 1970s, her research and knowledge is so thorough that it leaves one wondering if maybe she was raised in such a setting? On the commune all the adult females are mothers to all the children and all the adult males are their fathers, except the alpha male who is the leader-guru. Clover Blue is an exceptionally intelligent youth with a great quest for knowledge, when he starts to question who his actual birth parents are he is met with a wall of silence and mystery. His inquiring mind does not let go of the question and, eventually, through his use of the local library he manages to find the truth about his past and it is explosive!

Clover Blue's soul mate is Harmony, who stands beside him through thick and thin, even as they witness the commune and its inherent life style crumbling before them. When she eventually leaves the commune he decides to save her from her fate, just like a modern day Romeo. As Clover witnesses his mentor/guru breach the very standards and philosophies that he peaches Clover begins to understand his place in the world. Clover's final act of resistance on the commune brings the story to a startling and dramatic, yet deeply satisfying, conclusion.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know much about Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards when I started reading it. Really the only thing I knew is that it took place in the 1970s, other than that I had no clue about the plot. This turned out to be a five-star read for me!

As I have mentioned in the past, I rarely give out five stars over on Goodreads where I keep track of every book I read. Five stars are reserved for books that blow me away whether they are fiction, true crime, memoir, thrillers. If a book has me completely hooked from start to finish it will get five gold stars. Clover Blue captivated me from page one.

The writing puts you right in the midst of the Saffron Freedom Community in the 1970’s where a small group of people live off the grid. They live and love freely, raise each other’s children and offer love and support. Young Clover isn’t sure which of the women is his mother and he starts asking questions which kicks off his journey to finding out the truth of who he is and where he came from.

Set against the backdrop of a 1970s commune in Northern California, Clover Blue is a compelling, beautifully written story of a young boy’s search for identity.

There are many things twelve-year-old Clover Blue isn’t sure of: his exact date of birth, his name before he was adopted into the Saffron Freedom Community, or who his first parents were. What he does know with certainty is that among this close-knit, nature-loving group, he is happy. Here, everyone is family, regardless of their disparate backgrounds—surfer, midwife, Grateful Dead groupie, Vietnam deserter. But despite his loyalty to the commune and its guru-like founder Goji, Blue grapples with invisible ties toward another family—the one he doesn’t remember.

With the urging of his fearless and funny best friend, Harmony, Clover Blue begins to ask questions. For the first time, Goji’s answers fail to satisfy. The passing months bring upheaval to their little clan and another member arrives, a beautiful runaway teen named Rain, sparking new tensions. As secrets slowly unfurl, Blue’s beliefs—about Goji, the guidelines that govern their seemingly idyllic lives, and the nature of family itself—begin to shift. With each revelation about a heartbreaking past he never imagined, Blue faces a choice between those he’s always trusted, and an uncertain future where he must risk everything in his quest for the truth.

Part coming-of-age tale, part love story, part mystery, Clover Blue tenderly explores an unconventional but no less complex family that resonates with our deep-rooted yearning for home.



This is a coming of age story which centers around Clover and his best friend Harmony. I found myself thinking about the book throughout the day and I couldn’t wait to pick it up later and finish reading. I read into the night to find out how Clover’s story would end. I’m not the only one who loved this novel, its receiving rave reviews and should be on the top of your MUST READ list for May!

Wow. This book was nothing like I have ever read before but I loved it!
Clover Blue discovers family is not always blood
There are characters here , Goji , Rain and Blue that will stay with me for a long time!

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it with 5 stars!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book had me gripped right from the start.
Blue lives in a community that’s a bit off the grid and believes in free love and free thinking. The other children in the community were mostly born there, but he was adopted into the community through a love adoption. Right from the beginning and throughout the story, he becomes increasingly curious about his past and seeks to find answers. I found myself speed reading to see what happens and if he finds the answer he seeks. I really enjoyed Edwards’ writing style; it’s beautifully descriptive and easy to read.
I enjoyed the relationship that blooms between Blue and Harmony. Their innocence is sweet, but they’re also trying to figure out their connection on a deeper level as they grow up. They’re both a bit defiant too, which I love and keeps the story moving forward.
There a couple twists in this story that were unexpected!! Overall, this novel has it all; a little mystery, a little romance, and a lot of beautiful storytelling!

3.5 stars rounded down to 3!
Despite the cliched feel of many of the beliefs expressed by Goji (the 'leader' of Saffron Freedom Community) and the unsurprising rebellious thoughts of the teenage residents, the struggle between 'adopted' and biological family in Edwards' tale is an interesting an engaging one;
"Maybe a person can miss what they've never known. I've never been to a circus but I feel like I miss that feeling of being at the circus when I read about it."
As the commune evolves from a fairly strict 'all-for-one' ideology to a more familiar and fragmented colony of disparate individuals, the reader is encouraged to query Clover Blue's position in the 'tribe'. Not born of any of the sister-mothers, the details surrounding his arrival at the age of 3, are vague and the story guarded.
In their break from normal expectations SFC, of course, fails to be as groundbreaking as they pertain-a little like living in Dalston and buying all your clothes from the charity shops cause (guess what) everyone else does too!; "We're not hippies...We're antiestablishment individuals who refuse to comply with social norms." Yawn. But perhaps this is Eldonna Edwards' observation. Statements like; "Nothing is permanant but change,' and "Life isn't static...It's constantly shifting and moving. Our job is to dance with the changes." are spoken by a flawed prophet who slowly reveals his own vulnerabilities and innate pull towards norms like monogamous relationships.
In tandem with Clover Blue's advancing years and awareness, Goji loses his belief in himself and his vision for the community he has established.
I was particularly taken with the blossoming relationship between Clover Blue and Harmony, and the brief addition of their neighbour to their numbers. An endearing and enjoyable read.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for sharing an advance copy with me in return for an honest review.

As usual Eldonna writes a powerful story. Clover Blue's story growing up in a " commune " or Tribe as the family refers to themselves. Great book, makes you think about how you would do in similar experiences.
Highly recommend this book.

Can I just start by telling you how much I love Eldonna Edwards! I have read and loved all 3 of her wonderful, heart filled books!
You will fall in love with Blue, Harmony, Jade, Coyote, and all the rest. I was inside this 1970’s love filled commune, and didn’t want to leave.
What a fabulously moving book. So much was going on, with so much to worry about. I truly loved reading this book. The ending was phenomenal and completely unexpected.
I’m so grateful to Netgalley for the early ARC.

My first book by this author and I thought it was really good. It seemed to start out slowly and grew as the story went on. It was heartbreaking in spots and
joyful in others! Definitely recommend!! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

What an amazing story!! Get ready for a book hangover. Nothing I have read recently compares. You will fall in love with these characters from page 1... It's an unforgettable book about family and love and how we all wish for connections with other people no matter what the circumstances are.
There are so many quotable phrases in this book that really makes you sit back and wonder about life. The author did an amazing job and we can't wait to bring her book to "Life" in our next box!

The opening of Clover Blue introduced us to a ten year old boy who is part of the Saffron Free Community, a group of people living ‘off the grid’ in the 70’s. Within the group there is a surfer, a Vietnam deserter, a groupie, a mid-wife, and Clover’s friend Harmony – the leader of the commune is Goji. Each are termed brother or sister and decisions are generally made by consensus and debate. It is a harsh life, no electricity, no running water; accommodation is in a tent or tree house and everybody has their own duties to attend to. The commune ‘respects’ the natural world and the environment; and they respect each other. Blue is called upon to witness a birth at the opening of the book. Is this traumatic experience what opens his mind to his own birth – his own family. He has no recollection but as we witness Blue’s development and analysis of the characters that make up his world we come to understand his struggle to make sense of what came before and the secrets that surround him. In contrast to Blue’s introspection we see Harmony’s certainty of her place in the family. Her mother is ‘a free spirit’ and comes and goes as it pleases her – abandoning Harmony and then reappearing for a short while and then gone again.

As the plot develops, so does Clover Blue. He struggles to make sense of the commune’s way of life – so simple, so respectful, but what about…? A normal questioning life for an adolescent boy.

You have to love Clover Blue – how could you not? He is an inherently good person. What becomes apparent as I read is that I am not an inherently good person – as a reader I question the commune. Is that fair? Is Goji changing the ethos of the commune? Has the Sacred Space been rejected as couples form on a more exclusive basis?

My review of Eldonna Edward’s book ‘This I Know’ stated that “When reading this I felt joyous. I felt a resounding echo in my soul. I probably also felt envy – for such beautiful writing; for creating a personality that is so uplifting”. So it was with great anticipation that I embraced ‘Clover Blue’. Sadly, I didn’t feel the same level of joy and I think that is because I was worried for Blue; concerned that his trust and faith in his family would be tarnished and this shining example of an honourable soul would suffer. One thing is for sure, Eldonna Edwards sure knows how to present powerful, perfect characters.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book about a young boy named Clover Blue. Blue lives in a commune, he does not know too much about himself as he was adopted into the commune family. Everything about him is a mystery, his actual name, his birth date and who his family is. Blue learns about life, love and forgiveness in this coming of age story of life living in a commune in the '70's. I recommend this book!

Clover Blue, the book, is a coming-of-age story, it is a story about love and friendship and it is a reminiscence of an era which was defined by the longing for individuality, freedom, and peace. Clover Blue, the character, is faced with the difficult task of learning how to define “family.” Blue grows up in the Saffron Freedom Community, a peaceful California commune, in the mid-1970’s, where he is surrounded by a cast of loving “brothers and sisters.” As Blue grows, he begins to be curious about his past, about how he came to be at the commune, about who his biological parents might be, and he begins to question what secrets are being kept about the past he can’t quite remember. Clover Blue teaches us what it means to love and be loyal, what defines family and friendship, and what it takes to become, finally, who we were meant to be. Beautifully written, perfectly paced, and full of emotion, this is a story which stays with you long after the last page is turned.