A great debut novel from Erin Stewart. I enjoyed the writing style, the characters and their relationships with each other, and the very real take on heavy topics. Bonus points for quoting Atticus. A powerful YA novel. I would absolutely recommend.

I just finished this book and I’m shocked that it’s the author’s debut novel! Her writing is so well done I thought for sure she would have other novels I could go and read. This is a writer who was meant to write and had me hooked immediately. Even more impressive I don’t usually read books like this as I avoid books that seem so tragic and I have no interest in books set in high school but when I read the sample in the NetGalley sampler I found myself hooked. This book is so well written it will draw you in, even if it’s not your usual style.

Ava has survived a horrible fire that killed her parents and her cousin. She was burned over 60% of her body which would be horrible for anyone but is a special torture for a teenage girl that has to survive high school. She has to come to terms with her new self and her new life. I think everyone can relate to Eva’s experience as we all have something that holds us back or makes us feel not enough. There’s a line where her aunt tells her that she is enough which really resonated with me. I think this book will be an affirming read for all ages. It may especially resonate with young women and teenage girls that need to know looks do not matter as much as they think. This is also something grown women such as myself need to remember. Ava’s journey brought me to tears so many times and I do not cry easily! This book is really well written and impossible to put down. My daughter has a friend who looks different and I love the way she stands up to anyone who says something mean to her when she never stands up for herself if she is bullied. I think this book would be appreciated by people who have stood in both roles and eye opening for those that have never stopped to consider what that is like. This book has many of the issues in Wonder but in an older, darker teenage angst version that will appeal to older audiences. Even if you think this is not your type of book you should check out a sample and you might find yourself as surprised to be invested in this as I was. I cannot wait for the author’s next book! I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well this was an interesting read to say the least. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. I gave it 3/5 stars. Would not read again but didn’t hate that I read it. Was mediocre.

Scars Like Wings was so emotional and heartbreaking, so uplifting and hopeful. I was immediately swept up by Ava's voice, and I refused to let go until the last page.

Is this really Erin Stewart's debut? I know it is, but reading this book made me feel like I was reading a seasoned author's book. The book was well paced, it was brilliantly researched and sensitive on the heavy topics it touches on, and the characters were phenomenal.

Oh the characters. Oh Ava. Our main character is still grieving the loss of her parents and cousin after a year of surgeries, physical therapy, emotional therapy, and so much pain. Ava's voice feels so, so real. Her grief is palpable, the rage she experiences is understandable. When she feels joy I just want to cry happy tears. And then there's Piper and Asad, who enter Ava's life after Ava goes back to high school. They are beautiful and imperfect and whole. Even the 'villain' of the story is three-dimensional, which I really appreciated. There were so many problems, so much drama—it felt like going back to high school in a very scary, very real way. I haven't read a YA contemporary quite like this in a long time.

I cried, I laughed, I cried again. This book is seriously a roller coaster ride of emotions—and I loved it. So much.

My review will be posted on Sept 19 at allisawhite.com

Erin Stewart pulls zero punches in her unflinching debut Scars Like Wings. Meticulously researched, this story of teen burn-survivor Ava not only provides a deep dive into the technical/medical details related to recovering from severe burns but the profound emotional impact on Ava feels incredibly rich and authentic as well. (Not being a burn survivor myself, this is my best guess—but based on Stewart’s acknowledgements and the book’s reviews, I feel comfortable asserting this.) As a person with a disability, I can attest to the authenticity of Ava’s struggle to fit in, find a new normal, and somehow strike a balance between allowing herself to hurt and rage in a healthy way without becoming overwhelmed by those emotions. It’s a delicate balance that Stewart handles with aplomb. Without revealing any spoilers, I’ll say that Scars Like Wings ends with Ava in a place of hope and empowerment—neither of which are due to a miracle cure or validation from others. As empowerment is for so many, Ava’s journey toward recovery, thankfully, is an inside job.

This was an amazing debut novel! Although it is the story of a burn survivor, it is for anyone who has felt different, or does not feel like they belong. Ava suffered major burns over her body when her house burned down. Her parents died along with her cousin Sara. Sara’s parents, Cora and Glenn, take her in. I do not want to say much more about the story, I cannot do it justice. Life is hard for Ava, sometimes people scream when they see her face, she feels guilty because she survived and she knows how much Cora and Glenn miss their daughter. Cora and Glenn were amazing, suffering with their grief, yet doing everything possible to help Ava. And that Piper, who became Ava’s best friend, was a little firecracker! Amazing story, wonderful real characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended: definitely
For anyone willing to gain some empathy and insight into what it's like for your body to be more burned than not, who has ever fought to find their identity, who has ever felt hopeless, for anyone who wants to be torn apart only to heal shine brighter than before. It would also be a great read around Thanksgiving, because you'll find a lot to be grateful for, like "my skin is all one piece" and "my toe is not being used as my thumb."

Thoughts:
One of the things I liked best was the obvious research and detail given to making sure the treatments and expectations that Ava has to deal with post-burn are accurate. Both in the technical aspects, of how and why, but also in the emotional aspects, with the "finding her new normal." That seems like something a lot of people might need at some point, even if not because they, like Ava, became a literal butthead due to where skin grafts were needed and where skin was available.

So yes, the details were impressive and appreciated. The aspects of her reintegration into high school go just about as well as you would expect: as Ava puts it, she freaks out the villagers with her toe-thumb claw hand. But still… it was a heartache and a joy to watch Ava try to find her courage to chase after what she loved again, whether a crush or a dream.

And Piper, oh, we can't forget Piper. At times you might love her, at times you might hate her, but by the end, my god does your heart bleed open for her. Kindness, folks. Always focus on kindness, because you have no idea what someone else might be dealing with.

PS - if you were curious about the song "Phoenix in a Flame" by Atticus that Piper lives by, it's not actually a song, it's a poem by this guy on Instagram! To any with musical talent though, it would be super cool to hear a rendition of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so emotional, but I think I needed it. I cried so many time throughout....well done.

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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest revie.

Scars Like Wings is a moving, introspective story of healing from immense loss when healing can be a trauma itself. Through the eyes of a teenage burn survivor, Erin Stewart asks what it takes to truly choose life.

Full review can be previewed in link. Review will post to blog and Goodreads September 11.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Childrens, and Delacorte Press for an advanced read in exchange for this review.  Ava Lee lost everything in a fire - her family and life as she knew it.  She was badly injured and is now recovering.  Part of her recovery is reentering the world aka high school, which she does reluctantly.  She meets a fellow survivor named Piper, so maybe school won't be as terrible as she thought it was going to be.  Piper is fighting her own battles, so will Ava fall back into her own secluded ways or fight her own alongside Piper?

This story is real and raw.  Ava's pain comes across on the pages. Her resiliency also shines through.  She is a fighter.  Erin Stewart gives Ava sarcasm and humor, which gives her story hope.  This isn't an angst-y teen novel, this is a novel of being a fighter even when the odds are against you.  There is angst, after all Ava is a teen, but it doesn't shadow Ava's strength to find what her new normal is going to be.  Great YA read.

Wow!! What a completely heart wrenching, riveting, and IMPORTANT READ! I thought this book should be a required reading for those in school, so they can stop and think about how important peers are to recovery from loss, physical changes, pain, and other impacts those who survived an accident have to overcome. I thought it seemed to be a very heartfelt and real story. Will definitely be recommending to others.
Will be buzzing up in THE PUB.

There are plenty of YA stories about love and finding oneself after trauma. But this is the first I’ve seen that features burn survivors.

"Scars Like Wings" is the story of Ava, who lost her parents, her best friend, and her face in a house fire. A year later, her doctors and aunt insist that the next thing on her rehabilitation agenda is to reenter the world. AKA, going back to high school.

This may be the most difficult part of recovery yet.

True to its title, "Scars like Wings," is not the depressing story it could have been. Rather than focusing on physical recovery, the story follows Ava as she tries to navigate back into being in public, and braving school again. Dealing with her parents’ deaths and the trauma of the fire is something she still must face, and will certainly always weigh on her in one way or another, but it’s not the focus of the story. Rather, "Scars like Wings" centers more around the idea of how important friends are to surviving and getting through hardship.

There is a hint of romance to this story as well, but overall the story focuses on platonic relationships. I really liked the way this was handled, because it felt realistic, and also didn’t fall into the unfortunate category of 'falling in love will fix all your problems (even if you're 16 and it probably won’t last forever)' which I’ve grown quite sick of.

In fact, I loved the takeaways from this story overall and how it felt authentic without becoming a very dark story, which it could have easily become. Stewart strikes a very good balance between not shying away from harder topics, and having difficult things occur that would be likely to happen in real life, while maintaining a lighter feel to the novel.

I say 'lighter' without meaning to say that the story feels superficial or surface-level, of which it is neither. It is merely that there is as much good, and humor, as there is darker themes and the trajectory of the story is always aiming towards uplifting and healing rather than showing how hard trauma and being a burn survivor can be. I really appreciated Piper's and Ava's blunt humor, used clearly as a coping mechanism, and how it felt real and relatable. Warning, however, puns do arise. And I loved those too.

At times, my twisted soul thought that the story could have had more darker turns. But for a YA audience, the level of dark that was introduced was plenty, and it definitely serves to make the story approachable for more sensitive readers.

And, I realized, that was not what this story wanted to portray. This is not a story about the difficulty of or even necessarily about being a burn survivor. In fact, this book reads almost like a standard YA high school drama novel at times, accept that, oh yeah, the main characters are burn survivors too, which shows that someone who has gone through trauma can experience problems like crushes, and nemeses, and theater tryouts as well as skin grafts, and therapy, and reconstructive surgeries.

The main focus of the story, when it comes down to it, is the impact of having caring and supporting friends to help you through life. There is definitely an underlying theme that Piper and Ava are survivors, not victims. Therefore the focus is on overcoming trauma rather than the trauma itself, which is well addressed with the themes and tone of the novel without being a painfully obvious moral-of-the-story.

I loved to see how this book addressed a lot of different topics and how it focused on relationships and character growth for its sources of conflict and tension. Although Ava is the main character, we also see how the fire has affected her aunt and uncle, not only because of their own loss but because of the financial burden of helping Ava with her surgeries. We see how Piper overcomes her trauma differently than Ava, along with all the other members of their therapy group (in little bits) and how those around them react to the events too and are affected by it in their own ways.

Also, my theater-loving heart adored how drama was featured in this story. Reading about Ava’s new school putting on a production of "The Wizard of Oz" definitely brought me back to my own high school stage, on which I once performed in the very same musical. And Asad’s obsession with "Wicked" certainly reminded me of my experiences watching the show on Broadway, and having my mind equally blown. Fellow theater-lovers will certainly be equally warmed by its inclusion.

Overall, I think this book succeeds at exactly what it was trying to do. I was surprised to find that this story is a debut as it certainly does not show any of the weaknesses that some author’s first stories pray victim to. I rated "Scars Like Wings" 5 out 5 stars and highly recommend it, especially to fans of 100 Days of Sunlight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte for the opportunity to read a digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Underlined for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

60% of Ava Lee's skin is covered in burns after she survived the fire that took both her parents and her cousin. A year after the fire, Ava's skin has begun to heal, but she's far from recovered. With that kind of plot synopsis, you expect a heavy book, and it is intense, but it isn't morbidly sad, like in a tragedy porn sense. The voice of Ava is strong throughout the book, and she tends to deflect her pain with sarcasm, so even at some of the more depressing parts, you might find yourself chuckling. What I found most meaningful about this book is that the road to recovery is messy, and none of the characters are perfect. Ava and Piper's journeys aren't smooth, Piper does a lot of messed up things, Ava is incredibly stubborn, but that's also what makes them so compelling. All the characters make mistakes, and even the so-called mean girls are given some nuance.

This is a powerful book, but at the heart of the story, the things the characters go through aren't too different from everyone's high school experience, and that's what makes this book interesting.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of this book. I think that we can all relate to having an identity crisis. This book explores what it's like to lose everything and recover from that, all while trying to figure out who you are.

The characters in this book are written beautifully. There were some heartbreaking moments that hit you right in your tear ducts. But there were also moments that were really heartwarming. I loved how emotional this book was and how it made me feel.

This book is character and emotionally driven, which I personally really loved about it. All the characters have so much depth. They all have their fears and desires and setbacks and growth. I really loved that the story focused on their emotional stories and their emotional growth rather than any external conflict. Overall, this book is a really good read and it made me really emotionally invested in the characters' stories.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scars Like Wings is a beautiful and heart breaking young adult novel that deals with the "after" of a trauma. The voice was moving, and I found the pacing to work well for the novel.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Random House Children's and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Scars Like Wings is deals with the "after" and does it beautifully. A heart moving read.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

TW: Burn survivor story and flashbacks, Suicide Attempt

Based on her friend who has dealt with what Ava has dealt with, Erin Stewart gives us a glimpse into the life of a burn survivor. Ava has been through a traumatic experience in her life, one that has haunted her since the day it happened. Ava lost both her parents and her cousin Sara in a house fire. Fortunately, Ava made it out alive, however, she had 60% of her body burned which resulted in 19 surgeries. Ava lives with her Aunt Cora and her uncle Glenn. They have provided for Ava and cared for her ever since their daughter Sara died. Ava attends a support group for burn survivors and she meets Piper. They start forming a bond and pretty soon Ava starts school and meets Asad. Ava soon gets wind of drama club and Piper and Asad convinces Ava to join them. After all Ava has an amazing voice and was active at her previous school's drama club as well.
Of course, with every new school comes new drama, new romances, and new personalities. Kenzie is your typical drama queen who enjoys being a mean girl to everyone, especially when it comes to Ava and Piper. Ava soon learns that Piper was the one responsible for the car accident that caused Piper to be in a wheelchair because of a drunken mistake. Then there's Asad whose a delight, and Ava agrees. She realizes she likes Asad and hopes he feels the same way about her.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It really is emotional and takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. This book teaches you about empathy, friendships, self-love, and being a survivor.

I’m not typically a YA reader but I felt for each and every character in this book. I cried. I laughed. I appreciated the snark. I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends.

From the start I knew I was going to love this, you could just tell from the writing style. This story follows a young girl named Ava who lived a completely happy, normal life until a fire took her parents and cousin away from her...as well as her identity. Her face and body are badly burned beyond reconstruction, despite her many surgeries. Told through her narrative, her voice is so crisp and clear you get a feel for her from page one and I loved her. She was so relatable and this book put me in her shoes, made me feel like this could have happened to me.

I was surprised with how people at her school treated her because that would have never happened where I'm from, but different places, different people, kids can be mean.

Regardless this book was wonderful. Would recommend!

*Spoiler free, 3.5 stars*

I'd seen this book here and there, and it sounded like it would be good. It wasn't something that I would normally pick up, but I wanted to give it a try eventually because I've been wanting to branch out more. Plus, it sounded like I would enjoy it; I'm appreciating emotional books a lot more. Then, I saw so many rave reviews, on Goodreads of all places, so then I got really pumped for it. Trigger warnings: grief, attempted suicide, burn treatment

While I might not have the same raving feelings as everybody else, this book was really, really solid. It's not a book I would normally pick up, but I'm glad I did. It's a different type of story, with different types of characters, but I really enjoyed it. It had heartbreaking moments and it had moments that mended my heart and it had moments when my heart just existed because that's how life is sometimes.

Ava is finding her new normal. I think that's what I liked most about this book. It's a book about her realizing that finding a new normal is alright. She can exist as she is. I personally don't think she found her inner strength. I think she realized the strength she had all along. It was always there inside of her, and she used in ways she didn't realize, but it was there. She's strong in her own way and on her own terms.

The characters were really, really well done. They practically pop off the page. The side characters, Piper and Asad, were so well developed. Even the minor characters had so much depth to them. They all have their own problems and struggles and pain. They're all trying to work through it in the ways they know how. I liked that it was different and looked different for each of them. I didn't expect to like Piper as much as I did. She tries to cover her pain by being as loud and as out there as possible. Her journey might have been on the sidelines, but she was such a lively and amazing character.

There is a lot of emotional growth in this book. Ava and Piper change so much from the beginning. They grow and they have setbacks and they grow some more. Despite this, I wish more focus would have been on their emotional turmoil. I felt like a lot of focus was on top layer of their emotional stories. The feelings that they feel all the time, the struggles they carry day to day, and how they cope to just make it through. A lot hides under that, and it's very evident from what happens at the end of the book. Maybe some stuff just flew over my head! Personally, I would have liked more focus on the deeper feelings. But then again, none of the characters what to acknowledge that part of them, which I can relate to. I dunno, I just felt like there could have been more there.

Overall, this was a very solid book. It was beautifully written. Emotional development was subtle, but it happens. That's one of the things I liked the most. It was a process. This book was raw and real. It had Broadway musicals and it had scenes that made it so easy to cry. It was just really real.