Enjoyable MG with a twist ending. I could see this title becoming popular as a classroom assigned text as well as a kid's leisure read.

I received this e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Clara, age 12, lives in a small village on an island in the Caribbean where nothing much goes on – same friends, same school, same routine. Her uncle, ostracized by the townspeople, lives in an old plantation hose atop the hill where Clara lives. Clara’s father has forbidden her from visiting his brother for reasons that are not clear to Clara. But last summer, something happened to Clara that made her lose her memory of that summer. Her cousin Gaynah bullies her about it but new to the island Rudy is very understanding. When everything become too much for Clara, she takes some mangos form their tree (only the bruised ones, Mama said) and escapes to her dugout in the hills. Her parents, though worried about her, don’t seem to know how to help her. When a major hurricane aims for the island, Clara goes to get her uncle to safety and discovers what happened last summer.

What a great story! I read it in one day. I was so involved with Clara’s struggles and did not see the twist at the end. I would highly recommend this book for grades 5 and up.

#WhenLifeGivesYouMangos #NetGalley

A complex yet accessible look at friendship and loss and how one can move on from tragedy. Loved the setting.

I fell in love with this book! ‘When Life Gives You Mangos’ features Clara's friendship at a crossroads. My heart went out to Clara as she struggled to understand where things went wrong with Gaynah.. Clara also deals with memory loss due to a dangerous storm, and her island community comes to her aid, reaching out in unique ways. Kereen Getten gets to the heart of Clara’s situation, while addressing the complex family dynamics with her elders. She also addresses traumatic events in a manner that both young children and adults can identify with. A truly endearing story for all ages!

I absolutely fell in love with this story. At first I didn't understand why Clara's friend Gaynah was so mean to her, but you find out towards the end what is going on. This story is going to be added to myshelf for students to check out because I think it has a lot for kids to learn. I can't wait to purchase on publication day!

I had no idea what to expect when going in to this story. The plot twist literally took my brain for an entire 180. For a debut this is such a well-developed, unique story. I love how much Clara is learning about who she is, what friendship truly means, how important family is, as well as facing your fears - when that fear may be the biggest one and one you didn’t even think you’d ever be facing. There will be conversations around the Jamaican culture as well and I love bringing that new information in to the classroom. So many themes intertwined that students all need to read and discuss. Such a great story overall. I am definitely preordering!

There are no words to describe how much I simply adored this book. I ate it up completely! This book followed young Clara who needed to come to understand what happened to her the previous summer after experiencing memory loss and bullying. Clara was so sweet and I found myself cheering her on through every page. For middle grade, I thought the themes of family, friendships, mental health and more were handled so, so well. One of my favorite aspects of this book though was the setting, which I am not usually drawn to in books, but this one absolutely captivated me! I have never read a book set in Jamaica before and the imagery that Kereen Getten uses is brilliant. I also loved to hear about Clara’s ever-changing relationship with water. It made me shed happy tears after finishing the book and finally understanding the significance of the cover! I will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone - including those that enjoy a twist!

📚 Review: When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten

Thank you to @netgalley for the chance to read this ARC due out in September!

Clara Dee-Henson is twelve years old and she can’t remember anything that happened last summer. She knows something bad happened and she knows it has to do with the water since she can’t surf anymore, but it’s like a part of her memory has gone missing.

One year after the incident Clara is still known as the girl who forgets everything, and making friends sure is hard when you have a best friend that is mean, an uncle who is known as a witch doctor, and parents that speak in hushed tones about you when they think you aren’t listening.

Clara wants Rudy to be her new best friend, wants her to see her for who she really is, but before that can happen, Clara will have to go on an adventure to find out what she forgot — and there’s a storm brewing, so she’s quickly running out of time.

Kereen Getten’s debut middle grade novel is a tale of friendship, loss, and finding yourself in the face of adversity. Getten uses beautiful imagery to bring readers to the “small island that tourists call exotic” where Sycamore is located. The characters that live on the hill, where no one moves to or from until Rudy shows up, are perfectly crafted to all have a purpose and all pull on your heartstrings in one way or another. Middle level readers will fall in love with Clara’s spunk and Rudy’s unique presence. This will be a book that I’ll recommend to all my students because it will both take them on an adventure and make them think about home.

4/5 ⭐️s

When Life Gives You Mangos is a poignant book about a girl named Clara whose life has changed recently. She's twelve, and everyone around her has been treating her differently lately. Something happened last summer, and the problem is, she can't remember what it was. She knows she doesn't want to go to the water anymore. She knows that everyone in her little village is treating her differently. And she knows that her best friend and cousin, Gaynah, isn't being a good best friend at all. Clara is lonely, and she's frustrated at the holes in her memory, and she just wants everything to make sense. In the middle of all this drama, a new girl comes to the island from New York, and Clara has to try to get to know her, too.

This was a genuinely well-written book. I really felt like I was inside the head of a child. I kept reading because I was curious about what it was that Clara forgot--and WOW, did I not see that end coming at all! It was done so well I hesitate to even mention there's a surprise at the end. Everything in this book was handled so elegantly. The author does a phenomenal job of balancing some very complex and mature themes with the fact that her target audience is a young age. I love finding middle grade books where the author recognizes that younger people sometimes have to deal with complex, "adult" feelings, and doesn't condescend or skirt around acknowledging those feelings in a child.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

I will publish on goodreads, twitter, amazon, instagram, and barnes & noble on release day; and I will publish on youtube as well.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishers through NetGalley.
Getten spins her tale with a tender touch. No spoilers but some of the characters are not what they seem though they all interact with the main character, Clara. She is struggling to remember what happened in a storm last summer. She knows something terrible happened but is not ready to understand what. She tells her own story and shares her view of the town's inhabitants. This island community is intertwined and supportive of most of the residents.
Getten's writing style is easy to follow for middle grade readers. She captures the swirl of emotions and the unspoken tensions her characters are struggling with throughout the book. The story flows smoothly and will appeal to a wide spectrum of middle grade readers.

With thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

This book was much more emotional than I was expecting and included a twist I did not see coming! An excellent book about loss and family and courage and acceptance. I also thought the book did a good job portraying elements of the Caribbean culture.

I'm not sure if I would have kids on the young end of middle grades (8-and-9-year-olds) read this book, although it would depend on the individual child. I just might put in the Upper MG category.

This is no part of this book I didn't like. I was loving it from the very beginning, but I did not at all see where this story was going to take me and I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about this book for a long time. What an unbelievable debut- I will officially read anything this author writes.
I truly felt like I was in the head of a 12 year old. The writing felt so genuine, as did her friendships and their imaginative adventures. I felt the joy and the anger of a child in every page of this book.
The mystery of Clara not remembering last summer was woven so well into the story, and I thought one thing was going to be revealed the whole time about what happened last summer, but I was completely wrong about where this story was going. I feel I must read this book again now knowing the truth of what this story is. I was shocked and touched and so emotional.
When Life Gives You Mangos is by far one of the greatest middle grade books I've ever had the privilege of picking up, and I'm so excited I received an ARC of this.

When Life Gives You Mangos, a middle grade book by Kereem Getten, is a book about friendship, community, family, and what to do when you have to move on. Clara has lost her memory and she does not know why. Her parents help support her and so does her new friend from New York City. Despite some teasing from the other children and non-acceptance from certain adults in her community, Clara learns about friendship and moving on. This book was absolutely amazing! I felt that the themes discussed in the book were very age-appropriate for a middle-grade book. Clara's memory loss and behavior struggles were written with such emotional intensity that I as the reader could really connect with Clara. I highly recommend this book!

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten is a middle grade novel about a young girl named Clara, who lives on an island that she's lived on all her life, and loves her life there. Clara has a problem, though: she does not remember the events of last summer, and it seems that something bad happened. She used to love surfing, and the ocean, but that's not something she likes anymore.

This novel was phenomenal. Clara was an intricate character who clearly wanted to understand herself, and her friendships, and her life. And it was clear as well that her parents were trying hard to understand her as well. There was so much story not only in Clara's character, but the island as well. The island is a fully formed character in this novel.

Spoilers ahead, though only vaguely: many reviewers say that they did not see the plot twist coming, but I did see it - and only because I'd read a novel where that was done, once before, and I'm always on the lookout for it now. If I hadn't, I would've been blown away.

I'll be passing this novel along to many, many kids in the library I work at. I think it deals with family and friendship and the changes life can bring so well. It focuses on perceptions, both of oneself and of others, and how this can shape people's lives.

I can't wait to be able to give this book to kids.

When Life Gives You Mangos
by Kereen Getten
Random House Children's
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade
Pub Date 15 Sep 2020


I am reviewing a copy of When Life Gives You Mangos, through Random House Children’s/Delacorte Books For Young Readers and Netgalley:





Clara is twelve years old, she lives on an Island visitors call exotic. Clara doesn’t think there is anything exotic about it though. She loves to eat ripe Mangos off the ground, she loves to run outside in the rain with her Father during the rainy season. And she likes to go to her secret hide out with Gaynah even though Gaynah does not act like her best friend anymore.






The only thing about Clara that is not ordinary is that something happened to her memory that made her forget everything that happened last summer after a hurricane hit. There are times that things come back in drips like a faucet that hasn’t been turned off fully. There are times too that her Mama fills in the blanks, but she knows the memories aren’t hers, and it makes her feel like she’s different from everyone.



This summer is going to be different for Clara though. There is a new girl in the village who isn’t like the other visitors. The girl is about to make big waves on the island, giving Clara an unforgettable summer.


I found When Life Gives You Mangos to be a phenomenal debut novel, one that would be great for Middle Graders, or anyone who loves to read children’s books really. I’ll definitely be looking to read future novels from this author.



Five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A wonderful novel about loss and coping and family. I certainly didn't see the twist coming which happened about 3/4 of the way through the book. Clara lives on an island and has a very small group of friends, including her cousin and a new girl from NYC. She knows she used to love the water but she's afraid of it and can't remember the events of the previous summer. Through the help of her family and a misunderstood and ostracized uncle, Clara finds her way. Wonderful middle grade novel!

I love this middle-grade novel. From the beginning, the authors voice drew me in and I couldn't stop reading. The characters in the novel were fully developed and the plot was very engaging. I felt like I learned a lot about the culture of the main character and I love the diversity in the novel and the cover. I mean that afro is everything. I would definitely recommend this book for readers.

The thing about an unreliable narrator is you don't know what things are read and what aren't. Clara is telling us the story, but there are big gaps about what happened, and even she can't fill things in. Those around her know, but she doesn't.

It is painful and sad, but we of course are rooting for her, as she is a likable chracter, desipite her flaws.

Memory loss is a good way to tell a story from the main chracter that leaves out important bits about what happened.

Once you get past that, the story picks up until we come to the reveal and it all makes sense.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good! Such a great look at childhood friendships, memory, grief, and fear. Plus the author did a fantastic job making me feel like I was in Jamaica! I loved it!

This ended up being a much more emotional read than I had initially expected. The island & cultural setting had so much realness and I loved seeing the different family/neighbor dynamics at play in such a small community. I was definitely not expecting the twist at the end, but I think it culminated perfectly! The only point in the book that got a little confusing was when we went back to what really happened - because there is no set time frame, the overlap in what she thought happened and what actually happened got a little more jumbled than I would have liked. That being said, it was very easy to pick back up and I think the themes of friendship, loss, blame, and guilt were covered beautifully throughout the generations. It is very rare to see physical and mental responses to traumatic events as key character traits in middle grade level fiction, and I was so excited to see how developed it was and how the family went through different options for her recovery. All in all, I am very excited for our library to get this book!