This story delivers a message of drug awareness in such a touching way. I appreciated the setting of the marshland on NY; it was refreshing and gave me a different perspective of the city during the 60s. It was impossible not to adore the main character, Gia, and the grit she demonstrated at the young age of thirteen. This novel takes a story of childhood innocence and warns how things can snowball to devastating proportions. I also appreciated the references to Darwinism and the intense care that Gia had for living creatures. It made me all the more heartbroken for her when things seems to be falling apart. The fires and dramatic events leading up to the conclusion on the story seemed a little muddled in their description, making it difficult for me to understand exactly what was happening. At times, I wish the story was more explanative; however, I wouldn’t be surprised if the lack of explanation was intentional. The epilogue was heartwarming and provided necessary closure. Overall, this was a beautiful story with an important message. The writing was compelling throughout and I couldn’t put it down.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing this review copy.

A Frenzy of Sparks tells the story of Gia and her family in 1960s Queens, New York. Living in an up and coming neighborhood beside the bay, Gia’s brother gets tied into the wrong crowd and hooked on drugs. Things get worse and worse until Gia tries to take fixing his addiction into her own hands. This is when her brother’s life snowballs out of control, affecting her family, neighbors and friends.

For readers who enjoy family dynamics and coming of age.

A Frenzy of Sparks tells the story of Gia, a bored teen living in Queens in the 1960s whose family is directly affected by addiction.

What a gripping coming-of-age story. I really felt for Gia's family (without spoiling the book). Lots of nostalgia as well... you will love this book!

I don't know why but I can totally see someone like Reese Witherspoons buying the film rights and adapting A Frenzy of Sparks into a Netflix series -I hope she finds this book!

A solid 5 star read.

Disclaimer: I'd like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader's copy. This is my honest review.

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Thank you so much to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book. I don’t end up liking it too much but if it sounds interesting then I would recommend ifd

"Nobody's indestructible. Not anyone. Never make that mistake."
I truly enjoyed this novel! It is well written. The details revealing the devastating troubles in the 1960's and their impact.
I was almost the same age (thirteen) as the main character Gia during this time period, and I had no idea of the challenges in the world, no less the USA.
Perhaps I was too protected? Were my parents even aware or was it hidden?
Gia, the main character is a strong willed teen who only wants the very best for her family and will do whatever is necessary to help them. No matter what she has to do!
Her Dad is a cop and surely he can protect his family. Her Mom, will also make sure that her children are safe.
However, you cannot sweep everything under the carpet and save face when Gia and her parents learns her brother, Leo, is caught up in the drug war.
This must stop. He will get hurt!
Nothing will ever be the same!
Definitely not a light read, but definitely absorbing .It is a reflection of how long this terror has been going on in the world!

Set in the 1960s, A Frenzy of Sparks follows the turmoil of Gia and her family due to the devastation that drugs bring to her community.

Gia is a thirteen-year-old girl determined to make something of herself and to break free of the expectations her society put on her as she becomes a women. Gia steps up to try and hold her family together as their world begins to unravel around her.

Gia’s bravery and determination gripped me. Seeing the story unfurl through her eyes as she grows and learns to deal with her family’s situation gave me an emotional connection to her character.

I found this book a bit slow and struggled struggled to get into it at first. I also found that sometimes the story jumped around a bit this made it difficult to follow at times. I’m glad that I stuck with it though as the second half of the book was gripping.

Was a very well written novel that gives an insight to the drug problem in our society. This book gives a timeline of how our drug problem in America has been around for decades!

This book is great & so relatable. Hit close to home for me; dealing with family members who've suffered/passed because of addiction.
A gripping emotional tale;

Set in the mid-1960s in Queens, we are introduced to a young girl who was set to prove that she's more than dressing up for Tupperware parties when she'd rather ride her boat, or being underestimated in her neighborhood when she'd rather save her brother from addiction — most importantly, this same young girl showed that the age of patriarchy is no match for a girl who knows her worth at the age of 13, and that certain acts of bravery can only be made by a child who isn't blinded by ignorance.

Had this been written more cohesively, I think the characters would definitely resonate more among readers, and the story would be as thought-provoking as it aimed to achieve. Nonetheless, I really appreciated this book's intention.

This book was great! It was so easy to lose yourself in the story, and kept you turning pages to see what happened next! Will definitely be recommending!

A Frenzy of Sparks is a beautiful, emotional coming of age story. Gia is 13 years old in 1965. She has recently read Silent Spring, and worries about chemicals, loves the marsh, the water, and taking the boat out, and longs for the freedom that her older brother and cousins have. Things change when her cousin Ray gets involved with selling drugs and mafia connections. Gia's brother falls down the path of addiction, and her family's life changes forever.

This is a very well written, beautiful story of growing up, of changes, of family, of a loved one's addiction. It is set far enough in the past to feel like a different time, yet remains relevant to today's world. The main character is very well written, and unique. I felt that the writing itself was very strong as well.

The book definitely packs an emotional punch, and I found myself tearing up a few times. The characters were well-developed enough that I cared what happened to them, and found that I got pulled into the story very quickly. Definitely worth picking up.

A Frenzy of Sparks... I LOVED this book!!! A beautiful picture of rural America in the 1960’s struggling to either remain the same or adapt to the inevitable changes and all while told through the eyes of a beautifully free spirited 13 year old. I felt the heart and soul of Gia and rode the rollercoaster of emotions as she struggled to find her place and deal with families changes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels the crossroads of life!

Kristen Fields blew me away with A Frenzy of Sparks. The story follows the main character a teenage girl named Gia who goes on a journey thru her most vulnerable years. Based in the 1960s made the book so much more interesting! Loved every bit of it!

This book follows 13 year old Gia and a year of change. Gia is turning into a beautiful young lady, however, does not want anything to do with typical lady things-such as make up and housework. She would much rather be on the small family boat exploring nature.

The book is set in the 60's and Gia along with her older brother and cousins are looking for excitement. The youngest of the crew, Gia is excited to being included in more adventures with the gang. Her cousin discovers drugs over the summer and becomes a seller--bringing young Gia along to help the business.

This sets off a chain of events that show how drugs can change the lifes of so many. Family is strong though and throughout tragedy, good still exist.

The story is told from the perspective of Gia, a girl part naive part approaching womanhood. At the center of it is addiction, and how it can shatter not just a family, but a community.

I particularly enjoyed the setting of this novel - Queens, 1965. Others have described it as a “historical landscape” which I agree with — this story couldn’t have taken place anywhere else. The reader is taken back in time to an era only in memory now.

The author’s writing is poignant. While it started a bit slow for me, the novel in its entirety is worth the investment. I hope this is well received upon its release!

I have such mixed feelings about this novel. It was so difficult at first to latch on to what was happening and the whole scene with Gia hunting for chemicals in the basement was a bit odd. But once I did get into the story I started to enjoy it though there were still parts that I wasn’t quite sure about relating to Ray and who the man in the white shirt at the new house was. I think the narrative was a bit cluttered to be honest and I think the novel could have worked with just the story of Leo’s fight with addiction and leave the other cousins as background characters. But having said that, Lorraine was a pivotal character.
The author clearly knows how to write about relationships. Even if I was slightly confused on the plot at times, the familial relationships and responsibilities were beautifully written and all of the characters had sympathetic qualities as well as bad.
I grew up on a lake and age 12 was desperate to take the boat out alone. My brother wasn’t allowed to either, though he did always drive when we went out and I, the girl was only allowed a few minutes to ‘try’. Gia’s struggle as a girl who doesn’t feel feminine or weak could have been set in the 70’s or 80’s. I recognised so much of it, particularly in how you were treated at home even though in the 80’s when I was growing up it wasn’t unusual for a girl to want to be a scientist or astronaut. As that girl who grew up on water the scenes where Gia is in the canal or on the bay are so relatable to me and her night on the island and subsequent swim terrified me to my core and I was completely gripped.
Though the very end is tentatively uplifting this book is mainly sad, frightening, depressing and dark. Now for me, this is a good thing but others may find that a negative.
Overall I liked a lot more about this book than I disliked and am glad I had the opportunity to read it.

A provocative coming-of-age in 1960s Queens.
Heart-wrenching and moving, A FRENZY OF SPARKS boldly reveals families in crisis, brought together and torn apart. Brava Kristin Fields on a lyrical, luminous tale that sticks with the reader long after the last page.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of A Frenzy of Sparks.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I made it about 20% in and I just cannot go further. It simply wasn't readable. The writing was so thin and difficult to grasp, that I found myself getting increasingly irritable with the story. I'm still not completely clear on who was who and what they were even doing.

Perhaps if I'd given it more time I would feel differently, but I could not break through my wall of frustration.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an Advance Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw this book I immediately fell in love with the premise; and this book definitely lived up to the hype. It was beautifully written and gave me a sense of nostalgia as she takes me back to when i was thirteen years old through her writing. The story however was a bit confusing at first but after the first half everything becomes clearer.

I feel like I would have absolutely adored this if I was the right kind of reader for this kind of story.

I am quite intolerant when it comes to drug use, perhaps because I've never been around it, so I found myself lacking any sort of patience or understanding for Leo's character, who plays a rather significant role. The narration is third person, so I wonder why the author didn't utilise that to give the reader some insight into Leo's thoughts, his rationale behind his decisions, or any indication to show what he was feeling. Because the entire narration follows Gia, I feel like there is a missed opportunity for the reader to empathise with Leo, which is what I personally needed.

That being said, I was really into the world building and how the writing paints a rather interesting picture of Queens in the 1960's. I had no idea it used to be marshes, so I enjoyed seeing a different side of NYC and reading about Gia's connection to the environment around her.

I have no doubt that many readers will find this story to be touching but, for me, my heart just wasn't completely invested.