This YA captures the selfishness, anguish, and rage of being a teen. Great setting and story of family and belonging. The Patois dictionary at the beginning intimidated me (I don’t often enjoy dialogue heavy writing with dialect) but the use of Patois in the writing was pretty seamless.

This book really brought me into the feel of Jamaican culture, and disproved what it would be like to feel the culture shock of spending the summer with your family but still being a foreigner. I appreciated the dictionary of Jamaican patios in the beginning and felt myself learning it along with Tilla- the descriptions and the pacing of the novel were great. However, the characters over dramatic feelings were a bit too heavy handed and had me skimming along rather than really getting into the story. There would also be points where it seemed like the author was trying to impart her life lessons, and the metaphor of the hurricane was overdone. All in all a solid book, but not a top recommendation

Whew, Hurricane Summer packs an emotional punch. You will need the Patois word bank in the front of this story or you will be VERY lost. Hurricane Summer is the kind of book that could save a life.. it can help the right person heal. It's STUNNING and painful. The writing is so lyrical the book flows like music. The topics are hard to read at points but beautifully handled. I'm in awe of this powerful story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I literally cried my eyes out reading this story! I absolutely loved how I felt the author brought me into Jamaican culture, and not the touristy culture, but real small town Jamaican culture. I struggled with the Patois dialogue throughout because of the e-book format. It was difficult to go back and forth from the dictionary to the text. I would have liked it more in paperback or hardcover. Overall I really liked it and would recommend it to others after release date!

Wow....what a debut from Asha Bromfield. I was sucked into this book from the moment I saw the cover and the story itself did not disappoint. Tilla is exactly what a protagonist should be - flawed, yet the reader can’t help but root for her to find her voice and her strength. I will say there were a few scenes that got a bit repetitive. How many times was Tilla going to let her awful cousin and aunt abuse her? Her tolerance for their nonsense and bullying was a little too high to be truly believable. And then that ending just gutted me. I didn’t see it coming and definitely shed a few tears. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I can’t wait to read more from Bromfield.

-`ˏ 4 stars ˎ´˗

Storyline: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
It's only for the summer. . . Tilla dreaded the idea of facing her father, a man she once respected, who made the decision to leave his family and live his life in Jamaica. She needed to use this moment to figure out why his homeland is more important than her, but things didn't turn out as planned. Not only did she realize something shocking about her father, but her own self as well. There’s more than one storm brewing on this island.

Characters: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
There are moments where you'll get frustrated with Tilla's choices, but when you really think about it, it's natural. This is the crude reality, many girls don’t have a good male figure to guide them and teach them correctly how to love and be loved. When you are starving for a love your father fails to give, the sweet words of another can cloud your perception and fill that need. It becomes disconcerting to follow Tilla's journey as she interacts with people who hardly know her, but project their own thoughts of judgment upon her.

Atmosphere: -`ˏ 8/10 ˎ´˗
As an “Americanized” Trinidadian, this story is striking but relatable. The old-time belief that the woman most responds to their man like a king and stoop down because you are lucky to even kiss their feet. Young black women should have no ambition if it does not involve cooking dinner and taking care of kids. Yes, it is considered a privilege to be able to live outside the island and have more opportunities to widen your horizons. However, you should not treat someone terribly because their life is different than yours, and have the appearance of having more. Our environment may not be the same, but there is no difference in the struggles we face in society.
Trigger warning: sexism, classism, colorism, abuse (physical, verbal, and emotional), sexual assault, guilt, death(mention), and blood(mention)
*Inclusion of religious belief and ideas of God

Language: -`ˏ 7/10 ˎ´˗
The story was written beautifully, packed with a lush and vivid description of people and places in Jamaica. The only drawback was that there were too many subplots left unfinished and we slightly lost sight of the major issues.

Enjoyment: -`ˏ 10/10 ˎ´˗
“I have learned that when a hurricane passes through, it knows no favor. It takes no precedence. When the time is right and it is ready, it will destroy everything. Even the good things. Even the things you love.” The hurricane- great symbolism of the story, it starts off as a small issue, and then it begins to pick up speed. Things begin to accumulate, making it bigger and bigger, creating a path of uncontrollable destruction. Then it simply stops. . leaving you with the aftermath which you may or may not be able to repair.

*Sidenote: That ending . . *insert every cuss word known to man* . . Where’s the manager? I need someone to formally apologize for my emotions, she was not aware of the possible outcome of her favorite side character and needs to be reimbursed.
**Sidenote: I'm still upset Tilla wasted good cake on trash.
***Sidenote: I'm craving cake now.

Tilla is going to Jamaica, her family’s homeland, for the first time. She has no idea what to expect but she does know her father yearns for that land. That he hates living anywhere else and that he loves Jamaica more than he loves her and her sister, for all that he always goes running back to the place. She’s hoping that going to Jamaica will bring them closer and that he’ll love her like he used to.

She is oh so wrong.

Her father has to go back to town after only a couple days so Tilla is left to stay in the country, with people she doesn’t know. As time passes, it becomes clear that she’s so different from everyone. In Canada, her mom can barely afford to buy her and her sister, Mia, clothes from Walmart. Yet here, in Jamaica, the fact that she has maybe ten pairs of shoes makes her seem rich.

She soon discovers that the hatred of foreign runs deep and that all her relatives are against her. Every time she gets her hopes up about fitting in, something happens to beat her down. Agan and again.

This book. Wow. The depth of feeling in this book. The beautiful descriptions of the land, alongside the hateful things Tilla experiences, is such a juxtaposition. It makes all her experiences all the worse for there being such beauty in the world. It’s the way of things, of course.

I felt so betrayed by what happened, though I could tell from the beginning that going to Jamaica wasn’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows. I was absolutely outraged on Tilla’s behalf, for everything she went through and how everyone talked about her. I hate how this book made me feel but that’s probably a mark of just how good it is. It was so immersive into the culture of Jamaica, I assume anyway. I’ve never been there nor do I know anyone from there.

The issues of how women are perceived and how men can do whatever they want and not face consequences, are at the forefront of this novel. Alongside the horrible sexism is colorism. The way the family talks about Andre and how they treat him as less than makes me so angry. He’s the best of them all and I will be taking no criticism on this front. He was the only one who took TIlla seriously and who believed her side of the story (other than her own sister). Even Tilla’s father falls for what her cousin, Diana, says about Tilla. Calling her a slut, and a whore. It made me so outraged.

I don’t like how quickly Tilla fell for not one, but two guys. How quickly she gives herself over to a man after being betrayed by the key man in her life over and over again. I would have rather she had been more cautious. But, again, this makes her more human. I also wish there had been more time dedicated to Tilla and her father. They barely get to see each other, as he abandons her to the country and her family there. Perhaps it’s just a marker of the fact that he will never be on her side, that she will never be enough for him, not over his life in Jamaica. Her many issues with her father are buried under everything else that happens to Tilla in Jamaica, though everything is connected.

This book is dark and deep. It was not a fun read, not like that. It was enjoyable for the sake of reading, but I will never read it again. It has certainly left a lasting impression, however, and I’m sure it will resonate with many readers, especially those who are looking for a deep emotional connection. Just be aware that there are several trigger warnings associated with this book, not least of which is a scene of sexual assault. Gaslighting, infidelity, slut shaming, language, racism, colorism, and more.

It will take me a long time to recover from Hurricane Summer.

Tilla and her sister Mia are headed to spend the summer with their father in Jamaica. He spends a majority of his time on the island, and Tilla just wants to understand what she can do to make him love her. While she isn’t thrilled about spending the summer there, she will finally get to see what is so amazing about Jamaica that it keeps him from his family. With a Hurricane headed their way, Tilla will truly see all the beauty and destruction Jamaica has to offer.

So when I first opened this book on my kindle, I immediately went “oh crap.” There was an index in the beginning of what phrases mean, that was legit 6 pages long. I knew I would never remember them, and its harder to go back and forth in an e-book than a paperback. Luckily, I didn’t need to worry. I was able to figure out the meanings just fine! It did mean it took me a little bit longer to read because I had to go slower to understand it, but it didn’t bother me at all. Oh man, this was such a sad/hopeful book. I cannot even describe the rage I felt towards Tilla’s father. Why bring your children to Jamaica for the summer just to dump them with your family that doesn’t like them and disappear? It just made me so mad. Moving on though, this was such a wonderfully written book about growing up and finding yourself, especially in a new and uncomfortable environment, and as a female. My heart broke for Tilla so many times throughout the book and I just wanted to jump into the pages and give her and Andre a massive hug. This book will shatter your heart, start to mend it, and then shatter all over again.

This book was a masterpiece. It was raw, personal, and introspective. The story tells of a young girl, Tilla, who discovers herself in her home country of Jamaica. As the country prepares for a hurricane, Tilla is going through her own emotional storm. The juxtaposition of the literal hurricane to the figurative hurricane going on inside her is simply stunning. Warning: there are some raw sexual parts of the novel that make me uncomfortable recommending this title to my 8th graders. However I could totally see me using excerpts from the novel in my classroom.

This is a gripping, colorful coming of age story as Tilla and her sister come to grips with their place in their family, their world, and their culture. I would caution that young adult readers may need support as they navigate some of the realities that face Tilla as she journeys through the realities that she faces. This is a complex story and it will be important to process some of the events.

This was well written and I really appreciated the inclusion of Patois to make it authentic, but oof this was just not an enjoyable book to read. None of the characters were particularly likable (except for Andre), and the plot was just trauma after trauma after trauma with no real break. So while this wasn't a bad book, I just can't see myself recommending it because the process of reading it was just a bummer.

I wavered on how I wanted to rate this book, there were parts of it that I absolutely loved, but there were also parts that made me angry and tearful. And the parts that are written in Patois were sometimes hard to follow, but I read a lot of them out loud and that helped immensely.

The parts of the story that I loved were where Tilla realized that her actions, even when she had good intentions, may have unintended consequences to other people. That's one of the things that is probably the hardest as you go toward adulthood and move from being self-centered to world centered (well, hopefully you do! LOL).

The parts I did not like were the abuse that Tilla received at the hands of nearly everyone in her family and the neighborhood. The aunts mentally and physically abused her and there was some questionable sexual activity as well. There were so many characters I wasn't sure how to define some of the abuse/relationships.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read about coming of age, just know there are triggers for abuse.

The Quick Cut: A teen girl and her younger sister spend the summer in Jamaica with their father. Drama ensues when the summer does not go as planned.  

A Real Review: Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the ARC for an honest review.   
 Some of our most complicated relationships are with our parents. When we're born, we idolize them and their place in our lives. Eventually though, those ideals crack and break when the reality of who they are slams into us. After all, parents are flawed people like the rest of us. So what does that realization look like? This book centered around Tilla is about exactly that when she goes to Jamaica for the summer with her younger sister. 
 Tilla has spent her entire life wanting the love of her father. However, she has rarely gotten that since her father continued to travel to Jamaica for business over and over again. When her mom agrees to let Tilla and her younger sister spend the summer in Jamaica with their father, she is excited for the opportunity. Finally, she can get to know her dad on a true level and spend plenty of time with him. However, instead of getting face time with dad, she ends up getting blown off and left in the hands of her extended family. How much more of this disappearing act can Tilla take? Or will this be the beginning of her breaking point showing? 
 This book is so magical and yet devastating at the same time. The author works some very beautiful skills painting the author a very realistic image of what Jamaica looks like. I've never been there myself, but I felt like I have been after reading this one. She not only discussed the natural beauty of the island, but she also gives a good idea of what life is like for those who live there. The good and the bad are elaborated on. 
 Tilla goes through so much in such a short time. In two months of her life, she gets abused by family, betrayed by friends, and name called across the board. Every time she feels a new pain (physical or emotional), you can't help but feel like it's hurting you too. It's all the beginning of when Tilla starts to realize how sometimes parents can disappoint us.... and sometimes break our hearts the most. That's a lesson I wouldn't wish on anyone as it tends to leave emotional scars that run as deep as scars can. 
 Not only is the storytelling so bold and emotional, but the landscape is so visceral. Together, they are a potent combination that you can't help but fall for. 
 A profoundly touching story that will linger in your mind for a long time. 
My rating: 5 out of 5

Tilla and her sister Mia are heading to spend the summer in Jamaica with their father. Tilla has mixed feelings about her father because he spends so much time in Jamaica instead of at home with them in Canada, but she expects to be enchanted by the beautiful island and discover the hold it has on her father. With an impending hurricane brewing, Tilla learns much about the island, her father, his family, and herself.

Hurricane Summer is a beautifully written story that tackles many important themes. I understand the importance of including Jamaican Patois, but it will make this book extremely challenging for a lot of teen readers. Some will power through (as I did), despite the difficulty, but many will become discouraged and miss out on a powerful story.

Unfortunately, I enjoyed the cover and premise of this book more than the book itself. I don't necessarily think this book is bad, but there just wasn't much that I particularly liked about it. That being said, from reading the author's note, I can tell that this story means a lot to the author and I don't want to take away from their experience at all. I think the story told in Hurrican Summer is an important one that absolutely deserves to be told, but, to me, the execution here was lacking.

Hurricane Summer follows a teenage girl named Tilla who travels to Jamaica with her younger sister over the summer to visit their absent father. There she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and healing but is confronted with difficult truths about her family and the rest of the people of the island as well as, of course, a hurricane.

By far my favourite element of this book was the way it discussed the challenges of people in the diaspora "returning" to the homeland. I can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal, but the way Bromfield describes how Tilla is treated in this book felt very real and raw to me. I also appreciated that this book tackled the topics of colorism, sexual assault, and classism, however, I think they were a bit underdeveloped. Additionally, while I can't personally speak to the portrayal of Jamaica in this book, I liked the way Bromfield talked about the realities of the country compared to the picturesque version that the media frequently focuses on. The writing itself was good, sometimes beautiful, but nothing exceptional if I'm being honest, although I liked the use of Patois in the dialogue.

The main reason I struggled with this book was the characters. To me most of them felt rather flat and I found the protagonist rather frustrating at times. I really just couldn't get invested in them, so when things started happening to them, I simply didn't care. This book is also very much centred on Tilla's experiences and internal struggles, which I once again struggled with, since I couldn't get invested in her as a character, and I kept getting frustrated about how everything that happens revolves around her. Other than that, there were also a few little details within the book (why didn't they start preparing for the hurricane earlier in advance? why did they hear a final boarding call announcement and then wait several more hours to board their plane? why did the mom agree to let them go to Jamaica knowing full well that a hurricane was inevitable?) that didn't really make sense which took me out of the story.

In the end, while I personally did not enjoy this book, I don't necessarily want to discourage anyone from reading this book as I think this is an important story and one that some readers will really be able to connect to.

Eighteen year old Talla and and her eight year old sister are going to spend the summer in Jamaica with their dad. To say the least he has been an inconsistent presence in their lives. Upon arrival he almost immediately takes them to the country where a large group of relatives lives. He leaves them in the charge of his sister, their aunt, who sees them as city girls. From the start her aunt is unwelcoming. Her aunt should have been a steady, adult presence for Tilla, but there are no adults there for Tilla as she is being unknowingly manipulated and tricked by her cousin Diana who is driven by jealousy. Tilla reconnects with her cousin Andre whose very dark skin makes him of lesser value in the family. Their exploration of the country are a welcome respite to all the family tension.

Talla begins the summer innocent and fairly guileless. As she comes of age, she faces her father’s deception and her aunt’s meanness. I won’t spoil the story. I will say at times I found Tilla’s choices frustrating. Then I’d remember that she was a teenager thrown into a situation with no trusted adult support. The adults who should have been backing her up and listening to her infuriated me.

This book will be a great addition to my high school library own voices collection. However, I will have trigger warnings for sexual assault, slut shaming, racism, and an absent parent. This is a deep, heavy coming of age.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The author did a fantastic job in writing the tale. Some moments are so raw and gripping which are challenging to read. Yet, some moments burst with pure innocence that lightens your heart and gives you a fresh perspective. Moreover, it is never easy fitting into a new society, even if it is temporary. There will be people in life who will be jealous of who you are and try to bring you down to high their insecurities. The author writes the characters and their situations so personally that I found myself rooting for Tilla as she struggled to adapt.

Tilla is a strong character and probably one I will remember for a long time. She enters Jamaica with innocence but learns the struggles she would endure and how strong she would become. Similarly, Andre was another one of my favorites. I loved all the moments that Tilla shares with Andre. The way they support each other through the harsh times. Even simple moments where he asks her how many shoes she has or how she gets mesmerized by his artwork brought a smile to my face.

Furthermore, the author also touches on the harsh realities of racism for how people treat Andre. Yet, he remains healthy and doesn’t let it affect him. The author also touches on domestic abuse, and unfortunately, how common it could be in such places. I was not too fond of Diana and Herma and thought they made memorable villains. I don’t think I will ever forget the scene involving the cake and confrontation. Similarly, I also liked moments between Tilla and Hessan and wondered how their relationship would progress.

Overall, “Hurricane Summer” is a beautiful debut novel with a dynamic cast and storyline that will draw you immediately into its world.

This one surprised me on so many levels. The language is the most obvious startling feature—startling in a good way. When I noticed that the book opened with a lengthy glossary of terms, I was sure it would be overwhelming to translate everything. It wasn’t. Once I got into the story, the words flowed with remarkable cadence & continuity. She captured the rhythm of the patois with such accuracy. I was also caught off guard by Tilla. I misjudged her character for the first 1/4 of the book. By the end, I was fighting for her & cheering her on. There were a few predictable story lines, but they didn’t detract from the depth of emotion that the characters conveyed. This is too raw to use in my classroom, but I know that this book will ring all too true for some of my students.

Hurricane Summer follows Tilla as she embarks on a life changing summer trip to Jamaica to visit her absent father. She ends up dealing with much more than she anticipated on the trip, however, and she has to learn her be courageous and to be herself.
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Hurricane Summer had a lot of promise and a great premise, but unfortunately it fell into the trap of having too many things going on. The author tried to fit many plot lines into this book, and having so many took away much of the emotional value. Maybe if there were one or two plot lines that were the main focus I would have been able to connect to it more.
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2.5 stars rounded down.
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CWs- rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, toxic relationship, absent parent
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two things you need at your disposal to start this precious poignant journey; Patois language dictionary and tons of napkins because you’re going to cry your eyes out!

Get ready to be ripped your heart apart: Tilla’s story will bring out the feelings you never experienced! Your emotions will be everywhere after you read her heartbreaking journey!

This is thought provoking story about daughters who are deeply yearning to preserve her father’s love and care ! Tilla can do anything to stay as her father’s beloved daughter. When they were traveling from Toronto to Jamaica with her sister Mia, she was so excited to spend her summer with her father. Their parents’ turbulent marriage made him move away from Toronto but now he makes excuses about work crisis to go to Kingston urgently, leaving his daughters with extended family.

As Mia easily connects with her cousins, Tilla suffers from verbal abuse, feeling rejected by her own family. Her resentment to be left away by his own father push her to resume a secret relationship which results with terrible consequences!

This book is a young teenager girl’s search for love, acceptance, suffer from her sudden steps to the womanhood. It’s about first love, verbal and physical abuse, jealousy, seeking approval of loved ones, racism, self discovery.

It is intense! The words cut you deeper than you can imagine, you bleed and cry as you witness Tilla’s pain and empathize with her loneliness and inner struggles.

It’s lyrical, it’s natural, it’s heart wrenching. Its intensity and genuineness make the book more powerful, inspirational, unconventional!

How far you go to earn your father’s love and approval again? A girl’s true seeking to find her place in her society, her efforts to find her identity without being criticized and humiliated could be more challenging than she can endure!

This book is not for everyone! This book is for people who are not afraid of feeling too much! If you’re one of them, you’re the great match to enjoy this lyrical, unforgettable journey which earned my full five ready, heartfelt, sad, inspirational stars!

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.