Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I didn't connect with the characters even after several attempts.

TW: Sexual assault

This is a story of growth, resilience, strength, and trauma.

Tilla is told by her mother that she is going to be spending the summer in Jamaica with her father. She is not excited about seeing him because she is still resentful that he leaves their family to spend half of his year on the island. Tilla discovers so many dark secrets on the island that unravel throughout the story.

My favorite part of the story was the Patois that the author weaved into the story!

Heartbreaking, unflinchingly honest, and beautiful, Asha Bromfield proves herself to be a voice the YA genre needs with Hurricane Summer. She takes care in moments of intense pain and suffering, and validates the experiences of so many involved. While you root for the main character, you can't help but understand the ideologies and cultural norms that cause those around her to treat her the way they do. You see a young woman who survives despite everything and who learns to find bravery and joy in the little moments in life. Would highly recommend.

I like cultural stories but this one didn’t click with me. Why? I don’t know. Maybe because Tilla’s aunt was nasty from the beginning for no apparent reason? I just didn’t feel the story working for me so I DNF and moved on to another book.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters. There were a lot of them, so you need to pay attention. I thought the story flowed well. It was interesting to see the differences in family because of where they grew up, opportunities they had, etc. It was sad and had some hard things to read about. Also, the dialect was a bit hard to follow at times, but it made the story more authentic. Some racy parts, so maybe not for younger teens.

By far one of the most powerful, embracing and life changing books i’ve ever read. I loved the voice it gives to embrace sexual shame. And i thought that was written well.

For a YA< this book was so mature and complex. Asha Bromfield really tore my soul apart with her prose at times. It was so raw. I cannot wait to read what she has next.

#HurricaneSummer by Asha Bromfield is an exploration of identity. It covers so many topics and issues—colonialism, racism, colorism, privilege—but in a way that flows within the story. Tilla’s journey is so easy to get wrapped in. And it all takes place in Jamaica!

This book was so raw and realistic. I found it very relate able. The writing style was compelling too .

This was a fantastic coming of age story and I loved the background of a lush Jamaica as it prepared for a hurricane. This was a beautiful debut and I highly recommend for those that like these kind of Afro-Caribbean stories.

This book evoked all the emotions. I was amazed and awed but not surprised by the secrets and lies. The treatment of family members based on the color of their skin or the place they are raised is not new to many POCs. Beautifully written with some harsh realities.

When I read this book I had all sorts of feelings! This book is about a girl who gets sent to Haiti for the Summer to spend time with her family on her father's side. During the plotline of the book I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. My heart broke for the main character as we followed her through the journey in Haiti. I really enjoyed this book overall and I hope that the author comes out with a new book soon!

Whew. This book was much darker than I expected. It does a good job of explaining how girls and women, especially young Women of Color, are oversexualized and how this treatment affects them, but that's obviously not easy to read. The main character is an older teenager and this book verges on "new adult" territory.

Hurricane Summer was a cute read. I enjoyed the overall premise. However I had difficulty with connecting to some of the characters in this story. Overall an enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was such a refreshing read. It tells the story of Tilla, a Jamaican-Canadian teenager who travels to Jamaica with her little sister to spend two months with their father. She expects to spend the summer catching up with her dad after not seeing him for over a year; however, shortly after they arrive, Tilla realizes the visit will be nothing like she expected.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Asha’s descriptive writing paints such a vivid, beautiful picture of the island of Jamaica, I felt as though I was along for the adventure through the countryside. Well...I was also reading this while sitting on the beach in Aruba, so that could have added to the tropical, island vibes I was feeling. But anyway. 🤷🏾‍♀️

There are so many different themes explored, which makes it such a great story. While Hurricane Summer primarily focuses on Tilla as she grows into womanhood and learns more about her father’s side of the family, it is also a depiction of relational aggression, family secrets, building trust, young love, exploring sexuality, colorism, and forgiveness. It’s good stuff!

I began reading and left this book several times .... An amazing writing style that vividly describes sequences full of trauma, pain, and judgment, and makes you want to leave the book while forcing you to continue reading... A roller-coaster of emotion is a weak expression to describe the whole dizzying range of emotions that will engulf you as you turn the pages. Anger, laughter, sadness, rage ... are just a small part of the emotions that changed as I traveled this heartwrenching trip into the world of Tilla ...
Hurricane summer is a heartbreaking story of a teenager visiting her father in Jamaica, a journey that takes you through the life of this young girl and her attempt to discover herself and her origins. The desire of a child to feel the love and care of a parent. A period of growth and change, of finding and losing love, of strong emotions .... Tilla and the puzzle called her life and her struggle to fit all the pieces, to fit herself into that world while being attacked from all sides .... And you might expect to experience the beauty of the island of Jamaica where you will experience this strong young woman coming of age, but be prepared to face the horrible side of this amazing place. Race, colorism, class, abuse, and a bit of sexual assault are just some of the situations you will encounter through the pages of this book.
And now as I write this review, the first thing that comes to mind is the brutal intensity, with words that are etched in your heart and the pain that makes you sympathize with this young girl and her pain. And even though I knew this book was a debut, I somehow felt like I was reading the words of a very experienced author. Maybe because all the emotions were so skillfully poured into every sentence, in every scene. Love and beauty, versus destruction and pain... One of the things I loved about this novel is that it uses the Jamaican dialogue of Patois. Somehow it contributes to the greater complexity and depth of the story itself. Admittedly, it was quite difficult to understand, at least until you got used to the terminology. The glossary at the beginning was a great aid.
Definitely a book that is not for everyone. A book that will make you cry and feel a range of emotions that will remain in you, long after reading. Though provoking and brutally honest, this book is definitely an excellent choice for people who are unafraid to dive into a sea of emotion.

This book, you guys, this book… it’s beautiful, it’s painful, it’s the full package. Be forewarned, it’s covers incredibly heavy topics. But it’s powerful, poignant. Despite not having the same experiences as the MC, Tilla, there’s this underlying connection of the things we go through as women. I also related from to the culture shock she experiences, when you’re caught between two countries but never fully a part of one or the other. It’s got a complex father-daughter relationship which felt so real. Right now I just seem to be listing praises, but hey, there’s just so much to unpack here, so much I want to talk about but I’m limited here.

"Mom says you get two birthdays. The first one is the day you are born and the second is the day you leave home and give birth to yourself."
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Tilla's story will bring out mixed and crazy emotions from deep within you. My heart broke for her with every chapter, how she yearned for her father's love and affection. What happens to the young lady who's father no longer loves her? How do you accept that as you age into a young woman, your father has basically moved on with his life right before your eyes.
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Tilla and her little sister Mia were born and raised in Canada to Jamaican parents. Their parents turbulent marriage made her dad move back to JA leaving an empty space in their lives. Her mom decided that even though there’s an impending hurricane. Tilla and her sister could spend the summer with their dad. Excited to see their dad they arrived in beautiful Jamaica. As happy as can be, that happiness is short lived because dad drops them off in the country side to extended family and flee’s to the town side of the island, leaving Tilla disappointed once again!

Tilla and Mia two Canadian girls, are sent to spend the summer with their father in his native Jamaica. Tilla’s complicated relationship with her often absent father is tested as she tries to fit in with his family in the Jamaican mountains. Her extended family resent her “princess” clothing, language and behavior, and Tilla is straining against the rules and restrictions of this insular and foreign-to-her community.

Tilla’s aunts and father are angered by her emerging sexuality, and as the summer wears on and hurricane season approaches, the air thickens with the threat of an imminent storm.

Tilla is a teen, and is self-centered and self-dramatizing. While this got a little bit much for me, it feels age-appropriate and authentic.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set in the countryside of Jamaica, Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield was the perfect novel to get my summer reading started. Eighteen year old Tilla goes to Jamaica for the summer to visit her estranged father. Once she arrives, she finds out that she will be staying in the country with his family and not with him. This serves as the backdrop for a summer that will cause her to take an emotional journey as she deals with matters of the heart--pain, abandonment, acceptance, love, and joy. From start to finish, the book held my attention. Her yearning for her father’s attention was heart wrenching. I could feel her pain as she suffered the meanness and jealousy of her family. And I could remember my own first love, as she experienced her relationship with Hessan, a forbidden love. All of these forces create a summer that is filled with personal storms and eventually converge to form a hurricane (which coincidentally is at the same time that a real hurricane is pummeling the island). It uproots not only Tilla, but the lives around her. This book is so empowering for young and old because it shows us that there is beauty in the hurricanes of life. Hurricanes help us rebuild and recreate. Help us heal. Through the storms come resilience and strength we didn’t know we had. The novel also shows us that hurt people hurt people. The story behind their hurt, we may never know. But it is not our burden to carry, so we can’t take their actions personally. Yet, we don’t have to feel obligated to forgive them for hurting us--at least not until we are truly ready. Although this book is in the Teen and YA category, I would recommend this book to young adults and the general reader who enjoys novels about love and healing. I look forward to reading more from Asha Bromfield.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced e-copy of the book for my honest opinion.