This is a hard book to read, but despite that it was somehow beautiful. Definite trigger warnings for bullying, sexual assault, slut shaming, classism, racism, physical assault and death. I liked that the reader was thrown into Jamaican culture with the narrator Tilla. While her parents are Jamaican she hasn’t been to visit in years. She was born in Canada along with her little sister and lives with her mother while her father floats between their home and his first love Jamaica. Tilla had been resistant to going to spend her whole summer with her father but agreed and the culture shock for her is real. Tilla learns a lot in this journey and it makes her stronger. There were times that I wanted to shake her but some mistakes you just have to make. I do think in a physical copy the Patois dictionary in the beginning would be more helpful, but there were definitely some bits I needed a reminder to read. I know this is a story that will be sticking with me for a while.

Content Warnings: : rape, sexual assault, racism, colorism, incest, child neglect, slut-shaming, bullying, colonialism, natural disaster, mental and emotional abuse, physical abuse, manipulation, classism, cheating, abandonment, drowning, religious discussions, gaslighting, death, off-page drowning, off-page car accident, mentions of cancer

“My heart is so full. This is where I come from. I am born of these mountains and trees. Of this calming water and sky.”

Tilla is a girl yearning for her father who leaves his family in Canada every six months to return to his home in Jamaica. However, Tilla just might get the chance to connect with her father when her mother tells her she will be spending the summer on the island, accompanied by her younger sister Mia. While she dreads the trip, she hopes to uncover what beckons her father towards Jamaica—and farther and farther away from her. Suddenly, the summer promises a hurricane, and Tilla is thrust into the unraveling of her family’s secrets. She must confront the storm brewing both inside and outside of her.

Hurricane Summer is a new all-time favorite of mine for the ways that it is devastating, turbulent, and absolutely gorgeous. The main character Tilla reflects so many girls, like myself, who were shunned as they entered womanhood and whose sexuality was criminalized. I applaud Bromfield for her poetic prose and the way that she confronts classism, colorism, and sexism as it permeates through several communities, including the one Tilla and her family inhabit. Noting the community, I adore the way that the setting is described throughout the book. Jamaica is portrayed as vibrant, vast, and engrossing. So many of the characters are complex, and one of my favorites is Andre, by far. He is a beacon of positivity and light, and I loved his character so dearly. I am someone who loves family dynamics, and I was unprepared for such a fantastic read about love, acceptance, and seeking approval. Tilla is definitely a character I will hold with me for years to come because of how much I regard her journey to both self-discovery and self-love. I also deeply appreciate the way that patois was integral to the voice of the cast of characters throughout the novel; no lesson was spoon-fed to Tilla or to us readers. Each person is sure to take a different component of the story and grow with it. Something great about the book is how it can move easily from audacious adventure to soft, intimate moments. The final line of the novel is still stuck in my head, leaving me dying to read another piece from the multi-talented Asha Bromfield. Thank you for bringing me to tears and for putting your heart and experiences on the page.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

This was a bit of an intense read. Lots of heavy feelings and situations. I loved the description of the setting in Jamaica and it made me want to go there.

This was kind of a downer but I did enjoy the book.

Okay. Best way to enjoy this one? Eyes wide open before going into this.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for sending me a copy!

Brace yourself for a heavy coming-of-age story. This was surprisingly raw, dark, and unapologetically honest. Tilla is leaving Canada to spend the summer with her father in Jamaica. The island is not her home but it is where her roots are, and she is taken to the far back country to stay with a family she barely remembers. As she works through not only major culture shock, the vast struggle to figure out how she fits in, and the revelations about not only herself but the people she cares most about, the threat of a major hurricane looms over the island. This is an #ownvoices story and one that does not hold back.

While I personally found it hard to relate to Tilla for several obvious reasons, I really did like her as a main character. And while I couldn't exactly relate, my sympathy for her and the crap she had to experience every day was through the roof. There is a lot of emotion and learned ideas that Tilla must work through and as such her character development is very strong. She is a very different person when she leaves Jamaica compared to the person she was when she arrived. The parallels between a hurricane coming to the island and a storm coming over Tilla to wreak destruction was brilliant and so elegantly done.

This was a very frustrating read and a reason to pay attention to the trigger warnings for this novel. There are a lot of heavy topics in here that I wish were handled differently, especially because of the characters who led the difficult situations. Almost every single character sucked and seemed to exist only to make Tilla feel bad. There was classism in making fun of her for having a crappy walmart backpack when they didn't; slut-shaming because she thought a boy was cute the first time she met him; verbal abuse because an aunt let Tilla sleep in their room while she's visiting but then goes in to clean at 4:30 am because she hasn't changed the sheets after two days there. And those examples are just the tip of the iceberg of toxic and abusive characters. Never mind the sexual and physical abuse, the parental neglect—it is all so much to fit into one book over the course of a few weeks.

A side note, as I had some reservations going into this because of who the author is. I've read a few books written by celebs and they tend to not be great. Publishers often rely on the name to sell the book rather than the quality of the plot itself. Not the case here. Asha has crafted an incredibly heart-breaking story. I thought the first quarter was super slow, but it came around once we got past all the necessary introductions. I struggled quite a bit with the Jamaican slang but most of it is intuitive and a glossary is provided to help understand. Really, Asha's writing is great! It's simple but has these striking moments of beauty. It's clear that she has poured a lot of heart into this novel, but I really hope she didn't actually experience everything Tilla did because no one should.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this book. I see she has another one coming out next year and while I enjoyed this, I don't think I can go through another book this emotionally draining.

Wow, is this book a powerhouse. {Thanks to Wednesday Books for the advanced copy of this book.}

The mood is electric and the setting is idyllic, while at the same time also feeling claustrophobic. Tilla’s journey is fraught with challenges and hurts in a community that lives by a different set of rules. Her self-discovery is imperfect but I love that she yearns to answer her heart.

Some favorite sections are the heart-wrenching scenes where Tilla talks with her cousin about colorism (the love and struggle there is so beautifully written), and the ending chapters - what a personal growth journey! Put this one on your list!

This ownvoices YA debut provides an immersive look into Jamaica, its culture and the story of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood. Tilla and her sister travel from Canada to spend the summer with their Dad ( who they hadn’t seen in a year) in Jamaica. As Tilla tries to fit in as a “foreigner” she experiences betrayal, shaming and a litany of traumatic events from all but 2 of the other characters. The book deals with many important topics including colorism, assault, abuse, gender roles and familial relationships. Although these are important topics worthy of exploration and discussion, it felt like this story took on too many of them and so many were left unattended.
The lush descriptions of Jamaica were well done. The use of the patois dialect added authenticity and a strong sense of space, however the glossary was hard to access with an ereader and it slowed the story. Although Tilla showed growth and character development, the overwhelming majority of the characters were not just unlikable but hateful and despicable. The paucity of moments of compassion and decency did not sit well and left this reader disheartened.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was enjoying the story while I was reading, but as it progressed I was liking it less and less until the ending which left a terrible taste in mouth.

Parts I enjoyed: I thought the writing was well done and there were some really nicely done descriptions. I'm one of those people who enjoys flowery writing and this definitely has that. I also appreciated the choice to have a lot of dialogue in Patois. I'm not Jamaican and don't speak Patois so I can't say whether the language was used correctly. I also appreciated a peek at the less touristy side of Jamaica and seeing Tilla, an outsider, interact with the true country. I just wish we were shown more positive aspects other than the pretty landscapes.

Parts I didn't enjoy: ...The whole plot? The whole story felt like uninterrupted trauma to be honest. This was supposed to be a story about family, but Tilla's family is horrible to her and not in any kind of complicated way, they're just plain mean. There's some explanations given for why they act in certain ways, but those explanations felt shallow and hollow at best and not a way to show complicated characters. That's how I ended up feeling about all of the tough topics dealt with in the story, they all made me feel for the main character because who wouldn't after watching her go through what she went through, but none of the events felt like they had any kind of resolution so ultimately felt shallow overall.

Overall: Like I said at the beginning of the review I did enjoy the process of reading it, just when the ending hit it made me reflect on what actually happened in the story and I realized I had some issues.

this one is a very emotional book. About a strained father and daughter relationship. this book is about figuring yourself out, being true to yourself and healing.. The plot is medium paced . Go into it for the characters because it's more character driven than plot driven. I love the use of patois that Bromfield used through out the book. i highly recommend

This was beautiful and atmospheric. I loved the topics that this book covers in such an amazing way! The characters are wonderful, and you become so invested in them! I absolutely loved this book, and I hope that readers everywhere get a chance to enjoy it as much as I did!

TW: death, sexual assault (on page), rape (on page), colorism, physical abuse (explicit), slut-shaming
*
This book 100% put me through ALL the emotions — pain, humor, happiness, sadness. It broke me and mended me all in one and it was truly so, so amazing. The characters, plot, writing, description; all of the elements of this story came together to create a remarkable story, one that will leave a forever permanent mark on me.

The characters were written in an absolutely stunning manner and had such a raw, realistic depth to them that few authors are able to do. Every single one had flaws and I loved the way each weren’t categorized as just good or just bad. They all had flaws and good parts of them. They all went through things that made them who they are and I love how Asha portrayed that. The relationships between characters — Andre and Tilla (they have my heart), specifically— were done so well and it reflected the talent of Bromfield. I adored it.

The scenery, the description of the setting, and the way it felt as if I was in Jamaica myself, not just reading words on paper, added to my love for this book. It was done impeccably and it was such an amazing experience.

One thing that stands out to me the most is Tilla and her relationship with her father. The battle between her love for him and resentment was one I’m familiar with and seeing the struggles I’ve had reflected in this book and the strength and beautiful words of Tilla felt so damn comforting. It was amazing. Tilla went through so much and I adored her.

(SLIGHT SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH!!) Though, one thing I didn’t like about it was the ending. I feel like what happened to Andre was so out of the blue and sudden (which may have been what the author was going for) and, personally, I feel like it didn’t need to happen. It felt like it only happened to advance Tilla’s character in a way and that the story could’ve had the same emotional impact without what happened to him.

So, while I could go on a thirty hour rant of how much I adored this book, I’m going to wrap it up at this: This book is one of those rare few that has such a lasting impact on you as a reader, and I 100% recommend.

A beautiful book and love story about Jamaica with a captivating story. Bromfield does a great job of writing about the island and I was tearing up at the end of the book.

I got an ARC of this book.

Welcome to another blog tour!


I wish I have more positive feelings about this book, but it seems the moment I agree to do a blog tour I am destined to dislike the book. I wanted to like it, I really did. I loved the use of language and how the people sounded like real people when they spoke. That was the main reason this is not a one star read for me.

The characters were flat to a wile degree. I confused the love interest for a cousin for almost half the book, so I was confused since incest is usually not tagged as romance. I finally got the characters straight, but even then I wasn’t sure why anyone liked anyone else. They had little to no interactions. Everyone constantly made fun of the MC and she had no real choice but to suffer through it. She even saw as her cousin was physically and emotionally abused by all the people around her, because he was darker than the people around him. I was so excited to see colorism in a book, but also horrified since it just was. There was nothing except abuse.

The love fell flat mainly because of the characters. I couldn’t tell who was who or really why anyone would like anyone in this book. It was like Bromfield decided to write every since evil stepmother and mean girl into one novel to see what would happen. I wanted a bit more depth, but all I got was bad behavior. There were hints here and there of depth, like when the MC finds out her father pretty much saved multiple families and keeps them safe, despite abandoning his own and really not being a good dad for her. That depth was unexpected and didn’t really translate well to the page, since the dad continued to be a terrible father up until the point I stopped reading.

There was just so much abuse and sexism. There was constant slut shaming and holier than thou from the characters that seemed like they might be the most interesting. There were so many hints and overt references to women being to blame for being raped, the MC may have even stopped the rape of her aunt at one point. There is just a lot that this book tried to handle, but it might have been too much. There was no hint of any resolution or understanding at 60%. One line sticks out now, one of the characters says that the people are awful, but the land is beautiful. That they need each other to balance out. Jamaica must be gorgeous if these characters balance that out.

I didn’t hate the book, but I really did not like it. I could see potential here and there, but it really wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Asha Bromfield's Hurricane Summer is one of those books that I must confess I chose because it had a stunning cover. As the story begins, Tilla and her sister, Mia are saying goodbye to their mother in Canada and heading to Jamaica to spend the summer with their often absent father. While Mia is excited at the prospect of seeing him, Tilla is uneasy about the reunion. Upon arriving in the country to which both her parents were born, Tilla cannot help but feel like a fish out of water. Both sisters find themselves struggling with members of their family, their language, and constantly being viewed as princesses from "foreign." There is also much talk and fear around the two girls being in Jamaica during the hurricane season and the way in which Tilla's behaviour gets her in trouble time and time again.

I knew from the moment that I read the author's note at the beginning that this wasn't going to be some lighthearted coming of age story. It was deeply personable and hinted at some serious topics which may or may not be in the book. There were times I had to put the book down after reading a chapter, just to sit and reflect and try and gain some clarity. Because of the relatives that Tilla and Mia have to stay with while their father is working in Kingston- it was so very difficult to read.

However, it was through Tilla's perspective that I continued to read. Because it is through her that I learned about the resilience of a young woman when all those around her do not seem to be in her corner. My heart really went out to Tilla whose protest often fell on unsympathetic ears. But certainly, the ending was worth it.

Goodreads review published 24/02/21
Publication Date 04/05/21

YA is usually a hit or miss for me, but this book was such a big hit. There were several themes that face people of color throughout the story. I will have to read the book again, due to the fact that there was a dictionary of the Patois language, but it wasn't conducive for me to try to flip back and forth while reading on my kindle. The author did a great job with the characters explaining hat they were saying to Tilla in a way that she could understand. Now usually in a book there about one or two characters that I end up not liking. The opposite happened in this book. There were only about maybe 4 or 5 characters that I really liked in this story. The rest were words that I can't really say on here. The author did such a good job with this book. I really enjoyed it so very much.

Tilla and her sister Mia went to Jamaica to be with their father and were forever changed.

There are major trigger warnings in this book: colorism, slut-shaming, sexism, sexual assault and bullying. Asha Bromfield wove a tale of Jamaica that made me want to run to the island to absorb all of the sights, smells, sounds and food. As the saying goes, everything that glitters isn't gold. Jamaica turned out to be anything but paradise for Tilla. There was some forced self-discovery. and things she had to endure alone.

As Tilla and Mia's mother I would have NEVER sent my children halfway across the world to be with an absentee father. I was so angry. How about maybe a week or two for a visit. The way those adults treated Tilla had me wanting to fight! Thankfully Mia was spared the brunt of the vile treatment her sister endured.

Sometimes little girls must become their own heroes is a quote taken from the book. Tilla became her own hero at the end of this book. My heart broke for her!

Asha Bromfield wrote a beautiful story that needed to be told. The patois made the book much more authentic. Read this book but be prepared to spend your time on an emotional roller coaster.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It doesn't take more than a few chapters to realize that this is more than just a simple culture clash story. It could easily have been a story of Tilla realizing that she is sheltered, coming to understand the culture that her parents came from. Instead it's a complex exploration of both Jamaican culture and of Tilla's own relationship with her parents. It takes a hard look at racism, classism, and sexism, the opportunities that are denied to people based on the circumstances of their birth, and the stigma and double-standards around abuse. It is by no means a comfortable read. Some chapters will tear at your heart or make you squirm but they're absolutely worth reading as they'll raise important topics of discussion and consideration for teen readers.

This was a great read. I featured it as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms, and I’ll include it in my monthly roundup of news releases for my Black Fiction Addiction blog.

This story was so negative that I just don't even know how I got through it. It dealt with some very deep and heavy topics which I think should be done. But the pitfall of this story was that those topics were done in such a way to make this book very hard to read and very depressing. We are shown one thing but being told another. Which made it very confusing on what to believe. A great example is that the MC talks about how amazing and beautiful Jamaica is but we the reader are only shown horrible things. I think overall that this would be a book for the class room for teenagers to pick apart and do writings on it. If you decide to try this one out I would be prepared for one depressing time.

It was a bit slow getting to the climax. A tad dramatic but I think that it could teach some relevant lessons to teens.

⭐⭐⭐.🌓 -- A hard book to review!

<b>PROS</b>
-- Gorgeous cover. ❤️
-- Phenomenal writing. ✅
-- Well paced. ✅
-- Engaging plot. ✅
-- Beautiful lush setting. 🌴
-- Loved the dictionary at the start for the Patois language, however a bit impractical when reading on a tablet! ✅
-- Andre...sigh...just Andre (and Mia, I guess). ❤️

<b>CONS</b>
-- Every single character (bar like two) was horrible in this book. And I don't mean, just unlikable. They were abusive, rapists, racists, neglectful. With a family like this, who the hell needs enemies! 🤬
-- Tilla...this girl really needed to grow a pair and stand up for herself WAY before she actually did. She also made some pretty selfish and stupid decisions that left me scratching my head. 🙄
-- This book is full of MAJOR triggers that are never expanded on, or given the page space they deserve. If you are going to throw in bullying, cheating, racism, rape, slut shaming, physical and mental abuse, death (and that isn't even all of them) they need to be fleshed out. Everything was just glossed over in favor of moving on to the next "big" trigger. 🤷🏻‍♀️
-- A lot things were left unresolved. 😒
-- Why was Mia spared from all the abusive toxicity❓
-- The ending...JEZUS...on one hand, I was glad Tilla finally grew a backbone, but seriously author? There wasn't enough dark, depressing and shitty stuff you had to do the ONE likable character that way??!! 🤬

**ARC Via NetGalley**