I struggle to read books with sporadic narration, which is how I felt reading Summer in the City of Roses. In a lot of ways, this is a very smart book in that the author tells the story as it comes, rather than keeping it linear for readers, but I found many of the transitions jarring.

Summer in the City of Roses is a story of two siblings finding their way on their own for the summer and discovering the importance of coming back together as a family. The story starts with Orr and Iph’s mother leaving for an artist residency program, and the falling out the family has in her wake. Their father sends Orr to a wilderness residency camp. He immediately escapes, running back to Portland. Orr, always a sensitive kid, now has to find a way to live on his own without Iph to protect him.

Meanwhile, Iph finds out about their father’s betrayal, and heads into Portland herself, simultaneously trying to keep away from her father to teach him a lesson and trying to rescue Orr. Iph meets George and Scout, George’s dog and is immediately drawn to the pair. She finds herself meeting people who she never would’ve encountered, and the author plays out Iph’s emotions about each new situation.

Orr finds his way into an all female punk-ish band called The Furies. He lives with them, discovers a passion for restoration and organizing chaos, and magically is good at playing bass. What was a slow beginning of the book is now ramping up speed in unusual ways, sometimes lingering with the characters for days, and sometimes seemingly jumping days or weeks into the future with little indication of the passage of time.

I struggled with the ending most of all. Orr begins turning into a deer, growing antlers on his head. Iph takes this new information surprisingly calmly, but still looks for a solution where her brother comes back to her. Their parents reconnect and come onto the scene in an attempt to rescue the kids and change the situation. All the friends are there, and they all experience strange dreams, which seem to run into each other and blend together. It’s complete chaos, and while the author does slow it down after the fact, I didn’t find that storytelling worked for me. The ending didn’t feel like a resolution, just a letting go. While I can respect the intent, it made reading the book feel incomplete and in some ways gave it less meaning. I didn’t find I was left wanting more, just that I wasn’t totally sure the book felt worthwhile.

I had a hard time getting through this. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Summer in the City of Roses drew me in like a labyrinth--not a maze with guessing, but a twisty path that is nonetheless clear. Follow it, be rewarded. The details the author uses to show the characters are unexpected but bewitching--who is this person? Why are they doing that?--but the characters themselves are vulnerable and open and make me want to find out what happens to them, what they make happen. The language is clear, the concepts made me think. The mythology underneath is strong enough to show new meaning in the old stories, but she's not afraid to depart from the myths and make new paths. And I wish I had a sibling bond like Iph and Orr's. A beautiful, brilliant book that isn't necessarily a lie-back-and-relax read, but one where the journey pays off in moments that make me glad I had to pay close attention.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I really enjoyed reading this, it was a great read for a second novel. I loved the use of Greek mythology and the "Brother and Sister' Grimm Fairy tale. It worked so well in the setting and I enjoyed reading this. It was a beautifully done story and I can't wait to read more from the author.

This book, despite the really interesting sounding premise, didn't catch me at all and I ended up DNFing it at about 30%, I'm still very grateful to have received this book and I thank the author and publisher

📖Review: Summer in the City of Roses📖
By: Michelle Ruiz Keil
Genre: YA historical, fantasy
Rating: ⭐️ •✨/ 5
Publishing date: 6th of July 2021
Provided by: NetGalley and Soho Press
[TW: death of a loved one (grandmother, parent, sibling), deadnaming, transphobic comments, kidnapping, drug abuse, homelessness, prostitution, sex worker assault and rape, suicide, racism]

🟢 What I liked:
↪️ Diversity of the characters: I loved that the main characters were BIPOC and Queer with most of the supporting characters also BIPOC and/or Queer

🔴 What I didn’t like:
↪️ Retelling: the book is a retelling of the Greek myth of Iphigenia and the Grimm fairy tale “Brother and Sister”, however I didn’t fully realise this until I had finished as it is not a common fairy tale and there was not enough information provided about the fairy tale, so I just left feeling very confused
↪️ Fantasy elements: I only realised this book was also in the fantasy genre at 80% through. Everything takes a random, weird, strange turn and I was so confused. It felt like a different book altogether, and as there was only a short period of the fantasy elements to take place, resulting in poor flow
↪️ Easy problem-solving: every time the characters had a problem in the book, there was always a very easy solution. For example, Iph gets lost without her glasses but don’t worry, she goes to a complete stranger’s home (they obviously feel like they’ve known each other for years) and finds glasses which are a different prescription, but they work perfectly anyway
↪️ Condescending: when I read this, I kept picking up on a very condescending or overly pitying tones from the main characters to marginalised groups, such as sex workers
↪️ Orr’s characterisation: Orr, for me, was quite clearly autistic, however he was characterised as “sensitive”. The book was set in 90’s, so I’m assuming there was less awareness about autism, however the constant dodging of using autism to describe Orr’s autistic traits didn’t sit right with me. That being said, I do not have autism so please read reviews by autistic people (I will be searching and can provide links when I find Own Voices reviews)

Andrea’s Own Voice review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4027606824

This book was definitely weird. It was very eventful and had a lot going on but it sucked you in from the beginning and it was hard to put down. Going in I think you need to know that there is a lot going on so you have to kind of take your time with this book so you don't miss anything and then nothing makes sense when you stop and reflect. The characters are all great and I think Michele did a good job portraying LGBTQ characters in this book.

Ruiz has done it again, brought the magic of a city life through the eyes of completely unique and wonderful characters as they move through the sometimes painful processes of finding themselves and growing up.

The premise to the story sounded very interesting. However, it was a very difficult and uncomfortable read for me. There were many disturbing elements in thus book.

trigger warning
<spoiler> boot camp, kidnapping, grief, homelessnes, drug addiction, mention of rape, mention of suicide, being orphaned, racism, misogyny, self harm </spoiler>

Iphigenia is shocked when she finds out the real reason for her fathers suspiciously generous decision to go and dine with her: It's so her brother can be kidnapped and placed into a bootcamp.
Enrages, she flees the scenes and wanders through Portland.
Meanwhile, her brother manages to escape the bootcamp, and is adopted by an all-female punk band.

The beginning is a lot of plot in one chunk, but only to set the scene. Afterwards, the novel gets characterdriven, and for once, I was fine with it.
Every single character is interesting. Well, the protagonist's father is interestingly revolting, but interesting nonetheless.

This book is set in the 1990-ies, but the main issue is that there is no mobile communication. Apart from that, it could be set anytime, really, as long as there is an active punk scene.

Both protagonists have their own chapters, and since they share the same parents, both deal with being biracial: Their mother is Mexican while their father is Greek, and they have this weird and normal thing where they feel between all cultures.
On top of that, I suspect that Orr is on the autism spectrum. He is never called an autist, but the description fits, the meltdowns, how the world sometimes is simply too much, his ways of coping with that - which is what makes his father think the best decision is boot camp.

Similiarly, the person Iph meets is never called non binary, but is described without use of pronouns. Said person is George, and through George we meet a lot of people in Portland not everybody would want to see. The homeless, the sex worker, the drug addicts. George helps out in the local needle exchange, and thus we meet some more awesome characters.

Then, suddenly, from what felt like a road trip despite them being in one place, there is magical realism and it went from nil to 100 in a very, very short time which was weird, and unexpected, but I liked it.

I am sure I'll find my mind drifting back to these fictional people a lot and I am curious about other works by the same author, if there are any.
This was simply beautiful. In some places, it hurt, but not too much to have to quit, and then I was invested.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

I loved this book so much for one very big reason, ALL THE REPRESENTATION! We had a novel that explored love and family betrayal, anxiety, the LGBTQ community, autism spectrum, identity, violence, and all in a YA novel? I am shook.

However, I think the cover makes people think this book is going to be more light and fluffy but what we got wasn't that. It was darker, more trippy, but still wonderful.

I also like how it was set in the 90's! *chefs kiss*

An interesting story, this book took me a while to get into. I loved the lyrical style of writing from the author, but the dark content took me a beat to adapt to. There were a lot of layers to the narration style that I enjoyed, but at times it seemed to bog down the flow of the prose.

"Pause point - a time where we can either open the door to something new or close it against something unwanted." - Michelle Ruiz Keil, Summer in the City of Roses

Trigger Warnings: drugs, smoking, suicide, death, homelessness, prostitution, family violence, abuse

I think one of the most meaningful ways to spend your summer this year (and let's face it any year) is reading. To me, summer is all about challenging yourself, finding new adventures, and creating new memories...it's about family and friends. I found this and more in Michelle Ruiz Keil's new book!

Summer in the City of Roses was just what I needed to make this year's summer unforgettable. Now while I wasn't able to physically go anywhere due to the global pandemic we are still facing, reading this book allowed me to take off and rediscover a city I've been to in a new light.

Summer in the City of Roses is poignant, lyrical, and nostalgic. It celebrates the journey of not only finding, but learning to accept yourself in a world with people that won't. Keil's second novel follows two siblings, Iph and Orr, who become separated due to their father's misguided, but well-meaning sense of doing what he thinks is best for his son...i.e. sending him to a boot camp for the summer to make him "a man". Angered at the deception and betrayal her father has done, Iph runs away and begins her quest to rescue her brother with the help of gender-queer “Robin Hood” aka George. Meanwhile, Orr is on a journey to find his way back to his sister and at the same time, he discovers so much about himself while making his way through the backdrop of the 90's Portland, Oregon with a group of eclectic and exquisite characters belonging to an all-girl punk band, The Furies.

I am sad and shocked that this amazing book is not as well-talked about on social media. This story...what can I say? So much! It is unusual but extraordinary...and it is so achingly sad but encouraging and heartwarming. Everything about this is Summer for me. I enjoyed the many Shakespeare, punk music, Greek mythology, and Mexican culture interwoven into the dual storylines.

I especially love the strong bond between the two siblings and how that bond only seems to grow stronger despite the distance between them. I am reminded of my bond with my siblings and how fortunate I am to have them in my life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Soho Teen for gifting me with an eARC of this esoteric tale of what it means to grow up and just be yourself. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to see what this author will come up with next.

While I enjoyed Michelle Ruiz Keil's first book, and had high expectations for this, I simply couldn't get into the story. It was written well, but the point of view was strange, and lacked something that I cannot put my finger on. There was also quite a lot of heavy topics that were not handled as well as they had been in her debut novel, and I had to stop reading about 50 pages in. This was one of my first DNFs of the year, and it was incredibly disappointing that one of my most anticipated reads of the year was not as enjoyable as I was expecting.

I have been trying to read this book for two months and though I usually stick out a book for better or for worse, this is one I unfortunately have to give up on.

The writing is beautiful, poetic, evocative, highly descriptive, but its intense description is sometimes so detailed and so precise that you have to stop and reread, pause and wonder at its true meaning, and oftentimes lose track of the plot in the process. Though told in 3rd person subjective, the characters felt eternally at a distance, as if I was watching their story through a foggy glass; they never felt REAL. I cannot begin to tell you how confused I was by the events of this novel, and each additional chapter only served to confuse me further.

After reading through a plethora of reviews, most adoring, some questioning like me, I came to the conclusion that the darker subject material and content warnings -- combined with my own inability to decipher the story -- make this book a bad fit for a reader like myself.

I am, however, very interested in the author's other works. As I said, the prose is gorgeous, and the idea of fairytales blended with Greek mythology is right up my alley; this just isn't the retelling for me.

DNF at 20%.

This book was fun! It's a quick, jaunty, fairytale whirl through Portland. I couldn't totally take it seriously at times, the dialogue was a little silly and the plot just felt sort of overly convenient and improbable, but I think this is great lower YA. Some of the reviews call this "dark", which it definitely isn't, especially not in tone— it covers some serious topics, but I never got the sense that the characters were in any real danger. Their problems are generally solved quickly and at the hands of kind strangers. And, I'm not knocking it for that, I don't think this book was trying to be anything else! It's a coming-of-age fairytale that tackles themes of homelessness and drug use and abuse without really asking its characters (or readers) to confront the reality of poverty.

I have a lot of respect for what Ruiz Keil pulled off with the character of George. I hesitate to call George a nonbinary lesbian, because they don't use either of those words, but what I will say is that as someone who very well may be a nonbinary lesbian myself, this is the closest I've seen to someone like that in mainstream media, especially as a love interest. I was suspicious of the lack of pronouns, but it was way more subtle and well-executed than I expected, so props for that. I'd love to hear from autistic reviewers about Orr (and I'm gonna go read reviews after this lol), but I can't speak to that element myself. Overall though, Ruiz Keil seems to have put a great deal of thought and compassion into writing a diverse cast of characters.

Finally, this novel has some truly lovely moments of prose, and I'd definitely pick up an adult book from Ruiz Keil if she ever released one in the future. While this book wasn't anything memorable for me, I think it's solid, and certainly admirable for what it tried to do and succeeded in doing. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Soho Teen for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Pros: the writing style was so beautiful and the way it flowed *muah* chef's kiss. QUEER.
Cons: darker than I was expected or prepared for. you kinda need to do some pre-game reading to fully understand it

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Summer in the City of Roses in exchange for an honest review.

This was both a lot darker and a lot trippier than I expected it to be, but once you get into the narration style it's easy to love this for all it's uniqueness. I absolutely adored the end, but I do think a combination of our two POVS being separated and the heavily metaphorical narration makes the middle drag a little bit. All in all though, this is my favourite queer Orpheus and Eurydice retelling (that might sound like a really lackluster compliment, but I've read so many of them that I promise it isn't).