Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I fell I. Love with the characters and the plot and so happy with the HEA ending!!

I would certainly add this to my classroom library, and encourage students to read it as part of our inclusive literature, or choice novel units (or any time they were looking for something to read!) it’s still among the very few I’ve found for this age group that contains a strong gay young female, and even rarer, one who is perhaps comfortably gender fluid.
This was an uncomfortable story to read/listen to for many reasons. You you feel nothing but sympathy for the poor girls, and repulsion for their mother (regardless of whether or not you recognize that alcoholism is an illness). I thought the portrayals seemed mostly authentic - from the bickering sisters to the love/hate , friendship/love interest/where-do-we-stand relationships. That said, there were a couple of things that bothered me... I was confused about the character of Eli. The initial description and occasion others that followed made her sound like a small child, so I was surprised when it was revealed she was actually a teenager. The “snooping “ and other immature behaviors were a contrast to her sexual longing for her best friend. It made the character seem more like a plot contrivance than a fully realized character, which is a shame. And, that was an annoying and repeating problem throughout the story… People doing things quite out of character or characters brought in just to be “un-stereotypes” is just a lazy way to move a plot along or make your story “interesting” and “inclusive.” You shouldn’t have to try so hard. I also thought that the transformation of the girls thanks to just a few AlaTeen meetings was a bit abrupt, and lacked
the depth I would’ve liked to see. The journey after the “escape” from the social workers and the “oh-so-convenient” appearances of never-before-seen , or long-estranged relations was, again, contrived and felt forced and uninspired. I did like the ending and the arc of growth for all the characters.
I’d actually like to make this a 3.5, but lacking the option, I’ll round it up here mostly because of the inclusion of under-represented tweens.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions. #DreamscapeMedia #Netgalley

This was a tough one to rate, I really enjoyed the story as a whole but the audiobook was a bit patchy at times. I had to go back multiple times to not miss anything. Regardless I still enjoyed this read!

This story is a couple things. It's a story about alcohol addiction and how it can have an effect on families, but it's also a story about the bond that sisters share. While their mom is in rehab, Eli and Anna make sure they are able to stay together and out of foster care, and they love each other fiercely.

The relationship between Anna & Eli were so beautifully written. Though alcohol addiction and Eli's identity were themes, everything really centered about them & their relationship. There was love, there were fights, and there was forgiveness. They felt like real sisters with a real relationship.

Though it's not something I have experience or knowledge of, the addiction aspect of this book was also really well written and developed showing it as a disease and something that impacts everyone, not just the person who has the addition.

The things that didn't feel quite as developed were the romantic relationships each sister had. I think it didn't feel fully developed for Eli because it was very much tied in with her identity and that wasn't explored a lot. I would have liked more of her thoughts, even if it was confusion, being unsure, or something like that because that was clearly a part of her journey. For Anna, the romantic relationship also felt like a secondary, but looking back, it actually had a big impact on her, so it would have been nice for that to play a little more prominent role, again, even if it was just her thoughts about it.

All of that said, I do realize that this is meant for a middle grade audience, so the level of detail and introspection I look for as an adult, is obviously different than middle grade readers. I do, however, really appreciate that these themes are approached in a middle grade book because we don't see enough of that.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sarah Moon for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received the audio ARC free of charge from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. It was my choice to read and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

I liked it but I didn't love it. There are some fun moments, heartfelt moments, sad moments, etc, and a lot of surprises. The moments Eli would spend with her friends and their adventures together were cute and make the book fun to read. Eli also did some things that surprised me which made me say "Go! get it!" in my head and put a smile on my face.

It's also a quick read but it didn't have that "can't put it down" quality I love in books. In fact, while listening I would think about other books and switch to something different to come back to this later.

It's still worth a read/listen when you're looking for a mixture of cute/fun and heartfelt/real/sad moments in a lgbtqia+ ya contemporary book, just be aware that it won't make the list of favorite books I've read this year or favorites out of the books I've given the same 3-star rating.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Middletown was an okay book. Which is slightly disappointing to me because I was pretty excited to dive into this one. After meeting Eli and Anna, well, it was pretty obvious that they were basically looking out for themselves at this point in their lives.

Their mother seems to like alcohol a bit more than taking care of them. So it wasn't a complete shock when she gets arrested twice for driving drunk and ends up in rehab. On the day that a judge has required her to go, Anna dresses up as their Aunt Lisa and says she will take care of Anna and Eli while her sister is away getting help.

If you think things went smoothly after that you'd be wrong. They of course go through their own ups and downs with a dash of social services coming to their door. It also did dive into some nice surprises and interesting moments throughout the book as well. I really liked seeing Eli exploring and understanding her own sexuality a bit more than anything else.

So, in a way, it pains me to say that this was an okay book. I still liked it but I was mostly bored with this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC. This is a complex book covers several topics including relationships, alcoholism, harassment and gender identity. It navigates through the life of the main character Eli, whose mother is mandated to rehab after a drunk driving arrest. It is a great read for a middle grade boy or girl questioning their ownself.

loved this it felt so real especially because i had the audiobook it was engrossing and enjoyable and fun to read

An accessible bildungsroman with LGBTQ characters authentically represented. The intersection of the protagonist being both an LGBTQ teen and being socioeconomically disadvantaged is important and gives young readers a harsh but accurate portrayal of being the child of an addict. The relationship between the two sisters is tender and showcases how poverty can affect teens differently -- one is more reserved and withdrawn while the other bucks authority, craves affection and potentially starts to follow in her mother's footsteps. Suitable for mature middle grade readers (there's no sexual or violent content, and swearing is minimal; but the subject matter may be too much for some tweens) and YA.

I was looking at NetGalley's audiobooks and saw that this was LGBTQ+ and decided to request. I had no idea the emotional rollercoaster this book was going to take me on.

These sisters have had to fend for themselves for years as their mother drinks away any money that comes into her possession. Though they've been lucky that the mom had never gotten into any real trouble with the law, it all changes one day.

While they concoct a plan to continue fending for themselves, a predatory adult threatens to spill their secret (which would result in them being forced into foster care and possibly split up). When a social worker appears at their door, they do the only think they can think of: they run.

They try to find shelter with relatives and end up living with their estranged aunt. It is a very different lifestyle than they which they are accustomed to and Aunt Lisa forces them to become accountable for their actions, but in the end everyone will have learned a lesson and grown in ways that were unexpected.

I was unfamiliar with narrator Hope Newhouse (though I have some audiobooks narrated by her in my TBR) and I enjoyed how she brought the story to life. I bumped a few of those audiobooks up on my TBR.

Eli and her sister Anna are determined to stay together and to stay out of foster care when their mom is sent to rehab. They can take care of each other. But the longer their mom’s gone, the harder it is to keep up the lies. They must both learn to care for themselves and how to let others in close to them.

This is a touching story, dealing with a number of topics without being overwhelming. Eli’s attitude about being gay is matter of fact, and I enjoyed her take on gender. The narrator was just right.

This audiobook had me from the start with its story of two teenage sisters coming to grips with their mother's alcoholism. Eli (13) and Anna (17), aka Peanut Butter and Banana, are determined to stay together when their mom ends up in a 90-day rehab and will go to several extremes to make this happen. At the same time they're dealing with a few other coming of age issues such as Eli's crush on her best girlfriend and the bully at school who makes each morning miserable, and Anna's chasing after a boy known as "The Jacket," while conflicted about taking on the mom role for her sister. This story has a full slate of social issues in addition to alcoholism and coming out: sexual abuse, abandonment, poverty, and more, but the story doesn't get bogged down with it. Instead, the author uses tight dialogue, snappy little comebacks, relatable characters and a fast pace to keep it all moving. The narrator did a terrific job keeping all of the characters straight and bringing the appropriate emotion to each role. Recommended for YA readers of all ages.

I absolutely loved this book! The narration was nice, the representation was great (even if Havi was a bit stereotypical), and even if it was a bit more positive than realistic, I feel like this is a helpful story for anyone who feels different. It never really dragged, but it wasn’t too everywhere either.

Note: I received an ARC of this book via netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review of this audio book.

I rarely give books (not incl. picture books) a five star rating, which shows that this novel is outstanding. Author Sarah Moon has done an exceptional job writing a novel for middle grade that deals expertly with many real-life issues, including sexual harassment by an teacher, alcoholism, homosexuality, questioning gender identity and broken family systems.

This is a quiet novel with a powerful story that brought me to tears. I listened to the audio book in one sitting because I needed to know what was going to happen to Anna and Eli. Hope Newhouse has done a wonderful job with the narration, it perfectly suited the tone of the novel.

Luckily, there is a happy ending and solutions are offered to to the issues. One of the lessons the girls have to learn is to tell the truth, ask for help and accept it. The novel was full of people who offer to help and wonderful friends upset because they weren't given the chance to help. Family, friends, AA and Alateen, and the school all provide support.

This book will speak to so many middle grade readers and I truly can't recommend it enough.

Side note: The use of homosexual slurs between the sisters made me uncomfortable but I do not feel in a position to criticize the author's choice to include them.

I liked the story. It felt very real to the experience of being a child with an alcoholic parent. It was difficult to tell which sister was speaking at times because the narrator didn't have any change of voice between them.

13 year old Eli and her older sister Anna, always depend on one another. Eli prefers baggy clothes and has a crush on her bestfriend. Anna, loves boys and going out. When their mother is arrested for drunk driving and must attend rehab, they are left to their own devices, or face the foster care system.

This is a middle grade novel that discusses so many important topics in a great way. There's discussion about gender identity, sexual harassment, alcoholism and neglect. I liked the sister bond in this, and the lengths they go to in order to protect one another. Eli and Anna were both interesting characters in their own way, and I enjoyed learning more about them as the story progressed. I liked Eli, and her exploration with gender and sexuality. I think a lot of young teens will be able to see themselves and feel represented in this book. The book is a very quick read, that flew by in a couple hours. The writing style is very fluid and easy to read. I did enjoy it, but I feel like it was a bit surface level and could have dove deeper into the topics. This is probably due to it being a middle-grade novel... I just think it had so much potential that was left unexplored.

After reading the description of this book I was pretty excited to get to it. Always love some LGBTQ+ rep in a book, especially when it’s a Middle Grade. But sadly I can't really say too much about the book. It’s a short read so you can really fly through it, but it just needed something else to make me enjoy it more.

When it came to the sibling relationship I did enjoy seeing these two together. I think Anna greatly represents a character dealing with their parents not making the best decisions and kind of being forced to take on the parent role for any younger siblings. It’s not easy and just makes you wish the parent could do better for once. And Eli is also a good representation of a young girl dealing with this situation as well. Not taking on too much responsibility since Anna is taking care of her, but still dealing with the fact that her mom is in rehab and she also has to struggle with living without a grown up in the house.

The book focuses on heavy topics and I think they were done well for the audience it’s aimed out, but I can’t really say much else. I don’t really know what could've been added to make me enjoy this book more. I think it had everything, it just wasn’t working for me in the end sadly.

I really liked how this is a book for middle grade with a lgbtq theme. I think its important to educate younger kids about other sexualities and this one was done very well. I loved the characters and the story line. highly recommend for a classroom library or a personal one.

An interesting book with a very difficult subject matter, I was so excited to get this on audiobook. I didn't love the narrator and found my attention wandering off while listening.

This type of book is very rare to see in middle grade books. It delves into many important and difficult topics that aren't seen often. The tought topics weren't ever too much to deal with. It was very refreshing to listen to this since it was written so nicely. One of the main focuses is the sisters dynamic which was so cute. The diversity in this book is very apparent with LGBT+ characters and wonderful female leads. This was a very quick listen and had me interested throughout all of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.