This book tells my ultimate dream...to be inspired to adventure and cultural learning while in search of healing change. The Shade Under the Mango Tree is a story of adventure, courage, resilience, and new bonds.
Go check it out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the egalley!

I loved this book. It was very well written in a very organic and interesting way. Characters were likeable and relatable. Easily a 5/5.
https://bonnevivantetr.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/the-shade-under-the-mango-tree-by-evy-journey/

In the book, we witness the romantic relationship between Luna and Lucien. Luna, a young woman trying to find her place in the world, writes her memories and feelings in a journal. As she’s chasing her roots and struggling with feeling lost, she loses her journal. Lucien, an adventurous architect finds this journal and as he’s reading it, he falls in love with Luna’s mind and thoughts. We see them falling in love and tag along as they go on adventures around the world in a journey to not only discover the world but also themselves!
I found this book to be very descriptive and full of details. It helped me visualise and imagine the characters and places. It also made me happy to see that the writer took her time to make us understand every little feature as she takes us on trips to Hawaii, USA and many other countries, However, it was rather a slow burn thus can be a bit difficult to read for some impatient readers (like me unfortunately). Needless to say, the style and the theme were both very original and organic, I had never read such a book before.
My final thoughts: To finish it off, I think that “The Shade Under The Mango Tree” would be a GREAT gift for someone who loves reading. As an avid reader myself, I would LOVE to own a physical copy so if you’re still in search for some Christmas gift ideas for that book-lover in your life, go with this one!
PS: This book made me CRAVE mangoes, mango salad and sticky rice with mango and left its jasmine scent with it as I read along so thanks for that Evy Journey 🙂 Plus, it was a great chance for me to get acquainted with Hawaiian culture just a little bit more.
PPS: The book cover enchanted me, even the cover alone is a reason to physically own this book to see it in the bookshelf everyday.

After two heartbreaking losses, Luna wants adventure. Something and somewhere very different from the affluent, sheltered home where she grew up. An adventure in which she can make some difference.

When I think of literary fiction, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and can satisfies just about every reader's heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

A big thank you to #netgalley, # Evyjourney, # theshadeunderthemangotree. I really enjoyed this book. I fell in love with the characters. I thought they were well written. The book had great locations that I now want to visit. I will be definitely telling family and friend about this incredible book.

We meet Luna first in Hawaii at her grandmas house, the scenes are set, the writing about the culture, food, relationships is beautifully done.
Luna studies in America it’s while back in America where they live with family Luna meets Lucien in a bookstore. After which the story examines the basis of their relationship which prompts Luna to travel during her journey of turning into an adult, being in love, facing lose, adversity and working through their healing.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

I'm going to be honest, I didn't finish this book. The blurb sounded so interesting but the book itself just never took off for me. Plus, the whole man reading some random journal he finds plot was odd, at best. I wanted more of Luna's life in Hawaii and HER story, not her story as seen through the eyes of some man. It made me lose interest until I didn't actually care if they met or not.

⭐⭐ -- Not an awful story, just not a good fit for me.

This one was just okay for me. I've been putting off reviewing it because I don't really have much to say about it. From the blurb, I expected it to be something different. It is mainly a romance, and that is not really my jam at the moment. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

TSUTMT is ultimately a story of love centering around the main character Luna. The first third of the book follows the relationship between Luna and her grandmother during her summers in Hawaii. These moments are the ones that make Luna the happiest.

And then Luna meets Lucien when their paths cross thanks to a journal and the local library. Their love is unexpected, yet what they each need to move on in their lives.

Lastly, the novel explores the unexpected relationships when traveling abroad. In Cambodia Luna connects with her host family while in the Peace Corps and is challenged to accept the harsh realities of the country’s history.

I enjoyed this read and having the opportunity to live in a different culture through the eyes of Luna. I felt like the book jumped around a bit which made it harder to stay pulled in. I am a lover of high energy and excitement within books, and these aspects were not as present in this novel.

Review on GoodReads and will be posted soon on Instagram (@fully.booked_kel)

I really wanted to fall in love with this book. Honestly. (Spoilers ahead) I found myself tuned into Luna's story, her deep connection with her Grandmother, her struggle to find her own identity amidst a family with very clear, prescribed ambitions for what her life should look like. There were a few things that truly distracted me from this story, however. First, Lucien as a character in a whole. A man who is 10 years older and clearly wanting to groom Luna to be the person he has read about in her journals. He also just so happens to be a ridiculously successful architect who has traveled the world, and is incapable of having lasting, enduring feelings to literally any physical being after being threatened with a knife once? Egotistical, entitled, his character speaks to so much of what is wrong with white male American culture. His character was misogynistic and reprehensible. Cringe-worthy. The Cambodia story would have told better if Luna had set off to discover herself, finding strength in her identity, defining who she was along the way through these traumatic events. Instead, she again comes across as fragile and delicate. While I did enjoy this book, there were so many moments when I disagreed with the direction it went in and truly wanted Luna to become the hero of her own story. (Also- it's never fully explained why she goes to Hawaii in the first place? So her family is willing to raise their sons, but not her? They're respectable, high-earning adults but can't get their child back?)