In the wake of her mother’s death a teen is struggling to deal with her grief and where her life is going. Marisol Martin has had a difficult relationship with her mother, they could never really understand one another, constantly arguing and fighting. Marisol might constantly argue with her mom but she never expects to lose her mom so soon and now she is reeling from every fight she’s ever had with her mom. Marisol is dealing with not only the guilt from fighting with her mother, but the fall out of her friendships, the secrets that her brother has, and just her feeling of being lost. Marisol is a mess, she’s angry, she’s lost, and she feels disconnected. She wants to reconnect with her mother’s culture, she wants to reconnect with her friends, and find a way to reconnect with her family but being a teen isn’t easy and making mistakes is all part of the growing process. Can she finally find peace with her grief or will the loss of her mother make her spiral down a path that will only break her? Marisol is going through a lot, she’s dealing with not only the grief of losing her mother but haunted by the guilt from all their fights and from the fact that her mother’s death could be her fault. She spirals into poor decision making from drinking daily, hooking up with her best friend’s boyfriend, lying to her dad, and so much more because she doesn’t know how to deal with her grief, But when everything seems like its going downhill, she finds that she has made a new friend and that maybe this is her chance to start over. Overall this was a story about a girl growing and dealing with grief, did I find her unlikable? yes. Did I not really enjoy this one? Yes. But, I will say that it is a realistic story about how dealing with grief can cause you to do things you’d never thought and how painful it is to lose someone so close to you. Marisol is a teen. she’s dealing with pain and loss and trying to find an outlet for it all. If you enjoy stories about grief and growing then give this one a go.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was a beautiful coming-of-age novel about grief, friendship, romance & figuring out how to navigate all of that as a high school student. It really captured the complications of coming from parents from two different worlds, but also the self-destruction that can sometimes come with grief—the willingness to burn it all down before the real you can bloom.

This is an amazing, if heavy, YA contemporary, centering a biracial Filipina teen in New Mexico, and I love how much it deals with anger, grief, and lashing out in less 'acceptable' or 'likable' ways.

I truly enjoyed this book. The teenagers (and their actions) are believable, and Marisol's grief is as complex as it is heartbreaking. The dual timeline worked well and added to the story's overall mood and effect; Marisol's flashbacks of her mother's last days were some of the most intriguing portions of the novel. I will absolutely recommend this novel to students looking for a poignant and realistic read.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for allowing me I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom early.

First of all that cover! Isn't is gorgeous? And the story is beautiful too, even though it's sad too. The powerful writing got me hooked to the story and I couldn't put my Kindle down. Hands down one of the best books about grief I read this year!

I'd Rather Burn than Bloom is an incredibly powerful book I will not soon forget. Roger's book focuses on the complexity of grief, loss, memories, and relationships and the analysis of how these things affect children is something that blew me away. This book was phenomenal and was difficult to put down. I know I will be thinking of this book for a few months, and I will be suggesting it to students once it comes out.

I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom tells the story of how Marisol Martin hit rock bottom after the loss of her mother. Shifting between "Then" and "Now," the reader sees how a tumultuous relationship with her mother leads to immense guilt after her death. Marisol tries to get her life back on track, but can't seem to keep the pieces from falling apart.

Although I am often drawn to YA books where a main character is coping with grief, this book was a particularly engaging and propulsive read. I was really hooked on Marisol's story. Her story is messy. Her family doesn't have it all together. All of that made me connect with her even more. The pace of this book was quick and the characters were well developed. The punk shows and record store made a really fun setting for the story as well. For me, this book was both nostalgic and out of the ordinary.

I loved this book and can't wait to recommend it to my reluctant readers. I think Marisol and her family were wonderfully imperfect and relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC copy.

I thought this was really well done, I was hooked from the first page and really enjoyed what was happening in this novel. The characters did a great job in being real people and I was glad at how well the characters were written. Shannon C. F. Rogers has a great style for this genre and I really enjoyed the way it was written.

"When he’s smiling at me like this, it’s pretty hard to form thoughts, but I manage this one: if Elizabeth and I were to work at Charlie’s, and he and Tara work at Fix, then surely they’d be coming into Charlie’s to take a break from fixing bikes. The four of us could hang out all afternoon, listening to the new albums that came in, the golden sun warming everything."

This was part magical realism, part self discovery novel that I was totally obsessed with. I found the characters to be realized and engaged and the story itself wonderful.