"Songs of Irie by Asha Bromfield is a lyrical masterpiece that resonates with the soul. Bromfield's poetic prose weaves a captivating tale of love, loss, and self-discovery in the vibrant world of Irie. The characters are beautifully crafted, each note of their journey hitting a poignant chord. The author's ability to evoke emotions through words is truly remarkable. With a rich tapestry of culture and an enchanting narrative, Songs of Irie is a symphony of storytelling that deserves every one of its five stars."

This story was amazing from Irie song all the way to the action that took place regarding the upcoming election. Then to see how different each side of Irie and Jilly were because of status.

There is a civil war going on in 1970s Jamaica and Irie and Gilly are caught in the middle of it.

This is a love story in many different ways: a love story between two girls, between an island and an author, and between the music of the island and the story that music tells. I can tell Bromfield poured her entire soul into this book and it shows. It's beautiful and lyrical and heartbreaking.

I liked hurricane summer but I loved this book. A sapphic romance? Signed me up. I loved the friendship which blossomed into something else. I felt emotions while reading this book. Laughter, joy and anger by the end because I had no idea this how the story would turn out. All in all I loved how the authors shed light on what happens around election time in the islands. These events don’t just happen in Jamacia but in all the islands and it’s not spoken about enough. I loved the representation for all in this novel

Songs of Irie is a powerful book, a mix of brilliant sparks flanked by lit dynamite. From the very beginning, the danger builds terribly hot but the characters are all so heartfelt, I had to keep going despite my stress peaking.

Irie and her best friend, Jilly, are graduating from an exclusive high school in Jamaica where only the most wealthy attend. But Irie is a scholarship girl from the poor side of Kingston and so she and Jilly are about to embark on two different paths into adulthood. But the summer is theirs and the two young women get closer, pushing their relationship beyond a friendship. Meanwhile, around them, it’s 1976 and Jamaican politics are getting bloody and violent.

The author does a good job of portraying both worlds without dropping into stereotypes. There are cages and there are cages. Jilly should have been the off putting arrogant rich girl but even flawed, she grew beyond her societal constraints. Irie and her family are the epitome of finding joy and fire in the bleakest of circumstances. Reggae music infuses every page. Irie writes and sings, using lyrics as her weapon against tyranny. Patois is part of Irie’s circles and the author faithfully puts it on the page in the dialogue. It was a really good use of differences in language to show the split between uptown vs. downtown.

I would recommend this book if you like emotionally charged YA/NA, flawed characters, and socially conscious stories. Personally, I wish the author had ended the story on a different note but it was still a solid finish.

This book is heavy, not with information but with emotion. The perspective of events in the book are raw and I feel could’ve only been described through personal events. Bromfield, the author, packs the book with important take aways for everyone. With a wide array of nuanced topics not only involving Jamaica's political history, but big themes of privilege and society. In this world bias is hard to describe and hard to talk about, the author is able to allow the reader to feel immersed in the world of bias and ignorance.

I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to read a book to learn and become openminded to everyday situations. You will not be disappointed in reading this book.

So many of the teens in my creative writing classes ask for stories about friendship. SONGS OF IRIE by Asha Ashanti Bromfield delivers an exquisite story about the friendship between Jilly & Irie. The novel also offers an important perspective on what was happening in Jamaica in the 1970s. Most people, myself included, have had little exposure to Caribbean history. SONGS OF IRIE is a fantastic novel and I strongly recommend it.

Songs of Irie written by Asha Bromfield is a coming-of-age novel about a friendship struggling to survive amidst the civil unrest in Jamaica, in the 1970s. The story is poignant, heart-wrenching, stressful and hopeful at the same time.

Bromfield excels at character development in that she used Irie and Jilly's background to shape their personalities. Irie, who is dark-skinned, lives with her dad and siblings in an area of the city that is strife with crime and poverty. Jilly is of lighter hue, an only child and live with both parents in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Kingston. They both attended the same high school and bonded over a love of reggae music but their lived experiences were vastly different and drove a wedge between them.

The political unrest in the background of this novel was palpable. So much poverty, violence, and mistrust of both political parties. I took several reading breaks because I was so scared for Irie and her family. All the while, Jilly was living a life of luxury - sailing on yachts and attending lavish parties, some hosted by her parents.

Songs of Irie reads like a labor of love and I applaud Ms. Bromfield for having the courage to do the research needed to write this brilliant novel. Highly recommend.

TW: Colorism, classism, poverty, violence

4.75 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD:

Thank you netgalley for providing this arc

I really liked this book. I love when I read stories like this and learn things I probably never would’ve otherwise. I’d never known how controversial reggae was. It was really cool to see how Jamaicans used it as peaceful protest against the injustices they were facing(though it was also dangerous for them to).

I knew this story was going to be tragic, most books that involve flawed politics are, but my god. I had thought it was going to be just junior and maybe Irie’s father, but the last 25% was crazy. I wasn’t expecting what happened to Jilly at all. I find their complicated relationship very emotional. They had entirely different experiences and it was hard to relate to each other and hear each other out because of it. Jilly changed her mind midfight to go help Irie and her sister and it ended in her death. And Kojo too???!! And the fact they never found out what happened to Irie’s father ?!?! I feel so awful for her.

I’m glad it had a “happy” (ish) ending, but I feel for Irie’s losses that pushed her to continue pursuing music.

I read this in one sitting! Everything about the world, the main characters & the emotional roller coaster ride I needed. I think it’s more historical fiction than a ya romance in my opinion . Still had an amazing time reading this book.

Heartbreakingly beautiful tale of love and struggle on an island during a time of great change. Bromfield should be given all the awards. Extremely, highly recommended.

St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

After reading Asha Bromfield 's Debut Hurricane Summer I was so happy to get my hands on this next one. Asha does an amazing job explaining the history and political meaning of Reggae music in a time of unrest in Jamaica how the power of music got political views across while also being a place of escapism. I felt the friendship didn't have basic learned information that friendship was built on and because of their status held many secrets from each other . The pacing was great and I enjoyed their growing attraction to each other as the book went on.

Set in Jamaica in the late 70s midst of a heated political time as an election approaches, the story follows two young women with very different back grounds. Jilly is from the hills a wealthier community and her family holds a lot of privilege and political power, but she also has struggles with her family and trying to please her parents. Irie's situation is the complete opposite, her father owns a small record store, she is close with her family and they work hard to make it on the daily.

Irie and Jilly bond through music and it brings them together, but with the upcoming election tension rises in the streets and also between them.

This was a very moving coming of age story with some historical fiction, romance, queer representation, but it also provides info of what the political and social struggles that Jamaica was facing at the time. Overall I enjoyed it, it had very moving and powerful moments, I liked how the music was such a vibrant part of the plot and the ending surprised me. I appreciated the dual POV for this story, as both characters had very different lived experiences and it gave us insights to both of them.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Hurricane Summer and learning the author had a new book coming out I knew I would read this one’. I enjoyed but didn’t like how it ended abruptly. Definitely would recommend.

5⭐ on 🎧

I don't have the words to capture all my emotions right now over this book. It was the highest levels of happiness to the lowest levels of sadness and devastation. This book is a masterpiece and one of my absolute favorite books of the year. I learned, I smiled, I cried and I saw the world differently. This book will sit with me for a very long time.

History is indeed the greatest leveler of artists and activists. And I think we're seeing this today as well.

- SONGS OF IRIE is a beautiful, heart-wrenching book. I was immediately drawn into Irie and Jilly's world, rooting for them to come together in a city that was breaking apart.
- This book covers so much: racism, classism, colorism, homophobia, the limits of words vs. actions, the ripple effects of violence on a community. It's a hard story to read at times, but it's a great example of what is possible in the YA genre.
- For me, some of the conversations and arguments became repetitive as the book went on, but the topics and feelings were so nuanced that I suppose it was hard not to revisit them repeatedly. Bromfield really did a great job showing that the lines between "good guys" and "bad guys" are not always so clear, and that everything goes deeper than you think.

This is the very first book that I have read set in Jamaica. I loved learning abut Jamaican culture, especially while learning about important historical events!
I loved the dual pov because it helped move the story along. Especially because they both were from different backgrounds.

I also enjoyed that even though YA novel it didn't read like one which I enjoyed.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don't know what to say. This book broke my heart but it also made me want to fight. It reminded me that there are things worth fighting for. I think the ending was really the only one it could've been. It was really well-done.

In 1976 Jamaica, warring political parties widened the divide between rich and poor. Irie is from the rough parts of Kingston, while Jilly lives comfortably up in the hills. The two bond over reggae, exposing them to different viewpoints. They also have a budding romance, but their future options are very different: while Irie can only fight against the growing tension in her neighborhood, Jilly can easily escape. How can their bond survive?

Asha had written Hurricane Summer, where Tilla goes to Jamaica with the father she never really spent time with. This novel goes back in time, so there's even more regarding class, color, and gender roles for the girls to deal with. Once the British were expelled from Jamaica in 1962, there wasn't any agreement on how the country should be run, so two cousins formed two different political parties. Their division is in effect in 1976, as the remnants of class divisions are still present but trying to be broken down. Expensive school fees kept the poor in their own neighborhoods and away from opportunities, and gangs were common in the streets. The turf wars rarely hit the rich neighborhoods, unfortunately. We see that contrast right away. On the same day of high school graduation, a drive-by leaves people dead outside Irie's family record shop, and Jilly is at home getting fitted for a dress that would let her parents show off at a dinner party and fix her up with another politician's son. Both are expected to follow their parents' needs and to stay within the confines of their class, and we see how much more they want from their lives.

Irie and Jilly connected via music, but their lives are very different. We see what it's like in the ghetto and the rich neighborhoods, and of course, the rich want to protect their own and keep the power in place. Even the girls themselves didn't initially realize how different their lives were, or how the values of their parents in some ways were very different as well. As Irie and Jilly spend time together over the summer, politics rears its very ugly head. The politicians don't care who they manipulate or what they have to do to get their way, and the gangs don't care who they threaten. This takes its toll on the friendship and maybe more that could have developed, and the night of the election is the most dangerous one of all. Through Irie and Jilly, we see firsthand how fraught the lives of the people were in that period, and what freedom meant to the people of Jamaica. It's an elegy to Jamaica of the 70's, well written and ready to rip out your heart.

✨ Review ✨ Songs of Irie by Asha Ashanti Bromfield; Narrated by Asha Ashanti Bromfield

First, I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but I was super intrigued that this was historical fiction set amidst terrible infighting in 1970s Jamaica where the country was leading up to a major election. The violence and vast difference between the rich and the poor was really striking in this book. I learned a lot about this time and the culture in a variety of settings

Jilly - a rich girl with an arranged marriage and child of a political leader and Irie - a working-class girl with musical talent and a record-store-owning dad - are best friends from secondary school. The book really brilliantly shows what different worlds they come from and the types of challenges they're facing. As violence breaks out in the streets around Irie, she writes a reggae song about her rights and political change. Can the girls fall for each other or are their differences too great?

I loved that this was read by the author, and it also includes sung portions from Irie's perspective. This made it really powerful to listen to (and is definitely worth slowing down for these parts!)

I did feel like the end was a little predictable and that there was some repetition within, but overall, I really enjoyed this read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25)
Genre: historical fiction, f/f romance
Setting: 1976 Jamaica
Pub Date: 10 Oct 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ historical fiction that's from more recent times
⭕️ Caribbean history + race/class divisions
⭕️ reggae music and cultural history
⭕️ female friendships / romances across big class/race barriers

Thanks to St. Martin's, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!