This book is a contender for my favorite novel of the year!! Chambers has created a character, Diamond, who is unforgettable!! Diamond’s voice, heart, hurdles, grief, and growth were poignantly written moving me through a range of emotions from heartbreak, rage, and joy.

Told mainly through Diamond’s POV between the present and 10 years ago when her father went missing, readers get to know Diamond’s struggles growing up as a biracial fat girl living in a small, rural mill town in Maine. Her father disappeared 10 years ago, and Diamond and her mothers are finally hoping to move past this by having his declared legally dead (insurance required the 10 year waiting period). Their search leads Diamond’s distant family member to reach out via letters. She offers to send Diamond a few of her father’s remaining childhood items and the two strike up a correspondence that teaches Diamond about her family’s past in the early 1900’s and what forced them to leave the mill town and move down south to Georgia. The story unfolds over the summer of Diamond’s 16th birthday year while she is taking drivers’ education classes in the hopes to one day escape the town and her poverty. The book centers on themes of identify, belonging, family roots, friendship, and is a coming-of-age story I will remember for a long time!

Coming of age in a place where secrets have too much power

In the summer of 1987, in the small Massachusetts former mill town of Swift River, Diamond Newberry is secretly working on getting her driver’s license. In a life where she has little control over things, it feels like a powerful way to earn some independence. Since her father disappeared one day seven years earlier, a small pile of his belongings left behind on the river bank, she has lived alone with her mother in a dilapidated house and little in the way of financial security. Further complicating her life, her father was black and her mother white, and Swift River has never been a shining example of racial harmony. In fact, years earlier on a night known as The Leaving, the entire black population packed up and left the town forever. Diamond is the only person in town who is not white, and that fact is made clear to her on a regular basis in ways large and small. When she was younger she would scream when her emotions became too hard to handle….lately she just stuffs them deep inside and eats to make herself feel better. She’s the smartest kid in her grade, but she is ridiculed regularly both because of her obesity and her color. Being poor and having an unstable mother doesn’t help either. When she receives a package out of the blue from a woman who says she is her Aunt Lena, her father’s cousin down in Georgia, she begins to learn about her family background and the checkered history of Swift RIver. When you’ve always felt “different”, it can be amazing to know that others have felt the same before you.
What a story, and what a voice. Diamond is in many ways a typical teenager, desperate to fit in yet feeling hopelessly set apart. In her case, though, its not all in her head….she IS different, and others do look down at her. When she forms a connection to a classmate through their driving classes, it is transformative. Shelly is an outcast for different reasons, but they both share a desire to put Swift River and the disparaging judgement which it has passed on them far behind. Racism, subtle and overt, permeates the town now as it has in the past, and the faltering economy of the town has further rendered it an unhappy place. Diamond has had to parent herself, with an absent father and a mother who can no longer cope with reality. Hearing from Aunt Lena and reading letters from the one member of the Newberry family who remained in Swift RIver after The Leaving introduces to Diamond a sense of family, and helps her to better understand why Swift RIver is the way it is. Sunset laws, a white population who simultaneously dislikes but relies upon different ethnic groups (first the black families, later the French Canadians who too over their roles), and people leaving and being left all have led to Diamond being who she is and where she is. It is rewarding to watch her begin to overcome the mistakes of the past and set a course of her own making. With complex characters, a strong sense of place, and a story of quiet desperation, Swift River is a fascinating novel in which readers of Zadie Smith, Taylor Jenkins Reid and James McBride should invest some time. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me the privilege of early access to this beautiful book.

As Diamond comes of age, she is torn between her past and her uncertain future. Her father disappeared seven years ago, and this has obviously left quite the impression on Diamond. She has never really found her place in this world, and grappling with her mixed-race identity, her weight, and the mysteries of her heritage only compound to leave Diamond a confused and lonely girl.

When her dad's long lost cousin sends her a letter, it feels to Diamond like she's finally getting some answers to the questions she's had for so long. She learns about her towns complicated and racist ways. She learns about her dad, and she learns about herself through these stories.

In addition to it being a debut and a Read With Jenna pick, I was set to find a new book to gush over. It started off very strong. I liked Diamond, and I liked her voice. But when the letters started getting introduced, I quickly lost any enthusiasm for the book. They defintely gave Diamond context about herself and furthered the story in that respect, but I found them very long and drug out and boring.

Also, the ending was...weird?! Diamond and her friend, Shelly, end up in a very weird, unnecessary situation that I didn't feel added to the story. It felt odd to me. Maybe by this time I was so checked out of the story that I didn't really care to understand its inclusion, but I basically ended up hating the entire last 15% of the book.

Swift river is one of the buzzy debuts of the summer. Diamond is an overweight mixed-race teenager growing up in the 1980s in a white small-town. Diamonds father has been missing for seven years and her mother is insistent on declaring legally dead so they can claim his money. While this is going on, diamond receives a letter from a relative she never met and begins to understand pieces of her history she never knew before and her place in the world. The story takes places over multiple timelines and through multiple voices, but it is diamond who grounds the story. Diamond is all too human and messy, but a memorable voice and lovable in her mess. While this may be a story that has been told before in some capacity, it is chamber’s use of time (the 1980s) and diamonds voice that sets this apart from others in this genre!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is about a 3.75 for me. I really liked the 1980 and 1987 chapters and was invested in “modern Diamond’s” story the most…the modern letters from her aunt were also interesting but I really didn’t care much about the 1915 chapters. I know that they were there to show the story of the town but honestly, I think I’d have given this 5 stars if it was just Diamond’s coming of age (and yes, connecting with her aunt as well.) The writing was good although it took me a minute to get used to the style. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an advance copy!

A powerful debut. I enjoyed all the themes presented in this book which were written with care and clarity. I was surprised this was a debut as the characters were well drawn and craft wise I think this novel hits the right beats with good pacing. I really enjoyed this.

This is one of the best books that I have read this year. It lured me in slowly, the unraveling story of the biracial daughter of a missing man and an unstable woman who lost so much, she is close to losing the last threads that connect her to normal life and to her child.
The parallels between the unabashed racism of the beginning of the century and the sometimes hidden but always obvious racism of the same small town in the 1980s are striking. Times have changed so much but they also haven't. People change, but then they forget, and the new generations are just as awful as their forefathers - only now they destroy your garden instead of running you out of town. The results remain the same. The Black man leaves.
Chambers' writing is elegant and heartbreaking, even more so in the letters of the long-lost and recently found family members, recounting the ways they try to hold on to each other and keep the family together through the time apart and distances between them.
The scenes Chambers describes are palpable, Diamond's emotions and discomfort coming off the pages in waves almost visible. This is a coming of age, a conscious emancipation of a child/young adult who walks away from family she knows to the family she needs.
An absolutely amazing read.

Thank you, NetGalley, Essie J. Chambers, and Simon & Schuster, for providing the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 - This was such a moving coming of age story that I really enjoyed. Diamond is such a powerful POC female main character and the representation in this book was terrific.

Diamond lives in Swift River, a small New England mill town with very few Black people. Diamond's father disappeared years ago and the entire book flashes between present and past timelines, following the disappearance and Diamond's life presently. Diamond has always stood out in her town because of her weight, her race, and how poor her family is and she struggles as a teenager with her body and her identity. I really enjoyed Diamond's character and how strong she was, despite her insecurities and past trauma. I felt that she really reflected so many young teenagers today. Additionally, I loved how much Diamond grew and the power she gained as she was able to read letters from her living family members and learn about the generations of African American women in her family. The strength that she drew from her ancestors and learning about her heritage really helped develop her sense of self and gave her the power to make tough choices at the end of the book.

Overall, I thought this story was very moving and a quick read to get through. Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This is an emotional story that follows Diamond along with a few other perspective. Diamonds father is “missing” for many years and with that she somewhat loses a piece of her that she never really got to know. Diamond is biracial with a white mother and a black father. She is raised in a town where she is essentially the only black person. Years after here fathers passing she connects with an aunt on her fathers side and get to know her which in turn allows her to learn more about that side of herself.

I felt for Diamond in learning more about herself and opening her up to reflection of who she is more than she’s ever known before. This book has themes of racism, family history, mother/daughter relationships. This is a great journey of learning who you are when you aren’t totally exposed and I think the author did a great job of telling this story. Diamond is a vulnerable teenagers with a lot more baggage then the average young girl.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this e-Arc.

Diamond Newberry is extremely overweight, and lonely, and is the only biracial person living in Swift River. Through letters from her family’s past, letters from her relatives in the present, and her own perspective, you are taken on a journey of her finding herself and finding her voice.

I loved this story, and breezed through it, though I wish it was even longer so all the plot holes could be filled in. This book is great for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and anyone who loves a good person centric story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted on June 4, 2024 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This novel is so special, a lovely and powerful hybrid of historical fiction and a coming-of-age story. The writing is exquisite and so razor sharp! At times funny, at times inspiring, at times heartbreaking, you can't help but love and root like hell for Diamond. I absolutely adored Clara's letters and saw so many parallels between her and Diamond! (I would love a novel centered around Clara some day!) There were also beautiful symbiotic moments when Clara and Robert experienced joy at skills they were pre-naturally good at. That same joy and awe across the decades was absolutely beautiful. This is one of the best novels I've read this year! Saying goodbye to Diamond actually hurt. It's one to experience, from Jim Crow New England to the bubblegum pop 1980s New England. #SwiftRiver Rating: 😍 / loved it
•
This book is scheduled for publication on June 4, 2024. Thank you @simonbooks for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Swift River by Essie Chambers was a phenomenal family drama!
This was such a beautiful story. It's a compelling and propulsive book.
The plot of this story moved along so swiftly and kept me entranced the whole way through— I finished this book in a sitting because I just had to know how it would finish.
I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.

Thank You NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Happy June!

First of all, is this cover not BEAUTIFUL?!

Diamond traveled with me everywhere this weekend and I still can’t stop thinking about her. I really, REALLy grew to love her character. So much is explored through her, especially body image and family secrets and dynamics and I really enjoyed that. I found myself equally rooting for and wanting to bring her home with me.

This is a quieter, slower moving, character driven, coming of age story that will make you sad and also give you hope.

I honestly cannot believe it is a debut! Totally makes sense that its a Read with Jenna bookclub pick as it definitely will make you think and spark conversation.

This one release tomorrow and should definitely be on your TBR

I can see why this was a 'Read with Jenna' pick - it checks a lot of boxes: generational trauma, multiple POVs, etc. There were many aspects I enjoyed about this story, but I wish the storytelling had been a bit more linear.

Diamond is a young, Black girl who is trying to survive living with her white mother in a small town (she's the only non-white person living there). Her father disappeared seven years ago, and she's resorted to using food as a comfort. She drifts through her life, uncomfortable in her body and in her skin. She starts to gain some optimism when she goes on a quest to get her driver's license and when she starts receiving letters from a family member of her father's.

I loved the sections that follow Diamond's story. As heart-wrenching as her life has been, she exists in the world with grace and intelligence. I felt a little more taken out of the story with the letters that are written by two different members of Diamond's family. There were elements of their story that were important, but I kept feeling like I just wanted to get back to finding out more about Diamond (and about how her parents ended up where they were).

I loved the ending, but wish it had been expanded a bit more. I do think this is a really impressive debut novel from Chambers, and I'll be interested to see what stories she tells in the future.

Thank you #SimonBooks #partner for this copy of:

Swift River by Essie Chambers

"Time is bent. Everything I could ever want is in this car, except for Grandma Sylvia. I calculate that loss and decide to embrace what's here: Ma's feet out the window, her donkey laugh. Pop's off-pitch humming of no recognizable song, his big hand rubbing the back of Ma's neck with careful fingers, like he's afraid he might snap it."

This dual timeline story of Diamond with and without her father. The struggles of a child of poverty, the blame and shame enveloping her and seeping into each relationship. Race, class, love, abandonment, friendship and loyalty all playing a role in Diamond's torment. As she navigates through each of these relationships, she gets to decide what's most important to her own survival.

DESCRIPTION:
"It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: She’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and the fact that since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.

This debut novel is getting a lot of push from its publisher. I've been seeing it everywhere lately, including it being named the Read With Jenna pick for June. I first heard about it when I got sent a digital review copy back in December, and I'll be honest, the gorgeous cover art was what initially drew me to go ahead and add it to my queue.

This one starts in the summer of 1987 with 16 year old Diamond figuring out a way to take driving lessons. She and her mother have been surviving on the bare minimum for seven years -- ever since her Pop disappeared without a trace, other than his wallet tucked in his boots on the edge of Swift River -- but now the appropriate amount of time has passed for them to be able to legally declare his death and hopefully cash in his life insurance. But to do that, they have to prove he's not still out there somewhere, which leads Diamond to some family she's never known anything about. Biracial Diamond is the only person of color in Swift River, much to do with the town's complicated history, so she's never met the Black side of her family, who now all live down south.

Weaving between Diamond's current timeline and the one seven years prior shortly before her dad disappeared, are the letters she receives from her dad's cousin, which also include even older letters from another aunt back at the turn of the century when all the Black folks in Swift River were driven out. If this seems like a lot to keep track of, it really is, but I did find that the story picked up once we were getting that older history. Switching between the timelines kept the story moving and the tension high, and I think I would have appreciated that even more had I read this one in print and had been able to sink into the story more.

I'll be interested to see how this one sits with other readers once more people have read it. There were some things I struggled with, but I can see how this will be a real hit for people looking for a bit more oomph in their summer reading. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

GENERAL INFO

Swift River-standalone

Publication date: 6-4-24, Read 6-1-24

Format: e-Book, 303 pages

🙏🏾Source: Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC 💙! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Women/ Historical Fic, Multicultural Interests/AA Interests

Tropes: family drama, epistolary relationship, small town, h is a book lover, LGBTQIA+ rep

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Synopsis/Plot Summary: Diamond Newberry (16) is in a small mill town in New England. She is the only black person in town, she's overweight, and wants to learn to drive. Her father disappeared seven years ago, and her mother Anna wants him declared dead to get life insurance and settle their debts. When Diamond's aunt writes her letters, she learns about her AA family.

Flashbacks: The story is told nonlinear from 1915-1987 with Diamond's Aunt Lena sending letters about her father Rob's upbringing and the AA side of the family. Her and her mother Anna are left wondering what happened to him seven years later.

⚠️Triggers: racism/prejudice, child abuse, bullying, homophobia

AUTHOR OVERVIEW

Essie J. Chambers- debut author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 3.5/4

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: no

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

COMMENTS/NOTES: Diamond is on a self-discovery journey while experiencing systematic racism and cruel bullying. She wants more in her life, hence her learning to drive. But when her Aunt Lena sends letters along with Aunt Clara's, she feels a connection to them. I liked that her father's disappearance didn't taint Diamond and her mother Anna's love for him. Diamond got annoyed with her mother sometimes, but she was the one who stayed.

This has to do with a biracial teen and how she navigates life, who she is and her relationship with her mother. It was a heartwarming story. I really enjoyed it.

“I got to wondering, who is a person without their people?”

In the first probably 1/3 of this book I was hooked! I loved biracial Diamond as a character and I enjoyed the playful back and forth between her parents. But then…then it just stalled out for me.

The reader was introduced to some new characters through letters and we learned quite a bit about the history of the town of Swift River as the story progressed. But I feel like I’m missing something here. I finished the last page of this book and am left feeling confused and with so many unanswered questions.

The writing itself is beautiful and I feel like this story had a lot of potential that, unfortunately, just did not pan out.

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly powerful read! Taking place in 1987 (birth year shout out), we follow Diamond Newberry. The only Black person in town after the death/disappearance of her father seven years ago, she struggles finding a place of belonging. I found the ways in which she coped with that were really important parts of this story. They tell so much about her.

In the wake of his death, she connects with a member of his family, unbeknownst to her white mother. Within that correspondence, Diamond gains a connection to her Blackness, her father, and the generations of women who came before her. This gives her strength and a sense of self.

The connections she makes with the people in her life, both good and bad, truly shape her. This book is raw and emotional. I invested so much into Diamond’s character while reading this.

Diamond and her mother struggle with poverty, and she struggles with the oppression of being Black and overweight, just trying to exist in the world. This ties into the stories she learns of the past, where her Black ancestors faced hateful oppression in various ways.

Phenomenal debut!