The Girl in My Treehouse

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Pub Date 13 Apr 2021 | Archive Date 17 May 2021

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Description

Only one summer sits between Matt Crosby and high school, and it feels like his middle school friends are leaving him behind. But when a comet of a girl moves in up the street, Matt discovers a side of himself that's dying to break free and try something new.

Lia doesn't see the Matt Crosby everyone else sees: the shy, awkward kid with the stammer, but instead a friend. With Lia, the long, summer days are action-packed with wonder. From scavenger hunts at the grocery store to midnight canoeing under the moon at Preacher Higgins' pond. Or maybe just staring at the sky and feeling completely comfortable in his own skin. But in a small town like Maycomb, a girl like Lia doesn't go unnoticed.

Matt's old friends make jokes about the way Lia dresses, her hair, even her darker skin. As a correctional officer, Matt's father has already run into Lia's mother at the jail. But it isn't until Matt discovers Lia sleeping in his treehouse that he realizes things might be worse for her than she's letting on. Having found the courage to follow his heart instead of his friends, Matt realizes that somewhere along the way, he became the Matt Crosby Lia saw all along.

Only one summer sits between Matt Crosby and high school, and it feels like his middle school friends are leaving him behind. But when a comet of a girl moves in up the street, Matt discovers a side...


A Note From the Publisher

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Advance Praise

"The writing is splendid, the characters vibrant and relatable, and the story endearing. It's a book I would highly recommend to younger and older readers alike." -Independent Book Review

"The writing is splendid, the characters vibrant and relatable, and the story endearing. It's a book I would highly recommend to younger and older readers alike." -Independent Book Review


Available Editions

ISBN 9781953491169
PRICE $4.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

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Average rating from 22 members


Featured Reviews

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"If you asked her a question, be ready for a very loud truth."

This is a short and sweet feel good coming of age summer story. Matt is a boy just about to enter highschool who is completely besotted with a girl nearby named Lia. It is frustrating how long it takes Matt to stand up for himself (and Lia), but only because I was rooting for them the whole time. There is some great writing which seperates Lia from the standard "quirky girl" trope. I loved her description of being as "predictable as a slot machine". I wasn't too sure why everyone at first thought the sermons were so controversial- it was just about really accepting everyone. It would have to be a pretty conservative place to have people literally leaving the church as he was preaching. I just wished there was a bit more closure for the ending.

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I just completed The Girl in My Treehouse by S.A. Fanning. This was provided to me NetGalley for an honest review. This was just so good. It was a coming of age story about a young man who is challenged by social and cultural norms of the small town he lives in. The main character grows from an unsure teenager into a young man who sees the potential of his life with happiness and courage to face any challenge presented. His journey starts with the introduction of Lia. Lia is more or less a bohemian wild child in the best way possible. She opens the eyes of Matt (main character) to how people can be different and that it is just the best. I gave this 5 stars because I think this story will stay with me for awhile.

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“The Girl in My Treehouse”, by S.A. Fanning, is a sweet coming-of-age story, featuring a shy, awkward and very endearing boy and the brave girl who awakens him to his identity.
I loved Matt’s voice, his shyness and how he matures through the friendship with Lia. Some episodes related to Matt’s personality are almost painful to read but so vivid.
Lia is an “old soul”, perhaps too mature sometimes for her age, but her vitality is contagious. She’s a brave girl, the sad picture of parental neglect.
The joy and sense of adventure and discovery with the incursions to the pond and through the woods, living in the treehouse, and the wedding party are all part of Matt’s maturity process and are wonderful to watch, as are his tense interactions with the other boys and his father.
The relationship between Matt and his mother is endearing; preacher Higgins is a great character, too.
I read this captivating story pretty quickly because I was so excited to see how things would turn out for Matt and Lia. I didn’t mind the open ending – as a matter of fact, I loved it – but it would be great if there was a sequel so that we could see what happens with now confident Matt.

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A beautiful piece of work. This reminded me of John Green's earlier work in that it is generic in style and location but that really helps you feel as though you're there and part of what's going on.
Coming of age story well told, and the gentle tale of love having no boundaries was beautifully told
5 solid stars

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I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Fun yet very deep and meaningful in certain areas. Definitely going to recommend.

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The Girl In The Treehouse is a coming of age romance novel for young adults. The central  character is Matt and it is the summer before he is due to start high school.
Matt has a new friend Kia, whom his old friends don't approve of as they say she is weird. However Matt claims "in the month ive know Kia, I hadn't yet found a way to say no to her even when she was so full of ridiculous notions she couldn't say them without giggling".
They both befriend Preacher Higgings, a ageing preacher who the townsfolk think is on the cusp of dementia and needs to stand down from his position in their church.

Matt's farther also has great control over his son, he is a correctional officer in a prison and very stern. He was always in his high school football and baseball team and expects the same from his son. But this is not Matt's strength and I think he feels he is letting his father down.
While Matt contemplates what to do he says " i know my life would be easier i stuck out the summer with Cory and Ethan" but when Lia comes along something changed in him " she was just a good friend, but other times like now, I was so aware she was a girl- an extremely pretty girl".
There is a big wedding at the pastors house in which he asks Matt and Lia to be a part of, and all I can say this is a very big turning point in the book! 
I like this book as it explores a wide range of themes.

Thank to Netgallery for giving me copy of this novel in exchange for my fall frank and honest review.

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Matthew is just an ordinary boy enjoying his summer then Lia comes along and they share a magical summer! They do all kinds of things. Swim in the pond. Take a canoe from Mr. Higgans and take it to the middle of the pond. Then they participate in a lesbian wedding. I give the book 4 stars. I’d definitely kept my interest and it was a quick read. Enjoyed the book!

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Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the arc of The Girl in My Treehouse.

Matt has always been on the sidelines. No matter how much he practiced baseball he never got any better, no matter how many times his 'friends' teased him he never said anything back, no matter how many times his dad insisted he do something he never said no. That changes when Matt meets Lia, he learned the importance of having his own confidence and standing up for what is right.
I really like how this book doesn't even mention Lia's skin colour until a different character notices it, Matt doesn't consider Lia any different from him until his 'friends' mention it. I also really enjoyed Matt's growth in this book, you can really see him coming into his own which can be so dangerous in small town America. Higgins also proves to be a great character, showing just how much grief can change a person, and for the better not just the worse.

This book brings up important issues that need to be discussed and I think it does so in a way that makes sense for teen readers, it's perfectly on track for someone around Matt's age to read. If a bit hopeful with how quickly some of the character's change but it leaves the reader with hope that things can change.

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What a beautiful book - but so bittersweet. It's a book about so many things - teenage friendship, first love, standing up for yourself and figuring yourself out, but at the same time - about a town that's not ready for change, for acceptance, for accepting people who are even a little different. And it's about change - how it happens at a very personal level, one day at a time.

If you already read this book and loved it and are looking for more similar reads, I thought Angie had a similar vibe to this one.

This was a very slow book, which is what many readers mention in their reviews, but I absolutely loved it being that way. To me, it felt like that one summer we've all probably had, when we were at the border between childhood and adulthood, when time moved ever so slowly and everything that happened made an indelible impression on you, made you who you are. For the main character, that's meeting a girl named Lia. A girl so special, so different, yet unafraid to be who she is, that she shakes his entire worldview and helps him discover his true self.

As a love story, it's very casual and chill. Since the main characters are both young teens (14-15ish), it's really innocent, and it focuses more on the emotional, formative experience that our first romance usually becomes for us. But the romance is not the only thing the story centers on.

Another core thing is values - changing values, acceptance of others in communities, religion, despite small town conservatism. Matthew's town isn't quite ready for the things that happen, but the story is one of progress, and it's hopeful. I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, so I won't explain more - but it's definitely worth a read.

This book ever so gently and ever so subtly celebrates diversity and tries to open your eyes to how the times are, or should be, changing. The love story is incredibly bittersweet, and once you finish it, you'll realize you've always known that this was how the story would go. But it's a good story. And it leaves you with a full heart, and a hopeful mood. I greatly enjoyed it.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

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A beautiful, bittersweet book about friendships and first love. Standing up for yourself, and figuring yourself out. A town that's not ready for change, acceptance and accepting anyone or anything whose even a little different.
This was an amazing read and one everyone should read at least once.

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It was an OK book to read.. I do recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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This is a beautiful little novella. I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read that has a bit of everything - race, love, lgbtq+, coming of age and acceptance.
It follows a shy boy who has befriended the new girl on the street who's a bit different in the stuck in the past American town. Through her, he begins to see that things aren't moving forward in town, that people are unaccepting of different or mainstream.
And her openness gives him the courage to stand up and call people out. To be friends with whoever he wants and tell people NO!
This length of this story didn't stop the author, Peter Fanning, from doing an amazing job at world and character building.
This was a wonderful, wholesome story, that made me cry....twice. Rude!

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This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
We follow a teenager during his summer time before he enters high school, where he meets a person, who quite frankly changes his world. Such a beautiful story and it had me brimming with tears.

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Great coming of age story. Captures those teen years so many of us experience as we come into our own lives. Characters are authentically portrayed and believeable. Teens and adults will enjoy this book. Good read.

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