Wild Swans

Everyone knows that the last summer before your senior year in high school should be full of parties, picnics, parties, trips to the lake and more parties. That’s what Ivy is planning. She’s been carrying around the heavy burden of her family’s “legacy” – all the women in the Milbourn family do amazing, incredible things and then die at a young age. It doesn’t sound much like a legacy to Ivy, and she’s pretty sure that’s why her own mother ran off when Ivy was still little. Nothing prepares for the the return of her mother, a mother that has two little kids with her, apparently Ivy’s sisters. With fear for her future, her impending death at a young age and the reappearance of her mother, Ivy feels more confused and afraid than at any time in her life. So long carefree summer. Spotswood’s YA novel is refreshingly free of tons of boyfriend angst. Instead she builds interesting, strong and believable female protagonists.

Instead of taking summer classes like her granddad would like her to do Ivy Milbourn is going to spend the summer before her senior year with her best friends having barbecues and bonfires and just plain enjoying herself. But things don't go as planned when Ivy's mother shows up with her two daughters. 

Milbourn women have always lead extraordinary (albeit short) lives. Ivy's granddad takes great pride in the name and legacy. But Ivy doesn't see it as a legacy she sees it as a curse - why else would her mother abandon her as a child and go fifteen years without speaking to her? 

Underneath that gorgeous front cover is a well-written story with lots of goodies: morals, diversity, a transgender, a biracial guy with tattoos who's interested in poetry, open-mindedness, loving your body and who you are, strong friendships/relationships. Ivy and Claire were great! Ivy's mom.. not so much.

This was a fast read, and yet it handled very difficult topics beautifully. Considering the issues at hand and the tension throughout the book, I thought the conclusion did wrap up a little too perfectly. However, overall, I enjoyed the content of the book,and was amazed how quickly I sped through the pages.

I believe that Wild Swans would be great for you whether this is your first contemporary or your 100th. It's a little dramatic at times, but overall, it's really heart warming. There's no slut shaming, no explicit sex, and no white washing. Give this book a shot if you're looking for a feel-good contemporary with subtly feminist vibes and good character relationships.

When I first the description for this book I thought it would be about a girl having to defeat her families curse along side her mother and two sisters. Turns out it I was wrong and surprised in a very good way. Instead it was about a girl having to meet her families extreme expectations of success, along with having to deal with the fact that her mother who abandon her with her grandfather as a child is coming back after 15 years and with her two younger sisters who she didn't know existed. Jessica Spotswood      does a fantastic job of describing Ivy's world. I could vividly imagine what was happening in the book and what Ivy was feeling. I would strongly suggest this for a nice rainy day or if your just looking for a good book to read.  If you read this book and like it I would also suggest The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and This is What Happy looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

I usually don't venture outside of YA fantasy books, but I'm really glad I did with this one. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what I loved so much about this book because pretty much everything was well done. The setting was gorgeously built and the characters were all realistic, unique, and had depth. The author tackles a lot of serious and important issues, but do so in a way that doesn't feel cliche or preachy. I really, really loved Ivy's character and the way the whole story in general unfolded.

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley.)

“She told my sisters I’m their aunt. Her little sister.”

This was a YA story about a girl left behind after her mother ran away.

I felt quite sorry for Ivy, especially when her mother came back and wouldn’t even admit that she was her daughter! Being abandoned like that, and feeling mediocre because she didn’t have a ‘gift’ was really hard for her, and learning that her mother hadn’t abandoned her other two daughters just made things worse.

The storyline in this was about Ivy’s mother and two younger sisters coming home, and treating Ivy like their sister/aunt rather than their daughter/sister. We also got a bit of family history, and a bit of romance, although this did turn into a bit of a love triangle.

The ending to this was okay, although not a lot really seemed to happen in this book. We got some past mistakes hashed out a bit, and a bit of romance, but not a lot else really.
6 out of 10

I was excited to read this because I loved Jessica Spotswood's Cahill Witch Chronicles, and I was curious to see how she would handle contemporary fiction. One of Spotswood's strengths is how she writes family dynamics, particularly relationships between sisters. I was so pleased to see that in this book as well. I also thought the other relationships here were done well. Claire was a fantastic character. Alex, not so much, but it was realistic. The romance was well done, and didn't detract from the meat of the story. The family curse was an interesting concept, so was Ivy's feelings of mediocrity at not living up to the perceived brilliance of her relatives. I think a lot of people can relate to the issues presented here.

Complete review available on my blog (see link - [to go live on April 24th 2016]).   
Spotswood creates a intense and emotional story, with believable characters and an enticing plot. Despite appearing a typical high school summer story, Wild Swans will take the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions, in a beautifully described and terrifically narrated story. From an adorable Grace to a teenage Iz, there is no element Spotswood fails to capture with the utmost precision, creating a gem of the young adult genre.

Jessica Spotswood is best known for her debut series, The Cahill Witch Chronicles, paranormal YA with swoony romance and twisty suspense. With Wild Swans, Jessica has made a masterful transition to coming-of-age contemporary, and I am so pleased she chose to broaden her horizons, because Wild Swans is truly well-done.

In Wild Swans, we meet Ivy Milbourn the summer before her senior year of high-school in small-town Cecil. She is well-known as a Milbourn girl, being the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of talented Milbourn women who wrote prize-winning poetry and painted troubled, captivating stormy landscapes, before dying early and tragic deaths. She’s also the girl who was abandoned by her mother as a baby and raised by her professorial Granddad, who shows his love by pushing her to live up to the Milbourn legacy. 

What Ivy would want you to know, however, is that she’s captain of the swim team and a lover of literature. She has two best friends, Claire and Abby, who know her well and love her unconditionally. Beyond all that, she’s a diligent student, and she works sincerely towards finding her “niche”; the place in the world where she truly belongs, where she truly excels. Yet, no piano, ballet, poetry, French, painting, or dance class really offers that opportunity to shine. Ivy is okay, maybe even good, at most things she does, but she is not extraordinary; not like her Milbourn ancestors. Granddad’s acute disappointment, and the fact that he tries to hide it, sits heavy on her shoulders.  

Ivy usually spends her summers attending classes or camps, eager to please Granddad, but this summer, she’s determined to relax and have fun with Claire and Abby, and not worry about Granddad’s expectations so much. Then, after fifteen years of radio silence, her mother, Erica, unexpectedly turns up with two girls – her sisters – in tow, asking for a place to stay until she figures things out. Everything Ivy thought she knew about her mother, about family, comes into question. Suddenly the summer is less about forgetting herself, and more about finding herself. 

I really loved the character development in Wild Swans. You can’t help but like Ivy. She’s clearly intelligent and strong-willed, yet she is also eager to please and to conform to the expectations of those around her. You can’t help but feel empathy for her, as she struggles with intense feelings of inadequacy, comparing her achievements, or lack thereof, to the other Milbourn women. On top of that, she also lives with the knowledge that her wild-child mother willingly left her and then signed away her parental rights. Who wouldn’t feel inadequate with such a past? 

Yet, Ivy also has two incredible friends on her side, Abby and Claire, with Claire being my favorite. They stick up for her, they stand by her, and they share their trials with her, too. It is through the various interactions of this trio that Jessica deftly and elegantly addresses sexual agency, fat-shaming, teenage sex, feminism, and diversity. Claire is such a bad-ass character, with her confidence, honesty, and feminist views! I want young girls to read this book just to see what real friendships look and sound like, as well as to learn how to handle situations when someone is being bullied or shamed for who they are, what they look like, or how they dress. This aspect may just be my favorite of the entire book!

There is some romance within the story, but I won’t spend any time on it in this review, as it is not the focus of the book, and I also do not want to spoil the review for those who have not yet read the book. Suffice it to say that the romance is a slow burn, and while I initially questioned the guy’s intentions, I came to like him quite a bit in the end. Bonus points that poetry and literature were involved! Those looking for major swoons will not find them, but I imagine you’ll be happy with what we do get.

The story itself is not faced-past or action-packed. Jessica really focused on the relationships and character development here, and the book is that much better for it. Erica, Ivy’s mother, clearly has a lot of baggage. There were times I wanted Granddad to kick her out, or for Ivy to scream at her. Yet, I also loved how considerate Grandad and Ivy were of her two sisters, Iz and Gracie. They were just as eager to please as Ivy was, just for different reasons. They didn’t have a legacy weighing on their shoulders, but they did yearn for stability and love. Once Ivy recognized this, she stepped up to the plate and into her role of “big sister.”

The various issues presented within the book, involving both the main and secondary characters, are not tied up in a tidy bow at the end, nor does everyone get what they want. The story is bittersweet because of it, and altogether, a breathtaking coming-of-age novel, in which Ivy must learn that trying to live up to other’s expectations of us can often lead to failing our own selves, and that family is not so much something that you’re part of, but rather something you do. 

Kudos to Jessica for writing such a beautiful story, for being sensitive to diversity in terms of race, sexual orientation, and body types, and for giving us characters with whom we can relate, no matter where we are in life. Wild Swans is a must-read, dear reader! 

Discuss

Have you ever struggled to meet someone’s expectations of you? How did you handle it? Would you have done anything differently?

If you had one piece of advice to give a girl who feels like she doesn’t quite fit in anywhere, what would it be?

A great choice for fans of Sarah Dessen, WILD SWANS includes some fun romance but focuses on the main character's family dynamics and developing sense of self. Ivy is a relatable narrator, and Spotswood makes it clear how talented, kind, and smart she is while also showing readers why Ivy feels like the mediocre anomaly in her family. I especially love the well-drawn secondary characters in this book. Ivy's dynamics with her half-sisters are compelling and often delightful, and her relationship with her grandfather is complicated in the richest kind of way. An engaging, character-driven summer story that will resonate with many readers.

Jessica Spotwood's WILD SWANS tells the story of Ivy Milbourne, who was supposed to live up to the legacy of Milbourn women. Were they crazy, extraordinary or cursed? No one really knew. But Ivy thought they all were complicated, just like her mother, Erica Milbourne. Ivy grew up with her GrandDad, as her mother had abandoned her as a child. All she knew was the reason could be something connected with living the legacy of Milborne Women, who all happened to have a mysterious ending to their story of life. But, Ivy was in for a shock when GrandPa announces that Erica, is coming home with her two daughters. Her perfect summer is gonna be the worst one with Erica and her kids around the house. 

Wild Swans is a poignant story with a compulsive writing, intriguing storyline, and convincing characters. I instantly connected with the main character, Ivy Milborne, as I had gone through similar situations in the last few years. The struggles, Ivy went through brought back a flood of memories that I had hidden at the back of my mind; which made the whole reading quite an emotional experience rather than the joyful one.

Told from Ivy's perspective, we get an insight into her train of thoughts and emotions; which assists us to analyse the protagonist thoroughly. The troubles make her an emotional wreck and we see her having trouble to make decisions and speaking up her mind. The writing was so absorbing, that I also had the feeling of being smothered by all the wrong accusations and expectation-games played on her. I was so happy when she found herself and received a promising start by the end of the story.

Not only that, but the background setting, which describes a sun-drenched summer, afternoon-heat, summer vacation, swimming, pool and beach parties, was making a real summer effect on me. Excellent. Recommended, if you are looking for a good summer read. Jessica Spotswood's liking for poems is so evident throughout the story. Gotta say how poetic is her writing as well, which helps you paint the images in mind with ease.

Wild Swans has also got a perfect love triangle in it. It was easy to see whom she would end up with; still seeing the whole things from Ivy's point of view makes the reading so fascinating. Though we don't get to see much chemistry between Connor and Ivy, I enjoyed reading how Connor tried to support her and how honest they were to each other.

I can go on and on about this book. There are Ivy's awesome friends, Adorable baby Grace, Interestingly attractive Isobel, Erica, GrandDad, Louisa, Alex, Ella and so on. Wild Swans has an interesting list of realistic characters. But I can't share the details, as the book is yet to be published.

Jessica Spotswood's WILD SWANS is definitely one of the best realistic novels I read in 2016. You are in for a dash of feminism, a touch of paranormalism, a dollop of romance and gallons of realism in this beautifully written book. Make sure to grab it!

I had no expectations at all going in and I went in blind choosing to be surprised as to the storyline. It was a really cute story that I very much enjoyed!  The story is about Ivy Milbourn, a teenage girl abandoned by her mother when she was very young.  It was told from her point of view. She was raised by her grandfather. He told her stories about the extravagant Milbourn women. Ivy often felt like she didn't live up to the women in her family. I really like how relatable her character is. Many people can empathize with not really knowing their place in this crazy world and not being overly amazing in one specific thing. I like that Ivy is written as a character that stands her ground when it comes to relationships and I liked going on the journey of self discovery with her. 

Her mother, Erica came back into the picture after 15 years and shockingly had two other daughters with her.  If there was ever a character I wanted to slap, it's Erica.  The fact that she never really acknowledged Ivy and treated her so poorly, made my blood boil. The author did a great job evoking many different emotions while reading this book. 

I liked the relationship with her grandfather. You could tell he loved her and wanted to push her to be her best. I absolutely adored her friend Claire, a take no bull type of friend. I think Claire's character brought comedy and diversity to the book. 

I really like Connor and the fact that he was so real and supportive.  It was refreshing to see a "good" guy as the love interest. 

I think the writing as a whole. It was intriguing and held my attention the entire time, which is why I was able to read it in one setting.  I love the descriptions the author gave to the setting and season.  It very much reminded me of summers in my teen years, minus the drama. 

I  would liked to have seen a little more with the ending and I feel there could have been more of a climax point.

Overall this is a very interesting, quick and easy-to-read story.

It sucks having to be what everyone else wants you to be. Even if you go along with it, and believe somewhere inside that it’s just part of who your family is, who you are, your destiny. It’s hard. Ivy knows this better than anyone. A failure at life in her own eyes from birth when her mother left her to be raised by her grandfather, she pushes herself to excel at everything she does but always feels she comes up short – not PERFECT at any one think like the rest of the woman in her family tree. 

Life gets all the more complicated when her mother returns, 2 sisters Ivy never knew she had in tow. Tension and stress ensure and the complicated web of family tales and lies comes crashing down around everyone as they learn to live, work and be together in the same house. 

I really enjoyed WILD SWANS. When I stared it I worried that it would be a typical contemporary novel with family problems, but Spotswood brings a kind of magic to it with her writing and the characters that live on the pages. The story line is so much more than just a family having trouble – we have the added twists from her grandfathers student being around and being slightly obsessed with the Milbourn woman of days past. Working with Ivy, sparks may fly, but are they real or just there because of his love for the history that surrounds here. And don’t forget the maids son, who Ivy has grown up with, her best friend in all the world who might want more than she does. 

It’s a twisty, complex tale of family and life and decisions. Run away? Stay? Fight? Be yourself? Which decisions will Ivy and her family make? 

**this review will be live on the blog on April 18th**

I really loved this novel. The writing was beautiful and the characters were interesting. There is a bisexual feminist and a little boy who wants to be called Ella and be treated like a girl. I love it when books show diversity! The MC ,Ivy, is a strong girl whose mother ditched her when she was two who feels she must live up the the extreme legacies of the other women in her family. There is a romance, but it takes back seat to the family drama. The book starts off with what you think is going to be a love triangle but surprises you, thankfully. 

There are trigger warnings for suicide in this novel, though, so you are warned.

This book made me feel so many things, sad, happy, disgust and anger. Which I love so much! I was very invested in Ivy and her family.

The reason this novel is getting four stars instead of five is this:

As much as I loved this book the plot is almost non existent. There is no real climax, or problem to be solved. The book is more of a coming of age tale and about how Ivy deals with her absent mom showing back up and bringing Ivy's two sisters with her. Sister's she didn't know she had. I was more than half way through and thought, "wait, is something going to happen now? I'm almost done....where's the story going?" Just to finish it a few hours later and be a little let down.

Also the blurb talks about a curse or a legacy and there isn't one. The women of Ivy's family suffer depression and the tendency to be great artists, that's it. I was hoping for something a little more dramatic. Anyone can say they think their family is cursed. Three generations of the women in my family have grown up without biological fathers, but I don't use the word curse because that seems a little more magical than what has actually happened. 

So.... yes read this book, please come to your on conclusions. I am really interested to see how others viewed this. On one hand I loved it and on the other I was disappointed.

Thought this one was gorgeous - the family dynamics at play were heartbreaking, sweet, messy and realistic. I really enjoyed Ivy's friends and thought Connor was a great love interest.

4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

The Milbourn family has a legacy for being exceptional. Since Ivy's great-grandmother, all the women in the family have had amazing talents, but also tragic endings. Ivy doesn't fit the mold - she's hardworking, but not extraordinary. This summer is supposed to be one of fun, instead her estranged mother returns with two younger daughters in tow.

I really enjoyed Ivy's personal character development. I also felt sorry for her a lot. She was abandoned by her mother and used to feeling mediocre with a grandfather with high expectations. She became a lot stronger as the summer progressed and I liked how she eventually became able to stand up to others.

The characters in this book were all well flushed out and felt like real people to me. None of them were extremely boring or 2D. They all had their own feelings and their reasons and actions were understandable to me. However, I didn't enjoy Connor. He was the only one who I didn't feel for and connect for. Because of this, I wasn't a big fan of the romance either. This wasn't a major problem as I didn't feel the romance was a main focus of the story, but it was my biggest flaw.

This book dealt with a lot of personal issues in a positive and good way. There were a lot of elements in this book and it was well done. There were issues on alcoholism, mental health and also gender. It was all handled well and I liked how it was integrated in the lives of the people in the town.

I've heard many good things about Wild Swans, so when I got an ARC of this book I was very happy. Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire!

Ivy Millbourn is a smart girl with a complicated family legacy--specifically among the Millbourn women, great artists with tragic futures. This dates back to Ivy's great-grandmother, and ends with her mother, a singer who walked out on Ivy years ago. Ivy has no idea where her mother is, and lives with her grandfather. But when her mother returns--along with 2 sisters that Ivy never knew about--everything changes. 

This book is a perfect summer read--it’s cute, emotionally evocative, and romantic. I found that I really connected with the characters--they are well-developed and dynamic, and will stick with you. This book had a surprisingly diverse cast, with biracial, bisexual, and transgender characters. It approached various subjects, including feminism and body image, in a way that made me really happy. I also appreciated the quaint, beachy setting and the fact that *gasp* the romance didn’t dominate the whole book. This was a book about the love between all kinds of family, whether that be parental figures, siblings, or friends, not just the relationship between Ivy and the love interest. 

However, I feel like not much happened over the course of the book--the plot was a bit dull, and there weren’t many major and climatic events until the last 10% or so. I didn’t like the ending was very much--it was rushed and seemed very forced. Some of the conflicts at the end were resolved extremely easily and quickly, and others felt like they weren’t resolved very much at all. When I finished this book, I felt like there was something missing.

Overall, I did enjoy Wild Swans, other than the flaws in the plot. If you’re looking for a quick book to read as the weather gets warmer and summer approaches, then this one might be for you!

3.5/5 stars.

Oh, Wild Swans, how can I count the ways I love you? I adore poignant stories that focus on girls and their family, and summer is always such a magical time to set a story because it becomes its own contained bubble where amazing things happen. I loved the diversity and feminism weaved throughout the story and wanted to cuddle Ivy. Also, A+ cover! Much love indeed.

3.75* For some reason I expected this to be a mystery or paranormal. My expectations were proved wrong as this ended up being a lovely contemporary. There were some really brilliant messages within the plot regarding body image, gender, sexuality, mental health etc. It was great to read a book which touched on so many of these topics but dealt with them in such a positive, forward thinking way and didn't belittle or patronise the characters dealing with these issues. Although these things were not the main focus of the plot and were often quite subtle, I felt that they were some of the best parts.  Since there were so many elements to the story and its characters, I feel as though everyone will be able to relate to it in some way or another. I really enjoyed Ivy's character development. She was a strong character from the beginning but became stronger throughout the plot in a lot of ways which I really enjoyed. I thought the friendships in this were really lovely, as was the romance. The family relationships and dynamic was really interesting to read as there were so many dimensions to it. Overall, Wild Swans was a really lovely and enjoyable read which touched on some really important subjects in a sensitive, yet truthful way.

Ivy's mother left her. She was raised by her Grandfather. Artistic tallents and dying young is the legacy of the woman in this family. Ivy should be safe, because she isn't thriving in any particular area. She is now 17 and not sure at all of the rest of her life. 

One day her long lost mother returns! When she comes back, she says she isn't suppose to say that she is her mother, and she has half sisters in tow as well. What a mess. 

This book is a coming of age with a different kind of Cinderella. It has several strong points, and only a few weak ones. There are no wild swans, I think the title is an illusion to ugly ducklings growing up into beautiful swans, however, no mention of that occurs in the entire book. 

My copy came from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more.

Wild Swans was a beautiful story. There wasn't one moment I didn't love, even in the darker heartbreaking moments, because it all leads to the end of one journey for Ivy and the start of another. Ivy has grown up feeling the pressures of family expectations, including ones that are self imposed higher expectations and doubt, she struggles to live up to the Milbourn legacy...or curse as some may call it. I think anyone who has had similar expectations put upon them will relate to all the emotions and thoughts that plague Ivy. As she tries to find her "thing" that something that makes her fit in her family, that tells her she's a Melbourn, she has to face the ghosts of her past. Everything that hits Ivy, from the Mother that abandoned her, her best friend Alex revealing his feelings, meeting an older boy, being a big sister to sisters that are essentially strangers, and the realization her Grandfather is also a Father, weighs heavy on her. She must navigate getting older, dealing with finding herself, small town murmurs and discovering...admitting...what she wants in life. The cast of characters that surround Ivy are wonderfully written and vidid, as she is. They are each so important to Ivy's story and helping her see she shapes her future, not a the Milbourn women before her. Wild Swans ran the gamut of emotions. Smiling, laughing, cringing, crying, heartbreaking, gut clenching, even swooning, you'll feel it all. From the first to the last page, Ivy's story keeps you rapt. Pick up Wild Swans and fall in love with this touching story.

Wonderful! The characters are multi-dimensional, the plot is complex yet neatly woven, and everything comes together so naturally. I only wish it could have been longer, especially toward the end.

I wish I liked this book as much as I LOVED Born Wicked. Wild Swans was a cute read, I just think the problem was that it was contemporary. It's not that I hate contemporary but I just really prefer fantasy. It had a interesting plot and good characters and if some fantasy elements were added...it'd be perfect.

I really felt sorry for Ivy as it seemed that her grandfather was continually pushing her to do better.  There was no celebration for those moments where she achieved success or happiness for it was always time to march forward to what was next or what was the next hurdle to attack, leaving her no time to enjoy the moment.  That really is no life to lead, for what is the purpose?  There will always be something to strive for no matter where you are or what age you are; Ivy will never be able to rest with grandfather around her.  Ivy was learning to be happy by herself and I was hoping that she could learn to take some small breaks and enjoy her life.   Ivy’s mother left town when she couldn’t handle the pressure and Ivy has been living with grandfather for many years.  I liked how her true emotions rose to the surface when her mother came back to town with Ivy’s estranged siblings in tow.    The tension, the lies and the emotions were more than the house could handle as these individuals danced around each other.   She tries to find comfort in Alex, but Alex is changing and he is looking at Ivy with new eyes.  They have been friends for years and Ivy doesn’t want that to change.   Her relationship with one of grandfather’s students has Alex seeing Ivy as more than just a close friend and he wants more from Ivy.   Working with Connor, Ivy becomes attracted to him.   Connor feels the same way towards her and they start a relationship.   This is a secret that they must keep from grandfather.  This was not an intense read but a great coming-of- age novel.  Ivy must understand and cope with my many facets that make up her life and understand how they will affect her. She is now longer a little girl who lives and must obey everything her grandfather says but she is also not an adult who can make major decisions on her own.  4.5 stars I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest opinion.  Thank you.

Grade: B An e-galley was provided by the publisher in exchange for review consideration.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: This was my first Jessica Spotswood book, and it was a total surprise. I tentatively added it to my TBR list in November and when it was available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I figured it would probably be a 3-star read, but it ended up being a 4-star one. There were just a few flaws that kept me from completely loving it.
I enjoyed how Ivy struggled with being ordinary. Too often, YA protagonists know exactly what they want to do with their lives and many teenagers don't. I loved a lot of the feminist aspects of Wild Swans. Ivy stands up for herself when she doesn't love her best friend like he wants her to and she makes sure her voice is heard. The one thing I didn't like about the feminism and activism that was mildly featured in Wild Swans is that, overall, parts of it didn't feel necessary to the driving story. I felt like a lot of it was used to build Claire's character, but it made her awfully one-dimensional instead.
I liked that Ivy and Connor's relationship didn't start as insta-love, even though they were almost immediately attracted to each other. When I realized that the book only covered ten days, though, they moved awfully fast. That has to do more with the timeline of the novel than their relationship, though. I believed they were into each other, so props to Ms. Spotswood for that. That being said, I would've liked the book to cover more time. It felt unrealistic in that aspect, and I struggled to believe so much happened over such a short time. Also SPOILER ALERT Ivy submits a poem to a literary magazine and she hears back, both within the course of Wild Swans. This is highly unrealistic. Lit magazines don't reply that fast. This is part of what led me to believe the book took place over at least a month. END SPOILER I liked how things resolved with Ivy's mother. It wasn't all rainbows and cupcakes, and it reflected reality. I appreciated how Ivy struggled with her mother's return. Erica isn't quite the demon that Ivy's grown up believing her mother is, and in contrast, Ivy's grandfather isn't as perfect as she once thought, but he isn't terrible by any means. He loves his granddaughters and I feel he even loves his daughter.
There were a couple dozen f-words and s-words and some mild sexual content (no one sleeps together on page, but there's a descriptive make-out session).

The Verdict: I really enjoyed Wild Swans. It was just missing that extra oomph to make it a new favorite.

I've loved Jessica's words from the very first page of her very first book. I was so excited to see her new story and finally get my greedy hands on it.

Ivy is a great character. She's not sure what she wants out of life, but she's excited to get out there and just live. Normally, the quiet people pleasing MC would drive me mad, but I found myself instantly intrigued and rooting for her. There is a great cast of characters, but I'll let you find them on your own. I will say that I want Claire to be my BFF. Like right now.

There are so many important things in this story. It touches on gender identity and feminism and body image and slut shaming. And it is done in a way that doesn't come across as preachy. I seriously squeezed this book when I was done.

My only complaint is that I could have read 100 more pages if they existed. I would have liked a bit more of an ending, but the slice of time we got was perfect.

**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood is a story of grit, self-discovery, and love. Readers are introduced to Ivy Milbourn, a teenage girl who lives with her grandfather in a tiny town where the Milbourn name is known– both for the family’s talents and knack for dying young and tragically. The story starts during the summer before Ivy’s senior year in high school, and it doesn’t look like her break will be the relaxing time she hoped it would. Instead, her mother Erica (to whom Ivy hasn’t spoken to since she left her as a child) decides to return to the family home with two new daughters in tow– a complete surprise to both Ivy and her granddad, whom Erica quite vocally dislikes. She goes as far as to tell her daughters that Ivy is their aunt, not their half-sister. And, to top it off, there’s a massive love triangle between Ivy, her best childhood friend, and her granddad’s best poetry student.

I’m so impressed with the level of character-building that Spotswood created in such a short novel. The main characters are intricately created with lots of backstory and unique personalities. I was especially intrigued with Erica, as her character was so captivatingly irritating. I found my blood pressure rising as I read scenes in which she was involved– she was so cruel, but I also felt a distinct sympathy for her character.

While the familial situation was well-constructed, I felt as though something was missing from Ivy’s love triangle. This pollen happened a bit too quickly for my taste, and I feel as though we were not given enough context or development for these relationships. I’m aware that I’m being vague on this point, but don’t want to spoil anything!

Overall, I truly enjoyed Wild Swans. It was endearing and captivating– but a bit shorter than I would have liked! 4 STARS!

I received a copy from Netgalley.

A very enjoyable, well written coming of age YA novel with a theme of summer and family. Tells the story of 17 year old Ivy Milbourne who lives with her well known and respected in town grandpa. The Milbourne family is an old family which goes back for many generations and has sparked a legacy of brilliant women who all seem to be exceptionally talented and have something heartbreakingly tragic happen to them.

Ivy doesn’t quite know where she fits into this legacy. Her mom left when she was a baby and never came back. Ivy’s tried many different things but can’t seem to find a particular “gift” that she excels at. She’s pretty good at poetry and swimming but not to epic standards. She’s very middle of the road and trying to find a way to make her grandpa proud of her. Her plans for the summer are relaxing and having fun with her friends before senior year starts. 

Until her mom shows up again with two younger children – bratty 15 year old Isobel and sweet and innocent 6 year old Gracie. Erica the mother pretty much moves to the top of my list in the Worst YA Parent award. She’s horrible and a gigantic bitch from the moment she appears – even introducing Ivy to her new children as their aunt rather than their older sister. She does of course, have REASONS for this. She’s beyond selfish, she yells, she swears and she drinks like a fish. 

The grandfather is a very well respected professor and a calming presence, but can be quite demanding in a not even realising he’s doing it way. Ivy finds herself in the middle of all this drama. She’s got new responsibilities of handling her younger sisters. And to top it all off, the grandad says one of his students will be working with them this summer, transcribing some journals from the Milbourne famous and tragic grandmother who also wrote great poetry and something from her collection is about to be published or commemorated. In comes gorgeous poetry mad Conner. And Ivy falls head over heels.

It’s very realistic and a beautiful portrayal of growing up in a tiny town with a family legacy to uphold. Ivy shows some remarkable restraint in dealing with all this new drama thrown her way. New sisters to deal with, her struggles to understand her mom and her behaviour and why she left, one of her best friends starts behaving like a total asshole when she starts to get closer to Conner, and then there’s her feelings for him. While all at the same time she’s screaming inwardly and barely seems to know how to handle it all. Ivy shows some remarkable character growth throughout the novel. 

The family drama is moving and the arguments which in one terrible incident spill out in public making things all the worse. It can be very uncomfortable to read, the mother’s piss poor attitude towards Ivy and her grandpa particularly.  The siblings find their way towards each other, Gracie is adorable, Isobel is fifteen and away from everything she knows and she acts like a stroppy brat. But even Isobel by the end grows tremendously as a character. Ivy’s romance with Conner is sweet and believable. A tad more insta-lust than insta-love but it’s interesting to see how they work together with the family drama and Ivy’s friends and Connor’s friends and their different circumstances. Very maturely handled. 

A very good, very enjoyable read. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcefire Books for approving my request to view the title.

Ivy has lived her life surround by the legacy of extraordinary women.  The women in her family have done very special things, but have also died young.  Ivy believes that this curse is the reason her mother left her with Granddad and never came back.  He has spent the years helping her find her gift, but this summer will be different.  Ivy is planning to spend it with her best friend doing senior year stuff, not taking classes or exploring her hidden gifts.  That is the plan until her mother returns with two daughters and Ivy must face the mystery of her mother and the unexpected sibling issues that arrive with her.  

Wild Swans is a stand-alone realistic fiction story that will please many tastes.  Readers will explore sibling rivalry, parental detachment and a first real romance all in one easily devoured tale.  Spotswood has created a protagonist that most girls can relate to and it will be easy to forget that this is not happening to someone we actually know.  This is a short and quick escape read that will satisfy even when readers don’t want it to end.

Really loved this story.  The characters were so vivid and Spotswood covered a lot of very realistic material in a short space.  The representation of marginialized groups was excellent and I especially loved the feminist BFF.  I thought the ending was slightly rushed and a little neat, but overall, an lovely, poetic read.

Short and Sweet

Ivy plans on having the time of her life before her senior year starts. But things don't always go as planned. Ivy is struggling trying to find her calling in life and feeling the pressure of the Milbourn legacy in her family. Ivy's mother left when she was young, so she was raised by her Grandad. When her mother returns, with two young children or Ivy's half sisters, her life is turned upside down.

What I liked

~Ivy, she wasn't perfect (who is?) but she was a strong character and stood her ground.

~Connor, he's Ivy's love interest and he was honestly so sweet and supportive.

~I liked how most of the issues in the story were resolved.

~Ivy's best friend Claire she's funny and a feminist who isn't afraid to speak her mind. (Look at the quote below)

~Also liked getting to know the background on some of the characters like Ivy's mom and some of the other Milbourn women.

~ It touches on gender identity and feminism and body image.

What I didn't like

~The ending I mean it was good I just wish we got to know more. An epilogue would have been nice.

Quotes

"When it comes to the family legacy - that it's a gift, not a curse; that the Milbourn women were extraordinary, not doomed."

Overall

Wild Swans is a  feel-good book with realistic friendships, romance, and family. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA coming of age stories and contemporaries.

Filled with vibrant characters and a charismatic protagonist, who jumps off the page. I was a little weary of the love triangle involved, especially since the third leg was painted so poorly, but otherwise an enjoyable read.

Received from: Sourcebooks Fire Received Via: NetGalley.com 

THE REVIEW

Why this book?
It seemed like a book for me

What I thought

Life is unfair for Ivy. Her grandfather has too high of expectations for her. Her Mother doesn't even want to claim her; plus she lost her best friend because she got a boyfriend. This is the kind of book you don't want to put down, unless you absolutely have to. The characters are well developed and diverse. This book also touches on feminism and body image. Even though I liked Connor I was happy the romance didn't dominate the book. This book was about family and friendship with a bit of romance thrown in there. Overall it was a great book that I highly recommend.

I’m not sure if Wild Swan’s synopsis changed from the original, but for some reason I went into this book thinking it was going to have elements of the paranormal. Maybe because of Spotswood’s Cahill Witch Chronicles, or maybe because I was expecting some sort of actual curse/paranormal reason for all the women in the Milbourn family to die young and tragically. And while I’m stating random facts, I’ll also add that I expected to enjoy this book but not love it. I don’t know why. Do you ever go into a book thinking ‘this sounds good, it’ll be a nice addition to my reading list, but my expectations aren’t that high’? It doesn’t necessarily make sense, but there are just some books like that, at least for me. Within a few pages of Wild Swans, I knew I was wrong. I was completely enthralled from the very beginning, and I didn’t want to put it down. Wild Swans is an amazing contemporary YA that has become a new favourite.

I adored Ivy. She was complex, flawed, and had a great voice. After her mother abandoned her when she was only two, her granddad raised her. While her granddad is great, he expects a lot from Ivy - the Milbourn women all have a gift, and he’s determined Ivy will not only find hers, but also be the best at whatever she does. It’s a lot of pressure, and since Ivy doesn’t want to disappoint him, she goes along with it, trying all these new things, taking classes, and filling every spare moment with activities that will help her find her gift. I was amazed by Ivy’s maturity and strength. Besides the suffocating pressure of her granddad’s expectations, she also had to live with being abandoned at a young age and never knowing why. So when her mother returns, bringing Ivy’s little sisters in tow - sisters she didn’t even know existed - things become even more complicated.

Wild Swans tackles a lot of serious subjects, and does it in a way that felt very authentic and never preachy. I’ve read a few books recently that touched on issues like feminism, sexuality, and/or gender identity and left me rolling my eyes because it felt forced or contrived. While I appreciate books that incorporate these things and think it's incredibly important, it's equally important for it to feel natural and not like a point is trying to be made or drilled into the reader's head. Spotswood wove these elements in seamlessly and in a way that made me have a huge amount of respect for her. There was varied and authentic representation of diversity in general, which I loved.

This book had the perfect blend of compelling plot and complex characters. All the side characters were vivid and had a purpose, and weren’t just there as scenery. I love stories that deal with complicated, messy relationships, and Wild Swans had that in spades. It’s hard to go into details without getting into spoiler territory, but I was so impressed with the way Ivy’s relationships were handled, both with her friends and her family. There were so many scenes that frustrated me and made me ragey on her behalf. Parts of the book were difficult to read and absolutely broke my heart, but Ivy’s strength and her growth made me so proud. I felt like she was one of my best friends and I was watching all this happen and cheering her on from the sidelines. It wasn’t all heavy and serious, though - there were scenes that were quiet and lovely, and scenes that made me smile or laugh. It had a great balance. 

Wild Swans captivated me from beginning to end. Full of dynamic and memorable characters and believable real-life situations, this is one of my new favourite coming of age stories. If you enjoy stories about self-discovery and growth that deal with messy and often complicated but also beautiful family, friendship, and first love relationships in an honest way, I highly recommend Wild Swans.

*Review will be posted on my blog (http://sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca) during release week.*

Thanks to Raincoast Books for sending me an eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a great book. It dealt with a loss so tragic, having your mother walk away, leaving you're behind, never to be heard from again for 15 years. I can't even imagine what that would be like.

Following a family line of gifted artists and writers, this book shows that you don't have to have an outward talent to be extraordinary. For all intents and purposes, Ivy is ordinary. She's good at poetry and swimming, but not medal worthy. 

Living under the shadow of her great grandmother and grandmother and their iconic deaths, her own mother, Erica has struggles of her own. Erica was a fascinating character, she tried to be a good mother to some of her daughters, but her tongue was lethal and she had a mean, negative outlook on life. If she hadn't been born into the life of extraordinary, would she have turned out differently? Who knows. For most of the book, I wanted to hate Erica. But I use couldn't get past the sadness I felt for her. Her mother was depressed and committed suicide when she was a teenager, and that really messed with her own ability to be a mother.

Ivy's granddad was another interesting character. He tries to push his granddaughters into the typical life of their family, finding their talent. Even though Erica makes som good points about his motives, deep down he still just wants what's best for his girls.

I also loved how, even though there was a romance in this story, it didn't take over the plot line. The story was still about Ivy reconciling her past with her mother and living with her new sisters, and her quest for the her granddad's approval. The romance was there to add a little lightness, to show that even in the darkest of times, when nothing is going right, love can prevail.

Ivy's friends were fantastic, Claire, a very clear feminist makes some really great points and made me think. Plus she's hilarious. Abby is a little more reserved, but she is dealing with her own issues, the possibility of her six year old brother being transgender. And in a small beach town, where conservative values rule, this book tackles the topic with tact.

In fact, this book deals with a lot of heavy issues, especially for a small town, including bisexuality and being transgendered, alcoholism, depression and suicide, and racism and multiracial relationships. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It taught me a lot of things about myself, how you don't need to be perfect, how no matter how bad life seems, you can still make it.

After fifteen years seventeen year old Ivy is trying is stand up to her grandfathers intense expectations after all Milbourn girls always have a talent as well as being dubbed by the town as 'cursed.doomed.crazy' but Ivy is sure she is pretty much mediocre at everything. 

She's not brilliant or bad at anything her grandfather signs up to do but she's always somewhere in the middle of the two.  So this summer Ivy makes it clear she plans to do two things swim and work at the library. 

But what's happens when she's suddenly told that her mother who she hasn't seen in fifteen years is returning home with two sister she never knew about are coming back for the summer. 

What follows is so unfair to Ivy and I really felt for her. Erica is the worst mother and doesn't deserve any of her daughters. What she did to Ivy on her return broke my heart and I had a little cry over her continued behaviour towards Ivy. I wanted to scream grow up and take some responsibility for your own actions.  

I loved how the relationship between Ivy and sisters  Iz & Gracie progressed and played out.  It was very heartfelt. other side characters I loved were Abby & Claire every girl needs best friends like them.  

So I can't end this review with mentioning the romance because I love romance. Alex really got on my nerves I hated he couldn't get passed his feelings for Ivy and be a friend to her when she needed one. But Connor Clarke (best name) saved it because let's face it who doesn't love a tattooed,tall,semi geekish & poetry reading/writing hot guy. I loved the easiness between him & Ivy. Although this seems like a love triangle it completely isn't as Ivy doesn't share Alex's feelings.   

Reading Wild Swans felt timeless as Jessica blended all the Milbourn girls stories in to one perfect YA novel. One of my favourite novels this year.

Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood was a book I was excited to get my hands on.  I love her Cahill Witch Chronicles series so when I found out she was writing a Contemporary YA I immediately added it to my TBR shelf.  

It’s the summer before Ivy’s senior year and she has plans to do whatever she wants for once.  No classes or jobs or anything her granddad wants her to do so she can further find out what her “thing” is.  This story immediately grabbed my interest and I couldn’t put the book down until I finished.  I loved Ivy.  She is smart but what got me was her story.  She lives with her granddad and in a town where her last name comes with expectations and everyone know everyone else’s story.  These are the biggest reasons that her mother left town.  

This story really revolves around the relationships Ivy has with the people around her.  There is a romance aspect as well but it’s the family and friends who surround Ivy that drive the story forward.  Immediately a few things happen that completely change how Ivy’s summer will go but the biggest thing is the announcement from her granddad that her mother is going to be moving back in with them for a while.  

I have to admit, most of the time I was reading this book I wanted to just give Ivy a hug.  When Ivy finally comes face to face with her mother, she is devastated to find out that her mother was only a short way away and could have come to see her anytime.  When she also finds out that she has two half-sisters, Ivy is clearly thrown.  The other piece to this that really had me wanting to scream at her mother for her was that Ivy’s sisters have been told that Ivy is their aunt – not their sister – and  neither of them know the real story.  The fact that Ivy didn’t have a complete meltdown during this whole introduction speaks to the strength within her.  

Outside of Ivy, I thought the secondary characters were well done.  Spotswood builds a great cast of supporting characters to add to Ivy’s story and introduce some sensitive topics.  All of these pieces add up to making this a wonderful book.  

There’s no question in my mind that Ivy grows throughout this book and the change in her personality is for the better.  When we first meet her she was willing to do whatever she needed to in order to make everyone around her happy but by the end she finally recognized she needed to stand up for what she wanted.  I loved the relationship that Ivy creates with her younger sisters despite the challenges all three face having the mother that they have.  

Overall I really enjoyed this book.  If there was one thing I wish it had it would be more closure.  The ending felt very open-ended and somewhat incomplete to me – that could be because maybe I wanted to know more about how things would end up for Ivy but regardless…I’m hopeful that Spotswood will someday put an epilogue or something out telling me how things end up!  If you like contemporary that includes some very real issues, definitely consider checking this book out.

What a fabulous book that was.
It was so well written.
I dragged out finishing it because i didnt want it to be over.
I loved the ending.

I was very intrigued by the description of Wild Swans, even though it wasn't my usual thing. But I do love this author, so I gave it a try. I'm so glad that I did! I really enjoyed this one. I was immediately drawn into Ivy's life. The women in her family have a history of doing great things, and then meeting tragedy. Ivy simultaneous feels like she isn't good enough to hold the Milbourn name and feels relief at being nothing like her mother, whom she hasn't seen in 15 years. But then her mother returns, and maybe things aren't exactly how Ivy thought they were.

Wild Swans is all about figuring out who you are and what you want, with a side of dysfunctional family. Ivy has no talent like her mother, grandmother, great-gandmother, etc. She's trying to find it to please her grandfather and rid herself of this sense of mediocrity, but it's not working. Then her mother's return throws her chill summer plans into chaos, and causes Ivy to try even harder to win her grandfather's approval. I really believed Ivy's struggle. She wants to fit into her family, but she also doesn't want to fall into the same patterns. She knows her grandfather is overbearing at times, but she doesn't want to agree with the woman who abandoned her. It's a very trying ten days.

Wild Swans also has a lot of friendship! Ivy's best friends are Alex, the boy she grew up with, and Claire who is an awesome feminist and voice of reason. There's lots of scenes of Ivy interacting with both of them, although in very different ways. I love that Ivy was able to be friends with a boy for so long without it turning into something romantic. The author shows that it's okay to not have feelings for someone just because they have feelings for you and it's expected. Ivy's relationship with Alex is strained and I liked seeing how Ivy stood up for herself and wouldn't compromise on her feelings. And I just all around loved Claire, even though at times she felt almost like a caricature rather than a real person. But she was always there for Ivy and that's the most important part.

I really enjoyed Wild Swans. I do wish there had been an epilogue to check up on how Ivy, her mother, grandfather, and sisters were doing. The big drama happens, and then it just ends. It does end on a happy note, but I feel like there could have been more there. I want to know what happens next!

Ivy has a good life. Loyal best friends. A beautiful home. A grandfather who dotes on her. The summer before senior year is supposed to be nothing but fun with parties at the cove, swimming, and enjoying her friends. And all it takes is a phone call to have all of those plans for the perfect summer come crashing down. 

     The reason why she's close to her grandfather is that he's all she has after her mom ran away and left Ivy with him when she was two. Now her estranged mother is coming home...with Ivy's two younger half sisters. This might be just another warped family reunion if the family name wasn't Milbourn.

     Ivy is fifth generation Milbourn, a family that produces talented and tragically flawed women. Most in their small town believe it is a curse, and so does Ivy. She actually feels lucky that she doesn't have a gift. She's smart and a good swimmer, but not the valedictorian and not someone headed to the Olympics. Still, she struggles with the fear that she'll never be enough. She wasn't enough for her mother to stay. She isn't enough for her grandfather to be proud of her, to not expect more. Though it takes her a while to realize it, that feeling is strangling her.

     One of the things I really liked in this story was that there were so many supporting characters encouraging Ivy to use her voice, something I think we need more of in YA literature. I loved her friend Claire, who speaks openly and honestly about sexuality, gender identity (their other best friend has a young brother who identifies as female), and consent. Connor, Ivy's very likable love interest, tells Ivy that it's by no means selfish to want to figure out who you are away from your family and to not be so worried about pleasing everyone all of the time. Another prop to Connor's character is their dialogue during a pretty intense make out scene where he asks Ivy if what they're doing is okay. I think it's important for teens to see healthy conversations between partners engaging in sexual behavior. Again, just something I like seeing more of: it's okay to say no without feeling guilt, and it's also okay to say yes with enthusiasm and not feel ashamed. 

     I also appreciated how illnesses like depression, eating disorders, and alcoholism are portrayed. Ivy's mom, Erica, suffers from all three, and it's likely that some, if not all, of their extraordinary mothers before them suffered from depression too. As Ivy points out to Erica in one gripping scene, her lack of acknowledging and getting help for her problems will catch up to her in how her other daughters view her and live their lives. 

    On a lighter note, this story is very much about Ivy coming into her own as she nears the end of high school and begins to think about a new chapter in her life. As much as she's attached to and feels comfortable in her small town, she admits that home isn't without flaws and by the end, begins to explore the idea of life away from what she has known with the freedom to be whoever she chooses. 

     Readers will take away a great message: families are often flawed, but one truly can make their own path in the world. Your family's legacy doesn't have to be your own. Or you can put your own spin on it. Or do something totally different. And it's absolutely okay to do so! They'll love how things end with Ivy and Connor, the peace she finds with the conflicting views of her grandfather and mother and the roles each have and may yet to play in her life, and most importantly, that Ivy realizes she is enough to be loved.

Sometimes being born into a family that has left a legacy of great artistic pursuits behind, isn't all it's cracked up to be-especially when you feel mediocre at best. Ivy has lived under the shadow of not only her grandmother, but of her aunt, as well. Her mother is another story, having ran away, leaving Ivy behind with her grandfather when Ivy is just two. Her mother had her own gift-the gift of singing. Now an alcoholic, Ivy's mother, Erica, has lost her latest husband, her job, and her home. She comes back to live with Ivy and her professor grandfather, with her two daughters-daughters that got to grow up with a mom. However, growing up with a mother like Erica isn't necessarily a good thing.

It's the summer before her senior year, and Ivy is looking forward to a summer of fun. It's the first summer that her grandfather hasn't had her in classes the entire time. Her grandfather's quest to find Ivy's "thing" is seemingly unending, because in his world, all the women in the family have a special talent. Ivy's only talent is swimming, but even in that she doesn't stand out. She's tired of always being judged against all the talent in her family. When her mother comes home after being gone fifteen years, Ivy's world is turned upside down. She's not heard one word from her mother that entire time. Erica will never win mother of the year and that's a fact. Actually Erica was one of most horrible mother's I have ever read a book about.  Ivy's best friend is Alex. She grew up with him, and he and his mother live in the carriage house on her grandfather's land. Alex's mother is their housekeeper and is a mother figure to Ivy as well. She meets Connor, her grandfather's grad student, when he comes to the house to help with transcribing Ivy's famous aunt's diaries.

I loved getting to know Ivy and her two half sister's. I also really liked Alex and Connor, but in true YA form, a love triangle of sorts is formed. Ivy has always loved Alex as a brother, but Alex has new feelings for Ivy. As far as Ivy is concerned, she is pretty much smitten with Connor from the beginning. Almost insta-love, I would dare to say. Another well used YA pitfall. Ivy's grandfather is pretty obsessed with the legacy of the Milbourn women, and his expectations for Ivy, and now for her two half siblings, that he has just met. He's a good man, but he is pretty relentless. Hence the reason Erica hates him, rebels, and runs away from his house when she is still under the age of twenty.

To be perfectly honest, I requested this book in error from Net Galley. I wanted to ignore it, but started it anyway- and ended up really loving the story.  Yes, it has a love triangle, and is kind of insta-lovey at times, but it really was so much more than that. It was a story of a teenager trying to fit into the world, a world that has big expectations for her. Expectations that have apparently skipped her generation. It's also the story of a woman who was never enough for her father's expectations. She is bitter and broken and pretty awful. I enjoyed the fledgling romance between Connor and Ivy-after I got over the insta-love thing. There is one scene however, that takes this from YA territory, and a bit into new adult territory. Because of this, I would recommend this book to young adults ages 16+ to adult. It's not full on sex, but close, while keeping everything above the waist. One surprise is the inclusion of a very young character with gender identity issues. I thought that was very timely and not something you usually find in the YA genre.  This ended up being a very well written read, one that I won't soon forget.

I have officially found my new favorite author.

In one single book, that wasn’t even too long, mind you, Jessica not only created a beautiful storyline for a heavily conflicted main character who has this terrible legacy planted on her shoulders.  No, she ALSO gave us compelling background character storylines that pulled you in and made you feel for them.  And modern ones, too, with implications that affect our current society.  Woah.  I expected a quick simple read that was enjoyable, but not too difficult, and I was wrong.  Wild Swans is almost indescribable for me.  It was just amazing.

Quick plotline: It’s the summer before Ivy’s senior year and the first one her grandfather lets her “relax.”  Raised in a family with a history of extraordinary women, Ivy is pressured to find some ‘talent’ she does not believe she has.  To top this all off, her mother, who abandoned her when she was a toddler, is coming back for the summer along with her two daughters that Ivy has never heard about, leaving her emotionally conflicted.  

Phew.  Let’s start with characters.  Some of the main characters changed, some secondary characters changed, and the ones that remained the same did them for reasons.  Like, actual reasons.  No one was a static character because they were under-developed.  In fact, they were kept the same because of who they were as a person, which feels so strange to say yet is completely true.  For instance, Ivy changes a lot throughout the course of the book.  She has the legacy to uphold because of her grandfather’s pressure, yet she also has to deal with her mother, who seems to be cruel to no end.  by the end, however, she has learned to stand up for herself to those around her and fight for what she wants in her life instead of just passively pleasing everyone.  Her mother, though, refuses to change in this book; instead we get hints that she has a life changing journey to come that we just don’t get to see.  But for spoilery reasons, her mother has to stay that way.

Every character is so uniquely different and appealing, even if their storyline was short.  Eli/Ella, for instance, was only briefly in the story, yet she pulled me in immediately.  Labeled male at birth and named Eli, Ella as a 1st grader already knows she wants to change her name and be called a girl.  Her family is seen struggling with this, especially with the small-town feel.  And yet, by the end of the book people are more accepting of her story line.  Ella as a character only appears three times in the book, but I was still so invested in her.  And Jessica does this with every. single. character.  I’m fangirling a little.

And the romance - ugh.  It was to DIE FOR.  I loved that she rushed into things with Connor a little because it is so realistic.  He was attractive, they were into each other, so why not make out at a party?  I love the little feminist moment Jessica throws in at that moment too through Claire yelling at Alex for having double standards.  Ugh, it was just all so beautiful.  They aren’t set up to be perfect, but we do see them lasting because of how they care for each other.  Ivy is more than just a Milbourn to Connor; and with him, she feels normal.

The plot itself is also really good, mostly because of the multiple layers of stories happening in this one short book.  We don’t get to know everything about every character, but we see why Ivy is the way she is, why many of her ancestors were the way they were, why her mother is the way she is, etc.  It is just so beautifully layed out that it didn’t feel overwhelming; in fact, it just felt completely natural.  Yet I wanted more.  I found myself incapable of putting the book down all day because I wanted to finish it and know what happens.  All in all, the multiple plot layers made this amazing.

So when I say I found a new favorite author, I’m being serious.  Jessica has other books  that I’m going to buy as soon as I have more money because they sound amazing.  If they are anything like this one, I know I’m going to love it.  If you like books that are dramatic without being overtop, have multiple layers to them, and have epic hot sexual moments, read it.

Just read it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, since I’m not familiar with the author’s other novels. What I got was a very well-written YA contemporary that I enjoyed a lot.

Ivy comes from a line of talented women whose lives have been marked by tragedy and the shadow of mental illness. Ivy’s life has been shaped by their legacy; her mother abandoned her as a toddler, leaving her to be raised by her grandfather, who is convinced that Ivy is destined to be exceptional in some way, just like all the other Milbourn women. Ivy is struggling under the weight of his expectations and has negotiated a summer off, free from all the classes and camps her grandfather pushes her to attend in order to develop her talents. The potential for a great summer (which includes the prospect of spending time with a very cute college boy) is sidetracked when Ivy’s mother comes back to town, along with the two sisters Ivy has never met. Ivy is then forced to deal with the fallout from her mother’s abandonment and her grandfather’s constant pressure to excel.

I devoured this book, and I think it was because I fell in love with Ivy as a character. She has a lot to deal with, between her mother deserting her and the expectations placed on her by her grandfather and others who know her family history. She’s actually a very high achiever, but unsurprisingly, she has been left unsure of her own worth, feeling at best average, but fearing she is somehow flawed. The book is really about Ivy learning to appreciate herself and her own achievements and strengths rather than letting herself be defined and measured by other people—an important message for everyone to learn.

The secondary characters are also very strong. It would have been easy to write Ivy’s grandfather and mother as villains, but the author makes them real, flawed human beings. Granted, Ivy’s mother is pretty terrible, but she’s clearly got her own demons to deal with. Ivy’s friends, too, are written as well-rounded characters who have their own issues. And as for that cute college boy, Connor—well, I don’t always find the romantic leads in YA novels all that swoonworthy, but a handsome tattooed poet who is super supportive of the girl he likes? That works for me! (And it made me excuse how fast their relationship develops, which is pretty quick.)

If you’re in the mood for a character-driven YA contemporary, you should definitely give this book a try. I’m glad I did!

An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood is a thought-provoking journey of self discovery for seventeen year old Ivy Milbourn.  A beautifully written, realistic young adult novel, many of  the story’s underlying themes are sure to resonate with readers of all ages.

Ivy’s perfect summer comes to a screeching halt before it has even begun.  Instead of the carefree summer she has planned, Ivy is stunned to discover her long absent mother Erica and her stepsisters, Isobel and Grace, are temporarily moving in with her and her beloved grandfather.   Ivy has not seen Erica since she abandoned her when she was two years old and their reunion is fraught with tension.  Reeling from her mother’s animosity and well-aimed barbs, Ivy is soon plagued with doubts and insecurities about her inability to live up to her grandfather’s expectations.

Despite her mother’s abandonment and the Milbourn women’s complicated legacy, Ivy is fairly happy and well-adjusted.  She has a good relationship with her granddad but she feels like her best efforts are never good enough for him.  Tired of always striving to reach unattainable (and unrealistic) goals, Ivy has convinced him to let her take the summer off from the many classes and extracurricular activities she is usually enrolled in.  Erica’s reappearance resurrects Ivy’s unanswered questions about why her mother left her yet chose to raise her sisters.

Already feeling incredibly vulnerable and exposed, Ivy is distraught when her close friend Alex Garcia deserts her after she refuses to date him.  Hurt and angry, he is deliberately cruel  to her once he realizes she is interested in Connor Clarke, one of her granddad’s students.  Understanding all too well the difficulties in stepping out from under the weight of family expectations, Connor encourages Ivy to be true to herself.

As the situation with Erica worsens, Ivy’s frustrations spill over into some very heated arguments.  Although not indecisive, Ivy has a hard time speaking up for herself.  Feeling pressured by her granddad and her mother, she finally works up the courage to tell Erica a few hard truths about how her poor decisions are affecting their family.  She  is finally honest with her granddad about her feelings of inadequacy in trying to live up to his high expectations.  Most important, Ivy confronts Alex about his  hurtful behavior and although her efforts do not have the outcome she hoped for, this is an important step in taking charge of her destiny.

Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood is a captivating novel that is remarkably free from angst or unnecessary drama.  The characters are multi-faceted with relatable flaws and imperfections.  The storyline is realistic with true to life issues and problems to overcome.  Ivy’s frustrations with feeling inadequate are believable and I suspect many readers will empathize with her plight. I highly recommend this delightful young adult novel to readers of all ages

Ivy Milbourn is a 17-year-old girl who comes from a known family, where the women from several generations had achieved great things in their lives, although they died in a tragic way.

Since she was little, Ivy has been living with her grandfather, George Milbourn, after being abandoned by her own mother, Erica. Ivy never cared too much about it, until the day Erica comes back to the house with two more kids after having lost her job and the place she used to live in. But, what Ivy wasn't expecting was the way Erica treats her, like she is a total unknown.

Since the early years that George tries to make Ivy go to several classes: from singing classes to piano and painting classes. As well as the other women of the family, also Ivy should have some talent and develop it as soon as possible. Over time, Ivy starts doubting her capabilities and questions herself if George is doing it because of her or because of himself.

Since George lives alone in the house with Ivy, they have a housekeeper, Luisa. Her son, Alex, has known Ivy for a very long time and they've been best friends ever since. They share everything and Alex still has some hope that one day he'll be something more to Ivy than just her best friend.

However, when Ivy meets Connor, one of the most brilliant of George's students, she starts to feel something different about Connor than what she feels about Alex. Without thinking too much about it, she decides to give it a shot. But she wasn't expecting Alex to move away from her.

The summer was supposed to be amazing and unforgettable, but it was nothing more that an intense turn of her life. Ivy can't do anything to change it except waiting for the storm to be over.

The story was simple and there weren't a lot of "plot-changing" events, but the writing style of the author is something awesome! The simple way she tells the story just kept me glued to be book!

I would like to have read some more pages of it because I felt like the ending was a bit unexpected and there was so many questions without an answer... I mean... What happened to Ivy after that? I want to know more!

Wild Swans is a book that I was looking forward to since I heard about it.  That cover and that description drew me in and I couldn’t wait to jump in and read about the Milbourn legacy.  As it turns out though, this book is different from what I was expecting based on the summary.  It was still a good read, but I guess I was expecting more tragedy?  I mean, am I the only one that thought that?  I think it was this line from the summary that made me think it:

“the Milbourn women have lead extraordinary lives—and died young and tragically. Granddad calls it a legacy, but Ivy considers it a curse.”

I guess in its own way there are some form of tragedies in this book.  Ivy’s mother walked out on her when she was just a baby and when she finally comes back, she’s a pretty awful person.  I guess that’s to be expected since she walked out on her child.  But with a line like that in the summary, I was just expecting something a little different, I guess.

There are some really great characters in this book.  Ivy, our MC, was wonderful.  She’s been through so much in her short seventeen years, but she’s tough and she’s hung in there despite everything.  I also appreciated the fact that she was so great with her sisters.  I couldn’t imagine having that news sprung on me at that age and I can only imagine how I would have reacted, but I can say it probably wouldn’t have been as graciously as Ivy.  I also loved Claire and Connor.  They each added an extra something to this book.

Wild Swans was a good read, and it’s one that I can see a lot of people falling in love with.

Ivy grew up in her great-grandmother’s house under the constant gaze of old portraits of distinguished Milbourn women and wrapped in the dust of old prizes and journals. She comes from a long line of bright and brief stars, each taken too soon by mental illness or murder. Her grandfather pushes her to find her talent and to achieve, but Ivy wants out from under the pressure of the Milbourn legacy.

Ivy struggles to keep old friendships and cultivate a budding romance, but her absent mother returning to the picture might be too much to bear. As she tries to keep the peace between her tempestuous mother, her overbearing grandfather, and her moody sisters, Ivy must also give voice to her own feelings.

I was so happy to have received an ARC of this book, having read and loved the Cahill Witch Chronicles. I adored Spotswood’s development of three unique and intelligent sisters in that series, each with their own passions and voices. I also loved her narrative voice – so true-to-life, but vivid enough to carry me away in the story.

Wild Swans is equally amazing.

Reading this was a character-driven experience for me. From Ivy’s urge to apologize for everything to Isobel’s stubbornness as a fierce 15-yr-old, each character is painted so true-to-life. Spotswood gets the details right, giving even the best friends unique personalities (and HOORAY for a true introvert!). 

And the boys. I love that Ivy is physically attracted to Connor at first, but skeptical. This seemed like the perfect answer to the standard love-at-first-sight nonsense. Alex rounds out our love triangle, of course, but he’s a jerk for most of the book. It’s clear that he has history with Ivy and a good heart, and Ivy wants to keep his friendship while not waffling on her choices.

Spotswood also goes the extra mile to include big questions (depression, a transgendered child, etc.), while never indulging in condescending morality lectures. This is what I truly love reading her books – that there’s no agenda, no moral… just fiction, and my ability to make of it what I will.

The story of Wild Swans revolves around expectations and family, with Ivy at its center. She has always been a model daughter, listening to her Grandfather and trying to fulfill his expectations of being the next amazing Milbourn girl. The women in her family have always been brilliant stars but fade out very quickly; she thinks she is the exception because she hasn’t found her calling yet. Living in a house that is a musuem to the feats of the earlier Milbourn women, she has an identity crisis, which is also further worsened by the fact that her mother abandoned her when she was two. Now, this summer she is returning with her two other daughters and Ivy’s world is sent into chaos.

Firstly, the characterization of the book is brilliant. Ivy seems naive and mild-mannered, yes, but she is also mature beyond her age. She has been coddled by her grandfather but also has been working hard to not be like her mother. Her mother’s presence rightfully aggravates her, but she does not resort to angst and drama. That is mostly the territory of her younger half-sister Iz, who is on the verge of an eating disorder thanks to that mother they share. Erica (the mother) is a shitty person, there is no argument; she is troubled soul with alcoholism and a tendency to strike at a person’s weakness. She kept blaming her father for pushing her away but she never once shows remorse for leaving her first infant daughter behind. Ivy’s grandfather, for his part, has to learn expectation management in the light of these various Milbourn women now living with him.

Romance-wise, this book is light on that front. But there is still considerable drama coming from Ivy’s childhood best friend Alex, who obviously becomes a jerk the moment he notices her feelings towards another of the male species. Connor, for his part, is considerate towards her but I did feel he did not understand her completely, especially her struggles with her mother. The ending was mostly open-ended and I felt Ivy forgave very easily, two people who caused her the most pain. Even so, in its entirety it is a well-written story and one I would definitely recommend.

This is a contemporary YA that deals with the summer Ivy is forced to address all the big issues in her life - love, being abandoned by her mom, and the intense pressure she feels to live up to her family's legacy.  If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen's books, I think Wild Swans will hold a lot of appeal for you.  Ivy is easy to connect with, and while the exact turmoil she faces may not match yours, the underlying emotions are universal.  The plot is engaging, and the drama is intense, but Ivy doesn't spin out of control and that makes her a character worth admiring.  I loved the fact that I felt empathy for her situation but I never felt like she was wallowing or begging for my pity as a reader.  The honest realism of the story and it's resolution will please readers who want a satisfying ending without feeling like it is engineered.  The romance, too, was enjoyable because didn't force the characters to move past a reasonable level of devotion, but it still held the intensity of first love.  I think this will be a big hit with my high school readers, but adult readers of YA will enjoy it as well.  I'm definitely adding it to my classroom library wish list and recommending it to fans of books by Dessen, Morgan Matson, and Huntley Fitzpatrick.  There is some language and sensuality, but nothing that would keep me from handing this to a high school reader.

Ivy Milbourn has lived her entire life in the shadow of her family's legacy. Milbourn women are immensely talented, but often meet tragic ends. Her great grandmother was an award winning poet who was murdered. Her grandmother was a gifted artist who drowned herself in the bay, steps away from her house. The exact same house that Ivy has grown up in. That's a lot to deal with as everyone in town waits to see what Ivy will excel at while waiting to see how she will self destruct. The pressure to find her talent makes Ivy insecure as she feels that she will never be anything more than average. She has decided instead of taking college courses and various workshops for the summer that she wants to be a normal teenager. She plans to spend her time volunteering at the library, soaking up sunshine, and spending time with her friends.

Ivy's plans take a turn when her mother, Erica, shows up with Ivy's two sisters. Ivy has been raised by her grandfather who is estranged from her mother. Ivy has a few vague memories of life with her mom before she was abandoned, but she has lived the majority of her life without a mother figure. Ivy isn't sure she wants her mother around for the summer, but she is excited at the chance to get to know her younger sisters. The family relationships in this one were complicated and intense. I couldn't stand Ivy's mother and the way she treated everyone around her. She has some serious issues of her own to work through, but it was no excuse to treat Ivy and the other family members with such disdain.

In addition to her family relationships, Ivy also is navigating friendships and a new romance. I loved that there were positive relationships between Ivy and her female friends. These three girls are supportive of one another. I also appreciated that the novel focused on some major cultural issues such as slut shaming, transgender issues, and sexuality. There is a diverse cast of characters that will appeal to a wide audience.

The romance aspect was both frustrating and satisfying due to a love triangle. It's obvious from the beginning that Ivy's best friend, Alex, is in love with her, but Ivy only sees him as a brother figure. She makes it very clear that she does not see Alex in a romantic way, but he chooses to hold out hope. In the beginning, I loved Alex, in spite of his romantic intentions concerning Ivy. He just couldn't accept that she wasn't interested until Ivy begins to spend more time with Connor, a handsome poet who attends the local college. When Connor enters the scene, Alex becomes a character I couldn't stand. I didn't like that he threw away his years of friendship with Ivy because he couldn't handle her choices. I loved Connor and he certainly has book boyfriend written all over him.

The novel was partially inspired by a poem written by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I cannot speak on the allusions that may be present in Wild Swans as I have not read any of the poems written by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I will certainly be checking them out in the future.

One Last Gripe: The novel was intensely driven by characters and relationships. I was hoping for a little magical realism.

Favorite Thing About This Book: I loved the relationship between Ivy and Connor.

First Sentence: Granddad says all the Milbourn women are extraordinary.

Favorite Character: Ivy

Least Favorite Character: Erica

I thought this was a wonderfully touching story about family, the pressures we put upon ourselves and self-realization as we grow up.

Ivy has grown up in the shadow of her family legacy. Since her great-grandmother, every Milbourn woman has had an extraordinary talent. One that has made them famous but has also driven them to an early death. Ivy has grown up in the care of her grandfather because her mother couldn't cope with the pressure of being a Milbourn. Ivy is determined to prove she's different and make her grandfather proud but first she's going to enjoy her pre-senior year summer. That is until her mother turns up with two other daughters in tow. As the only unwanted child of a selfish mother, Ivy must find a way to get through this summer without breaking down.

For me, this was perfect. It may have been short but it was packed full of character and the writing style was so beautiful, it made it very hard to put down!

I instantly loved Ivy. I felt I could completely understand her. She was always trying to please everyone and trying to make her grandfather proud, but always felt her efforts weren't good enough. It was heart breaking to read. I just wanted to reach into the book and hug her and tell her that she's amazing. I loved that her friends were very supportive and constantly tried to reassure her of her worth even if she didn't believe them most of the time. Every time her mother said something terrible to her or her sisters I wanted to hit her. I was enraged by how horrible a mother she was. She was totally consumed with her self importance. I can see how she ended up a mother of three by three different dads but strangely I found myself hoping she would change, that she would admit her faults and make amends for everything she'd done and I was disappointed every time she didn't.

The romance was enchanting. It was cute and sweet and developed realistically and without too much drama. It never felt like the romance was going to overpower the story which was lovely, it just complimented everything. I really think the balance of this book was completely spot on.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves books like My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I can't wait to read some of Jessica Spotswood's other books.

Ps. not entirely sure why its called Wild Swans... could someone explain?

I was actually really surprised by Spotswood. I had heard of her previous series and was intrigued by some of the reviews but not enough to pick it up. I ended up requesting to review this copy and was generously provided an ebook version from netgalley.com and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this YA. I loved it. I was immediately taken with the characters and enjoyed the idea of the family curse falling on the amazingly gifted women of this family. It was so interesting learning about the things they were cursed with and their talents and seeing how the effects the later generations in the family.

I was a little disappointed at first as I saw a love triangle forming but enjoyed how the romantic relationships played out in the book as well as the friendships. 

Overall this is a story about family and relationships and I think it was done in such a great way. I would definitely recommend this to readers and will most likely take the plunge and pick up more of Spotswood's work in the near future. Highly recommended.

In Ivy’s family, Milbourn women are cursed with being extremely talented and crazy. However, Ivy has exhausted every avenue possible and has come to the conclusion that she just isn’t as talented as her ancestors. She feels as though she’s disappointed her grandfather who believes that being a Milbourn woman is a blessing and has high expectations for her. Still, Ivy just wants to enjoy the last days before her senior and do things normal teenagers her age are doing.

However, things begin to get hectic when Ivy’s mother, who abandoned her when she was a baby, returns to town with her two half-sisters in tow. Throughout the novel, Ivy tackles trying to live up to her grandfather’s expectations, bonding with a mother who didn’t and seems to not give a shit about her and finding a summer romance with a boy who is obsessed with her family history.

“Wild Swans” was a light read about family, mending broken relationships and finding yourself despite constantly being in the shadow of your family members.

Ivy is an overachiever who suffers from self-esteem issues like most teenagers her age. Yet, she’s determined to prove that she deserves to be a part of a gifted family and worthy of love from her selfish, conceited, absentee mother. While trying to deal with the fact that her mother stuck around to be in the lives of her two half-sisters, Ivy tries to bond with her newly-found siblings. I enjoyed reading about the Milbourn family history and couldn’t begin to imagine what it must be like to grow up in a family as mental and talented as Ivy’s. Ivy’s family past draws readers in and, as the book progresses, keeps them hooked as they try to determine whether or not Ivy will turn out like her ancestors. I hung on every word when the unthinkable happened to one of Ivy’s half-sisters.

  What I didn’t like about Ivy’s character is that she couldn’t be compassionate towards her best friend, Alex, who was in love with her. I could understand that she didn’t want to ruin one of the best friendships she’s had but she completely disregarded his feelings to the point where I didn’t blame Alex for responding in the way that he did. Still, I loved reading about the budding relationship between Ivy and her grandfather’s top student, Connor. Connor is sort of a cliché love interest but a welcoming one. He helps Ivy to look at her family history with new eyes and to believe in herself. By the end of the novel, Ivy becomes a girl who is sure about herself and who is able to be the bigger sister her half-sisters need when her mother commits the unthinkable.

Overall, this novel is the kind of book you read when you’re looking for a story about teen angst, thrilling, well-developed stories about family and swooning romance. I’d probably read it again whenever I have the time or in need of a good, light read.

Rating: 8.5/10

Review via Netgalley

Ivy falls into a legacy of a cursed family. The women all die young. That's why her mother ran away. But Ivy doesn't see things the way her grandfather does. He expects great things from Ivy.

Ivy sees the legacy as a curse.

First off, I'd like to say that I think that the synopsis for this one is a little off. Now that I'm reading it again, it makes the book seem like some kind of mystery full of curses and family secrets. That's not what this book is. Wild Swans is a story about familial expectations, who is and isn't your family, and dealing with small town politics.

This book is actually pretty heavy for a contemporary. Ivy and the other characters work through some extremely complex and difficult issues throughout this book, and it's definitely not always pretty. With that said, Wild Swans had a laid back, Southern (even though it wasn't even set in the South..) vibe that you often find in books set in small towns.

I really appreciated just how much diversity there was in this book. Things like gender identity, sexuality, feminism, and race are all touched on throughout the story, and it was nice to see some characters and concepts (like interracial couples, bisexual characters) that don't often make it into YA get some representation. God, it was awesome to see a bisexual character who wasn't portrayed as confused or just promiscuous. That issue was even specifically addressed, and I gave props to the author for that.

The one element of this book that I didn't care for was the romance. There's a bit of a love triangle, and I honestly didn't agree with how the whole situation played out. There's nothing too wrong with the person Ivy ends up with, but I really didn't think they were right for her in the end. It also felt like the author took the other person in the triangle and purposely made them a bit harsh to push the reader towards Ivy's choice, and I generally don't like that tactic.

All in all, Wild Swans was a great read that touched on some real issues. Though I didn't enjoy the romance, I ended up quite liking the book overall. 4 out of 5 stars.

3.5/5

Wild Swans was a beautiful little story about complicated families, love and growing up. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the book, but it certainly delivered an emotional story.
Here are some of my quick thoughts about the book:

- Ivy's character growth throughout the book was a huge highlight for me. She had grown up with her grandpa after her mother took off and she grew up with a lot of pressure on her shoulders because of expectations for her to be extraordinary at something since every woman in her family had a talent. At  the beginning of the book, her self-worth was pretty non-existent, but she grew up to become a confident young lady. Watching her growth throughout the book was great. 

- I loved the complicated family dynamics in Wild Swans. Ivy's relationship with her grandfather was so realistically portrayed. There were moments and highs and lows and despite all the pressure that Ivy felt from him, she loved and respected him with all her heart. Ivy's mom on the hand was a real piece of work. She angered me with her dismissal of Ivy and her treatment of her other daughters. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to see more growth from her mother by the end.

- The romance between Connor and Ivy was my favorite part of Wild Swans. Connor was a sweet and swoony poet who easily wooed me throughout the book. Connor and Ivy had a ton of chemistry between them and the kissing scenes in this book were surprisingly (and in a good way) sexy and I couldn't get enough of them together. I liked that their romance was so free of drama and that they were so open with each other emotionally.

- While the book was great, I was a bit unhappy with how rushed the ending turned out to be. I was expecting some big revelation but nothing of the sort happened. I was actually very surprised when the book ended.

In the end though, Wild Swans is a definitely a book I recommend. It's a very lovely tale about growing up.

I loved Jessica Spotswood’s historical fantasy series, the Cahill Witch Chronicles, so when I heard that she was releasing her first contemporary, I was desperate to read it, even before I had any idea what it was about.

In Wild Swans, Ivy Milbourne struggles with a family legacy of great talent and great tragedy. Her great great grandmother was a famous portrait painter, but killed herself and two of her daughters when she drove her car in front of a train. Her great grandmother was a Pulitzer prize winning poet, until she was murdered. Her grandmother was a famous artist, until she drowned herself in the bay. Her mother was a talented singer, at least until she ran away when Ivy was a baby. And Ivy… Ivy doesn’t know what she is. She wants to live up to her family legacy, but she’s never discovered any particular talent, and she has no idea what she wants to do with her life.

Wild Swans is a quick read (I devoured it in less than a day), but it’s not a beach read. Two big story threads intersect in the novel. The first is Ivy’s struggle to live up to her grandfather’s expectations, the promise of her family’s legacy, and her struggles with being, as she claims, mediocre. The other involves her mother, who returns to live with Ivy and her grandfather after being out of contact for fifteen years, bringing two younger daughters with her.

Despite that second dramatic set-up, this is mostly a low-key book: family drama in a small town where everyone knows your business, and a rising high-school senior who feels she’ll never live up to expectations. And it’s beautifully written. Sweet and compelling, with emotion that feels real. I noticed sentences because they hit me in the heart, not because I was thinking, “wow, the author really worked hard on that sentence.” After reading a whole bunch of artsy, overwritten YA novels, more concerned with authorial voice than engaging the reader, Wild Swans is like a breath of fresh air. Effortlessly magical.

If I had one complaint about the book, it would be that the mother character felt a little one-dimensional until near the end. She’s incredibly unlikeable, cruel and destructive, and although that’s a valid character choice, there was part of me wanting to see a sympathetic side to her. It shows up eventually, but it’s complicated, and I never felt like I fully understood her perspective.

Another element that might be good or bad, depending on your taste, is that Wild Swans feels like a slice from the character’s lives over a set period of time. They lived their lives before the book began, and they continue afterward. I found the ending satisfying, but it’s not a neat ending, where everything feels tied up or resolved. The characters’ lives continue after the book closes, and many elements of that future remain uncertain. Personally, I liked this about the novel, but I can imagine that others might find it unsatisfying.

But either way, Wild Swans is a fantastic book. Great characters, great writing, and incredibly readable. It’s lowkey, and it’s wonderful. Definitely recommended!

I really enjoyed the family saga at the heart of 'Wild Swans': the story of the extraordinary Milbourn women was fascinating and I really wanted to know more about those characters. By contrast, Ivy is very ordinary but that is the point of the story, and her struggle against expectations and pressures appealed to me too. It was pleasant to read a slow-burning book that really got into the characters, rather than focusing on unrealistic drama. I'll be publishing my review at the beginning of May.

I absolutely adored this book! Wild Swans was an effortless read that I couldn't and didn't want to put down. The entire book happens within a 2 week period but I felt like I was reading a story that was happening over months. Great visual detail put me in the middle of the Milbourn home with Ivy, her Granddad, her sisters and mother, Erica. These characters felt so believable and true it's hard not to think of them as real people. Ivy is our main character, she's a hard working girl who believes the women in her family are cursed. She loves to learn and swim but doesn't believe she'll ever be good enough and with that comes good reasoning behind her way of thinking. She wants a relationship with her sisters and wants to know why her Mother left her. She has great friends and meet a guy she instantly falls for. The romance is sweet and doesn't feel too much like instalove, but that may be because it didn't feel as though they've only known each other for a week since, like I said, I felt as though this story happened over months, still cute nonetheless. As the story progresses we see Ivy's personality take a turn in the way we've hoped since page 1. Truly loved every page of this book! It's a light, easy and refreshing read that any YA romance fan will devour.

By Jessica Spotswood Available now from Sourcebooks Fire Review copy

Jessica Spotswood leaves fantasy and historical fiction behind for contemporary, but keeps the themes of sisterhood and family legacies.  WILD SWANS is unlike Spotswood's debut trilogy the Cahill Witch Chronicles in genre, but I think her fans will be satisfied if they make the trip to contemporary with her.

Ivy Milbourn comes from a long line of talented, troubled women, most of whom died tragically.  She is, however, perfectly ordinary.  She pushes herself hard, and her grandfather pushes her harder, but she's generally good at most things but never great.  But those expectations are only one of her burdens.  Her mother abandoned her when she was two, and she's always wondered if there was something wrong with her that drove her mother away.  She gets her chance, fifteen years later, when her mother is forced to move back into her father's house.

With her two other daughters.

Spotswood's writing beautifully expresses Ivy's emotional turmoil as she juggles her family issues, boy problems, and her expectations for herself.  Her intended summer of fun imploded, but she finds far more to enjoy than she first expected.  I thoroughly enjoyed Ivy.  She's refreshingly mature (although she still has the naivety of a sheltered teen), and I thought she struck a really good balance with how she shook things up. 

WILD SWANS is painfully earnest at times.  One of her best friends has a younger sibling who might grow up to be transgender, and for now prefers to identify as a girl instead of a boy.  The other is bisexual, the pioneer of the town's Gay-Straight Alliance, and very vigilant about women's sexual freedom.  These are timely issues that helped flesh out the setting and the secondary characters, but some of the longer scenes felt like Ivy's story stopping for a Very Special Episode.  (At the same thing, I think Spotswood's characters were often saying things that needed to be said.)

For those looking for a summery, feminist bildungsroman, look no farther than WILD SWANS.  It has poetry, hot tattooed guys, and a mother who is a major piece of work (but sometimes makes a few good points).  It's a lovely book, the sort that isn't huge on event but sucks you in anyway because of the characters.

This book was a cup of absolute refreshment. A great story about a girl dealing with the pressures to always be better than who she is, dealing with a whole load of new family drama and a few boy problems on the side.

What made this book great was just the way some things were talked about so openly from Ivy’s friend Abby’s transgender sister and the family’s fears that while they loved Eli/Ella for she was how, the small town they were from might not. And then Claire’s brash but amazing attitude towards everything, never letting anyone get away with slut-shaming, sexism or anything else. And then I really enjoyed the brief discussion about contraception between Ivy and Claire. There’s not a whole lot of that in YA contemporary so to have two teenage girls discuss being safe and responsible was ace.

I really loved Ivy’s relationship with Connor and Alex and how it became very clear early on that Ivy wasn’t interested in Alex in that way and she made her feelings known (as I was afraid it was trespassing into love triangle territory). Connor as a whole was swoon worthy - bookish, biracial, tattoos of poems across his ripped body, understanding, patient. He was kind of perfect.

Ivy’s complex relationship with her family was the main storyline of the book and my heart literally ached for Ivy through most of the story because her mother was just that terrible to her. I really really felt for her and I really wanted to reach through the pages and slap Erica, and hug Ivy

If you loved The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, then Jessica Spotswood’s Wild Swans just might be the next book you’ll fall in love with. Dripping with elements of magical realism, dunked into a truly contemporary setting, Wild Swans has been the most unexpectedly charming contemporary novel I’ve read this year. 

The Milbourn Women have a legacy not unlike the Roux family in Leslye Walton’s stunning YA debut. But unlike Ava and her family, Ivy doesn’t have the pressure (or the push) that comes from true magic interfering with her life. Instead, she’s facing challenges everyone has faced at some point – how to discover what she wants to do with her life, whom she should date, where she should set her sights, and whose opinions she should concern herself with. This is a realistic contemporary novel, but what sets it apart are the more mystical elements peppered throughout the storytelling. Ivy’s family is known for producing extraordinary women – women who create art, go on exciting adventures, and almost inevitably end their lives early in tragic and spectacular ways. Her family legacy is like something out of a fairytale. 

I loved that Jessica laced Magical Realism tropes into her plot yet refrained from actually writing a story that is magical realism. There isn’t any actual magic in this book. Somehow, as strange as this may sound, that’s kind of what made this book magical to me. It has all the elements you’d expect from a book littered with the mystical, but then you read it and it’s a sweet summer contemporary about a teen trying to grapple with the return of the mysterious woman who abandoned her when she was a child and the unknowns from her past, present, and future that their meeting face to face for the first time in years brings into focus.  

I loved this book. Ivy is a talented and intelligent girl who is unsure of herself and her future, which makes her feel both strong and fragile at the same time. It was so easy to relate to her struggles – how many of us really know what we want to do for the rest of our lives, teenagers or no? It’s extremely difficult to feel the weight of what is expected of you when you still don’t know what you want for yourself. 

The bottom line is that this book is full of stunning prose from Jessica Spotswood and a touching storyline that will surely tug at even the toughest heartstrings. Wild Swans is a great choice for anyone looking for a sweet summer contemporary, anyone who craves lyrical prose and whimsical imagery, or simply anyone who has ever been forced to confront difficult identity issues. Basically, there’s a little something for everyone here. I highly recommend it.

For whatever reason, I started this book under the impression there was some sort of actual, paranormal curse. For a while, I kept waiting for that to be made clear, but by the time I realized it wasn't, I was too engrossed in the book to care at all. The characters are all really fleshed out and relatable, and the conflicts are painful and real. I feel like anyone who's ever been a teenager, and felt like they weren't good enough, would relate so strongly to the protagonist, Ivy. 

Also, this book is SO inclusive...it has side-plots with lots of "issues" (feminism, body shaming, trans* kids, I feel like I'm missing something else...oh, eating disorders...). My one tiny quibble is that these are all dealt with in a heavy-handed sort of way...but I'd rather have that than not have them discussed at all! Overall, a great book, and one I can't wait to recommend to kids.

The blurb was a little misleading - It led me to believe that the story featured paranormal occurrences but there were none. The book reminded me of Strange And Beautiful Sorrows Of Ava Lavender!  The book was fast-paced and dealt with a lot of issues - Biracial people, transgender girl, feminism, expectations from elders, body-shaming and eating disorders.  The author did an amazing job executing the story, and dealing with all the issues!  Ivy's step-sisters were so adorable! At first, I disliked Ivy's mother, for the reason that she left Ivy with her grandfather, and my distaste for her grew when she made Ivy pretend as though she was her sisters' aunt! But towards the end, when her mother left her daughters to go and discover herself, I began to pity her and understood her situation more - Everyone makes mistakes, and she just made more mistakes, which seemed unforgivable due to her father pressurizing her..
The love triangle didn't do well for me - I shipped Ivy with her best friend. Why do I always root for the second male lead?! Love triangles are not my thing.
Apart from that, Wild Swans was a great read! Jessica Spotswood is definitely an author whose future works, I'll be looking out for! :)
Thank you for the review copy!

Ivy hasn’t seen or heard from her mother since she was a toddler. Raised by her grandfather, Ivy is looking forward to her last summer of high school. Then her mother contacts Ivy’s grandfather. She needs a place to stay for a few weeks and she’s bringing her daughters, half-sisters Ivy never knew she had.

When Erica shows up, Ivy is shocked and hurt to discover that her sisters Isobel (15) and Grace (6) have been told that she’s their aunt, Erica’s younger sister. Not only did Erica abandon her, now she won’t even claim Ivy as her own. Grandad isn’t happy either, but he goes along with it and reluctantly, Ivy agrees.

I have to say, I would not be playing that game. Those kids would have known I was their sister before they even had the chance to leave the room. If Erica didn’t like that that, too bad. She should have gone somewhere else if she wanted her secrets kept. It’s not Ivy’s problem. Not only is it unfair to Ivy, it’s a stupid plan. They live in a small town, the Milbourns (and their legacy) are well-known, and everyone knows that Erica is Ivy’s mother and that she skipped town. To expect that no one would say something is just plain dumb.

But Ivy doesn’t know how to stand up for herself, and she also recognizes that Grandad wants his daughter back in his life, so she pretends to be the girls’ aunt. How well do you think that’s going to work out?

Believe it or not, there’s a character I disliked even more than Erica: Ivy’s friend Alex. He’s the housekeeper’s son and he’s grown up with Ivy, right on the property even. He likes Ivy and when she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, he acts like a baby and stops speaking to her. Understandably, he’s hurt, but apparently he thinks he’s entitled to her just because he wants her, which makes him one to stay away from.

I’m glad her attentions are elsewhere as she meets her first real boyfriend Connor. He’s one of her grandfather’s students, a couple of years older than Ivy. I was afraid this was going to turn into a triangle with Alex, but Ivy shuts him down pretty quickly and effectively. Ivy and Connor’s relationship is important, but it’s more in the background than some of the other stories. I like Connor a lot but I’m okay with their romance not being the main focus of the book. This book is more about family relationships, and about Ivy learning to stand up for herself.

She’s been under a lot of pressure her entire life to develop some sort of talent. All the Milbourn women had one (Erica’s is singing), but despite numerous lessons and activities over the years, Ivy hasn’t been able to find hers. She doesn’t think she has one, but Grandad keeps pushing her. It’s not fair to do that to Ivy, but I do like that flaw in Grandad. It makes him more human, not just the perfect man who selflessly raised his granddaughter. It also gives some insight in to Erica’s upbringing and may point to the reasons for some of things she has done and continues to do. Obviously, abandoning your child isn’t a good thing, but it can be argued that Ivy had a better, more stable childhood than Isobel. The early years, before she met Grace’s father (who is still in the picture and considers Isobel his own) were almost certainly rough.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is how diverse this book is. Alex is Mexican-American and Connor is biracial. Ivy’s two best friends are Abby and Claire. I felt like they were being set up for books of their own because they both have interesting and well-developed backstories. Abby has a young transgender sibling and her family is struggling to deal with that. Her dad doesn’t want his son to wear dresses and even Abby has trouble referring to Eli as Ella. She also has PLANS for her future, including marrying her high school boyfriend. Claire is bisexual and proudly feminist. They, along with Isobel, who undoubtedly has issues of her own after being raised by Erica and then finding out she has a sister so close in age, would all make good main characters in their own books. (Isobel also has a crush on Alex. Run, Isobel!)

Realizing there's more to family than first imagined is something Ivy has to do in Wild Swans, which is a tender story about truly growing up.

Ivy has lived most of her life in a small town, where both she, and everyone else knows that her mom left her when she was very young. Since she was two, she's never seen her mom, but she's had a stable and good life with her grand-dad and some good friends. Wild Swans unfolds over the span of just a couple of weeks in the summer before Ivy's senior year at high school, and she has a lot of choices to make about her future. Alex, her best friend and the boy next door has showed her that he has more than just friendly feelings for her - but she just doesn't want anything to change. Then, her grand-dad throws a curve-ball her way, saying her mom needs to come home, with her two daughters so she can regroup.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of emotions in Wild Swans, and I thought Ivy dealt with those in quite a mature way! She wasn't the character who needed to grow up the most. Always striving to be good, to be better, to live up to her grand-father's expectations, Ivy was a hard worker for sure. And when her mother - whom she called Erica - came back with two girls, and pretended that Ivy was her sister rather than her daughter, things became more complicated and quite a bit ugly as well.

On top of having to deal with her mom and new sisters, she also had to live with her best friend not wanting to be around her anymore because he was in love with her. Also, falling in love with one of her grand-father's students, working on her grand-mother's poems and trying to forge a relationship with her younger siblings. Written in first person point of view, from Ivy's perspective and in present tense, the story unfolds in a way that makes each of Ivy's discoveries the reader's discovery at the same time. Definitely a solid read, and one I recommend to those who enjoy coming of age stories that are angled slightly differently than the norm.