Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Wait by Gabriella Burnham. This story tackles a lot. Elise is just about to graduate from an elite southern college, when she finds out that her sister and mother are not going to come to the graduation because her mother has been deported. Elise grew up on Nantucket. Her best friend from college also has a house on Nantucket. But their lives could not be more different. Elise’s family barely got by, and Elise achieved and made it to a great college-the American dream. Sheba’s family has crazy inherited wealth, and lives a very luxurious life. In college, they were able to make the friendship work, but will they be able to on Nantucket? This is not a light hearted summer read, but tackles a lot of issues. It’s a coming of age story, and we see Elise and her sister be forced to grow up. #wait #gabriellaburnham #netgalley #bookstagram #takeapagefrommybook

Since this book really doesn’t have much of a plot or any character development (in my opinion), I can’t really describe what it’s about or whether there was a theme. The central character is definitely Elise, a new college graduate who has to skip her graduation ceremony and quickly return home to Nantucket Island to be with her sister, Sophie, who just graduated from high school. Elise and Sophie’s mother was deported back to Brazil and the girls must figure out where to live and how to support themselves. Fortunately, the third character, Sheba, who was Elise’s college roommate, is very wealthy and has a large family beach house on the island so offers the girls a place to stay. And that’s about it - Wait is an appropriate title because the reader is left waiting for something to happen with these girls. I won’t describe what little I learned about the girls because such descriptions would be spoilers since that’s all there is to this book. I’m probably rating it higher than I normally would just because I love Nantucket and the book was easy to read and short. That’s all I got.

Sophie - I knew she was going to go places. She deserved to be on her own, find her own personality instead of getting paid for work she did not do or bend the knee to some rich girl. I rooted for Sophie since the beginning of the book. She heard everyone including her mother, but she created her own path.

Elise - For an elder sister, she was not as helpful as I thought she would be. But also she was 22 years old, so I could not be too tough on her. On one hand, she was under her friend's influence forgetting the practicalities. On the other, she was trying to solve the immigration riddle of her mom. I'm glad that she could be glad for her sister and support her on her path to college.

Sheba - The fluke. The brat (not in a good way). I cannot deal with people who constantly do thing they should not do and start crying and apologizing when they are caught. Back bone is important to me and Sheba lacks one. I have to give it to Burnham though. She described her nonchalantness so perfectly that I have strong reaction to this girl.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House One World for an eARC of "Wait" by Gabriella Burnham" in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this to anyone who loves themselves a family centered contemporary litfic. It is very slice of life and discusses social inequality, but I found myself unable to relate to the characters, which made me struggle to continue to stay gripped with the story. However, there were heartwarming moments that lead me to believe that this is a book I would still recommend, even if it is not my cup of tea!

Wow?!? This was an incredible insight to the impact of immigration and deportation on families. I also loved the dynamics between Elise and Sheba of the role wealth and power dynamics play in friendships.
My only critical feedback is that I wish Elise could have had a happy ending for herself with a guy!

Wait by Gabriella Burnham is the story of Elise and Sophie whose mother is returned to Brazil as part of a deportation proceeding. We meet Elise as she's waiting for her mom and sister to come to her college graduation and when Mom disappears Elise returns to Nantucket where she grew up. During the course of the story, we see the challenges that Sophie and Elise face due to their Mom's deportation. Sheba who was Elise's college roommate also factors into the storyline. I enjoyed this book though it did feel like Sheba's storyline just dropped off.

The book cover and the setting of Nantucket could lead a reader to think this is a more traditional summer Nantucket book but it is much more of a family and relationship story.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Wait in exchange for an honest review. Wait is available now.

When the mother of two daughters is deported for overstaying a work visa, she seems to have vanished. Her daughters, Elise in college and Sophie in high school, are suddenly alone as their mother attempts to return to the US. In the meantime, they are evicted from their home and taken in by Elise’s wealthy college friend. As the waiting time stretches, they are introduced to an extravagant world very different from their own.

The premise of this story is compelling and ripe for a woven narrative that covers the “wait,” as life might unfold among the wealthy of Nantucket, while also taking an intellectual approach to the complexities of citizen children with undocumented parents. This book has much to offer, but I had hoped for more depth in the writing and approach to the subject matter.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Random House and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Burnham’s phrases beautifully evoked the many complicated emotions related to growing up, sisterhood, friendship, and the immigrant experience. It felt like home.

I enjoyed this novel about two American born sisters - Elise, a recent college graduate and Sophie, a high school student, whose mother, illegally in the U.S., was deported back to Brazil after being arrested for long overstaying her work visa.

How the sisters. American citizens, manage alone on Nantucket Island, their home, while waiting for their mother to apply for and acquire a green card from Brazil is the crux of this novel, a story of one illegal immigrant and her children.

Heart warming as well as revealing, the book looks at the children, especially the older child Elise, who is more affected by the change in their family situation than her younger sister. That the girls have to live their own lives on their own in the U.S. and their mother adjust to her own life back in her country, Brazil, leaves the reader a little sadder.

A wonderfully written and executed book on a timely and relevant topic.

As a lover of books set in Nantucket, Wait gave a totally different perspective of the island. In Wait, Elise returns home after graduating college to find that her younger sister, Sophie, is alone and their mother has been deported. Through the course of the summer we learn more about the sisters, their mother's struggles in Brazil, and summer people vs. residents of Nantucket. Beautifully written- I could not put it down and Wait got me out of a book rut!

This book was interesting and has a good storyline. Two sisters reunite for the first time in years in their childhood home in Nantucket and soon they realize their mother was deported to Brazil. I loved the theme of family and the fractured relationships they have with each other, and especially of the growth and bonding that inevitably occurs. The friendships also are difficult ones, and I often felt frustrated with many of the characters. A bit of a slow and difficult read, but lots of great promise and captivating themes.

#wait #netgalley #bookreview

wait is an appropriate title for this book. there is a lot of waiting. It wasn't really what I was expecting.

Elise and Sophie, sisters accustomed to their mom's occasional absences, face a harsh reality when Elise returns from college to find their mom deported to Brazil after weeks away. Left to fend for themselves, they cling to hope that their mom will return.

However, the book doesn't progress much beyond this premise. It simply follows the girls as they navigate work, home, and staying with a friend. The stakes remain low most of the time and the characters never develop through the book. There's is just no real adventure, suspense, or even romance.

Sorry but cannot recommend this one.

This was a solid read and even at the characters' worst, I still felt empathy for them. I loved that the book was split into three parts, it made for an easy read.

Wait is a perfect title for this book since that's what Elise and Sophie do while her mother is deported to Brazil and they're in the process of bringing her back. Elise, who just graduated from college comes back to her hometown island in Nantucket where her mother and sister Sophie live. This book is about how the two sisters struggle to survive without her mother, who worked very hard as an immigrant to support her two daughters and now that she was deported to her home country Brazil doesn't know what to do with herself. Shortly after she is gone, Elise and Sophie are evicted from their home, luckily Sheba, Elise's college best friend, has a vacation home on the island and takes the sisters in while they get back on their feet. This book talks a lot about resilience, the mistakes one makes when they're young and to always keep going. I liked the writing and the narrative of a real problem of the locals living on a tourist island that is being rapidly gentrified and the broken immigration system.

The premise was one which I was excited about. The description oversold the book, in my opinion. I couldn't get into it and stopped at chapter 6.

Appropriate given the title, I was sort of waiting for something at the end that was never coming. That's a little bit of the point maybe. I hated several people in this. More than several maybe? Okay, almost all. I liked the sisters and their relationship. Free advanced copy courtest of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book publishes 5/21

I wanted to love this one, but it’s just a bit boring for me. The writing is fine, the characters all have their place, even the plot has variations and somewhere to go, but we’re just not getting there..!

this is just a look at two sisters' single summer, and i wish it told me more or had more of an ending or wasn't omniscient in perspective which i hate, but i love sisters and i love summer and i love new england and this scratched all of those itches.

Wait is a simplistic, moderately-paced novel about the lives of two sisters following their mother’s sudden and unexpected deportation. Following Gilda’s unjust deportation, I enjoyed watching Elise and Sophie reconnect in sisterhood and all the ways in which they show love and protection to each other. Their relationship and the happiness they desire for each other is inspiring, and it was interesting to see Sheba’s character development through the loneliness and selfish envy she feels as a result of the sisters’ bond. However, I found that the plot point of Gilda’s deportation and the sisters’ subsequent survival quickly became monotonous. I struggled to get into Elise and Sophie’s heads and often found myself wondering how they could go on as if nothing traumatic happened. I did not enjoy reading a repetitive daily routine of wake, work, swim in a pool, drink, sleep, rinse and repeat and wished for more of an emotional and intellectual conversation surrounding immigration justice in the United States. Further, the seemingly random and unnecessary inclusions of romantic prospects and sexual scenes left me confused, and the ending unfortunately felt equally as random and unrealistic (though I appreciated the glimmering strands of hope and looking towards the future).

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC!