Hurricane Summer

Title: Hurricane Summer
Author: Asha Bromfield
Style: Coming of Age, Contemporary, Young Adult
Rating: 4/5

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  Hurricane Summer hits shelves May 4th.

My mom always says you get two birthdays. The first one is the day you are born. The second is the day you leave home and give birth to yourself.

A breathtaking Coming of Age story about a girl named Tilla who visits her father in his home country, Jamaica.  Tilla was born in Jamaica but moved to Canada when she was young.  She has always felt like her father did not love her because he spends six months of his life in Jamaica.  Tilla hopes to connect with her father but is thrust into a land and culture that she doe not know.    

What did I like:
1. Asha Bromfield is able to touch on some pretty deep and meaningful topics through her well crafted storytelling. Some of these topics include: racism, colorism,  classism, sexism, sexual assault and young love (you can find this in the synopsis of the book)
2. The writing in this story is beautiful.  So many lovely quotes that it was hard for me to pick a favorite. I loved loved loved the symbolism of comparing a hurricane to the storms and destruction in our own lives.  How we rebuild and heal from both of these disasters. "There is beauty in destruction"
3. The Jamaican dialect added a ton of value to the story.  I appreciated the glossary at the front to help translate some of the words.  I was surprised at how easy it was for me to pick up on it. This could potentially be problematic for some but I would NOT want it done any other way.  
4. Both the characters and story were well developed.  At times the characters made me feel so angry I wanted to throw my kindle across the room and other times I wanted to let out a good cry.  I think that the characters and story are relatable to many.

What did I not like:
1. I wish the book could have taken place over a longer period of time. There is a lot of life changing and/or traumatic experiences that happens to Tilla during her two months on the island.  These experiences happen to a lot of young woman and I feel like she moved through these experiences fast which made the story feel less authentic to me.
2. I would have loved to see more of the relationship between Tilla and her father.

Overall what a beautiful debut story from Asha Bromfield.  It's definitely worth your time.