Laura's Reviews > Summer Bird Blue

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc to read and review. All opinions I have expressed are my own.

I recently read Starfish and absolutely adored it and was super excited to get this arc as this was one of my most anticipated new releases, and boy it did not disappoint! Summer Bird Blue is a YA contemporary, set in Hawaii that tackles difficult topics including grief, mental health and sexuality. It is released in Australia early April 2019.

I absolutely loved this and despite Rumi being unlikable at times, I found her and Kai's relationship precious. I think this book tackled grief perfectly - this book made me feel frustrated, angry, sad and everything in between. It was very insightful following Rumi's grief over the death of her sister and how it affected her life and relationships as she tried to move on without her sister.

I also appreciated the asexual representation in this - A + ! As someone who is questioning their asexuality, this book reaffirmed that what I am feeling is perfectly natural as I could empathise and see myself in Rumi's experiences.

All in all, Summer Bird Blue has been one of the most impactful books I have read in a long time. Akemi Dawn Bowman is one of my new auto-buy authors for sure!

tw: loss of a loved one, suicidal ideation