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The Girl and the Grove
Teenager Leila’s life is full of challenges. From bouncing around the foster care system to living with seasonal affective disorder, she’s never had an easy road. Leila keeps herself busy with her passion for environmental advocacy, monitoring the Urban Ecovists message board and joining a local environmental club with her best friend Sarika. And now that Leila has finally been adopted, she dares to hope her life will improve.
But the voices in Leila’s head are growing louder by the day. Ignoring them isn’t working anymore. Something calls out to her from the grove at Fairmount Park.
But the voices in Leila’s head are growing louder by the day. Ignoring them isn’t working anymore. Something calls out to her from the grove at Fairmount Park.
362 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2018
9 people are currently reading
2101 people want to read
About the author
Eric Smith
21 books894 followersEric Smith is a Young Adult author and literary agent living in Philadelphia.
His next book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, a collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard, will be published with Abrams in April 2022. It’s an adaptation of the Grammy and Tony award winning musical.
His latest books include You Can Go Your Own Way (Inkyard Press) and the acclaimed anthology Battle of the Bands (Candlewick), co-edited with award-winning author Lauren Gibaldi. It’s currently being adapted for film by Playground Entertainment.
His novel Don’t Read the Comments was a YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection. The paperback is out now.
He has short stories and essays in the anthologies Color Outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna (Soho Teen), Body Talk by Kelly Jensen (Algonquin), Allies by Dana Alison Levy and Shakirah Bourne (DK), All Signs Point to Yes by Candice Montgomery, cara davis-araux, and Adrianne Russell (Inkyard), and Adoptee to Adoptee by Nicole Chung and Shannon Gibney (Harper).
His other books include the IndieBound bestseller The Geek’s Guide to Dating (Quirk), Inked (Bloomsbury), the anthology Welcome Home (Flux), and contemporary fantasy novel The Girl and the Grove (Flux).
His next book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, a collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard, will be published with Abrams in April 2022. It’s an adaptation of the Grammy and Tony award winning musical.
His latest books include You Can Go Your Own Way (Inkyard Press) and the acclaimed anthology Battle of the Bands (Candlewick), co-edited with award-winning author Lauren Gibaldi. It’s currently being adapted for film by Playground Entertainment.
His novel Don’t Read the Comments was a YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection. The paperback is out now.
He has short stories and essays in the anthologies Color Outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna (Soho Teen), Body Talk by Kelly Jensen (Algonquin), Allies by Dana Alison Levy and Shakirah Bourne (DK), All Signs Point to Yes by Candice Montgomery, cara davis-araux, and Adrianne Russell (Inkyard), and Adoptee to Adoptee by Nicole Chung and Shannon Gibney (Harper).
His other books include the IndieBound bestseller The Geek’s Guide to Dating (Quirk), Inked (Bloomsbury), the anthology Welcome Home (Flux), and contemporary fantasy novel The Girl and the Grove (Flux).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
January 22, 2025
Once in a while, a book means so much to me that I need my metaphorical sandwich-board and bell to adequately express my adoration. It is entirely in that spirit that I introduce The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith. Immediately irresistible, the anomalous story of amateur arborist, Leila, branches out and grows faster than her rescued sapling, Major Willow.
Since Leila has basically bounced around Philadelphia, popping in and out of the group home, she and her best bud bonded by creating their own constant. After all, Leila’s connection with nature is certainly undeniable, somewhat surreal. It’s an interest she shares with Jon that may make this adopted-as-an-adolescent adjustment easier.
He is great, in an awkwardly adorable, always affable way. And Lisbeth, well, it would take a cold heart and hard head to ignore the quiet strength, patience and abundance of love within her. If it doesn’t work out, Leila will have only herself to blame. Being the perfect daughter will have to take a backseat though, something bigger is about to go down.
A gorgeous grove with a trio of trees that have, thus far, stood the test of time, is about to be destroyed. Leila’s new nature-loving friends will fight for the trees, the history and the elusive, endangered field mouse, but there is something more valuable—vital that must be saved, while being kept secret.
Social issues surrounding prejudices and racism are addressed alongside examples of ignorant questions that can be uncomfortable and awkward for an adoptee. A casual, conversational tone, dotted with diabolical dialogue and spot-on samples of sharp-tongued teens ensures an easy read. Laid out in a linear, fluid fashion; lean without being bare, the quest moves quickly. A splash of suspense, mixed with maybe a bit of magic and myth, makes a magnificent tale.
I dig The Girl and the Grove as a Not-So-Young-Adult; but teen-aged-me would have carried this book like a teddy bear and copied quotes all over my kicks.
This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to North Star Editions/Flux Publicity Department for the Advance Review Copy.
Since Leila has basically bounced around Philadelphia, popping in and out of the group home, she and her best bud bonded by creating their own constant. After all, Leila’s connection with nature is certainly undeniable, somewhat surreal. It’s an interest she shares with Jon that may make this adopted-as-an-adolescent adjustment easier.
He is great, in an awkwardly adorable, always affable way. And Lisbeth, well, it would take a cold heart and hard head to ignore the quiet strength, patience and abundance of love within her. If it doesn’t work out, Leila will have only herself to blame. Being the perfect daughter will have to take a backseat though, something bigger is about to go down.
A gorgeous grove with a trio of trees that have, thus far, stood the test of time, is about to be destroyed. Leila’s new nature-loving friends will fight for the trees, the history and the elusive, endangered field mouse, but there is something more valuable—vital that must be saved, while being kept secret.
Social issues surrounding prejudices and racism are addressed alongside examples of ignorant questions that can be uncomfortable and awkward for an adoptee. A casual, conversational tone, dotted with diabolical dialogue and spot-on samples of sharp-tongued teens ensures an easy read. Laid out in a linear, fluid fashion; lean without being bare, the quest moves quickly. A splash of suspense, mixed with maybe a bit of magic and myth, makes a magnificent tale.
I dig The Girl and the Grove as a Not-So-Young-Adult; but teen-aged-me would have carried this book like a teddy bear and copied quotes all over my kicks.
This review was written by jv poore for Buried Under Books, with huge thanks to North Star Editions/Flux Publicity Department for the Advance Review Copy.
May 4, 2018
3 Stars
This is a really fun urban fantasy with a strong, biracial MC front and center. Lelia is a foster-child trying to navigate life in her new adoptive family and there was some fantastic discussion about acceptance and what it means to be a family.
This paired well with the strong earthy-vibes and focus on environmentalism. Without spoiling, the fantasy element directly ties to Lelia's connection with nature, and it's written rather beautifully.
Unfortunately, despite so many strong elements the pacing was really inconsistent. The fantasy element isn't introduced until 50% of the way through the book, and the resulting storyline feels VERY rushed.
The only antagonist is intensely stereotypical. She's a mean-girl-cheerleader type who will go out of her way just to mess with our mains... for what reason? Uh... just general bitchiness I guess? It felt really off and the senseless girl-hate really detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
That being said, there's also a really non-cliche romance storyline (with the main girl standing up for herself in a great way!) and lots of fun/accurate internet usage, so this really was enjoyable!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Flux for the opportunity!
"Nobody gets to 'well actually' me and get away with it."
This is a really fun urban fantasy with a strong, biracial MC front and center. Lelia is a foster-child trying to navigate life in her new adoptive family and there was some fantastic discussion about acceptance and what it means to be a family.
This paired well with the strong earthy-vibes and focus on environmentalism. Without spoiling, the fantasy element directly ties to Lelia's connection with nature, and it's written rather beautifully.
Unfortunately, despite so many strong elements the pacing was really inconsistent. The fantasy element isn't introduced until 50% of the way through the book, and the resulting storyline feels VERY rushed.
The only antagonist is intensely stereotypical. She's a mean-girl-cheerleader type who will go out of her way just to mess with our mains... for what reason? Uh... just general bitchiness I guess? It felt really off and the senseless girl-hate really detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
That being said, there's also a really non-cliche romance storyline (with the main girl standing up for herself in a great way!) and lots of fun/accurate internet usage, so this really was enjoyable!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, thanks to Flux for the opportunity!
November 23, 2017
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
https://youryareader.blogspot.com/201...
I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review...:)
I wanted to first off thank the publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this book! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :) On to the review....
So basically I came into this book with pretty high expectations. The description for the book intrigued me so I was so ready to dive in. I will analyze the characters and then tell you my problems that I had with this book and the things I enjoyed about it!
Leila: In this story, Leila was our main character. She was adopted and never knew anything about her parents. The thing I really liked about Leila was how much she cared and loved the environment. This is a nice change in a main character and it just makes me soo super duper happy. :)
Sarika: Sarika was Leilas best friend in the story who was sarcastic, witty, and absolutely hilarious throughout! I really enjoyed reading her little clapbacks throughout.
Landon: Ok, so Landon (I think) was the love interest of Leila. He was a smart guy who was considerate of Leila's feelings. He was just not a very interesting character beyond that.
Shawn: I'm not really sure if I should feel bad for this guy. He was a absolute jerk at the beginning. And I still couldn't really see past that as the novel went on. Whenever he came into the novel I found myself rolling my eyes. He chose to be with Jessica and act the way he did, that was his decision to do that. He seemed to just always be making excuses which really bothered me about his character.
Jessica: Everyone please welcome the most cliche character to ever exist! Jessica has blond hair... and yep you guessed it. Mean as a snake. But worse... She wasn't a villain really, but I mean she was like a bug I couldn't swat at.
Jon: Jon is Leilas adoptive father. He was very protective of Leila but also gave her the space she needed and supported her in pretty much everything she wanted to do.
Lisabeth: Poor Lisabeth... (MINORR SPOILER COMING UPPPPP))))))))) Leila called Jon her dad before (SPOILERSSS ENDEDDDDDDD)))) Lisabeth, and seemed to pretty much not communicate with her at all. We didn't really get to learn much about her, but the times we did I just felt bad for her.
Thoughts on Book:
I want to start out with the things I liked about this novel first because good news before bad right? I really loved how the author allowed the characters to care so much for the mother nature they would literally do anything for it. The main characters were interesting and most of the time, fun to read about. I think the author did a good job tying that all together at the end of the novel for the most part. He began with her loving the environment, and ended with her loving it even more.
Now for the cons, which is always hard to point out in books... The first thing I want to address is the character development. I didn't really see any of that in any of the characters. I saw a sprinkle of it here and there, but not one character really changed that much. Next, this book was had some fantasy in it like the description said, but it really was not much. The book was mostly about her saving the place where her family had been. I was actually super disappointed when there wasn't much more then that. Also the story got patchy. It was like we skipped a whole timeline in some parts of the story.
Well anyways thats my review y'all! Have a happy Thanksgiving and I will see you all again soon. :)
https://youryareader.blogspot.com/201...
I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review...:)
I wanted to first off thank the publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this book! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :) On to the review....
So basically I came into this book with pretty high expectations. The description for the book intrigued me so I was so ready to dive in. I will analyze the characters and then tell you my problems that I had with this book and the things I enjoyed about it!
Leila: In this story, Leila was our main character. She was adopted and never knew anything about her parents. The thing I really liked about Leila was how much she cared and loved the environment. This is a nice change in a main character and it just makes me soo super duper happy. :)
Sarika: Sarika was Leilas best friend in the story who was sarcastic, witty, and absolutely hilarious throughout! I really enjoyed reading her little clapbacks throughout.
Landon: Ok, so Landon (I think) was the love interest of Leila. He was a smart guy who was considerate of Leila's feelings. He was just not a very interesting character beyond that.
Shawn: I'm not really sure if I should feel bad for this guy. He was a absolute jerk at the beginning. And I still couldn't really see past that as the novel went on. Whenever he came into the novel I found myself rolling my eyes. He chose to be with Jessica and act the way he did, that was his decision to do that. He seemed to just always be making excuses which really bothered me about his character.
Jessica: Everyone please welcome the most cliche character to ever exist! Jessica has blond hair... and yep you guessed it. Mean as a snake. But worse... She wasn't a villain really, but I mean she was like a bug I couldn't swat at.
Jon: Jon is Leilas adoptive father. He was very protective of Leila but also gave her the space she needed and supported her in pretty much everything she wanted to do.
Lisabeth: Poor Lisabeth... (MINORR SPOILER COMING UPPPPP))))))))) Leila called Jon her dad before (SPOILERSSS ENDEDDDDDDD)))) Lisabeth, and seemed to pretty much not communicate with her at all. We didn't really get to learn much about her, but the times we did I just felt bad for her.
Thoughts on Book:
I want to start out with the things I liked about this novel first because good news before bad right? I really loved how the author allowed the characters to care so much for the mother nature they would literally do anything for it. The main characters were interesting and most of the time, fun to read about. I think the author did a good job tying that all together at the end of the novel for the most part. He began with her loving the environment, and ended with her loving it even more.
Now for the cons, which is always hard to point out in books... The first thing I want to address is the character development. I didn't really see any of that in any of the characters. I saw a sprinkle of it here and there, but not one character really changed that much. Next, this book was had some fantasy in it like the description said, but it really was not much. The book was mostly about her saving the place where her family had been. I was actually super disappointed when there wasn't much more then that. Also the story got patchy. It was like we skipped a whole timeline in some parts of the story.
Well anyways thats my review y'all! Have a happy Thanksgiving and I will see you all again soon. :)
December 23, 2017
Well, this was disappointing.
2.25 stars.
The Girl and the Grove brings a new, interesting perspective to the contemporary fantasy genre, focusing on themes of environmentalism and family instead of the romance or the magical creatures, although those two elements are still present and relevant.
I loved the premise of this book; my problem was the execution.
I didn't like the writing at all. It was often awkward, almost amateurish at times, and with this premise - magical groves in the park! - there was so much potential, but there was almost no atmosphere. There are so many scenes set in the wood and you basically don't describe the wood? Why?
The dialogues weren't terrible, but sometimes it was clear that this book was written by someone who has never been a teenage girl.
I liked Leila. We do not often see characters who really care about the environment and fight to preserve it. I also really liked how her arc focused on both the romance and the family - she has been adopted recently, and she is still coming to terms with it. Her seasonal affective disorder doesn't help.
I didn't like the other characters as much. While Leila's family was great and it was nice to see a strong female friendship between Leila and Sarika, there was also the very stereotypical, really evil blonde mean girl who didn't get any development. All we know about her is that her dad is rich, she wears make up and she is evil. She's so evil she's worse than a caricature.
I thought we had left this kind of character in 2012 YA books.
I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2.25 stars.
The Girl and the Grove brings a new, interesting perspective to the contemporary fantasy genre, focusing on themes of environmentalism and family instead of the romance or the magical creatures, although those two elements are still present and relevant.
I loved the premise of this book; my problem was the execution.
I didn't like the writing at all. It was often awkward, almost amateurish at times, and with this premise - magical groves in the park! - there was so much potential, but there was almost no atmosphere. There are so many scenes set in the wood and you basically don't describe the wood? Why?
The dialogues weren't terrible, but sometimes it was clear that this book was written by someone who has never been a teenage girl.
I liked Leila. We do not often see characters who really care about the environment and fight to preserve it. I also really liked how her arc focused on both the romance and the family - she has been adopted recently, and she is still coming to terms with it. Her seasonal affective disorder doesn't help.
I didn't like the other characters as much. While Leila's family was great and it was nice to see a strong female friendship between Leila and Sarika, there was also the very stereotypical, really evil blonde mean girl who didn't get any development. All we know about her is that her dad is rich, she wears make up and she is evil. She's so evil she's worse than a caricature.
I thought we had left this kind of character in 2012 YA books.
I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 9, 2018
4/16/2018: GUESS WHO JUST GOT APPROVED FOR AN E-ARC?! *sunglasses emoji*
Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
I really enjoyed Eric Smith’s “The Girl and the Grove.” The main character was likable and complex and watching her grow over the course of the novel was great. Seeing her relationship with her adoptive parents, mental health, and even plants was also just...magical (heh, get it?)
I did like the fantasy aspect but felt like it could’ve been a little more fleshed out. The cover made it seem like this novel would be filled with magic and mystical creatures but it wasn’t really that at all.
Another thing I wasn’t the biggest fan of was the conclusion. It felt like the story was coming up to this huge boil and then...it was just done. So quick and easy. It was disruptive almost.
Also, you could sometimes tell that the female dialogue had been written by a male. I don’t know how to explain this really, it’s just something you know.
I loved the pop culture references, characters, relationships, COFFEE, and Sarika most of all. The people in this novel were very believable humans. They had flaws, they used foul language, they made mistakes. I really loved that about this story.
Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
I really enjoyed Eric Smith’s “The Girl and the Grove.” The main character was likable and complex and watching her grow over the course of the novel was great. Seeing her relationship with her adoptive parents, mental health, and even plants was also just...magical (heh, get it?)
I did like the fantasy aspect but felt like it could’ve been a little more fleshed out. The cover made it seem like this novel would be filled with magic and mystical creatures but it wasn’t really that at all.
Another thing I wasn’t the biggest fan of was the conclusion. It felt like the story was coming up to this huge boil and then...it was just done. So quick and easy. It was disruptive almost.
Also, you could sometimes tell that the female dialogue had been written by a male. I don’t know how to explain this really, it’s just something you know.
I loved the pop culture references, characters, relationships, COFFEE, and Sarika most of all. The people in this novel were very believable humans. They had flaws, they used foul language, they made mistakes. I really loved that about this story.
June 4, 2018
I really enjoyed this! It was quirky and heartfelt. Although I'm disappointed it wasn't a portal fantasy (that's definitely the vibe I got from description) and this at times read more like a contemporary, I wasn't disappointed by the story itself. I love anything that touches on saving the environment, and this was a great YA Urban Fantasy to tackle the topic. The adoption angle was the most profound part, simply because you know that is an #ownvoices aspect. I've followed Eric Smith for a few years now and I can see how much family is part of his life. Same goes for Leila here. There were a lot of sweet, heart-warming (or wrenching) moments. This also held a great note of humour. Leila's father, John, in particular really made me giggle. The dynamic between them, and the growth in their relationship was really sweet.
January 9, 2018
charming, and a delightful surprise. i loved the themes in
this book, from family, to friendship, to love in all its forms,
including our mother earth. smith defly weaves in adoption
and activism as well. a magical read!
this book, from family, to friendship, to love in all its forms,
including our mother earth. smith defly weaves in adoption
and activism as well. a magical read!
April 27, 2018
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I just need to say that this book moved me to my very core. As someone who is adopted, reading this was a breath of fresh air. I've had these similar thoughts about abandonment, about being broken, and about the mysterious existence of our birth parents. I want to talk about how refreshing it was and heartwarming, to see a positive portrayal of friendship between the MC and her best friend. It took everything I was expecting, proved some of it right, but improved upon in in spectacular ways. One of the other things I loved was the activism in this book. I wish my younger self had read this and thought - yes it is so cool to be passionate about something that people might not (probably not) understand, and to go with it. The Girl and the Grove mixes genres, is integrated with pop culture references, and is purely delightful and spectacular.
Characters: 5, World Building: 4, Plot: 5, Writing: 5
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
I just need to say that this book moved me to my very core. As someone who is adopted, reading this was a breath of fresh air. I've had these similar thoughts about abandonment, about being broken, and about the mysterious existence of our birth parents. I want to talk about how refreshing it was and heartwarming, to see a positive portrayal of friendship between the MC and her best friend. It took everything I was expecting, proved some of it right, but improved upon in in spectacular ways. One of the other things I loved was the activism in this book. I wish my younger self had read this and thought - yes it is so cool to be passionate about something that people might not (probably not) understand, and to go with it. The Girl and the Grove mixes genres, is integrated with pop culture references, and is purely delightful and spectacular.
Characters: 5, World Building: 4, Plot: 5, Writing: 5
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...
May 6, 2019
3.75* A lovely exploration of identity and mental health with a touch of magic wrapped in a brilliantly unique story.
This wasn’t at all what I was expecting but it was such a pleasant surprise. I was very much here for having a cast of characters so passionate about the environment and absolutely loved seeing SAD represented, as it’s something I’ve not seen discussed in fiction before.
I instantly warmed to the characters and the multiple relationships explored but I’m not sure I totally got on with the writing style. There were a few spelling mistakes and oddly structured sentences here and there, which did pull me out of the story at times but overall, this was a heartwarming, original, easy and thoroughly enjoyable read.
This wasn’t at all what I was expecting but it was such a pleasant surprise. I was very much here for having a cast of characters so passionate about the environment and absolutely loved seeing SAD represented, as it’s something I’ve not seen discussed in fiction before.
I instantly warmed to the characters and the multiple relationships explored but I’m not sure I totally got on with the writing style. There were a few spelling mistakes and oddly structured sentences here and there, which did pull me out of the story at times but overall, this was a heartwarming, original, easy and thoroughly enjoyable read.
May 5, 2017
Read an early draft of this one and it was lovely and heartfelt and the unique formatting was a completely fascinating blend of modernism set against themes rooted to earth and nature instead of technology. Can't wait for it to hit the shelves.
July 16, 2018
Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.
Trigger Warning: This book features racism.
When I read that the main character from The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith, Leila, has seasonal affective disorder, I desperately wanted to read it. But sadly, this book just wasn't for me.
Leila has recently been adopted, and is struggling to come to believe that this is her life now, that she won't end up back in the group home. She also has seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mental illness that has been too difficult for previous foster parents to deal with. And then there are the voices she's heard in her head all her life, that no-one but her best friend Sarika knows about, which have been growing louder and clearer. To distract herself from her worries, she throws herself into her passion for saving the environment. She and her best friend Sarika join the local environment club, and during a field trip to Fairmount Park, and she's drawn to a certain area. After exploring with Park Ranger Langdon, and following the voices only she can hear, Leila discovers something in the grove of Fairmount Park, days before everything in the grove is meant to be flattened; the trees, the nearby derelict mansion, and the mansion's gardens that lead to the grove. Leila quickly becomes determined to save the grove, and save what she's found their - because if the grove is torn apart, then Philadelphia will be in jeopardy.
The Girl and the Grove is by no means a bad book. The problem is me rather than the book; it heavily focuses on saving the planet, which is important and something I'm interested in, in general, but not something I enjoy reading about in fiction, I have now discovered. So it's just down to personal taste here. The description above clearly states that Leila is into environmental advocacy, that she monitors message boards and joins and environmental club, but I thought they were just hobbies, things we would read about, sure, but I didn't realise the whole point of the book was going to be based around environmental activism.
This is a fantasy book, but the fantasy elements are quite small. It's difficult to talk about without spoiling the story. However, we don't really see that The Girl and the Grove is a fantasy until just before 50% into the book. I felt it was quite slow to get going, and, considering the title, quite a while before Leila discovered the grove. Despite being slow, and being about something I now know is not my cup of tea, the writing kept me reading. It's written in such a way that I was interested in the story, even though I wasn't interested in the topic. Most chapters end on mini cliffhangers, and I always wanted to know where the story was going next, and the more I read, the more questions I had. But once we discovered what was in the grove, the focus switched to saving the grove, rather than on what was in the grove itself. We get very few answers to the questions that pile up. In the great scheme of things, not much time is spent with what's in the grove, so we find out very little. This looks to be a stand alone novel, so I don't think I'm going to find out any of the answers, which is a little frustrating.
I loved how the story dealt with adoption and fostering. It should also be noted that Smith was himself adopted, which I knew before reading having previously read the article, and so this part of Leila's story felt especially poignant. Leila really struggles with accepting she's now been adopted. Time and time again, she's been let down by foster carers and potential adoptive parents who always sent her back to the group home, partly down to her having SAD. So, understandably, despite actually being adopted now, she's worried it's going to happen again. She calls her parents by their names, Jon and Liz, rather than mom and dad, and she tries not be too much trouble. At one point, during a conversation about a willow tree in their garden that has been struck by lightning - damaged beyond repair, needing to be torn down - Leila feels they're giving up on the tree, and gets anxious that that's how they'll feel about her, and because of the emotional turmoil, accidentally cuts her hand badly enough to need stitches. Her parents want to take her to the hospital, but she misunderstands and thinks they want to take her back to the home, and panics. It's a heartbreaking scene, as, in tears, she practically begs to stay at home, saying it won't happen again, saying she'll just bandage it and will be fine. It's so upsetting. It's really emotional but also so beautiful to see her realise, over the course of the story, that Jon and Liz don't want her to go anywhere, that this is it for her now. They are her parents, and this is her home.
I also loved how it covered the stupid questions people would ask about her being adopted and her biological parents. I was completely dumbfounded that anyone would be that ignorant not to know you just don't ask. My Nan was a foster carer, so I grew up knowing lots of foster children, so perhaps that's why it seems so obvious to me, as I was brought up not to ask. But come on; you don't know anything about the past of a person in foster care, or who has been adopted. In Leila's case, she doesn't know her biological parents, but no-one asking the questions knows that, they have no idea what she may have been through that led to her going into foster care. You don't ask about things that could be painful and upsetting, or even triggering. You just don't. You wait to be told, or you never know. It's none of your business. So it just made me so mad whenever it happened.
The Girl and the Grove is the first book I've ever come across that features a character with seasonal affective disorder, which is why I wanted to read it so much. What's great about it is, it's not about Leila having SAD - this isn't a book about mental illness, it's about a girl who's trying to save a grove, who has a mental illness. We don't find out too much about it; we know Leila can feel depressed, she takes medication, and has to use a therapeutic light box for fifteen minutes each morning - which we see each morning at breakfast. We know foster parents in the past didn't really get it, and would ask questions about how she was feeling depending on what the weather was like, even though the weather had nothing to do with it. But we're not really told what it means. We see Leila experience anxiety and at least one panic attack, and she mentions that she has depression, but there's never a "I have SAD, and this is what that means," moment. But that seems realistic for me, because she's already adopted, so her parents already know, as does her best mate, and it's no-one else's business, so there's no reason to explain it to a person, and she's not going to randomly "think" about what SAD is as part of her narration to explain it to the reader. And as it's not a story about Leila having SAD, I think it would seem weird and clunky, to have her explain it when it's not a major part of the story. If the reader doesn't know what SAD is, the reader just has to look it up. Yes, that means more work for the reader, and that may be frustrating, but it's not Leila's job - or any real person with a mental illness's job - to explain and educate about their mental illness. And those with SAD who are reading this book? They don't need an explanation, they know what it is. This is about representation, so teens with SAD can see themselves in a book, not about educating everyone else.
And speaking of representation, it was great to see the various marginalised characters in this book. As well as having SAD, Leila is also black, which is important as I've found only a few YA novels featuring mental illness where the protagonist is also a person of colour. It's not just white people who have mental illnesses, but from looking at YA books, you would think it was - or at least rarer for people of colour to have mental illnesses. Leila has also been adopted by interracial parents, with Liz being black and Jon being white. Sarika is South Asian - and, sadly, experiences racist bullying, and has a racist slur used against South Asian people hurled at her.
As I said, The Girl and the Grove isn't for me, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. The writing is captivating, and the adoption side of things is so beautiful. It was just a mismatch with me on the environment/conservation side of things. Do read more reviews before deciding whether or not you'll read this book.
Thank you to Flux via NetGalley for the eProof.
Trigger Warning: This book features racism.
When I read that the main character from The Girl and the Grove by Eric Smith, Leila, has seasonal affective disorder, I desperately wanted to read it. But sadly, this book just wasn't for me.
Leila has recently been adopted, and is struggling to come to believe that this is her life now, that she won't end up back in the group home. She also has seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a mental illness that has been too difficult for previous foster parents to deal with. And then there are the voices she's heard in her head all her life, that no-one but her best friend Sarika knows about, which have been growing louder and clearer. To distract herself from her worries, she throws herself into her passion for saving the environment. She and her best friend Sarika join the local environment club, and during a field trip to Fairmount Park, and she's drawn to a certain area. After exploring with Park Ranger Langdon, and following the voices only she can hear, Leila discovers something in the grove of Fairmount Park, days before everything in the grove is meant to be flattened; the trees, the nearby derelict mansion, and the mansion's gardens that lead to the grove. Leila quickly becomes determined to save the grove, and save what she's found their - because if the grove is torn apart, then Philadelphia will be in jeopardy.
The Girl and the Grove is by no means a bad book. The problem is me rather than the book; it heavily focuses on saving the planet, which is important and something I'm interested in, in general, but not something I enjoy reading about in fiction, I have now discovered. So it's just down to personal taste here. The description above clearly states that Leila is into environmental advocacy, that she monitors message boards and joins and environmental club, but I thought they were just hobbies, things we would read about, sure, but I didn't realise the whole point of the book was going to be based around environmental activism.
This is a fantasy book, but the fantasy elements are quite small. It's difficult to talk about without spoiling the story. However, we don't really see that The Girl and the Grove is a fantasy until just before 50% into the book. I felt it was quite slow to get going, and, considering the title, quite a while before Leila discovered the grove. Despite being slow, and being about something I now know is not my cup of tea, the writing kept me reading. It's written in such a way that I was interested in the story, even though I wasn't interested in the topic. Most chapters end on mini cliffhangers, and I always wanted to know where the story was going next, and the more I read, the more questions I had. But once we discovered what was in the grove, the focus switched to saving the grove, rather than on what was in the grove itself. We get very few answers to the questions that pile up. In the great scheme of things, not much time is spent with what's in the grove, so we find out very little. This looks to be a stand alone novel, so I don't think I'm going to find out any of the answers, which is a little frustrating.
I loved how the story dealt with adoption and fostering. It should also be noted that Smith was himself adopted, which I knew before reading having previously read the article, and so this part of Leila's story felt especially poignant. Leila really struggles with accepting she's now been adopted. Time and time again, she's been let down by foster carers and potential adoptive parents who always sent her back to the group home, partly down to her having SAD. So, understandably, despite actually being adopted now, she's worried it's going to happen again. She calls her parents by their names, Jon and Liz, rather than mom and dad, and she tries not be too much trouble. At one point, during a conversation about a willow tree in their garden that has been struck by lightning - damaged beyond repair, needing to be torn down - Leila feels they're giving up on the tree, and gets anxious that that's how they'll feel about her, and because of the emotional turmoil, accidentally cuts her hand badly enough to need stitches. Her parents want to take her to the hospital, but she misunderstands and thinks they want to take her back to the home, and panics. It's a heartbreaking scene, as, in tears, she practically begs to stay at home, saying it won't happen again, saying she'll just bandage it and will be fine. It's so upsetting. It's really emotional but also so beautiful to see her realise, over the course of the story, that Jon and Liz don't want her to go anywhere, that this is it for her now. They are her parents, and this is her home.
I also loved how it covered the stupid questions people would ask about her being adopted and her biological parents. I was completely dumbfounded that anyone would be that ignorant not to know you just don't ask. My Nan was a foster carer, so I grew up knowing lots of foster children, so perhaps that's why it seems so obvious to me, as I was brought up not to ask. But come on; you don't know anything about the past of a person in foster care, or who has been adopted. In Leila's case, she doesn't know her biological parents, but no-one asking the questions knows that, they have no idea what she may have been through that led to her going into foster care. You don't ask about things that could be painful and upsetting, or even triggering. You just don't. You wait to be told, or you never know. It's none of your business. So it just made me so mad whenever it happened.
The Girl and the Grove is the first book I've ever come across that features a character with seasonal affective disorder, which is why I wanted to read it so much. What's great about it is, it's not about Leila having SAD - this isn't a book about mental illness, it's about a girl who's trying to save a grove, who has a mental illness. We don't find out too much about it; we know Leila can feel depressed, she takes medication, and has to use a therapeutic light box for fifteen minutes each morning - which we see each morning at breakfast. We know foster parents in the past didn't really get it, and would ask questions about how she was feeling depending on what the weather was like, even though the weather had nothing to do with it. But we're not really told what it means. We see Leila experience anxiety and at least one panic attack, and she mentions that she has depression, but there's never a "I have SAD, and this is what that means," moment. But that seems realistic for me, because she's already adopted, so her parents already know, as does her best mate, and it's no-one else's business, so there's no reason to explain it to a person, and she's not going to randomly "think" about what SAD is as part of her narration to explain it to the reader. And as it's not a story about Leila having SAD, I think it would seem weird and clunky, to have her explain it when it's not a major part of the story. If the reader doesn't know what SAD is, the reader just has to look it up. Yes, that means more work for the reader, and that may be frustrating, but it's not Leila's job - or any real person with a mental illness's job - to explain and educate about their mental illness. And those with SAD who are reading this book? They don't need an explanation, they know what it is. This is about representation, so teens with SAD can see themselves in a book, not about educating everyone else.
And speaking of representation, it was great to see the various marginalised characters in this book. As well as having SAD, Leila is also black, which is important as I've found only a few YA novels featuring mental illness where the protagonist is also a person of colour. It's not just white people who have mental illnesses, but from looking at YA books, you would think it was - or at least rarer for people of colour to have mental illnesses. Leila has also been adopted by interracial parents, with Liz being black and Jon being white. Sarika is South Asian - and, sadly, experiences racist bullying, and has a racist slur used against South Asian people hurled at her.
As I said, The Girl and the Grove isn't for me, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. The writing is captivating, and the adoption side of things is so beautiful. It was just a mismatch with me on the environment/conservation side of things. Do read more reviews before deciding whether or not you'll read this book.
Thank you to Flux via NetGalley for the eProof.
January 28, 2022
I am very careful about books involving foster care because it can bring up a lot of pain and anger. Thankfully, the Girl in the Grove is an amazing and realistic portrayal of the warring emotions so many foster children and their families have, without feeling like the book is only about foster and adoption.
Leila is a teenage girl who was placed in the foster care system around the age of two. She's been recently adopted by a couple who seem to genuinely love her and she feels the same,she thinks. But she's afraid to let them in and can't bring herself to use the M or D words to describe or call them. It just feels too soon and too scary to refer to Jon and Liz as mom and dad, no matter how awesome they seem.
And then there's that whole... thing? The voices she's been trying to ignore pretty much her whole life are getting louder, more insistent. What would her adoptive parents say if they knew about them? No one wants a broken child. She's pretty sure not even Jon and Liz could handle it if she told them and that they'd send her away. So the only person she has to confide in is her best friend and fellow foster alum, Sarika.
While Sarika encourages Leila to continue ignoring the now very clear voice I her head, Leila begins not just to listen...but to follow where they lead. And where they lead makes hearing voices no one else can seem almost normal in comparison!
This is such a heartwarming, funny, compassionate story about love, family, and the courage to be different and do what's right and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it!
Leila is a teenage girl who was placed in the foster care system around the age of two. She's been recently adopted by a couple who seem to genuinely love her and she feels the same,she thinks. But she's afraid to let them in and can't bring herself to use the M or D words to describe or call them. It just feels too soon and too scary to refer to Jon and Liz as mom and dad, no matter how awesome they seem.
And then there's that whole... thing? The voices she's been trying to ignore pretty much her whole life are getting louder, more insistent. What would her adoptive parents say if they knew about them? No one wants a broken child. She's pretty sure not even Jon and Liz could handle it if she told them and that they'd send her away. So the only person she has to confide in is her best friend and fellow foster alum, Sarika.
While Sarika encourages Leila to continue ignoring the now very clear voice I her head, Leila begins not just to listen...but to follow where they lead. And where they lead makes hearing voices no one else can seem almost normal in comparison!
This is such a heartwarming, funny, compassionate story about love, family, and the courage to be different and do what's right and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it!
July 2, 2018
LOVED. Such a unique story full of well-developed characters. Leila is the type of warm and stubborn, and brave protagonist I love. And SARIKA. Love that girl. I want a friend just like her. And the romance... 😍
Highly recommend!!
Highly recommend!!
March 25, 2018
THE GIRL AND THE GROVE is a special book for me. This is because Leila, the main character, suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Yes, it has SAD rep! This is so rare, and I’m so grateful to see that part of myself in a book. Needless to say, this book was high on my to read list when I found out, and it did not disappoint.
Aside from the SAD rep, this book has plenty more to offer. It explores a very important theme: family. Leila has recently been adopted, and although I don’t have experience with this, to me this felt like it was handled really well. There was a constant hesitance, even an inner fight, from Leila’s side, though she badly wanted to trust her new family, and it was good to see her on this journey and grow. I absolutely loved Jon. He’s funny, and awkward, and just all around adorable. Lisbeth, on the other hand, was a very different matter—I really enjoyed seeing the different characters here, as Lisbeth has a lot of strength, albeit quiet.
Another thing I really adore about this book is seeing a main character with a passion as strong as Leila’s, and more specifically the direction of it: Leila is super passionate about the environment. Without giving anything away, we find out more as the book progresses, but aside from that it’s a very current subject, and I’m glad to see it represented in a YA book.
Leila’s best friend, Sarika, was a very funny addition to the wonderful cast of well-developed characters, with her funny remarks and her unwavering support.
In all, if you’re looking for a book with SAD rep, a main character with passion, and a funny best friend, this book is for you.
Aside from the SAD rep, this book has plenty more to offer. It explores a very important theme: family. Leila has recently been adopted, and although I don’t have experience with this, to me this felt like it was handled really well. There was a constant hesitance, even an inner fight, from Leila’s side, though she badly wanted to trust her new family, and it was good to see her on this journey and grow. I absolutely loved Jon. He’s funny, and awkward, and just all around adorable. Lisbeth, on the other hand, was a very different matter—I really enjoyed seeing the different characters here, as Lisbeth has a lot of strength, albeit quiet.
Another thing I really adore about this book is seeing a main character with a passion as strong as Leila’s, and more specifically the direction of it: Leila is super passionate about the environment. Without giving anything away, we find out more as the book progresses, but aside from that it’s a very current subject, and I’m glad to see it represented in a YA book.
Leila’s best friend, Sarika, was a very funny addition to the wonderful cast of well-developed characters, with her funny remarks and her unwavering support.
In all, if you’re looking for a book with SAD rep, a main character with passion, and a funny best friend, this book is for you.
May 18, 2018
The Girl and the Grove is a fresh take on a popular fantasy narrative--The Chosen One--while also depicting everyday contemporary life in such a way as has rarely been seen in Young Adult up to this point.
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
April 3, 2018
An entertaining read, lovely characters to follow and a story with potential.
Full review coming soon :)
Full review coming soon :)
December 6, 2017
Let me start by saying, this is a very special book for both obvious and not so obvious reasons. First the obvious, this book deals adoption or more to the point, the bridge between being adopted and feeling like you belong to a family. We meet Leila, our main character when she has found herself in a new adopted family. Her anxiety is palatable, you can seriously taste the acrid raw emotions of her past and present experiences as they ooze out of her. The story takes into consideration all the normal adoptive themes; family, identity, place and belonging. This is the obvious part of the story and an important one.
The not so obvious part, the bit that for me is the real WOW factor is the way Leila's energy comes through the pages. How we feel her tight, constrained, contracted life force slowly but surely unwind throughout the cause of the book. This is not always easy to do but Eric does an amazing job. If you pay close attention you can physically feel when Leila lets go, allows the control to slip from her fingers and slips into the space of the unknown.
This book will end up becoming a must-read for adoptees. But I also really encourage those who just struggle with place and purpose to pick this book up and find their own point of understanding in the magic of the Grove.
The not so obvious part, the bit that for me is the real WOW factor is the way Leila's energy comes through the pages. How we feel her tight, constrained, contracted life force slowly but surely unwind throughout the cause of the book. This is not always easy to do but Eric does an amazing job. If you pay close attention you can physically feel when Leila lets go, allows the control to slip from her fingers and slips into the space of the unknown.
This book will end up becoming a must-read for adoptees. But I also really encourage those who just struggle with place and purpose to pick this book up and find their own point of understanding in the magic of the Grove.
August 25, 2018
You can see my full review here!
*I received an eArc of this book from the Publishers through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
The first 10-20% of the book was cool. I liked the main character and loved her adoptive parents. Her friendship with Sarika was also probably the best part of the book. After that initial beginning of the story, I had no idea what was happening. It wasn't as if too much was happening, I just... couldn't understand where the story was going.
Adding Leila's Seasonal Affective Disorder was a huge catalyst for me wanting to read this considering I've never read a book featuring it. But again, after about 20%, I was not having fun. And though I liked Leila, some of her decisions involving certain characters did not bode well with me.
And the overly cliched mean girl! This has it be the most over the top "I'm bitchy just to be bitchy" antagonist?can we call her that? I have ever read about. Overall, Leila and Sarika's friendship was the best... the rest not so much.
*I received an eArc of this book from the Publishers through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
The first 10-20% of the book was cool. I liked the main character and loved her adoptive parents. Her friendship with Sarika was also probably the best part of the book. After that initial beginning of the story, I had no idea what was happening. It wasn't as if too much was happening, I just... couldn't understand where the story was going.
Adding Leila's Seasonal Affective Disorder was a huge catalyst for me wanting to read this considering I've never read a book featuring it. But again, after about 20%, I was not having fun. And though I liked Leila, some of her decisions involving certain characters did not bode well with me.
And the overly cliched mean girl! This has it be the most over the top "I'm bitchy just to be bitchy" antagonist?
October 29, 2021
This has some of the most amazing adoption representation I've ever read. Despite my own adoption background being very different from Leila's, there were so many things I could relate to. The family dynamics between Leila and her new parents, Jon and Liz, were so sweet and heartwarming that I almost cried several times. I was also so happy to see Seasonal Affective Disorder representation, and to see the use of a light box normalized. The plot itself fell a little flat for me, and I felt like the world building could have been expanded. The romance was not my favorite either as I felt the love interest wasn't held accountable for his previous actions. Overall I did enjoy this story and it's one that I'll be buying for my own collection.
December 4, 2017
I received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book! Leila had a tough life in the foster system, which is definitely one of th reasons why I picked this book. I don't see many books about kids dealing with the foster system.
I also loved how she was active in the environmentalist group, which definitely sends a positive message to readers.
The supernatural element blended in well with the plot, but I can't say more or else you will lose the element of surprise 😉
This was definitely an enjoyable read
I really enjoyed this book! Leila had a tough life in the foster system, which is definitely one of th reasons why I picked this book. I don't see many books about kids dealing with the foster system.
I also loved how she was active in the environmentalist group, which definitely sends a positive message to readers.
The supernatural element blended in well with the plot, but I can't say more or else you will lose the element of surprise 😉
This was definitely an enjoyable read
May 13, 2018
This was beautiful. Ready my full review here!
December 28, 2017
To be noted:
I was given a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This book was free, and my review is not biased towards that fact in any way. These are my opinions only, (as everyone is entitled to them) and should only be taken as an idea for whether or not you would like to read the book yourself. In the end, no matter what review I give, props to the author for writing what they love, and actually publishing a book.
The Girl and the Grove
Warning: Spoilers Within
For starters, I'm beginning to think that I'm either tookind understanding as a reviewer or everyone else is really rough on their writers...because I for one loved this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Having said that, it did take me the first couple chapters to understand and get into the book, but once I did I really had a hard time putting it down for daily life/adult stuff... I recognize this style of writing and feel like the author and I have some things in common.
This book has a lot of depth. I feel for Leila. Again, I could be biased on this front because my fiance and I are wanting to eventually adopt and honestly, getting a look into how a child might feel about calling their adoptive parents "mom and dad" something so simple for us, that comes so easy... those children may be afraid to give that. Afraid they're going to get tossed back, no matter how much it is apparent that the adults care for and love them. Afraid of losing what they have if they struggle with mental disorders or if they do one too many things wrong. My goodness I just didn't even really think about those things. It totally gave me a new perspective on how to treat these kids. It amazes me in the first place that people could (and often do) treat them like items, like they can be returned whenever if it just "didn't work for them" or they "weren't a good fit." However, it happens all the time, and I think that kids probably just come to expect it to be that way. This thought essentially pulled on my heartstrings. All children deserve so much more...
However I feel myself rambling so I'll get on with it. The plot was good, I cried several times, like when Leila's hair started falling out, or when they thought Milford wouldn't make it. I've read stories where you actually don't know whether these people will make it. The ending is so abrupt and disappointing I think I'm conditioned to be afraid of sad endings and really not knowing for sure how the book is going to end gets me emotional. But that's what makes a good book right? You laugh and cry right along with it all, and that's why I gave this book 5 stars. I try to reserve my 5 star ratings for books that really get me going, and this was one of them. It had elements of what discrimination is like from all fronts, rich and poor, black and white, etc. Feeling forced into something to save other members of your family from losing their jobs like with Shawn and Jessica. Shawn was super easy to dislike at first, by the way. I think he had good intentions but totally went about the whole thing wrong.
Sarika and Leila's relationship was sweet and fun. Just how best friends should be. I also appreciated that the author added a "thanks" from her biological mother for Sarika helping and protecting Leila throughout all those hard years. I was a little disappointed they didn't reach farther into the aspect of her father, and what happened to him. I think that could have been a good side story. The end of the book seemed to move faster than the rest though, so it never seemed to come to fruition what ever happened besides his possible drowning..
In conclusion. I think I would like to see more from this author and maybe even a little more about Leila and her story. It has a lot of potential to have a side story or something, even though the book is pretty much over.
I was given a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This book was free, and my review is not biased towards that fact in any way. These are my opinions only, (as everyone is entitled to them) and should only be taken as an idea for whether or not you would like to read the book yourself. In the end, no matter what review I give, props to the author for writing what they love, and actually publishing a book.
The Girl and the Grove
Warning: Spoilers Within
For starters, I'm beginning to think that I'm either too
This book has a lot of depth. I feel for Leila. Again, I could be biased on this front because my fiance and I are wanting to eventually adopt and honestly, getting a look into how a child might feel about calling their adoptive parents "mom and dad" something so simple for us, that comes so easy... those children may be afraid to give that. Afraid they're going to get tossed back, no matter how much it is apparent that the adults care for and love them. Afraid of losing what they have if they struggle with mental disorders or if they do one too many things wrong. My goodness I just didn't even really think about those things. It totally gave me a new perspective on how to treat these kids. It amazes me in the first place that people could (and often do) treat them like items, like they can be returned whenever if it just "didn't work for them" or they "weren't a good fit." However, it happens all the time, and I think that kids probably just come to expect it to be that way. This thought essentially pulled on my heartstrings. All children deserve so much more...
However I feel myself rambling so I'll get on with it. The plot was good, I cried several times, like when Leila's hair started falling out, or when they thought Milford wouldn't make it. I've read stories where you actually don't know whether these people will make it. The ending is so abrupt and disappointing I think I'm conditioned to be afraid of sad endings and really not knowing for sure how the book is going to end gets me emotional. But that's what makes a good book right? You laugh and cry right along with it all, and that's why I gave this book 5 stars. I try to reserve my 5 star ratings for books that really get me going, and this was one of them. It had elements of what discrimination is like from all fronts, rich and poor, black and white, etc. Feeling forced into something to save other members of your family from losing their jobs like with Shawn and Jessica. Shawn was super easy to dislike at first, by the way. I think he had good intentions but totally went about the whole thing wrong.
Sarika and Leila's relationship was sweet and fun. Just how best friends should be. I also appreciated that the author added a "thanks" from her biological mother for Sarika helping and protecting Leila throughout all those hard years. I was a little disappointed they didn't reach farther into the aspect of her father, and what happened to him. I think that could have been a good side story. The end of the book seemed to move faster than the rest though, so it never seemed to come to fruition what ever happened besides his possible drowning..
In conclusion. I think I would like to see more from this author and maybe even a little more about Leila and her story. It has a lot of potential to have a side story or something, even though the book is pretty much over.
April 3, 2018
I'm sick, so this review is going to be a bit shorter than normal. I don't want anyone to think it's because of the book because I really liked it.
Leila was recently adopted after spending her life in foster care and a group home. She is struggling with having a mom and dad and doesn't use those words. But her new parents are pretty awesome and I adored her dad. He made me laugh a lot. Leila also deals with seasonal depression and anxiety.
For years, Leila had been hearing voices, but was never able to understand what they were saying. Only her best friend, Sarika, new about it. Strange things start happening. Leila is very much into nature and saving the environment. So much so that she has an online board and joins a local club. Trees and plants start to grow faster when she touches them. One day she finally hears the voice clearly and it tells her where to go. There is a major surprise waiting for Leila in a grove of trees that are set to be torn down.
I really enjoyed how this book showed the dangers of how we treat the planet. That awareness is needed and I don't see it as a focus of books. Also, the adoption and Leila's feelings were so well done. Without getting into too much, I will say that I enjoyed the fantasy/magic with the story, too.
I gave this one 4 stars. The writing was well done and I enjoyed the unique story. Thank you to netgalley for giving me the chance to read this early.
Leila was recently adopted after spending her life in foster care and a group home. She is struggling with having a mom and dad and doesn't use those words. But her new parents are pretty awesome and I adored her dad. He made me laugh a lot. Leila also deals with seasonal depression and anxiety.
For years, Leila had been hearing voices, but was never able to understand what they were saying. Only her best friend, Sarika, new about it. Strange things start happening. Leila is very much into nature and saving the environment. So much so that she has an online board and joins a local club. Trees and plants start to grow faster when she touches them. One day she finally hears the voice clearly and it tells her where to go. There is a major surprise waiting for Leila in a grove of trees that are set to be torn down.
I really enjoyed how this book showed the dangers of how we treat the planet. That awareness is needed and I don't see it as a focus of books. Also, the adoption and Leila's feelings were so well done. Without getting into too much, I will say that I enjoyed the fantasy/magic with the story, too.
I gave this one 4 stars. The writing was well done and I enjoyed the unique story. Thank you to netgalley for giving me the chance to read this early.
February 26, 2018
Note: NetGalley provided an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Friends, this book is an utter delight that made me laugh and cry throughout.
I understand the critiques in the other reviews, that there wasn't a lot of character development/growth, that the villain was two dimensional. None of that bothered me. This book gives me fuzzy feelings of pure joy.
I'm not adopted, but I'm planning on adopting, so reading a tale of an adopted kids and her feelings around that—the what-ifs of her biological parents, learning to adjust to the security of another family, the emotional (and physical) violence of the foster system—were so deeply important for me, a non-adoptee, to read. I can't imagine how much that would mean to someone who is in the system, someone who experiences those feelings on a daily basis. If nothing else, this book is worth reading for that.
But I appreciate so much about the representation in this book, and what I especially liked was that this wasn't an "issues" book. This wasn't a book about a Black teen being adopted by a Black woman and her white husband; this wasn't a book about a teen with SAD coping with it. This was an adventure story—more magical realism than straight fantasy—about a girl adjusting to her family in the backdrop of saving something she loves. (I also am really glad that there was a flavoring of romance instead of the book being focused on romance—I'm not one for YA contemporaries in general, but YA contemporary romances make me shrug.) We need more stories where marginalized people are doing things that privileged characters get to do all the time without the focus being on their identities. This book is an example of that.
The characters are an utter delight. Leila is a badass, level-headed protagonist, and Sarika is the best friend everyone wants, full of charm and snark and wit. I love their little bits of characterization coming across via text or message boards or tweets. I love how frank Leila is about the conversations she does and doesn't want to have. This isn't some sort of inspiration porn story; it's feel-good while being authentic to itself.
I devoured this book in one sitting. It's an easy, fast read. I'm not kidding when I said that I both laughed and cried throughout. I cannot recommend this enough!!
Friends, this book is an utter delight that made me laugh and cry throughout.
I understand the critiques in the other reviews, that there wasn't a lot of character development/growth, that the villain was two dimensional. None of that bothered me. This book gives me fuzzy feelings of pure joy.
I'm not adopted, but I'm planning on adopting, so reading a tale of an adopted kids and her feelings around that—the what-ifs of her biological parents, learning to adjust to the security of another family, the emotional (and physical) violence of the foster system—were so deeply important for me, a non-adoptee, to read. I can't imagine how much that would mean to someone who is in the system, someone who experiences those feelings on a daily basis. If nothing else, this book is worth reading for that.
But I appreciate so much about the representation in this book, and what I especially liked was that this wasn't an "issues" book. This wasn't a book about a Black teen being adopted by a Black woman and her white husband; this wasn't a book about a teen with SAD coping with it. This was an adventure story—more magical realism than straight fantasy—about a girl adjusting to her family in the backdrop of saving something she loves. (I also am really glad that there was a flavoring of romance instead of the book being focused on romance—I'm not one for YA contemporaries in general, but YA contemporary romances make me shrug.) We need more stories where marginalized people are doing things that privileged characters get to do all the time without the focus being on their identities. This book is an example of that.
The characters are an utter delight. Leila is a badass, level-headed protagonist, and Sarika is the best friend everyone wants, full of charm and snark and wit. I love their little bits of characterization coming across via text or message boards or tweets. I love how frank Leila is about the conversations she does and doesn't want to have. This isn't some sort of inspiration porn story; it's feel-good while being authentic to itself.
I devoured this book in one sitting. It's an easy, fast read. I'm not kidding when I said that I both laughed and cried throughout. I cannot recommend this enough!!
May 20, 2018
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The Girl and the Grove was on my TBR the day I heard about it. Environmentalism. and fantasy in one book! My previous MSc was in the field of environmental sciences and I’m always looking for fiction books that have environmentalism as a theme. I received an ARC from NetGalley.
This book is #ownvoices for adopted representation.
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Leila was a lovely character. She has seasonal affective disorder. At the beginning of the book, she is adopted by her foster parents. I loved how we see her relationship with the people around her deepen with time, and also how supportive her best friend Sarika was of her, and vice versa.
I loved the environmental themes. I didn’t actually quite comprehend that I haven’t read many books where the main character has environmental conservation as a hobby. It was really cool to read, and I really liked it that the main character still ate meat. It showed that there are people who are environmental activists and eat meat.
I would have liked a bit more worldbuilding. I felt that there were some aspects of the magical world that were left unexplained, and seeing how this is a standalone, I know that we won’t be receiving answers to these questions.
I kept expecting some more information about what happened to Leila’s father and I was surprised when it didn’t happen. However adopted people not knowing what happened to their parents is not uncommon.
There was a transphobic line in this book, which states that all living things that give life are female.
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I really enjoyed The Girl and the Grove. A little more worldbuilding would have been nice, but it was still a very fun read.
The Girl and the Grove was on my TBR the day I heard about it. Environmentalism. and fantasy in one book! My previous MSc was in the field of environmental sciences and I’m always looking for fiction books that have environmentalism as a theme. I received an ARC from NetGalley.
This book is #ownvoices for adopted representation.
__
Leila was a lovely character. She has seasonal affective disorder. At the beginning of the book, she is adopted by her foster parents. I loved how we see her relationship with the people around her deepen with time, and also how supportive her best friend Sarika was of her, and vice versa.
I loved the environmental themes. I didn’t actually quite comprehend that I haven’t read many books where the main character has environmental conservation as a hobby. It was really cool to read, and I really liked it that the main character still ate meat. It showed that there are people who are environmental activists and eat meat.
I would have liked a bit more worldbuilding. I felt that there were some aspects of the magical world that were left unexplained, and seeing how this is a standalone, I know that we won’t be receiving answers to these questions.
I kept expecting some more information about what happened to Leila’s father and I was surprised when it didn’t happen. However adopted people not knowing what happened to their parents is not uncommon.
There was a transphobic line in this book, which states that all living things that give life are female.
__
I really enjoyed The Girl and the Grove. A little more worldbuilding would have been nice, but it was still a very fun read.
November 15, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Leila has a lot going on in her life. She’s grown up moving around between foster homes. She lives with seasonal affective disorder. She’s recently been adopted, She has a passion for saving the environment. And she hears voices in her head, that continue to grow louder, calling out for her help.
I ended up enjoying this book a lot. It has many different elements that it touches upon. The main character has grown up in the foster system and does not know who her parents are. In the book, she has recently been adopted and we see her struggle with that. She has a type of depression that is actually fairly common. There are many environmental issues that are brought up throughout the story. And then there’s a dash of supernatural and romance to top it all off. All of the elements work together well in the story. The flow is natural and doesn’t feel forced at all.
And the main character is a POC, which is always awesome.
This was a well-written book that maintained a good pace without feeling rushed. There were elements between each chapter of social media interaction, which usually feels forced and fake, but it was well done in this book. They helped to move the plot along and even contributed to a little twist towards the end of the story.
All in all, this is a great book that I would recommend to anyone. It seems to have a little something for everyone in it.
I give it 5/5 stars.
Leila has a lot going on in her life. She’s grown up moving around between foster homes. She lives with seasonal affective disorder. She’s recently been adopted, She has a passion for saving the environment. And she hears voices in her head, that continue to grow louder, calling out for her help.
I ended up enjoying this book a lot. It has many different elements that it touches upon. The main character has grown up in the foster system and does not know who her parents are. In the book, she has recently been adopted and we see her struggle with that. She has a type of depression that is actually fairly common. There are many environmental issues that are brought up throughout the story. And then there’s a dash of supernatural and romance to top it all off. All of the elements work together well in the story. The flow is natural and doesn’t feel forced at all.
And the main character is a POC, which is always awesome.
This was a well-written book that maintained a good pace without feeling rushed. There were elements between each chapter of social media interaction, which usually feels forced and fake, but it was well done in this book. They helped to move the plot along and even contributed to a little twist towards the end of the story.
All in all, this is a great book that I would recommend to anyone. It seems to have a little something for everyone in it.
I give it 5/5 stars.
November 20, 2017
This book really spoke to me. Leila has been moved around from home to home through the foster system. The has a passion for saving the environment and she loves trees. Her best friend Sarika is the only one who knows she hears voices calling to her in the wind. It scares her but she has a system to keep them at bay.
I immensely enjoyed this book. The books main character is a young teen that has been shuffled around all her life. She has finally been adopted but shes scared to accept that they want her forever. So Leila is fighting to keep her self-neutral. Leila's character has been through some abuse and suffers from some depression. This book touches on so many different elements in just the right way. I love all the environmental things that are defined throughout the book. Then there is, of course, the supernatural that took me by total surprise. I wish that there was more. Maybe we will get a sequel. I think the book was written beautifully and I would recommend it to everyone.
I immensely enjoyed this book. The books main character is a young teen that has been shuffled around all her life. She has finally been adopted but shes scared to accept that they want her forever. So Leila is fighting to keep her self-neutral. Leila's character has been through some abuse and suffers from some depression. This book touches on so many different elements in just the right way. I love all the environmental things that are defined throughout the book. Then there is, of course, the supernatural that took me by total surprise. I wish that there was more. Maybe we will get a sequel. I think the book was written beautifully and I would recommend it to everyone.
December 31, 2017
3.5 stars. Man did this book make me miss Philly. (And the author, who I’m also lucky enough to know 🙂)
December 17, 2017
Teenager Leila’s life is full of challenges. From bouncing around the foster care system to living with seasonal affective disorder, she’s never had an easy road. Leila keeps herself busy with her passion for environmental advocacy, monitoring the Urban Ecovists message board and joining a local environmental club with her best friend Sarika. And now that Leila has finally been adopted, she dares to hope her life will improve.
But the voices in Leila’s head are growing louder by the day. Ignoring them isn’t working anymore. Something calls out to her from the grove at Fairmount Park.
This book starts off pretty strong, but kind of goes downhill a bit and plateaus from there. I felt that it read like an early draft (which, seeing as it's an ARC, it kind of is) and that there are a lot of things I feel could benefit from changing before it's published. The story, however, I absolutely LOVED, for many reasons: 1) that Leila was a foster kid and is dealing with the emotions of being adopted, 2) that she's somehow telepathically connected to trees, or tree-spirits, 3) that she's super into the environment, 4) this takes place in Philadelphia, which provides no specific additive to the story other than I thought it nice to imagine, and 5) the main plot of the story involves saving a park and an old mansion from destruction. The carry-out of the story, however, felt a little forced, as if the author hadn’t quite figured out where he was going or which parts of the story were going to be important. There were quite a few references to modern day obsessions, like Tumblr, which I personally am not a fan of because they immediately date a book. Also, as someone who has since grown out of Tumblr, it immediately made me feel more disconnected with the characters. Most of the dialogue was okay, but there were definitely some times that I was cringing pretty bad. It felt like the author really had no idea how anyone would actually act in certain situations (especially the teenagers) so he just made it up and left it there (kind of like an awkward adult trying to fit in with young people). The plot points were good to move the story along, but felt badly connected. The underlying plot of Leila calling her adopted parents Mom and Dad felt unnecessary. I understand that for a kid like her, it would be a big deal, but had nothing to do with the main plot and was more of a distraction. I detected a little bit of 'special snowflake' syndrome in some of the characters - before we realise how awful of a person Jessica is, there is a pretty obvious passage where it's clear we aren't supposed to like her simply because she's carrying a makeup clutch and Leila isn't about that. I did like the idea of Leila and Sarika joining the environmental club, but that brings up my next point. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out the point of the existence of Shawn, ESPECIALLY because he was introduced as a love interest. His story goes nowhere. It makes it incredibly confusing when we meet Landon, the real love interest, because you can't figure out who is supposed to be who. Not only that, but Shawn is an AWFUL character. He is the one who suffers from being a special snowflake most of all. That scene where he threatens to not give credit to the kids who are just in the club to get credit? Where the hell does that authority come from? He's immensely inconsiderate to Leila and does not suit her at all, so the concept of them having “tension” (when believe me, they did not) is baffling. Landon, while definitely not perfect either, makes WAY more sense as Leila's love interest, so I cannot understand why Shawn cannot be ditched and Landon introduced earlier in the story. I definitely called Landon being Toothless (I have the Kindle notes to prove it), but it felt awkward a bit just because it didn't feel like it was him when you considered how he and Leila interacted IRL and online. The characters of Jon and Lisabeth were pretty poorly created, and given way too much influence on Leila considering how poorly they were written. I was so upset with Jon when he tried to convince Leila to not protest against the amphitheatre just because it would be awkward for him at board meetings. For crying out loud, isn't he an environmentalist? Isn't he supposed to care about endangered species?! The owl was cute and clearly brought Leila and Landon together, but there's this whole idea that he would hate being called Milly because his name is Milford and “all owls must have old man names”. No, he wouldn't. He is an owl. The reveal that Jessica was the source of the decay was sooooo obvious I can't believe I didn't see it coming, but I think that's because I simply expected more. She's such a poor antagonist anyways, and the hallway scene where she admits to poisoning the grove is so cheesy it feels like she's a super villain who is like "I'll get you next time children!"
I haven't mentioned the whole dryad thing yet because I really wanted to get all that out of the way first. This part of the plotline was the bit that I was most disappointed in. First of all, the voices in Leila's head just don't seem right. I know that in the summary they are described as the grove calling to her, so it really should be no surprise, but they were written as if they were a mental health thing, which made me believe that they were going to tackle that topic, which I am on board for because it still isn't talked about enough. But nope, it's the trees. The reveal that the tree is Leila's mother is approached so poorly. It comes as a surprise not because she's a tree, but because there was really no build-up that Leila's birth parents were something she was hugely concerned about. It would have been better if there was no parental connection at all, or maybe just that Leila had an affinity for nature and that's why she could hear the voices. Not only that but the fact that Leila started fading away when the grove did was also kind of awkward and didn't serve too much of a point other than to illustrate that she's connected to it. The part about the grove being responsible for all life in Philadelphia wasn't really explained that well either, it was explained more like a fact that we were simply supposed to accept, with no concern that it might be weird at all. I just cannot believe that there is this super cool story line about dryads and tree spirits that has so much potential, but the majority of the second half of the book focuses on them finding a freaking mouse in order to save the grove. The dryad plot is super cool, but simply was not given the attention it deserved.
Despite all of these points I have laid out, I still think this book deserves three stars, and probably closer to three and a half. Even though I was disappointed in the way the plot went, I still think it was pretty good. It was definitely unique (in terms of what I have read, anyway) in many many ways and I think that deserves some brownie points. That being said, the interactions between the characters sometimes did not reflect how people interact in real life at all, and at times felt like the author was trying too hard to emulate teenagers and their thoughts and mannerisms. It also felt like the book introduced way too many subplots that didn't have that much of an overall effect on the main plot. That being said, I really did like the addition of the chatboards that Leila and her friends interacted on and felt that was a unique addition. A lot of the things I have pointed out can be fixed pretty simply, and I wish this book was longer because I think that would really benefit the story and round it out more, and would especially give the characters some room to breathe and develop. Still, after ALL THAT (and I really am sorry for picking it apart like I did), I did like this book, and I would still recommend it to others because it does some pretty cool things.
Still. The world needs more dryads.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
But the voices in Leila’s head are growing louder by the day. Ignoring them isn’t working anymore. Something calls out to her from the grove at Fairmount Park.
This book starts off pretty strong, but kind of goes downhill a bit and plateaus from there. I felt that it read like an early draft (which, seeing as it's an ARC, it kind of is) and that there are a lot of things I feel could benefit from changing before it's published. The story, however, I absolutely LOVED, for many reasons: 1) that Leila was a foster kid and is dealing with the emotions of being adopted, 2) that she's somehow telepathically connected to trees, or tree-spirits, 3) that she's super into the environment, 4) this takes place in Philadelphia, which provides no specific additive to the story other than I thought it nice to imagine, and 5) the main plot of the story involves saving a park and an old mansion from destruction. The carry-out of the story, however, felt a little forced, as if the author hadn’t quite figured out where he was going or which parts of the story were going to be important. There were quite a few references to modern day obsessions, like Tumblr, which I personally am not a fan of because they immediately date a book. Also, as someone who has since grown out of Tumblr, it immediately made me feel more disconnected with the characters. Most of the dialogue was okay, but there were definitely some times that I was cringing pretty bad. It felt like the author really had no idea how anyone would actually act in certain situations (especially the teenagers) so he just made it up and left it there (kind of like an awkward adult trying to fit in with young people). The plot points were good to move the story along, but felt badly connected. The underlying plot of Leila calling her adopted parents Mom and Dad felt unnecessary. I understand that for a kid like her, it would be a big deal, but had nothing to do with the main plot and was more of a distraction. I detected a little bit of 'special snowflake' syndrome in some of the characters - before we realise how awful of a person Jessica is, there is a pretty obvious passage where it's clear we aren't supposed to like her simply because she's carrying a makeup clutch and Leila isn't about that. I did like the idea of Leila and Sarika joining the environmental club, but that brings up my next point. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out the point of the existence of Shawn, ESPECIALLY because he was introduced as a love interest. His story goes nowhere. It makes it incredibly confusing when we meet Landon, the real love interest, because you can't figure out who is supposed to be who. Not only that, but Shawn is an AWFUL character. He is the one who suffers from being a special snowflake most of all. That scene where he threatens to not give credit to the kids who are just in the club to get credit? Where the hell does that authority come from? He's immensely inconsiderate to Leila and does not suit her at all, so the concept of them having “tension” (when believe me, they did not) is baffling. Landon, while definitely not perfect either, makes WAY more sense as Leila's love interest, so I cannot understand why Shawn cannot be ditched and Landon introduced earlier in the story. I definitely called Landon being Toothless (I have the Kindle notes to prove it), but it felt awkward a bit just because it didn't feel like it was him when you considered how he and Leila interacted IRL and online. The characters of Jon and Lisabeth were pretty poorly created, and given way too much influence on Leila considering how poorly they were written. I was so upset with Jon when he tried to convince Leila to not protest against the amphitheatre just because it would be awkward for him at board meetings. For crying out loud, isn't he an environmentalist? Isn't he supposed to care about endangered species?! The owl was cute and clearly brought Leila and Landon together, but there's this whole idea that he would hate being called Milly because his name is Milford and “all owls must have old man names”. No, he wouldn't. He is an owl. The reveal that Jessica was the source of the decay was sooooo obvious I can't believe I didn't see it coming, but I think that's because I simply expected more. She's such a poor antagonist anyways, and the hallway scene where she admits to poisoning the grove is so cheesy it feels like she's a super villain who is like "I'll get you next time children!"
I haven't mentioned the whole dryad thing yet because I really wanted to get all that out of the way first. This part of the plotline was the bit that I was most disappointed in. First of all, the voices in Leila's head just don't seem right. I know that in the summary they are described as the grove calling to her, so it really should be no surprise, but they were written as if they were a mental health thing, which made me believe that they were going to tackle that topic, which I am on board for because it still isn't talked about enough. But nope, it's the trees. The reveal that the tree is Leila's mother is approached so poorly. It comes as a surprise not because she's a tree, but because there was really no build-up that Leila's birth parents were something she was hugely concerned about. It would have been better if there was no parental connection at all, or maybe just that Leila had an affinity for nature and that's why she could hear the voices. Not only that but the fact that Leila started fading away when the grove did was also kind of awkward and didn't serve too much of a point other than to illustrate that she's connected to it. The part about the grove being responsible for all life in Philadelphia wasn't really explained that well either, it was explained more like a fact that we were simply supposed to accept, with no concern that it might be weird at all. I just cannot believe that there is this super cool story line about dryads and tree spirits that has so much potential, but the majority of the second half of the book focuses on them finding a freaking mouse in order to save the grove. The dryad plot is super cool, but simply was not given the attention it deserved.
Despite all of these points I have laid out, I still think this book deserves three stars, and probably closer to three and a half. Even though I was disappointed in the way the plot went, I still think it was pretty good. It was definitely unique (in terms of what I have read, anyway) in many many ways and I think that deserves some brownie points. That being said, the interactions between the characters sometimes did not reflect how people interact in real life at all, and at times felt like the author was trying too hard to emulate teenagers and their thoughts and mannerisms. It also felt like the book introduced way too many subplots that didn't have that much of an overall effect on the main plot. That being said, I really did like the addition of the chatboards that Leila and her friends interacted on and felt that was a unique addition. A lot of the things I have pointed out can be fixed pretty simply, and I wish this book was longer because I think that would really benefit the story and round it out more, and would especially give the characters some room to breathe and develop. Still, after ALL THAT (and I really am sorry for picking it apart like I did), I did like this book, and I would still recommend it to others because it does some pretty cool things.
Still. The world needs more dryads.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
May 24, 2018DNF @ 32%
I received an e-ARC from Flux through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I feel really bad for not wanting to continue The Girl and the Grove because I follow this author on Twitter and I received an e-ARC. just can't push myself to read it! This is definitely not a bad book, but I'd probably end up rating it only three stars.
My main problem was the writing style. I usually prefer 3rd person POV, but it just didn't work for me in this novel! It even confused me because 1st person POV would've worked perfectly, it suited the story much better.
The main character Leila is black, adopted and has seasonal affective disorder. Usually I would be into a book featuring such a protagonist, but I could already tell that the side-characters are one-dimensional. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when the bitchy rich popular girl was introduced.
I feel bad for not continuing this book, but I really wasn't into it. If you're interested in picking it up, however, don't let me stop you, because it certainly wasn't BAD.
content and trigger warnings for mentions of physical abuse, mentions of ableism, physical injury, bullying, transphobia (unchallenged; "all living things that give life [...] is a she.")
I received an e-ARC from Flux through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
I feel really bad for not wanting to continue The Girl and the Grove because I follow this author on Twitter and I received an e-ARC. just can't push myself to read it! This is definitely not a bad book, but I'd probably end up rating it only three stars.
My main problem was the writing style. I usually prefer 3rd person POV, but it just didn't work for me in this novel! It even confused me because 1st person POV would've worked perfectly, it suited the story much better.
The main character Leila is black, adopted and has seasonal affective disorder. Usually I would be into a book featuring such a protagonist, but I could already tell that the side-characters are one-dimensional. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when the bitchy rich popular girl was introduced.
I feel bad for not continuing this book, but I really wasn't into it. If you're interested in picking it up, however, don't let me stop you, because it certainly wasn't BAD.
content and trigger warnings for mentions of physical abuse, mentions of ableism, physical injury, bullying, transphobia (unchallenged; "all living things that give life [...] is a she.")
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