Under the Sweet Gum Trees

by Crysta McHenry

Ada wanted one thing in her life. She wanted to be loved, and she would do anything to feel that way.

It’s already hard enough to be sixteen. It’s even harder when your home life is dysfunctional. Ada’s parents’ marriage is in shambles, but her dad was just diagnosed with an incurable illness. The fighting was more intense than ever before, and Ada wanted to be anywhere else but home.

Her life seemed to change for the better when her crush, Greg, asked her on a date. She was out and about more and less affected by the chaos at home.

But what happens if the relationship isn’t all it seemed to be? How can you know what is a healthy realationship if you have never seen one before?

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2021

About the author

Crysta McHenry was born and raised near Austin, Texas. She holds a master’s degree in social work and has been telling stories for as long as she can remember. Crysta enjoys crafting stories that resonate with readers and bring characters to life in meaningful ways.

When not writing, she can be found spending time with her pets, playing video games or watching movies or true crime documentaries.

Reviews

[Mary Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it because the library I volunteer at was given several copies to use for a possible book club. I will not be recommending it for use. If I hadn’t needed to read it in its entirety, it would be a DNF for me.
I understand the purpose was to show how emotional abuse is not okay. Great goal. Unfortunately the plot and characters lacked development and substance. The writing was indicative of an inexperienced author. Honestly skim-read the majority of it. Giving it 2 stars because I understand the intent.

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under the Sweet Gum Trees

I can draw many parallels between the events of this book and my own life. From that, I can highly recommend this book for those going through a lack of self esteem exacerbated by a dependence on manipulative users. I feared for Ada, but the author let a healthy handling of her problems rule the day. If you or someone you love has problems with self loathing and a spiral into serious and destructive behaviors, get this book. I think it can help.
It is well written, with well developed characters. It is a very positive and satisfying read. I could not put it down until I was done. Well done, Ms. McHenry!

[Andrea Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨i was sweetly gifted this e-book from @author_crystamchenry for an honest review✨ I absolutely loved this book. It was super fast paced, the character development between the main female character (Ada) was really good and well thought out. I enjoyed the side characters/ her best friends & really thought it helped with the story line. I would check your trigger warnings before reading this! 🤍 thank you again @author_crystamchenry for letting me read your book☺️✨

[Shannon I · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this from a bookstore in Pflugerville as a “Blind Date” book, so I had no idea what book I bought except that it was by a local author and a brief summary was provided. There were a few grammatical errors, but not many. I read the book within 24 hours. I don’t usually read young adult books, but I appreciated this one and its depiction of domestic abuse issues.

[Molly Fennig]

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
DNF. I couldn’t get very far into this book. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t intriguing enough- in plot or characterization- to make me want to keep reading.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I really liked how the author focused on the less obvious topic of psychological/mental abuse. It’s a very important subject! This is a perfect YA book for someone coming of age. The writing is smooth and it kept me turning the page!

[Blake Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very exciting book, it was so entertaining I read it in less than 24 hours. (Reviewed by a 11 year old.)

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, for adults this is skippable but I can see it being an enjoyable read for middle schoolers. The main plotline deals with a high school girl in an emotionally abusive relationship so I'm assuming this was meant to be a serious read but features so much teenage nonsense that it's really closer to a CW teen drama. All the characters are basically a-holes but given that most of them are teenagers, that might actually be realistic. The ending was so over-the-top that it lost me but I did find the middle of the book (when it was giving the perfect amount of soap opera) to be entertaining.