Ronni Davis
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Publisher Booklink
Eighteen-year-old Devon longs for two things.REVIEW
The stars.
And the boy she fell in love with last summer.
When Ashton breaks Devon’s heart at the end of the most romantic and magical summer ever, she thinks her heart will never heal again. But over the course of the following year, Devon finds herself slowly putting the broken pieces back together.
Now it’s senior year, and she’s determined to enjoy every moment of it as she prepares for a future studying the galaxies. That is, until Ashton shows up on the first day of school. Can she forgive him and open her heart again? Or are they doomed to repeat history?
From debut author, Ronni Davis, comes a stunning novel about passion, loss, and the power of first love.
They shared an amazing summer at the beach, but without warning, he ghosted her. Fast forward one year, and he was back in her life, but was she ready to forgive him?
I had featured this book as one of my highly anticipated releases, because the whole summer-loving-first-love-brokenhearted-reunited thing really appealed to me, and Davis delivered all feels and, so much more, with this beautiful story.
Such a great blend of drama, heartbreak, and hope, and here are five things I really loved about this book.
- Davis did such a fantastic job capturing all the emotions related to first love. That first summer at the beach was so sweet and wonderful, and I loved when those feelings roared back to life as these two were reunited.
- This book tackled what it's like to love someone, who was suffering from mental illness. All the emotions were so real and raw. The pain, the hopelessness, the worry, and the stress - it was all there, and my heart ached for both Devon and Ashton as they were in the situation together.
- Blair was such a good friend. There were so many times I thought about how lucky Devon was to have her in her life. And, she was also blessed with wonderful parents, who were present and loving and super supportive.
- I taught astronomy at one point in my career, and loved all the science bits peppered throughout the story. I am all for STEM girl visibility, so thank you, Ronni Davis for writing a science loving female character for us, who was nothing short of marvelous.
- Davis incorporated many ideas about race, classism, mental health, identity, and sex-positivity into this story, and they blended seamlessly with each other.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Ronni Davis had these amazing illustrations of her main characters on her Pinterest board!
Devon, Ashton, and Blair
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Now she lives in Chicago, where by day she copy edits everything from TV commercials to billboards, and by night she writes contemporary YA about brown girls falling in love. When she’s not writing, you can catch her playing the Sims, eating too much candy, or planning her next trip to Disney World.
Are you a stargazer?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. I’ve seen some mixed reviews - and I think Lindsi even DNF’d it. It sounds like a lot of topics were covered/addressed but it was done in a way that worked within the overall narrative. And the science elements were right up your alley! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with instalove or believing those really heightened emotions that teens feel. I worked in a high school for 12 years, and teens do deal with emotions that seem so HUGE to them. Seeing those kids all the time kept me in check with what I was like when I was younger. I would have liked more at the end of the book, but I did enjoy it.
DeleteI remember thinking my first boyfriend was THE ONE, you know? I vaguely recall the intensity of the relationship and how all-consuming it was. It doesn't seem healthy now, but the emotions of teenagers are weird. I haven't worked in a high school setting (other than student teaching), and prefer working with second and third graders. :) I just felt like their relationship was a little TOO intense, and there were some holes I struggled with. Example: Why didn't they discuss where they were from? The entire summer? Why was Devon so sick over it for the following year? I wish those aspects had been expanded on. I'm so happy this one did work for you, Sam! <3
DeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
Younger kids are definitely easier, in a way, to work with. Teens have a lot going on, and some manage their emotions and that space between being a kid and being an adult a bit better than others. I am ok with holes like that, when I read fiction. It was easy to see the omission was intentional for the sake of the plot. Danny Zuko and Sandy ended up at the same high school after and intense summer love, and people loved Grease.
DeleteThis sounds like it cover quite a few sensitive subjects and they sound like they were done so well. I love the astronomy being a part of it too. Lovely review.
ReplyDeleteIt's OwnVoices with respect to the biracial and mental health rep, and as someone, who had done in-patient and out-patient care for depression, I thought Davis did a great job capturing that.
Deleteenjoyed your review. thanks for sharing
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it
DeleteI guess I would consider myself a stargazer, sure! This sounds like an interesting read, will be adding to my tbr!
ReplyDeleteMy dream is to visit somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere so I could see their constellations. I have always adored the night sky
DeleteGreat review! I don't think I've seen this one before. I always enjoy seeing science thrown in!
ReplyDeleteI like to see more and more books normalizing girls in science, math, and tech. I went to engineering school and worked in IT, and it was tough being a girl. I hope that things are better for my fellow women these days, but being in a male dominated field, I never felt welcomed. Yeah for featuring a great STEM girl.
DeleteAs an adult, it's interesting to read stories about first loves and kind of revisit those feelings! This story sounds very emotional.
ReplyDeleteIt brings back a lot of good memories, especially when the author captures those wildfire type feelings. I know not everyone is the same, and maybe some people will not relate to those heightened feelings these teens felt, but I could and I saw many of the teens I interacted with as a teacher display this type of "strong" emotion as well.
DeleteI'd like to read this one. And I'm a pushover for titles like this too. They just grab me for some reason:)
ReplyDeleteI think I took a closer look at this book because of the pretty cover and the great title, and it worked out for me.
DeleteI had no idea you taught astronomy! It was my favorite class in middle school (they didn't offer a course in high school). We went to Houston for a field trip that I still remember to this day. Loved it! If you liked the STEM visibility in this book, and Devon's love of the stars, I would recommend THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Ria Voros. It's amazing! I reviewed it back in March, if you're interested. :)
ReplyDeleteLindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
(If you haven't already read it, haha!)
DeleteI got to teach astronomy at a high school that had a planetarium, which was very cool, but unfortunately, the class was known for being a throw away, and I actually love astrophysics and wanted to cover more of the science, while the kids just wanted to talk about constellations. *sigh* I considered The Center of the Universe, but there are certain elements in that story, which don't usually work for me.
DeleteThis actually sounds really good, even coming from someone who isn't a huge contemporary fan! ;) I was just reading through the comments and how cool that you taught astronomy AND had access to a planetarium! I would definitely take that class!
ReplyDeleteThe school had a nice facility. I think it was the only one in our county, but the class was a throw away. The kids took it, because they didn't want to really take a science class, and it lacked substance. It's a shame, because it's an area of science, where we are still discovering so many new things. I would have been better off teaching something I had no passion for, because it was painful trying to force feed science to teens, who had exactly zero interest.
DeleteThis sounds like such a great story! I love that they author did such a great job of capturing first love, and making you feel such real and raw emotions. Plus, it looks like she did a great job of addressing so many important issues/topics. Excellent Review Sam!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
I am a sucker for that whirlwind, gooey, first love stuff. I felt very sucked into their love-bubble, and yes, the issues, especially regarding mental health, were done well, in my opinion.
DeleteMental illness? That makes me curious about it, though I can see from Lindsi's comments it's certainly got different reviews.
ReplyDeleteDifferent readers, different tastes. I tend to like books like this.
DeleteOf course now I want to read that book Sam! And it will be your fault if I read even less "books of the backlog" LOL
ReplyDeleteHa! I never feel bad about people wanting to read. I don't care what books they read, as long as they do.
DeleteThis sounds fantastic! I have spent a lot of time surrounded by teenagers during my life. This sounds like it deals with a lot of things that are very real for teenagers. I will have to keep this one in mind when a hole opens up in my reading schedule. Great review!
ReplyDeleteIf you like a good first love story combined with mental health issues, you could enjoy this book. Davis definitely takes on quite a few relevant issues, and she approaches them with an OwnVoices lens.
DeleteI feel like in terms of a relationship, usually the main character is the one with the mental illness and it is less about what it is like to love someone who has the mental illness. I am glad this book offers that unique perspective and handles it well!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I have not read a ton of books, where the secondary character (other than a parent) struggle with mental illness. I think, because the author struggles with depression, she was able to really tell this story well.
Delete