Jen Ferguson - The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Jen Ferguson - The Summer of Bitter and Sweet 

 5 ⭐

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Young Adult, LGBTQIA+ 

Pages: 384

Format:  Paperback ARC courtesy of @Harper360YA

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers / Heartdrum

Published On: 23rd June 2022 (UK)

Big thank you to Harper360YA for sending me an ARC copy to read and review. I am so glad I had a chance to read this amazing book! It is definitely my favourite 2022 YA book! 

Book Blurb: 

Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word.

But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists.

While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.

My Review:

I wholeheartedly adored this book! Yes, I might have finished reading it, but I did not finish thinking about it. It honestly lives in my head read free...It was sooo good! I am so glad I got a chance to read this book, it was such a powerful read, the easiest 5-star I have given to any book and definitely my new favourite YA book. I will be re-reading it soon..that's a given!

This book is about a Métis girl called Lou and her life in the Canadian prairies. The story follows Lou's last summer at home before heading off to college (university) and shows her coming to terms with this big change in her life. Additionally, during this summer she will have to face her past to move forward with her future. The story also tackles a lot of other important topics, from abuse to assaults, from relationships to exploring sexuality, and from minority groups to racism.

I truly wish that during my teen years, I had books like this to read and guide me through complex emotions and struggles that this book covered, especially such things as Lou's fear of being seen as different and not belonging to her peers at school. Exploring themes like this in a YA book spoke volumes to me and was so relatable.

I enjoyed Lou's character, as she is trying to figure out who she is, which is not always easy for her, especially as she is half Metis, half white. She tries to understand where she belongs, navigating how she wants to be seen and is seen by others. The real and raw emotions, such as anger, sadness, anxiety, confusion, and happiness, that she feels throughout the book show that it takes time to figure things out and feeling different emotions are both, normal and a big part of life/ growing up. Also, her character shows the other side too, how hard is to be a young female in an environment which is racist/sexist and where white people don't think of natives as equals.

Each character in this book has their issues and struggles and it was really interesting how their all deal with them in their ways. There are loads of sweet and bitter moments in this book but I need to have a special mention about King. King's character is so understanding, caring, compassionate, and loving, even though his life so far was not easiest. Despite all the things that happened to him and his family, he still stays optimistic and strongly stands for what he believes in. I just love his heart and soul!

In summary, this is just a perfect book that every YA and adult should read in their lifetime. This book shows how complicated and hard life for a YA can be, especially when trying to become independent. This story also explores topics that I believe should be more covered in the YA genre as well as more talked about in our society. 

An amazing book that is beautifully written, and I will be recommending it to all my friends (with some ice cream of course)!

About an Author:

Jen Ferguson - Métis (on her father's side) and Canadian settler (on her mother's side), an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD. She believes writing, teaching and beading are political acts. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is her debut novel. 

https://www.jenfergusonwrites.com/about