| Published: September 15th 2020 by Delacorte Press |
| Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary |
| Themes: Grief, Forgiveness |
| Length: 208 Pages |
| Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
Hi Readers!
I had the luck of reading this early back in July but it’s finally coming to shelves in bookstores.
What Is It About?
Clara calls a small island village in Jamaica home. It’s a place where no one visits, and everyone who lives there knows each other. Clara is having trouble with her memory, forgetting what happened last Summer during a hurricane. And when the village becomes abuzz with the news of a new girl, she’s ready to move past that.
What Did I Think?
When Life Gives You Mangos is a beautiful, but heartbreaking story, and one of the best written middle-grade books I’ve read. It has deeper content I don’t often see in books about younger characters, following themes of grief, forgiveness and acceptance.
The descriptions of the island ‘Sycamore’ during Summer were so vivid. Reading this in the sun, I felt I was there. Honestly, who needs to go on holidays when you have books like this transporting you to these beautiful locations.
This book had me guessing until the very end. The twist reminded me of another books I’ve read, but this book is more than just a mystery as to why Clara’s memories are missing. I loved learning about her life. Her friends and family. I was so invested in her story and think anyone would enjoy this, young or old(er).
Comfort Reads & Writes 
Leave a comment