Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Title: Harley in the Sky
Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: March 10, 2020
Pages: 416
Source/format: e-ARC//Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

 Harley Milano has dreamed of being a trapeze artist for as long as she can remember. With parents who run a famous circus in Las Vegas, she spends almost every night in the big top watching their lead aerialist perform, wishing with all her soul that she could be up there herself one day.

After a huge fight with her parents, who continue to insist she go to school instead, Harley leaves home, betrays her family and joins the rival traveling circus Maison du Mystère. There, she is thrust into a world that is both brutal and beautiful, where she learns the value of hard work, passion and collaboration. But at the same time, Harley must come to terms with the truth of her family and her past—and reckon with the sacrifices she made and the people she hurt in order to follow her dreams.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

"I love the circus. I love the mystery, and the wonder, and the way every act transports my soul into another dimension. I love the way it makes me feel as if the world is in reverse and upside down all at once--like there's starlight beneath my feet and the ocean above my head, and every impossible dream can come true with a single whisper." - e-ARC, Harley in the Sky

Eighteen-year-old Harley works at her parents' circus but they into a disagreement about Harley's career goals and future. Harley wants to be an aerialist but her parents want her to go to college. Harley, feeling betrayed, ends up ditching her parents' circus for another circus. Harley does not run away to any circus but she runs off to a rival circus, Maison du Mystère. Harley wants to harness herself to become the best she can be and she feels like her parents are stopping her from reaching her full potential. However, quickly learns that working at a circus is hard work. It's not all about magic and love. Harley learns that there are people that can make her dream as an aerialist difficult at Maison du Mystère. She wants to learn but not everyone supports her. Some people actually see her as a threat. One particular aerialist feels threatened by Harley and is not super welcoming or helpful at all.

Akemi Dawn Bowman shows Harley's internal struggle with mental health issues as well as Harley's struggle to do what is best for her despite what her parents think. She is bi-racial and never quite feels like she knows where she belongs. Vivien, Dexi and Vas definitely have good relationships with Harley and I would love to read more about them. Bowman writes poignant novels with a strong plot and character development. Readers will feel emotionally invested when they read Bowman's novels.

Harley in the Sky is about self-exploration; it's about exploring who you are but staying true to yourself at the same time. It's about self-acceptance and following your dreams and figuring how to navigate internal struggles. I highly recommend this book if you love reading about circuses and self-discovery. 

Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Title: Summer Bird Blue
Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Publication date: September 11, 2018
Pages: 368
Source/format: e-ARC//Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.

Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

"Music is what makes up the single soul we share. I don’t think I’ll ever find another person in the entire world who understands me the way Lea does. We’re the only two people in the universe who speak our language."

The first chapter introduces readers to Rumi Seto, Lea and their mother before the accident. Rumi and Lea are inseparable and they knew each other so well. They understood each other when others didn't. Lea's death impacted the family. Rumi felt alone and her mother started to abandon her even though her Aunt Ani keeps reminding Rumi's mother that she needs to remember that she still has another daughter. Because Rumi's mother was so distant, Rumi ended up living with her aunt in Hawaii.

Rumi once promised Lea three wishes to make up one Christmas. Two wishes were fulfilled and one was not yet. Rumi knew that she had to finish "Summer Bird Blue." Both sisters loved music and Rumi feels like she needs to finish the song in order to fulfill the wish for Lea. They were each other's best friend. Aunty Ani hopes that music will help Rumi heal but Rumi is having a hard time moving on.

Kai Yamada and Gareth befriend Rumi and when Rumi moves to Hawaii. Kai is interested in Rumi but Rumi turns down his advances. After all, she is all temporary living in Hawaii so her mother can mourn. However, Rumi does give in to at least become friends with Kai. Rumi also befriends Hannah and Jerrod. While Rumi struggles to move on after her sister passes, Kai is struggling to figure out what he wants to do with his life. His father wants Kai to join the navy but Kai wants to go to college. Rumi doesn't pay attention to Kai until he sings. She is actually entranced by his singing probably because music is so important in her life. Lately she has been distancing herself from music because it reminds her too much of Lea.

After reading Starfish, I found Akemi Dawn Bowman's writing honest and real. She writes about some tough topics that teens go through and she paints a journey of growth of how a character can overcome their fears and live their lives to the fullest. Summer Bird Blue tackles grief of the loss of Rumi's sister, Lea, and the feeling of abandonment of parents who doesn't say goodbye. I feel a lot of my students can relate to this book with a loss of an immediate family member or feeling like they have a disconnect with their parents.

Rumi's mother sends Rumi to live with her aunt in Hawaii away from Rumi's home in Washington. When Rumi was younger, her father left the family a little bit after Lea was born, never to return back to see his family. Rumi finds solace spending time with her next door neighbor, Mr. Wantanabe. He keeps Rumi balanced between her grieving for Lea and her trying to fit in with her peers. I see him as a father figure that Rumi never had. She asks him for advice and pours her soul when playing his piano and ukulele. They also relate to losing someone in their life that they are close to. Rumi lost her sister and Mr. Wantanabe lost his wife.

Summer Bird Blue is split into three sections: Summer, Bird and Blue which represent different stages in Rumi's mourning. Throughout the book, there are memory flashbacks with Lea makes an appearance during times when Rumi is trying live her life and she is constantly reminded of Lea based on what she sees, does, hear, etc.

By the end of the novel, Rumi learns how to cope with Lea's death and she even mentions how she misses her mother. Rumi learns to open her heart to live her life without worrying that she will be heartbroken. Kai is Rumi's rock and he is helping her heal. He stands by her side when she needs him the most.

Bowman discusses mental health within the novel in a way where asking for help isn't shameful. Each person copes differently when they lose someone dear to them. Some might turn to music, some to food and some might check themselves into a clinic. As Aunty Ani mentions, "Grief is a monster--not everyone gets out alive, and those who do might only survive in pieces. But it's a monster that can be conquered, with time." 

Rumi needs friends and that's what she finds when she moves to Hawaii. Even though she is not romantically interested in Kai, she learns more about herself and identifies as asexual. This is my first novel that I read that has an asexual character and I hope it's not my last. Also, this novel has a highly diverse cast of characters.

Summer Bird Blue is a compelling yet an emotionally well written novel about grief, loss, forgiveness, acceptance, compassion and finding oneself. Summer Bird Blue is just as beautiful as Bowman's debut novel, Starfish. I highly recommend this book.

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Title: Starfish
Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: September 26, 2017
Pages: 384
Source/format: Publisher//ARC

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.

But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.

From debut author Akemi Dawn Bowman comes a luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

"I need a fresh start. I need a real life. I need Prism." - ARC of Starfish

Kiko Himura is a talented artist in her senior year and her dream is to go to Prism Art School in New York. Kiko believes Prism is her ticket out of her traumatizing life. However, her mother always sees that she is not good enough to do certain things. Kiko has always wanted to fit in and to gain approval from her peers and her mother but because she is half Japanese and half white, she feels like people don't like her because she is part Asian. She feels insecure since her mother doesn't support her everyday and some people in school think she is too Asian. This toxic environment is smothering her.

Although I am not bi-racial, I can understand how Kiko feels in regards of not belonging. I am Chinese American and because I went to school in predominately white neighborhood from grade school to high school, I too thought I was too Asian and people might judge me for that. Kiko's fears and worries resonate with me. I also know how it feels to be socially awkward at events like parties. I try to avoid being in those situations if I can because I feel uncomfortable.

Kiko is reunited with her childhood friend, Jamie Merrick, who relocated to California from Nebraska. Sometimes Kiko finds Nebraska stifling because there aren't many Asians living in the area. It doesn't help that her parents are divorced. Her mother has Uncle Max move into the house even though Kiko doesn't like Uncle Max due to a horrible thing that happened in the past. Her mom and uncle blame her for the divorce. Kiko's dad is now remarried and has twins with another women while Kiko lives with her mom, two brothers, a dog and now Uncle Max.

Jamie proposes a wonderful idea for Kiko to travel to California so Kiko can look at art schools in the area. Not only does it provide her an opportunity to find a school that she wants to go to but it provides an escape from her life at home. Kiko meets Hiroshi who helps her achieve her dreams and being the person she wants to be.

Kiko's friend Emery is very supportive of Kiko during tough times like when Kiko finds out she didn't get accepted into Prism. However, Kiko feels afraid to tell Emery everything about her life. She is afraid to tell Emery about what happened to her at the party they went to when a drunk guy forced kissed her and what happened to her with Uncle Max.

Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote a poetic and lyrical novel that touches upon topics that many teens go through. Warning, there are mentions of sexual abuse, social anxiety and emotional abuse in the novel. Bowman includes snippets of Kiko painting at the end of chapters that correlate with Kiko's emotions from each chapter. It's a good way to have readers visualize with their mind how Kiko feels through words and images. Kiko expresses herself through art as a stress reliever and as a way to positive transfer her thoughts and sentiments into something reflective and creative.

Starfish is a dynamic novel about self-identity, acceptance and hope. This heartfelt novel pulls at your heart strings in a way that you feel sympathy for Kiko. Readers see Kiko overcome her fears and she becomes more confident. Her journey is a roller coaster but she prevails at the end.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"We all have to dream our own dreams. We only get one life to live--live it for yourself, not anyone else."

"I paint a carousel of mirrors and dragons, and inside one of the mirrors is the happiest girl alive, desperate to break free."

"If my life were a video game, I would have hit the reset button a long time ago. Art school is my reset button. And I need to push it by myself."