Starfish Hardcover – September 26, 2017

Starfish is honest, brutal, and so fricken beautiful.Kiko is a half-Japanese/half-white seventeen-year-old living in Midwest suburbia. I can't even find the right words to truly express how much I wish I had this book as a teenager, and how I believe Starfish will help so many teens, especially Asian-Americans, right now. I'm half-Filipino/half-Mexican and I grew up in Midwest suburbia - most of my classmates were white and it was brutal growing up wishing I had blonde hair and blue eyes. It took me over 20 years before I embraced my heritage and reading Kiko's story completely broke me because I was where she was.She's struggling with her self-esteem, identity, and so much more (no spoilers). There are so many factors that go beyond her struggles like her relationships with her friend(s) and especially her family. Everything about Kiko's life was relatable because all of our struggles do stem from different aspects of our lives. School, work, friendships, family - everything. And that's what we get from Kiko's story. We dig into all of her issues with everything in her life and how they have shaped who she is and where she ends up.You'll feel Kiko's loneliness but you'll also feel her hope. I cried on more than one occasion while reading because she's such a real character that you instantly feel connected to her. You want her to find her strength at the end of the story as if she was you.All of the characters bring something to the story - you'll love some and you'll hate others. Jamie + the romance throughout the story was the icing on the cake. It was sweet, romantic, and reminded me of falling in love for the first time. <3I can't believe this is a debut because Akemi Dawn Bowman's writing is stunning. She pulls at your heartstrings but fills you up with so much hope. I'm looking forward to all of her future work!If you're looking for a great diverse, coming-of-age story then I can't recommend Starfish enough. It's absolutely beautiful and everyone needs to read it.

I ran to write this review as soon as I finished the final page of this book because I NEED to express my love before I burst.Starfish is so beautiful and moving, I don't know if I'll ever be able to get it out of my head. I hope I don't. Kiko as a character is relatable, and the emotional journey she goes on became my emotional journey as well. I'm mixed race, and while I was able to blend in better than Kiko was in her Nebraska town, I still suffered some of the lonely, out-of-place feelings that come when your identity is split between two very different cultures. Nevertheless, I don't think one has to have a divided heritage to be able to empathize with Kiko or her brothers.My favorite aspect of Starfish, aside from the wonderfully paced plot, is the imagery. It feels like Bowman painted the book with words, precisely and succinctly. The narratives weaves along a sublimely painful struggle, as difficult personal growth often is. The conclusion is satisfying. The dash of romance is sweet and exactly right. I'll be recommending this to everyone I know, because regardless of personal or racial identity, I feel everyone needs to experience this story.

Huge thanks to Akemi Dawn Bowman and Jennifer Ung from Simon Pulse for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not, in any way, affect my overall opinion of the book and/or the story.For years, I have been on an undying journey to read relatable stories with topics that are either light and typically romantic, or moving and highly emotional. It’s usually a one-hit knockout for me if books are both. The relatability of the novel that I want to talk about today emanates just that, and it’s everything that I’ve ever wanted a contemporary to be and more. I’m so proud to be able to read and feature Akemi Dawn Bowman’s debut novel, Starfish, here on my site today!One of the many reasons why I was so intrigued to read Starfish is because I wanted to see the author’s take on the abusive parent trope. In this book, the MC’s mother clearly had eyes only for herself and the only thing that seemed to matter to her were her physical appearance, how her actions and character affected how people think of her, and she honestly had little care for her children. I have to admit, however, that I loved reading the confrontation scenes between Kiko and her mom, even if it also broke my heart to see how realistic this instance is for those that come from complicated backgrounds.I love how the author was able to elicit strong emotions from me when I read her book, and I am guessing that this is because of Kiko’s innocent yet passionate voice. The way Akemi wrote Kiko’s perspectives were, at times, extremely heartbreaking (especially during the confrontation scenes), and yet there were also instances when I rejoiced for the happiness that Kiko felt when she met Jamie, his family, and other important characters. The impressive writing style paved the way for a fast-paced reading experience that is guaranteed for readers, especially for those who have hearts for a YA Contemporary.Kiko’s character development all throughout the book is noteworthy too. From being a daughter who had nothing but insecurities, to becoming an artist who loved telling stories through her drawings and paintings, everything was so well-written. The transformation was, for lack of better terms, impressive. I appreciated how Akemi took her precious time letting us see Kiko’s world through her eyes, and walking us through her life filled with familial heartbreaks and disappointment. In the end, Kiko might have not been able to completely overcome her social anxiety, but she did learn to wholeheartedly accept herself and her roots, and that alone made me love this book so much.Lastly, I also think the romance aspect of the story might have been a little too subtle for me, but I know it will be perfect for lots of other readers. I like the roller coaster of a relationship Kiko and Jamie had from the start, and I like the fact that they were able to rekindle their past relationship before engaging in one that was purely romantic. This gave their love story a stronger foundation, and all the more believable. I think it’s also worth noting that Kiko and Jamie have great chemistry together, and they honestly felt like 2 characters that were really made (or written) for each other. Being together turned them into something else entirely, and I love how they both brought out the best in each other.“With characters that are extremely easy to root for, an antagonist that readers will surely love to hate, a romance story that’s healthy in all aspects, and an extra impressive writing style and pacing, Starfish, obviously has the makings of a bestseller. I didn’t expect for this book to make me feel so lovely in my own skin, and I hope everyone gets the opportunity to read this as well. What troubles me now, however, is that this book greatly heightened my expectations for YA Contemporaries, and I only hope to be lucky enough to read a story that’s as good as this one in the future.”

TW: sexual abuse, familial sexual abuse, anxiety, depression, mentions of suicide attempt, panic attacks, cheating, emotional abuse, abusive home life, racismOh wow, this book really took me by surprise; I bought it a while ago on one of the kindle 99p deal days and read it this month as part of a mental health book club over on IG, not expecting much of it as I had heard very little about it, but it was actually so good. From the first page to the last there was a real heart and strength to this book. Exploring the issues of racism, sexual abuse, and mental health all within one book could seem ambitious to an extent but I feel that this book really does cover them all well; this book doesn't try and solve any of the issues or come up with "and they all lived happily ever after" ending. The characters are still struggling by the end of the book but they're stronger and brave and more able to stand up for themselves.Kiko is such a good MC; you can't not relate to her or empathise with her and she really just led the story completely. I feel that the depiction of her social anxiety was done well and especially the reactions of other people to her; Jamie meant well but at times just couldn't understand why she wouldn't just "loosen up" not realising that this was actually making her feel worse. You could feel the panic and stress coming through the pages from Kiko and I do feel this book represented this well without trying to magic up a great solution for her; at the end of the book she still has social anxiety, but she feels more comfortable in her own skin because she's got away from an abusive relationship and begun to rely on herself, rather than other people. I loved watching her develop as the book went on and especially the 'what i want to say' vs 'what i actually said'.Nothing I didn't enjoy about this book so highly recommend giving it a read!

What a beautiful, intense, impactful book. It's at times a difficult read - not because of the writing style, which is simple, lovely, and at times lyrical - but because of the subject matter. Kiko's mother is heartbreakingly cruel, and the way this is written really drives home the pain of loving an abuser. The desperate hope that things will be different this time - the knowledge that they won't. Couple that with the gorgeous descriptions, Kiko's struggle to understand and explore a culture and heritage which she's been derided for all her life, and one of the best portrayals of anxiety I've ever read, and this book is just a masterpiece. Absolutely, without reservation, recommend.

The best thing about #ownvoices books is you can really tell how genuine they are, and how personal the characters and stories are. Every character in Starfish felt fleshed out and real, and the writing really brought that out. This felt like a step above regular teen fiction: there were none of the tropes I'm sick of, no useless girl-hate or misunderstandings leading to huge, pathetic fights, nor was there an irritating, out-of-the-blue focus on unrealistic romance. This was a gorgeous, honest, painful story that made me cry and I loved it.

I've never read a book which felt like a therapy session before. The relationship between Kiko and her mum was so well drawn it gave me flashbacks. I'm a little uncomfortable with the emphasis on Kiko and Jamie. Even though Kiko acknowledges the importance of finding herself, repeatedly, ultimately the book felt like Kiko fixing herself for Jamie, which is a bit icky for me. I did enjoy the book though, and thoroughly recommend it.

I bought this book for my kindle quite late at night which was an issue because I couldn’t go to bed until it was finished!Very well written and great storyline. You were able to connect with the characters well.