Summer Bird Blue

Seventeen-year-old Rumi Seto struggles with grief after losing her younger sister and songwriting partner Lea. Her mother sends her to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she processes her own grief alone. In Hawaii, Rumi grapples with her identity as a musician now that she can no longer write songs. She forms unexpected connections with her eighty-year-old neighbor Mr. Watanabe and the teenage surfer next door, Kai. Music threads through every chapter as Rumi works to understand her relationship with songwriting, her sister, and herself. The story explores questions of sexuality, with Rumi wondering if she might be asexual while navigating her close friendship with Kai. Through its exploration of loss and healing, Summer Bird Blue examines how grief can both isolate and connect people. The novel considers the different ways humans process pain and ultimately find their way back to creating art and forming relationships.

Readers connect with the raw, honest portrayal of grief and the complex family relationships. The exploration of asexuality and questioning sexuality resonates with many readers who note the rare representation. Readers praise: - Authentic portrayal of Hawaiian culture and setting - Strong character development of the protagonist Rumi - Musical elements woven throughout - Realistic depiction of sibling bonds Common criticisms: - Slow pacing, especially in middle sections - Protagonist can be difficult to empathize with - Some find the tone too heavy or dark - Secondary characters feel underdeveloped Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (80+ reviews) BookishFirst: 4.3/5 (50+ reviews) "The grief feels visceral and real," notes one Goodreads reviewer, while another mentions "feeling frustrated with Rumi's actions but recognizing that's exactly how grief works." Several readers highlight the importance of seeing asexual representation in young adult literature.

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🌺 The author drew from her own experience of living in Hawaii while writing the book, bringing authenticity to the setting and local culture, including the use of Hawaiian Pidgin language. 🎵 The main character Rumi's struggle with music after trauma reflects a real phenomenon called "musical anhedonia," where people lose their ability to emotionally connect with music. 🌈 Summer Bird Blue features asexual representation in YA literature, which was still relatively uncommon when the book was published in 2018. 🏝️ The book's title comes from the name of an original song that Rumi and her sister Lea were working on before Lea's death—a song that remains unfinished throughout the story. 💫 Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote the first draft of Summer Bird Blue in just 30 days during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), though the revision process took much longer.