Review by Booklist Review
Winnie Nash is a sunshine baby and chronic only child, but she doesn't want to be. Sent away for the summer so her parents can focus on her mother's latest fragile pregnancy, Winnie finds herself living in a retirement community with her grandma. In a sea of old people, she finally meets a couple of friends her own age and finds temporary solace in visits from her mother's best friend, a lesbian like herself (though her parents have requested that Winnie keep this fact hidden from her grandma). As Winnie struggles to come to terms with all that she and her family have lost, she experiences a spectrum of emotions en route to a happier--albeit still messy--resolution. Ultimately, Winnie's parents recognize that adding another member to their family is a process that involves them all and should, therefore, be tackled together. Melleby's latest is a tearjerker with heart--a triumphant exploration of lesbianism, extended family, and miscarriage from the eyes of a young, would-be sibling. Hand to middle-grade fans of Kate DiCamillo or Ashley Herring Blake.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Twelve-year-old spitfire Winnifred Maude Nash feels that she's under a lot of pressure. She must save up her smiles for her depressed mother, who is currently undergoing a high-risk pregnancy after several miscarriages. Winnie is simultaneously compelled to keep her feelings bottled up inside and not share them with the world, and to hide her attraction to girls from her grandmother, with whom she's staying for the summer at the Jersey Shore. What Winnie really wants is to attend N.Y.C. Pride and be among people she believes will understand her. Despite her best efforts to stay aloof, she befriends gregarious, pretty Pippa Lai and "chubby," easygoing Lucia Delgado. Now, Winnie must balance her desire for companionship and inclusion with the secrets churning within her. In this summery, heartfelt tale of change and transformation, Melleby (Camp QUILTBAG) tackles themes of family dynamics, queer identity, and quiet trauma. It's also a nuanced depiction of emotions writ large--Winnie is anything but subtle in her approach to big feelings, an element of her personality that shines brightly and informs how she experiences the world, cementing herself as an indomitable tween protagonist. Winnie reads as white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 9--12. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Apr.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--No one asked Winnie, 12, but she's spending the summer with her grandma while her parents work; her mom is pregnant again after several miscarriages and bouts of depression, and no one is talking about it. Winnie's parents have told her not to tell her grandma that she's gay, which she's known since she was four. Being sent away and forced into the closet makes upsets Winnie, but she acquiesces because she wants her mom to be happy. She makes friends with talkative Pippa Lai and quiet Lucía Delgado. Winnie wants to "feel held" by those closest to her, but her parents and grandma are unpracticed at having honest conversations. Bottling up her fears drives Winnie to seek escape, which finally precipitates some frank family conversations and support. The effect of miscarriages on (potential) siblings is rarely addressed in fiction, and Melleby handles it with great sensitivity. Winnie herself is a tangle, but readers will understand how her actions stem from her feelings of sadness, frustration, fear, and her idea that there is a limited number of smiles to go around. She's placed in an unusual situation and given uncomfortable instructions; though no reference to friends from home is made, readers might infer that Winnie would interact with Pippa and Lucía differently if she were allowed to be herself instead of having to hide. VERDICT It's not a perfect summer at the beach, but Winnie's feelings are perfectly real, and the resolution is satisfying and hopeful. Highly recommended.--Jenny Arch
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Review by Horn Book Review
Winnie Nash has been out as gay since age four when she kissed another girl at preschool. It's never been an issue. At twelve, she's much more worried about her mom, who is pregnant again after several miscarriages. Winnie's parents are sending her to stay with a grandmother she barely knows for the whole summer, and they warn her not to share their family's private business, including her mom's severe clinical depression and the fact that Winnie is gay. They tell her just to have an enjoyable summer at the Jersey Shore -- but how can she do that when anytime she smiles, she feels like she's stealing a smile from her mom? All she wants is to escape to New York City to attend the Pride parade, where she won't have to hide. In the moody and contrarian Winnie, Melleby has crafted a believable, compelling portrait of a middle schooler struggling to process big, difficult emotions. Though Winnie's family situation makes this novel at times a somber read, joy shines through in unexpected places, as when Winnie delights in playing canasta at the senior center, or in the vivid descriptions of beaches. Winnie's relationship with her grandma is a highlight -- complicated, sometimes tumultuous, but deeply rewarding once she discovers that we really do need to talk about the hard things. Bodie ShanisMay/June 2024 p.147 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gay tween struggles to go back into the closet while temporarily living with her grandma. Between her dad's new job and her mom's post-miscarriage pregnancy, Winnie's family has a lot going on. They send Winnie to stay with her grandma for a "summer at the shore" in New Jersey. Winnie's angry. With a name like Winnifred Maude Nash, the 12-year-old fits right in at her grandma's book club for seniors. The problem: She can't quite be her true self, because her parents asked her not to tell her grandma she's gay. Winnie eventually makes friends her own age--Pippa Lai and Lucía Delgado--who let her be her authentic self. But what she really needs is to feel "held" by going to Pride in New York City. Trouble is, Pride is the same day as Pippa's annual family party, which Winnie agreed to go to. What's a girl to do? Melleby's latest expertly captures the tumultuousness of tween emotions through its dialogue and third-person narration. While many in Winnie's generation are so confident in their queerness, the story importantly touches on how it's not always safe to be out. Multiple queer characters--peers, adults, and elders alike--contribute to an exceptional sense of community that shows the many ways support can manifest. Winnie and her family read white; Pippa's surname cues Chinese ancestry, and Lucía is implied Latine. A powerful, emotional look at queerness, pride, and what it truly means to feel held. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
