The Hurricane Girls by Kimberly Willis Holt (Christy Ottavanio Books August 2023) vividly portrays a summer after the strong bond between three girls has started to unravel. Each girl faces her own personal “hurricane” as they struggle with recent decisions, an accident, and a parent who left.
Thirteen-year-olds Greer, Joya Mia, and Kiki have been close friends ever since they worked on a project about Hurricane Katrina the previous year. They face a strong connection because they’d all been born in 2005, and Kiki was even born on the day the hurricane made landfall in their city of New Orleans. But in the past few months, their once close friendship has deteriorated. Greer is burdened with guilt after an accident she blames herself for, Joya Mia struggles to balance her family life with her own desires, and Kiki has felt lost ever since her father walked out on her family. Despite the distance that has grown between them, Kiki misses her friends and decides to bring them back together with a unique project: a summer triathlon.
The narrative unfolds with alternating chapters that offer a glimpse into each girl’s perspective and providing insights into each girl’s individual concerns, conflict, and emotions. This really let me get to know their personalities and like the girls even more. The title of the book relates to not just to the shared experience of surviving Hurricane Katrina but also reflects the turbulent nature of their friendship during this summer as they make choices and face new challenges. Entering adolescence sometimes feels like a hurricane, where everything is in flux. The girls find that by supporting and helping each other through their hurricanes, they become stronger individually and collectively.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
