Porch Swing Girl (Tradewind Book 1)

About this book:“What if friendship cost you everything?Stranded in Hawaii after the death of her mother, sixteen-year-old Olive Galloway is desperate to escape. She has to get back to Boston before her dad loses all common sense and sells the family house. But plane tickets cost money—something Olive gravely lacks.With the help of Brander, the fussy youth group worship leader, and Jazz, a mysterious girl with a passion for all things Hawaiian, Olive lands a summer job at the Shave Ice Shack and launches a scheme to buy a plane ticket home before the end of the summer.But when Jazz reveals a painful secret, Olive’s plans are challenged. Jazz needs money. A lot of it. Olive and Brander are determined to help their friend but, when their fundraising efforts are thwarted, Olive is caught in the middle. To help Jazz means giving up her ticket home. And time is running out.”Series: Book #1 in the “Tradewinds” series.Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & remembered; Prayers; Church going, Youth Group, & Worshiping; Talks about God, His will, trusting Him, & Praying; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Olive is mad/bitter at God for taking her mother (and others try to witness/preach to her); Many mentions of God & Jesus; Many mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles; Mentions of churches, church going, worshiping, hymns/songs, Bible studies, Sunday school classes, youth groups, pastors, preaching, & sermons; Mentions of a prayer bracelet, prayer warriors, & prayer lists/chain; Mentions of Heaven, Christians, & faiths; Mentions of someone’s spiritual well-being; Mentions of miracles; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A few mentions of contemporary Christian music & artists; A couple mentions of asking Jesus into your heart; A couple mentions of a baptism; A mention of Easter; A mention of being blessed; A mention of gospel tracts;*Note: A mention of Hell.Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘yeesh’, two ‘darn’s, two ‘what the heck’s, and eight forms of ‘dumb’; Eye rolling & Attitudes; Olive’s mother recently passed away from cancer and her dad leaves (we see the later in the opening chapter & Olive deals with grief and attitudes (remembering up to semi-detailed)); Mentions of cancer & those fighting it and the side effects; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of a dad that left his family a long time ago; A few mentions of throwing up & blood; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of someone losing their leg & what may happen to it (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of a nightmare;*Note: A mention of a TV show; A mention of a band; A mention of a yoga class.Sexual Content- a cheek kiss and a forehead kiss; Touches, Embraces, & Blushes (barely-above-not-detailed); Some noticing & smelling; Mentions of dates & dating; A couple mentions of kissing someone (goodbye); A couple mentions of crushes; A mention of a dad that ran off with another woman; A mention of a girlfriend; A mention of prom;*Note: Mentions of shorts & tank tops; Mentions of bikinis & girls strutting in them; A couple mentions of a curvy (& flirty) girl; A couple mentions of the covers of typical romance books.-Olive Galloway, age 161st person P.O.V. of Olive285 pages~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Pre Teens- One Star (and a half)New Teens- Three StarsEarly High School Teens- Four StarsOlder High School Teens- Four Stars (and a half)My personal Rating- Four Stars (and a half)Well, color me tickled pink, y’all. I just read a great Contemporary YA. :)This genre is sorely lacking new releases, so when I first heard about this new one coming out, I definitely wanted to know more.Y’all know I’m a tough judge on books, right? Very rarely do I ever say that I’m impressed and when I do, I mean it.Between the well-written first-person point-of-view, the true emotions felt by the main character, and all the faith content: I’m impressed. I’m really impressed.While Olive can come across as pessimistic at times, I think it was completely understandable based on everything that has happened recently to her. Her faith was wavering and upset at everything, a pretty normal human reaction. I love that everyone in Hawaii was witnessing and praying for her, even as some of them have challenges of their own that they’re currently facing.Overall very clean, it had a sweet, very light romance that was precious to read. Cancer is an major part of this story, so it might be upsetting to some who have been affected to read about (or they might related to Olive better).I do have to say that I’m disappointed about one thing. The release date of book two being so far off. I’m looking forward to reading it. ;)*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

Rating: 3.5 starsI picked up this book during its Black Friday sale last year and waited until springtime to enjoy this warm weather read.Highlights:Hawaii SettingI'm a huge fan of Lilo and Stitch, so I was excited that this book was set in Hawaii. The setting was vibrantly described and I felt like I was there along with the characters.Unique PlotThe plot was refreshing for YA, as it doesn't focus primarily on dating or cliques, but instead on godly friendships. I appreciate the values Bennett incorporates into this book.Lowlights:OliveThough I liked some of the other characters, I wasn't the biggest fan of the main character, Olive. Though she does encounter harsh circumstances prior the the beginning of the book, she often came across as immature for her age (she was 16 and acted 12), by being overly hateful to the islanders upon her arrival. Though it was portrayed as a coping mechanism, she rarely felt remorseful after doing so. Though she does eventually come to her senses, her point of realization didn't entirely convince me that she was going to change. Still, Olive may have room to grow in book two.Harsh Treatment of Olive's GriefAside from Olive being hateful upon her arrival, the islanders (including her Grandma) often treated her harshly for it, though they knew she was using it as a coping mechanism for her grief. I could kind of see where each side was coming from, but it just didn't sit well with me. I think both sides needed to show more empathy about the situation.Overall, fans of clean reads and contemporary Christian YA will enjoy this book.

Taylor Bennett is the first teen author I've read who is traditionally published. During the release of her second novel, Sand Castle Dreams-- the sequel to Porch Swing Girl-- I grabbed this book on a free deal. And wow, am I ever so glad I did. This book is packed full of beautiful things: Hawaii, wonderful grandmothers, insightful kid sisters, shave ice, disturbingly delicious descriptions of food, awesome characters, and Jesus! Taylor is an amazing writer. I fell in love with the lush imagery and felt as though I was right there with Olive, stranded in Maui... except I would have been much more active, I guess. Especially with all those amazingness food descriptions. Eeek. Brander and Jazz totally stole my heart. I LOVETH THEM SO MUCH. Brander was, like, the cutest music dork ever and Jazz was just a beautiful sweetheart. I wish they were MY friends in real life. Gee whiz, Olive, you have no idea how lucky you are! xD Of course, this book wasn't all marshmallowy fluff and boringness. Oh, no. This book is about Jesus, about letting Him be in control. Honestly, I think that's a suitable reason for the series title-- sailors in the olden days used to be really dependent on the trade winds to get across with quick and easy passage, which was super important to them and their cargo and such. Likewise, we have to be trusting in God to be in control and know that He has a plan for everything. Taylor imparted that message in a sensitive and understanding way, without being preachy or stilted. I loved that. (Even if that wasn't the reason for the series name, it still fits with more than one!) Seriously, read this book. It is totally worth it.