Review : When Life Gives You Mangos By Karen Getten

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! This title comes out 15 September 2020.

I am person who loves reminiscing about how carefree I was when I was younger and all the shenanigans I used to get up to! Sometimes I’m really tempted to pick up middle-grade novels just to relive or be back in a time where my biggest concern was what has mum made for lunch? (Which by the way I still do that now but moving on…)

This started off as such a light read about a young girl who has been living in this beautiful island all her life and we’re slowly introduced to all the characters. We’re introduced to Gaynah her closest friend and their little hideout, and we slowly explore the island through their adventures.

As we read through the story we get to know about our main character Clara and her loving for surfing, and that after some traumatic incident last year at the beach (which she can’t remember) she’s developed this phobia of the sea. This book had a very elegant way of portraying relationships and betrayals such that as a 22 (almost 23 ) year old I found myself connecting with Clara and empathising with her. This story is about betrayal, trauma, growth and while older readers may find the ending predictable I definitely feel like this is a book that everyone can escape into and enjoy!