Synopses & Reviews
Heart-wrenchingly honest, fans of Brandy Colbert and Nicola Yoon will anticiapte this poignant reflection on what it means to choose yourself.
On the day Torrey moves and officially becomes a college freshman, he gets a call that might force him to drop out before he's even made it through orientation: the bank is foreclosing on the bee farm his Uncle Miles left him.
Torrey's worked hard to become the first member of his family to go to college, but while the neighborhood held him back emotionally, Uncle Miles encouraged him to reach his full potential. For years, it was just the two of them tending the farm. So Torrey can't let someone erase his uncle's legacy without a fight.
He tries balancing his old life in L.A. with his new classes, new friends, and (sort of) new boyfriend in San Francisco, but as the farm heads for auction, the pressure of juggling everything threatens to tear him apart. Can he make a choice between his family and his future without sacrificing a part of himself?
Review
"Readers will fall in love with this honest novel, which will instruct them to employ self-care and live their best lives." School Library Journal
Review
"A fresh take on gentrification and the impact it has on both individuals and community." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Through Torrey's struggles and vibrant, first-person voice, Montgomery (Home and Away) sheds light on larger social issues. At times directly addressing the reader, Torrey's narration clearly delineates concerns within nonwhite communities. Rather than providing pat answers to complicated problems, this contemporary coming-of-age novel raises essential questions to ponder." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Candice Montgomery is an LA transplant now residing in Seattle. By day, she writes YA lit about Black teens across all their intersections. By night, she teaches dance and works in The Tender Bar. Her debut Home and Away (Page Street, 2018) was named a Kirkus Reviews best YA novel of 2018.