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Summer Bird Blue

Summer Bird Blue

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  • Create Date：2021-04-01 11:58:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Akemi Dawn Bowman
  • ISBN：1481487760
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Summary

“A lyrical novel about grief， love， and finding oneself in the wake of a tragic loss。” —Bustle
“Gorgeous prose and heartbreaking storytelling。” —Paste Magazine
“Grabs your heart and won’t let go。” —Book Riot

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

Three starred reviews for this stunning novel about a mixed-race teen who struggles to find her way back to her love of music in the wake of her sister’s death， from the author of the William C。 Morris Award finalist Starfish。

Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything。 What to eat， where to go， whom to love。 But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister， Lea。

Then Lea dies in a car accident， and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief。 Now thousands of miles from home， Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister， being abandoned by her mother， and the absence of music in her life。 With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai， who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously， and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe， who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music， to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish。

Aching， powerful， and unflinchingly honest， Summer Bird Blue explores big truths about insurmountable grief， unconditional love， and how to forgive even when it feels impossible。

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Reviews

Cherlynn （cherreading） ，

✨ "I know time is supposed to heal a broken heart， but maybe some hearts are broken worse than others。 Maybe some hearts need a lot more time。" No doubt this is a beautifully written book。 One star for the prose， one star for the realistic portrayal of coping with loss and grief， one star for Mr Watanabe。Things I loved:❤️️ The writing❤️️ The cover❤️️ The side characters❤️️ HawaiiThings I hated that overshadowed all the good:🙅‍♀️ The protagonistHonestly Rumi is such a rude and selfish little s ✨ "I know time is supposed to heal a broken heart， but maybe some hearts are broken worse than others。 Maybe some hearts need a lot more time。" No doubt this is a beautifully written book。 One star for the prose， one star for the realistic portrayal of coping with loss and grief， one star for Mr Watanabe。Things I loved:❤️️ The writing❤️️ The cover❤️️ The side characters❤️️ HawaiiThings I hated that overshadowed all the good:🙅‍♀️ The protagonistHonestly Rumi is such a rude and selfish little shit。 I tried to sympathise with her but as some people have pointed out， she was a bitch even before the accident。 It's fine to be angry and hurting and say horrible things we don't mean because these are perfectly human feelings。 But you don't have to be cruel and lash out at every single person or bite their heads off for nothing。Look at some of the terrible things spewing out of her trashy mouth:Rumi to her sister gushing over a date: "Dad never wanted you。 If you had never been born， he would've stayed。 I wouldn't have had to grow up the way we did。 I could've had piano lessons and summer camps and fucking pizza。 But I didn't — none of us did — because of you。 And you don't even understand what kind of sacrifice that is。 Because you always had me growing up， when I needed my parents。 I was a mom to you so you didn't have to miss out， but I missed out on everything。 You ruined our family — you made it so Mom and me and Dad could never be together。"Rumi when her elderly neighbour is hospitalised: "Who just leaves like that without saying good-bye？ What a selfish bastard。 What a giant pain in the okole。"The only selfish bastard and giant pain in the okole in this book is Rumi but she is too self-absorbed to notice。She also screams at her aunt， who has done nothing but provide food and shelter。 She treats Kai like crap and makes unfair assumptions about him when he has done nothing but tried to be a friend。 She defaced her sister's precious guitar out of jealousy， even though her sister only asked for a guitar because she thought it would make Rumi happy。 She rips her mum apart。 Sure， her mum has her faults but Rumi has never tried to put herself in anyone else's shoes at all。 It was over 300 pages of her going boohoo Mum loves Lea more boohoo I'm not the favourite daughter boohoo boohoo。I'm sad to say this book is not for me。 I would probably enjoy or connect with it more at another time。 。。。more

Natalie DC ，

3。5/5 stars。 Despite how much I related to the main character - her being the older sister and having a similar stubborn， abrasive personality as me - I found myself strangely disconnected to the events of the story。 I think the lack of Rumi's hobbies （besides music， which reminds her of her sister） is what made me feel bored and unengaged by her story as I felt like she was just thinking in circles， falling into her intrusive thoughts over and over again， until the end。 I realize that this is v 3。5/5 stars。 Despite how much I related to the main character - her being the older sister and having a similar stubborn， abrasive personality as me - I found myself strangely disconnected to the events of the story。 I think the lack of Rumi's hobbies （besides music， which reminds her of her sister） is what made me feel bored and unengaged by her story as I felt like she was just thinking in circles， falling into her intrusive thoughts over and over again， until the end。 I realize that this is very realistic to how grief invades a person and， all in all， I appreciate the brutal honesty of this story as well as the smaller moments that make this story special， like Rumi's confusion about her sexuality （also relatable） and the memories of her and her sister interspersed throughout the story （some of them more well-timed than others）。 Overall， this was a solid story and I'm looking forward to reading more of Bowman's work。 。。。more

Robin ，

So， this book broke me。 It's about the loss of someone you love， about grief， about forgetting how to live and remembering how to do so。 It's about love， but not in a romantic way。 Rumi loses her sister， who also happened to be her best friend。 They made music together。 Rumi goes to Hawai cause her mother needs time and space to grief。 Rumi acts very rude to everyone who tries to help， she tries to push people away。 She's not perfect but she also doesn't try to be。 While she loved her sister， in So， this book broke me。 It's about the loss of someone you love， about grief， about forgetting how to live and remembering how to do so。 It's about love， but not in a romantic way。 Rumi loses her sister， who also happened to be her best friend。 They made music together。 Rumi goes to Hawai cause her mother needs time and space to grief。 Rumi acts very rude to everyone who tries to help， she tries to push people away。 She's not perfect but she also doesn't try to be。 While she loved her sister， in 'memories' we see that she wasn't always the best sister。 She regrets a lot of things。 These memories are probably some of my favorite parts in this book， we get to see how their bond was， but also what kind of person Lea （Rumi's sister） was。I don't think a book has ever made me feel like this before， so sad， so fragile but also kinda happy cause Rumi did get to learn how to live again after meeting Kai and Mr。 Watanabe。 And then the Ace rep。。。。 Incredibly done！ As someone who's Asexual/Questioning myself， despite being a guy， I could really see myself in Rumi when it comes to her questioning her sexuality。 I don't have anything bad to say。 I just know that this is the first book by Akemi Dawn Bowman I've read and she's one of my favorite writers now。 I should probably dive into all of her other books soon。 。。。more

Caitlin ，

4。5/5TW: grief; death of a family memberI cried multiple times reading this。 It was written so beautifully， yet also felt so raw at the same time that I could feel Rumi's pain in every sentence Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote。 I adored how the grieving process too: it was sad， it was angry， it was lonely， it was thinking your beginning to be okay and then realising your really not。 The main reason I picked this book up was because I knew it had aro-ace rep in it and， as someone who is a-spec， I am alway 4。5/5TW: grief; death of a family memberI cried multiple times reading this。 It was written so beautifully， yet also felt so raw at the same time that I could feel Rumi's pain in every sentence Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote。 I adored how the grieving process too: it was sad， it was angry， it was lonely， it was thinking your beginning to be okay and then realising your really not。 The main reason I picked this book up was because I knew it had aro-ace rep in it and， as someone who is a-spec， I am always looking for a-rep。 AND THIS WAS DONE SO WELL！！！ Rumi is the age I was when I began to panic that I was probably a-spec， and it was so nice to be able to relate to a character！！！！！ I quickly wanna say here that I've seen quite a few reviews saying Rumi was 'too indecisive' or that she 'changed her mind suddenly when Kai turned up' and honestly guys， ya sound a bit aphobic🤨 like I know those feelings。 I can tell you they are genuinely what it's like to feel a-spec in this world。 Please learn and educate yourself / think about your wording before writing a review！Finally， I adored that this book was set in Hawaii and that it used pidgin English。 It was something I'd not really read before and it has made me want to look into more books that use similar dialect！ Things I loved-Mr Watanabe and Poi❤️-Rumi's sexuality being at the centre of the novel， while not being the main premise of the novel-THE ENDING。 。。。more

Kerrie ，

3。5 ⭐️

Twips ，

DNF at 12%。 This isn’t necessarily a forever DNF， I might come back to it one day， but it’s not a book for me right now。 It’s been so long since I bought it that I can’t remember why I did， and my tastes have shifted slightly so it’s possible that I waited too long to actually read it。 It was going to be my book for the buzzwordathon this month because it was the only book I had with a colour in the title and it’s been on my TBR for so long， but I might just have to miss this month out as well。 DNF at 12%。 This isn’t necessarily a forever DNF， I might come back to it one day， but it’s not a book for me right now。 It’s been so long since I bought it that I can’t remember why I did， and my tastes have shifted slightly so it’s possible that I waited too long to actually read it。 It was going to be my book for the buzzwordathon this month because it was the only book I had with a colour in the title and it’s been on my TBR for so long， but I might just have to miss this month out as well。 At 12%， so far it’s an unlikable， angry and mean main character who complains a lot and over-idolises her sister。 From what I’ve read in reviews on here， it doesn’t get much better on that front。 I understand she’s grieving but 1） that doesn’t make it any less annoying and repetitive to read， 2） she was all those things before the grieving so that's not even a proper excuse， and 3） I’ve never really connected with books on grief anyway。 I can already tell I would like Kai but that’s not enough to tolerate Rumi。 She’s in serious need of therapy and I don’t know why that wasn’t suggested instead of shipping her off to Hawaii。 （Edit: I've since read a spoiler that explained why she was sent to Hawaii but I still think she should have been seeking therapy）。 It’s also YA and after reading a series of adult and older YA/NA books so far this year， I don’t feel like going back to YA yet。 And on top of that， I’m not too interested in the music aspect so there’s really not much left for me。 I’m already finding myself avoiding picking it up in favour of doing other things and I don’t want to risk a slump， so it’s a DNF for now。 Side note: I adore the cover， that might actually be why I bought it in the first place。Review Date: February 8， 2021 。。。more

M。L。 Allison ，

I don't cry over books very often， but this book made me cry multiple times from the very start。 It deals with grief in a way that made me feel I was in it with Rumi。 Rumi was a character I easily empathized with as she struggled not only with her grief but with trying to find where she's supposed to go now and feeling like she has to have everything figured out。 The message that you don't have to have everything figured out like your orientation and that it's okay to change， is incredibly impor I don't cry over books very often， but this book made me cry multiple times from the very start。 It deals with grief in a way that made me feel I was in it with Rumi。 Rumi was a character I easily empathized with as she struggled not only with her grief but with trying to find where she's supposed to go now and feeling like she has to have everything figured out。 The message that you don't have to have everything figured out like your orientation and that it's okay to change， is incredibly important one that I wish I'd heard more of when I was younger。While this is a moving book that I enjoyed reading， I tend to have a hard time with emotional books like this。 I'm glad I read it and had the experience with the messages and the writing and the world， but I don't think I have the emotional strength to reread it。 。。。more

Monica Haak ，

Mooi， prima， niet bijzonder。

AJ ，

*2。5

Talia ，

I really really loved this book！ Almost all the books I read are your stereotypical love stories， so it was nice to read a book with a platonic friendship for a change！

Miranda Sylvester ，

Review to come on blog some in the future！ Link will be posted here when it happens。

Anne Pauline ，

“what is grief if not love persevering” - Vision [WandaVision 1x08]If you have lost someone you know how much that sentence is relevant and hurts in so many ways。 I felt that line in every chapter of Summer Bird Blue because is absolutely what this book is about : the refusal of letting go because you love to much。It’s always hard for me to read books about death especially when one of your biggest fear is to lose your sibling。 I was a bit scared to read this one and even if I cried practically “what is grief if not love persevering” - Vision [WandaVision 1x08]If you have lost someone you know how much that sentence is relevant and hurts in so many ways。 I felt that line in every chapter of Summer Bird Blue because is absolutely what this book is about : the refusal of letting go because you love to much。It’s always hard for me to read books about death especially when one of your biggest fear is to lose your sibling。 I was a bit scared to read this one and even if I cried practically the all time， I really enjoyed it。 It was well-written， poignant， heartbreaking。I love that the story settled in Hawaii it was both beautiful and weird to see grief in such a paradise place。 Hawaii is also at a crossroads of many countries and civilisation。 It was pleasant to see so much diversity in this book especially with characters from Asian and Hawaiian descents。 Otherwise， I really like the way the author takes music as the essential part of the healing process。 Music saved me too from my own depression， it helped me in many ways and it was relieving for me to see that process in a book。 Even if you’re not a musician， you can feel how important music is on daily basis。 My only negative point is Rumie the main character。 She was horrible。 Cruel。 Mean。 It was both hard and painful to read someone with whom you’re trying to connect and sympathize because of her loss。 But that makes the book more original。 Besides that part of her， I enjoy having an aro/ace rep in this book。 Being “better” after a loss does not necessary mean that you need a live story （like a lot of contemporary/romance is trying to make us believe）。 You need love in every form， especially from a friend who understand and helps you。 rep: half-japanese half-hawaiian mc， aro/ace rep， asian love interest。tw: car crashed， death， grief， depression， mention of suicide， drowning， blood， stitches。 。。。more

Tiffani Reads ，

This book is a very real exploration of grief and grieving。 When Lea dies， Rumi is left to process her grief on her own after her mom ships her off to Hawaii with her aunt。 If you want a book to hit you in the feels， I recommend this one。

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content Warnings:Grief depictionDeath of a brother

Une Passion des mots ，

Un coup de coeur pour ce livre incroyable avec une autrice à la plume poétique et touchante qui nous plonge dans une ambiance mêlée de tristesse et d'une touche d'espoir。 J'ai adoré le personnage principal et je me suis beaucoup retrouvée en elle。 Un livre qu'il faut absolument lire。 Un coup de coeur pour ce livre incroyable avec une autrice à la plume poétique et touchante qui nous plonge dans une ambiance mêlée de tristesse et d'une touche d'espoir。 J'ai adoré le personnage principal et je me suis beaucoup retrouvée en elle。 Un livre qu'il faut absolument lire。 。。。more

Blue Mountain Middle School ，

Well-written and powerfully worded， this book opens a window for those who suffer an unbearable loss in their adolescent years and lack familiar family support due to the impact of grief on a family。 After Rumi loses her sister， musical collaborator， and best-friend she is sent to live with her Aunt in Hawaii for the summer as her single Mom copes with her own grief。 Along with her aunt， neighbors， Kai and Mr。 Watanabe， and music feature prominently in Rumi's healing process。 Largely focused on Well-written and powerfully worded， this book opens a window for those who suffer an unbearable loss in their adolescent years and lack familiar family support due to the impact of grief on a family。 After Rumi loses her sister， musical collaborator， and best-friend she is sent to live with her Aunt in Hawaii for the summer as her single Mom copes with her own grief。 Along with her aunt， neighbors， Kai and Mr。 Watanabe， and music feature prominently in Rumi's healing process。 Largely focused on the first stage of grief， anger， this book captures the difficulty of moving forward from loss when so much in life was already unsettled and difficult。 Those who find themselves in similar circumstances will find affirmation and a path to move to the next stage of grieving， although much of the next stages in the process remain untouched by this protagonist at the end of this book。 Hope for a sequel abounds。 。。。more

Julia ，

This book is SO SAD but amazing。

Wendi （Alex） Werner ，

I liked that the book addressed what it's like to be ace and that they mentioned Everett， WA。If the book hadn't had an abundance of repetitive sentences than I would have given the book 3 stars。 It grew wearisome hearing the MC say the same thing over and over and over and。。 I liked that the book addressed what it's like to be ace and that they mentioned Everett， WA。If the book hadn't had an abundance of repetitive sentences than I would have given the book 3 stars。 It grew wearisome hearing the MC say the same thing over and over and over and。。 。。。more

Precious Anne ，

3。5/5

Armin Y。 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I like how Rumi has the time for herself to heal from all the huge problems she had to deal with。

Noura ，

This was equally beautiful， honest and heartbreaking。 All the emotions felt so raw and real， and I loved the themes of sisterhood， family， and love， and all the music that was woven into the story。

Anne Floor ，

This book was an emotional rollercoaster mostly going down。 It explores grief， loss of a parent and sexuality in a way which broke my heart into a thousand pieces， leaving me shattered。 The relationship growing between Kai and Rumi was so pure。 Even though Rumi was broken in too many ways he stayed with her and did not try to change or help too much。 He was just there for her。 I identified so much with Rumi， and almost hate the fact this is a stand-alone and I don't know how her story continues。 This book was an emotional rollercoaster mostly going down。 It explores grief， loss of a parent and sexuality in a way which broke my heart into a thousand pieces， leaving me shattered。 The relationship growing between Kai and Rumi was so pure。 Even though Rumi was broken in too many ways he stayed with her and did not try to change or help too much。 He was just there for her。 I identified so much with Rumi， and almost hate the fact this is a stand-alone and I don't know how her story continues。 This was just a book to wreck my soul。 Shall I just start over again right away？ 。。。more

BADASSBOOKWORM ，

I didn't particularly like this story， maybe I just found it boring。 It did help me a bit though， I liked the representation， of the character who is probably an Aromantic Asexual but doesn't pick those words because they feel so final。 I related to the character， who despised the feeling that she had to figure everything out right this second。I also liked her friendship with Kai and her mentor-mentee relationship with Mr。 Watanabe。 The added touch of the Hawaiian accent， as well as what she sai I didn't particularly like this story， maybe I just found it boring。 It did help me a bit though， I liked the representation， of the character who is probably an Aromantic Asexual but doesn't pick those words because they feel so final。 I related to the character， who despised the feeling that she had to figure everything out right this second。I also liked her friendship with Kai and her mentor-mentee relationship with Mr。 Watanabe。 The added touch of the Hawaiian accent， as well as what she said about Kai at the end really hit home for me。 。。。more

Jenny ，

4 starsTrigger warning: mention of mental breakdown/depressionContent warning: death/griefIt reminded me a lot of The Astonishing Color of After in the way that it deals with losing a family member and how the main character learns about herself while grieving。 It didn't grip my heart the way TACoA did， but it still had its moments。I like the journey Rumi took and I understand it。 I understand the need to be angry and yell at the world when you just lost your sister， who also happens to be your 4 starsTrigger warning: mention of mental breakdown/depressionContent warning: death/griefIt reminded me a lot of The Astonishing Color of After in the way that it deals with losing a family member and how the main character learns about herself while grieving。 It didn't grip my heart the way TACoA did， but it still had its moments。I like the journey Rumi took and I understand it。 I understand the need to be angry and yell at the world when you just lost your sister， who also happens to be your best friend。 I think the other characters could have been a little less allowing in the way they treated her。 Her aunt never stepped in when she was yelling and throwing things and acting like a brat。 While I get why she didn't act， I think she should've; it might have helped Rumi in her grief。It's her mother's journey that I actually appreciated the most， and which brought a tear to my eyes。 （view spoiler）[The mention of a parent checking into a mental hospital after the death of a child is something I think should be talked about more。 It's a good think to seek help and it should be more widely discussed。 （hide spoiler）] It brought a contrast to rumi's way to grief and showed each person has their unique way of getting through it。I appreciate the aro/ace rep， but I didn't like the way it was mentioned in dialogue。 Every paragraph where the actual words "aromantic" and "asexual" appeared felt dry and too educational for me。 It didn't flow with the rest and the way the author introduced it left me wondering why the flow of Rumi's thoughts went down the romantic road so much when she thought about Kai in the beginning。 The way it was written seemed clumsy。It's an interesting book for those who might be coming out of a grieving period， or who want a story that ends well after a traumatic incident。 Since there's no details about the crash itself， it's also a fairly soft read despite the heavy subject。 。。。more

Myri ，

I！ Really liked this！ A lot！ As for all the other books I've finished I need to think but i guess i'll just say that even though I'm lucky enough to not have the experience of losing someone close， this hit a lot of familiar notes and was such a nice read。for some reason it gives me the same vibes as one of my wips but that's a different topic。and ig the fact that i finished this in a single evening means something too。 I！ Really liked this！ A lot！ As for all the other books I've finished I need to think but i guess i'll just say that even though I'm lucky enough to not have the experience of losing someone close， this hit a lot of familiar notes and was such a nice read。for some reason it gives me the same vibes as one of my wips but that's a different topic。and ig the fact that i finished this in a single evening means something too。 。。。more

Millie ，

I struggled with the main character， but I do think that was the point - she wasn't lovable， and that was part of her， because she didn't believe that she could be。 I just wish that she had been a bit more。。。 not apologetic， but at least apologised to her mum。 Yes， her mum should have been her mum， but she was grieving too。 I struggled with the main character， but I do think that was the point - she wasn't lovable， and that was part of her， because she didn't believe that she could be。 I just wish that she had been a bit more。。。 not apologetic， but at least apologised to her mum。 Yes， her mum should have been her mum， but she was grieving too。 。。。more

Elliot🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ，

A really quietly beautiful book about grief， love and loss。

Simran Mehta ，

Rumi's whole world comes crashing down in a flicker of the moment as her younger sister， Lea， dies in a car accident and her mother seemingly abandons her to deal with her own grief。 Rumi never felt sure of anything in her life but one thing she truly heartedly wanted was to be with her forever and make music together。 But one moment， just one moment passed and her world turned upside down leaving her in Hawaii with her estranged aunt with nothing familiar by her side， not even Lea。 Summer bird Rumi's whole world comes crashing down in a flicker of the moment as her younger sister， Lea， dies in a car accident and her mother seemingly abandons her to deal with her own grief。 Rumi never felt sure of anything in her life but one thing she truly heartedly wanted was to be with her forever and make music together。 But one moment， just one moment passed and her world turned upside down leaving her in Hawaii with her estranged aunt with nothing familiar by her side， not even Lea。 Summer bird blue is the story of Rumi Seto who's struggling to find the meaning of life， after her sister's death， in this new place， surrounded with new people。 But things aren't unfamiliar anymore， Rumi is not alone anymore as the destiny takes her to the boys next door。 Kai， a seventeen year old boy， is a literal sweetheart and an epitome of beauty while Mr Watanabe， an eighty year old man who lives in the neighbourhood with his pup， poi， and has a great interest in music as Rumi。 The same interest in music and a soft desire of having a friend bonds Rumi with Mr Watanabe and kai。  From the upfront， summer bird blue is about music and an excruciating journey from being a lost soul， after the death of a sibling， to taking small steps towards a new beginning。 But when you go deep inside the story and Rumi's character， there is also an aro ace representation （the reason that I read this book）。 Although there wasn't much about these spectrums in the book， to my dismay， Akemi has handled the conversation about these topics amazingly well。 Everything felt so raw， so real that I could also relate to Rumi in some ways。 While talking about the characters， I loved Kai the most。 Not just because he is beautiful and all but for the person he is。 I really wished to read more about him， but you know the story wasn't about him。 Idk why but I always happen to love the side characters more than the main character and then end up being sad because I can't get enough of them。 Anyway， another thing that I loved was Rumi and Mr Watanabe's relationship。 The kind where just sitting together is enough， where the silence feels extremely comfortable， where your mind doesn't wander around looking for things to fill the void。 Apart from all of this， the most beautiful， surreal thing for me in this whole book was Akemi's writing。 Those poetic prose， those flowery metaphors。 I lived for that and I can literally spend my whole life reading that again and again， not wanting to do anything else。 This book is so underrated and yet so beautiful and precious。 。。。more

hannah ，

I would honestly recommend Summer bird blue to anyone。 It was so beautifully written， and was such an emotional story。 This author truly is one of my favorites and I cannot wait to see what else she creates。 The only thing I found frustrating in this book was the hawaiian accents。 The accents made it difficult for me to read and I found it annoying。 But overall， I enjoyed this read and would 100% recommend。

Jenna ，

i think this might be closer to a 4。75 but ANYWAYi think this is more of what i wanted out of a million junes by emily henry。 it's a book about grief and family but it's also about friendship and asexuality and learning about yourself。 and music。 whew。 obviously i related very heavily to it - rumi has a lot of the personality that i do， and she's aroace and she's a musician。 i think what i liked about this book is that it showed the angry side of grief。 i think for me a lot of my experience with i think this might be closer to a 4。75 but ANYWAYi think this is more of what i wanted out of a million junes by emily henry。 it's a book about grief and family but it's also about friendship and asexuality and learning about yourself。 and music。 whew。 obviously i related very heavily to it - rumi has a lot of the personality that i do， and she's aroace and she's a musician。 i think what i liked about this book is that it showed the angry side of grief。 i think for me a lot of my experience with grief has been learning how to be okay with crying and learning how to accept that grief exists， but i found myself relating a lot to rumi because she felt。。。cheated。 she was much more angry than i ever was， but a lot of her actions were things that i've done or that i've felt before。 i think this book showed that when you shut yourself off from everyone， dam up the grief and pretend it isn't there， or even just try to deal with it alone on your own。。。it can suffocate you and fester into something ugly。 i adored the characters， the setting， the development rumi underwent。 i loved how much this book focused on music and making friends。 i also loved the aroace rep because it felt so real and relatable。 and i think this is a book i will return to someday because i felt like i missed a lot of really incredible quotes。 i guess it always surprises me when i read books like this because it's like。。。even though i haven't lived this and my grief is different， i still feel so seen in ways i didn't expect。 and this book made me feel safe。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Summer Bird Blue

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Summer Bird Blue&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Summer Bird Blue&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0