Review: Rainbow State, Mariah Ashley

I had the opportunity to read this YA debut and, friends, it was such a lovely surprise. Let’s see why right now, shall we?

Rainbow State by Mariah Ashley
Published by Small Dog Press LLC on June 19th, 2023
Genres: contemporary, young adult
Format: ARC
Source: Author
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Living on a Hawaiian island is no guarantee that life will be all palm trees and pineapples.
Jade fears seeing auras will make her a social outcast. Under no circumstances can her crush, DJ, or unrelenting bully, Laila, ever find out how tragically weird she is.
Only— Jade is already alone, grieving her mother's recent death and spiraling— outraged that the crash was her father's fault.
To make matters worse, she's shocked to learn that her parents were survivors of a shipwreck fifteen years earlier and not all the deaths that ill-fated night were drownings.
A trail of ghostly visits, secret notes, and bizarre photos steer Jade straight into the path of the boy she's swooning over. Unfortunately, they also make her a bigger target for Laila.
If you'd enjoy a heart-warming YA romance set in paradise, with page-turning adventures on a stole moped, not to mention a sprinkling of magical mystery ... this is your book.
If Jade can't hide her parent's misdeeds, will she be doomed to a life of loneliness?

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: (click to reveal)

parental abuse, alcoholism, underage drinking, drowning, boat accident, bullying, death of a loved one (mother), grief.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• This was such a wonderful YA debut! It artfully mixes contemporary, romance, mystery and a little hint of refreshing magic. While it might seem like a bit much, I’m thrilled to say that it was all well-balanced, making this a well-rounded, super fun contemporary book to read.
• I loved the setting so much. We follow our main character, Jade, a teenager living on a lovely Hawaiian island. I just loved how the setting shone through, in the book’s description and the story overall. I loved the small town feels, the beautiful beaches and road trips and the ocean, as well. So lovely!
• Jade, our main character, was carrying the story wonderfully. She’s a flawed teenager, but she’s also caring and she’s determined to get to the bottom of her family’s mysterious past. I also loved her special talent: she can see other people’s auras, in the shape of different colors. Colors that change as their emotions do. I found this so wonderful and it brought something special to the narration, too.

• You know me, I love a good mystery. I was hooked from page one and really enjoyed it as a whole. Without spoiling anything, the mystery is based on something strange and a bit dark in the main character family’s past. I just loved how, little by little, we got to uncover the family’s dark secrets and got to understand what really happened, here. I was hooked and really wanted to know what had happened.
• If you enjoy slow burning, soft and sweet romances, you should really like this one. I didn’t find it to be the main focus of the story (more on that later), but I found it to be such a lovely addition. Really rooted for them!
• For me, the real focus of this story is the friendships. I loved that. We see Jade, a lonely teenager, slowly building new, unexpected friendships and it warmed my heart SO much.

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re looking for a YA contemporary read with a hint of family mystery and magic, definitely recommending Rainbow State. A lovely read. I look forward to reading whatever the author will write, next!

FINAL RATING : 4 stars!

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Did you read Rainbow State, or do you want to? Any similar recommendations for me? Let me know in comments!

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