Book Rewind · Review: A Season for Fireflies by Rebecca Maizel
A Season for Fireflies by Rebecca Maizel is today’s pick for our Book Rewind feature. I originally reviewed this book back in June of 2016, when the book was released, so if this review seems familiar that could be why. This is the perfect summer read so I am excited to feature it today!
Book Rewind is a meme where we review a backlist title to distinguish reviewed books that are not a new release. We noticed we tend to review almost all new or newly released books and wanted to have a feature to spotlight some older books that we either just read or are just reviewing because we never got around to it, or possibly didn’t blog back then! This meme will be posted on Thursdays as a ‘Throwback Thursday’ kind of deal.
We totally encourage others to participate in the Book Rewind Review meme! Backlist titles need love too! Feel free to use our banner and be sure to link back to our page and tag us on social media so we can help promote your posts too!
A Season for Fireflies by Rebecca Maizel
Category: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: June 28th, 2016; HarperTeen
Purchase: Amazon
A year ago, Penny Berne was the star of her high school’s theater department, surrounded by a group of misfit friends and falling in love for the first time. Now her old friends won’t talk to her, her new best friend is the most popular girl in school, and her first love, Wes, ignores her. Penny is revered and hated. Then, in a flash, a near-fatal lightning strike leaves Penny with no memory of the past year—or how she went from drama nerd to queen bee.
As a record number of fireflies light up her town and her life, Penny realizes she may be able to make things right again—and that even if she can’t change the past, she can learn to see the magic where she never could before.
Review:
[book rating=4/5]I loved this story of second chances and redemption!
I’ve been in a book funk for a little over a month now. Most books have been in the miss category lately, thanks to an exquisite book that released last month. When I first picked up A Season for Fireflies I wasn’t sure if it was the right time. Even upon starting last night, I almost decided to put it down temporarily. Not because of the story, but I just wasn’t sure if I’d give it my full attention. I am so glad I stuck with it!
Penny is a theater star. She is best friends with most of those who work with her in theater, including her best friend, Wes. Who she’s realizing has changed and she possibly has feelings for. But she has problems at home. Her mother is an alcoholic. She’s on a fast downward spiral. And it’s affecting Penny. She won’t talk to anyone about it — she keeps it all hidden. Finally, everything blows up. The story jumps from sophomore year to senior year. It’s here we see a new Penny. She has ditched/abandoned her old crew for the popular one. On an odd evening, she is struck by lightning. And once again, everything changes. When she wakes up, she’s stuck a year in the past. She doesn’t remember her most recent life.
Once the accident happens, I was really sucked into the book. As Penny starts to relearn things, she is also made aware of how she’s been acting. It truly bothers her and she wants to make things right. She just isn’t sure how. After so long, no one from her old life is willing to talk to her. But she never gives up and I loved that about her! It was tough for me to figure out what should happen. I think she needed her old crew, but also needed Kylie (the newest BFF) for reasons. People come into out lives at the right times, when we need them. And this was no different. And even though we probably weren’t meant to love Kylie, I think she had good and bad qualities. I felt sorry that Penny had forgotten her and was more focused on winning back the theater group. But I also understood that was closer to the real Penny in a lot of ways. The real Penny was a mix of the two, she just needed to figure out how to get there.
And Wes! As is the case in any good story, he’s a gem. The perfect guy we’d have liked in high school. Their interactions were painful at times. I knew Penny had work to do, but it was clear his feelings had never changed. It was just a matter of being on the same page at the same time. And forgiveness.
I really liked this story. It was never slow for me — I think I finished in a matter of hours! Things aren’t resolved in seconds. It takes time, and even at the end, some aspects aren’t magically perfect. The real struggles are still present, as they most likely always will be. I loved that realistic aspect, too. Plus, this is more than a romance disguised as something else. It focuses on EVERY relationship in Penny’s life — family, best friends, love, even academic ones.
If you want a fast-paced, fun, and easy read, I recommend A Season for Fireflies.
