Summer of Supernovas Review: It Seems Like A Good Day For An Aquarius!

May 2, 2016 by Aila J. | 4 stars, ARC Reviews, Books, Reviews

Summer of Supernovas Review: It Seems Like A Good Day For An Aquarius!Summer of Supernovas by Darcy Woods
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers on May 10th 2016
Source: Author Review Copy
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
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Fans of Jennifer E. Smith and Jenny Han will fall in love with this heartfelt and humor-laced debut following one girl’s race to find the guy of her cosmic dreams.

When zodiac-obsessed teen Wilamena Carlisle discovers a planetary alignment that won’t repeat for a decade, she’s forced to tackle her greatest astrological fear: The Fifth House—relationships and love.

But when Wil falls for a sensitive guitar player hailing from the wrong side of the astrology chart, she must decide whether a cosmically doomed love is worth rejecting her dead mother’s legacy and the very system she’s faithfully followed through a lifetime of unfailing belief.

This book was undeniably cute and full of sweet moments. There were also many hilarious (and quite embarrassing) scenes that had me giggling the whole time! All in all, this light, fluffy contemporary is such a lovely read that’ll definitely give you all the fuzzies. The characters were absolutely endearing and the romance was absolutely delightful.

Ever since she was little, Mena has believed in the astrological signs. It’s no wonder, since her mother was an astrologist. She’s always strictly followed her astrological chart throughout life, which was pretty unique. I don’t think much of these charts myself, but it was really fun to read about a character who has such an interest in astrology and the stars. Mena spews these random, adorable star facts and had so much personality! The only thing that frustrated me throughout was her dependence on her star chart. As a person with a practical personality, I didn’t approve of how much she limited herself because of it. But I could also empathize with the reasons why she did so, and I thought the author justified it quite nicely.

“‘Our astrological chart holds the key to all the answers. But you must listen to this wisdom, Mena – especially in matters of love.’”

In the beginning of the book Mena meets this musician Grant, and sparks instantly start flying. Unfortunately, he isn’t the match with her astrological chart, which is apparently a valid excuse for pushing him away, in Mena’s eyes. Who knows what teenage girls thinks these days, right? (I’m one myself, and I don’t even understand what I’m thinking half the time.) Instead, his brother Seth fits perfectly into it, and they’re pretty much “soul mates.” Or at least that’s what she thinks.

So we have a lot of tension between brothers and Mena, all because she would rather follow a star chart than her own heart. One thing that did bother me throughout the book was a hint of cheating and the idea that it was okay to be doing those things when technically still dating the dude’s brother. Okay Mena, you have both supposedly very good looking brothers with impeccable manners trailing after you. Wouldn’t it be common courtesy to just straight up tell the other guy you’re not interested? (Although many character issues came in conflict with that, which I do see why she wouldn’t during that part of the story. But still.) IMG_0264

The main source of conflict was Mena’s refusal to get over her reliance on astrology. I really love the friendships that are covered in the book and the lesson Mena learns through a series of events. I didn’t like the love triangle at all, but tolerated it because it really helped Mena overcome her fears and develop as a character, rather than be utterly useless to the storyline. Both brothers made an impact on her decisions and her overall development. So while I still didn’t like the triangle, I did appreciate some bits and pieces of it.

The writing was really easy to get into, and Mena’s adorable personality also made her likable (despite my disapproving thoughts of some of her actions). The development her character goes through is worth the read, even if you’re wary of two cute brothers battling for one girl’s attention (like me). However, as nice as the ending is, I can’t help but keep wondering at the inconclusive state of one of the major characters of this book – especially given his role in the story. That made me scratch my head a bit, at the end.

But despite my problems with the triangle and Mena’s stubborn reliance on stars, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was cute beyond belief. There’s a love of vintage, classy dresses, baking bits, and awesome friendships mixed in as we get to see Mena find herself – and this time, without the use of her astrological chart.

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epilogue

If you’re pragmatic like me, then be prepared for a bit of frustration while reading about the main character Mena. However, you’ll find that her overall character growth was quite tremendous, and it never hurts to add two cute guys in the mix. Hater of love triangles should stay away from this book, as it’s a huge part of it. Those that can stand them should definitely think about picking this one up, since it really does play a large role in our character’s growth. And finally, who doesn’t want to read about a girl who learns where her destiny lies, after so many years of sticking to her star chart?

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Thank you Brittany at Brittany Book Rambles for the review copy!

Aila-Sig

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Aila is a young adult reader who loves to transport herself to new dimensions through reading. She's currently an undergraduate student at university in the US. Let's talk about our obsessions on Twitter @aila_1woaa!

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27 responses to “Summer of Supernovas Review: It Seems Like A Good Day For An Aquarius!

  1. This book sounds absolutely adorable, particularly Mena's obsession with astrology! I'm glad you found it adorable and relatable, sometimes we just need these books to unwind. Lovely review Aila!

    • Thanks so much Jeann! <3 And yeah, it would've helped me unwind more if there wasn't so much angst in the love triangle LOL. 😛

  2. THANK YOU. As much as I adored SOS (adorable fanart, btw, Aila!), I hated how Wil kept pinballing between the boys. Like, pick ONE, girl. It was stealth cheating, honestly. Otherwise, it's so immensely adorable & I love Wil's friendships and vintage-ness!.Fab review! <3
    My recent post Blog Tour: The Flirty '30s

    • Definitely adorable – BUT THE LOVE TRIANGLE MADE ME WANT TO PUNCH SOMEONE. Pick one girl!! Although I do understand that she was going through some character self-discovery during the time too, so I begrudgingly allowed it lol

  3. I always consider astrology as an entertainment, so I wonder if a heroine who believe in the astrological signs and choose her boyfriends because of her astrological chart would frustrate me. I’m definitely in the mood for a light, fluffy contemporary, but I don’t like the sound of this hint of cheating at all, Aila. Wonderful review!
    My recent post Audio Obsession #9. Audiobooks with multiple narration.

    • Yeah, I totally get where you're coming from. :\ The cheating isn't big on action, but it's the feelings part, y'know? And well, some bases that they take. Which didn't sit too well with me, but it's quite light. (I'm just adamant about that topic LOL)

  4. I'm not really a huge fan of love triangles, but I can deal with them begrudgingly if they're well written. It makes me glad that the love triangle here actually adds something to the plot. And Mena's reliance on astrology would probably annoy me too, but it's good that she's a strong character otherwise. Thanks for sharing Aila and, as always, fabulous review! <3

    • Thanks so much Zoe! <3

      And yeah, the love triangle was the worst of the frustrations – everything else was not too bad. 🙂 Especially the character growth, it was definitely worthy of a read.

  5. keionda

    I'm one of the ones that don't mind a love triangle much, but there as longs it's not dragged on to long. Does that make any sense? I like for it to have heat and mystery, but not so much to where it's just like one person is holding onto something while trying to make a choice that's totally obvious and…. and… Yeah…I'm just going to stop blabbering now.

    Awesome review! <3

    • I totally feel you on the love triangle. 😛 I think that once the main character starts discovering who she really likes, she starts to let go. So it isn't dragged too much… she's just confused in the first half of the book. Thanks <3

  6. I hadn't heard of this one before but i have admit, the fact that '"fans of jennifer e smith and Jenny Han" are going to like this one, or so it says, makes me want to read this one. I'm not really a big fan of astrology so i don't know how i'd feel about a character who won't let go of her dependancy on it. That being said, i'm so happy you enjoyed this one.

    • Oh I think contemporary fans will just DEVOUR this one! The main character's character development is very well done, and I do believe fans of Jenny Han and Jennifer E Smith will also love this one. 🙂

  7. This definitely sounds like an adorable read, AIla, but I'm worried the MC will drive me off the wall with the love triangle (and UGHHH why brothers?? That's like the worst form of a love triangle!).
    I do wish this wasn't a frustrating read though at times. I'll have to prep before I jump into this one.
    Thanks for the great review, Aila!
    My recent post Review: Ruined by Amy Tintera

    • Good luck prepping for this one!

      Ughh, I totally need to stay away from love triangles with brothers. Because pitting siblings against each other over a girl is SO not cool. :\ So I really didn't like those parts, haha.

      But overall it was definitely a cute and fluffy read.

  8. This sounds so cute! But I would probably be annoyed at her for her over-reliance on her star chart too. Especially if it's to the extent that all of the conflict in this book is due to that. And yeah… I'm not really into the whole love triangle with brothers thing. I think the disaster that was 99 Days by Katie Cotugno put me off that for life.

    • BRUHH ok I've haerd about the disaster that was 99 Days, and that stuff seems cray-cray. I wouldn't go near it with a ten-foot pole, lol. I'm going to try to stay away from love triangles with brothers from now on too – because come on. Pitting siblings against each other? Not cool AT ALL. I do think that it's overall pretty cute!

  9. Grace @ RebelMommyBB

    Sounds like a really cute read. The astrology art sounds interesting but would probably frustrate me a little with the MC. Love triangles don't bother me too much so I should be ok with that. I'll have to check this one out – Great review!
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    • Yay, I'm glad the love triangle wouldn't bother you too much! And I think that you will really enjoy the light-heartedness and cute dialogue in this one. 🙂 Happy reading!

  10. Rachel Lightwood

    This sounds like an interesting book. The love triangle would drive me bonkers though, especially between brothers! Not my sort of romance at all. And I've read a few books with girls obsessed with these star/astrological charts and letting them dictate their lives. It's a little scary how obsessive they can get about it! This book certainly doesn't sound like my thing, but this is a fantastic review, Aila!
    My recent post {Rachel’s Reading Update} Sidekicks, Clones and A Colleen Hoover Freebie

    • Thanks so much Rachel! <3

      I totally get where you're coming from though – those girls obsessed with their star charts really need a reality check. I'm glad that the main character in this one does, though. 🙂 And FOR REALLL, I was SO frustrated with the love triangle in this book. I dunno, pitting brothers against each other is just real not cool.

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