PopCulture Readathon Book #1 Review: Turtle Under Ice- Juleah del Rosario

Hey Guys!

So if you’re on book twitter, you might’ve seen this graphic within the bookish community. My absolutely amazing friend Whitney @ books whit me created the PopCulture Readathon centered around the 90’s. My other amazing friend Lorryn @ Reading Parental is the co-host as well. If you want more info on this readathon you can find it at their twitter here. It’s not too late to join. July has just begun, and it runs until the end of the month.I chose to do the adult bingo board and read my first book this morning in a hour.

Title: Turtle Under Ice

Author: Juleah del Rosario

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5

CW/TW: Death, dealing with grief, loss of a baby, thoughts of not being enough, dealing with the death of a parent

“Because, like snowstorms and earthquakes and death, your future will happen regardless of whether you planned for it” p. 15

“my grief makes people uncomfortable, I am not a walking disease because my mother died, I am not abnormal. I am not contagious” p. 65

“There was no right time for my mother to die, because when someone we love dies, it will always be untimely” p. 143

I have so much to say about this book. All good things of course. Row and Arianna lost their mother a few years ago and they’ve both went their separate ways and trying to figure out how to deal with themselves and life without their mother. One night Ariana picks up and leaves in the middle of the night during a snowstorm without telling anyone where she was headed to. Meanwhile, Row is left home alone, alone trying to figure out her feelings, her life, and her relationship with her sister. All while trying to piece together clues of her sister’s whereabouts with the help of her friend Kennedy.

My thoughts:
This book simply put is…amazing! Written in verse and from two different POV’S, it takes you on both of these sister’s journeys. Allow me to break it down:

Row: A soccer player, but also a worrier, she was there when her mother passed away. Always thought that no-one wanted to be around her because she was grieving her mother’s death. She worries about her sister Ariana and what would’ve been her baby sister.

Ariana: In pain from losing her mother, she also loses herself. She’s doing bad in school and is on the verge of not graduating, until her teacher gives her a second chance to redeem herself…

Overall, this book really hit home. I lost my grandmother who was like my mother, and ever since then I lost myself as well. Many people have decided to distance themselves from me because they believe I need to “get over it” and “move on”. Turtle Under Ice really opened my eyes and I’m glad the author wrote it.