Book Review: "Porch Swing Girl" by Taylor Bennett

About the Book 

What if friendship cost you everything? Stranded in Hawaii after the death of her mother, sixteen-year-old Olive Galloway is desperate to escape. She has to get back to Boston before her dad loses all common sense and sells the family house. But plane tickets cost money—something Olive gravely lacks. With the help of Brander, the fussy youth group worship leader, and Jazz, a mysterious girl with a passion for all things Hawaiian, Olive lands a summer job at the Shave Ice Shack and launches a scheme to buy a plane ticket home before the end of the summer. But when Jazz reveals a painful secret, Olive’s plans are challenged. Jazz needs money. A lot of it. Olive and Brander are determined to help their friend but, when their fundraising efforts are thwarted, Olive is caught in the middle. To help Jazz means giving up her ticket home. And time is running out.

My Thoughts 

It took me awhile to get into "Porch Swing Girl". I'm not sure if it was because it is written in first person which isn't what I normally read, or if it was because I was unfamiliar with Taylor Bennett's writing style, or the fact that I really didn't like Olive very much at first, or a combination of them all. Once I got into the rhythm of the book, it flowed better for me. The spiritual content was well done and it was good to see the progression Olive made from being a selfish whiny person to one who thought of others before herself. I liked Brander and how there was more to him than meets the eye. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

About the Author       

Taylor Bennett is the seventeen-year-old author of contemporary YA fiction. Homeschooled since kindergarten, she is a proud homebody who suffers from the rare–yet always severe–case of wanderlust. 

Although she dreams of traveling to many different places, her favorite destination thus far (aside from her charming hometown in Oregon) is Lahaina, Hawaii. Taylor was so enamored with this tropical town that she became determined to write about it, hence her debut novel, Porch Swing Girl, the first in a series of books set in Hawaii.

A lover of literature since birth, Taylor found her love of writing fueled under the instruction of Andrew Pudewa and the other teachers at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, where she now works as an editor for their magazine.

When she isn’t writing, Taylor enjoys cooking, drawing, and taking long walks in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest

"Porch Swing Girl" is available in paperback:

• Series: Tradewinds (Book 1)
• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink (April 15, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1943959455
• ISBN-13: 978-1943959457
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:

• File Size: 3235 KB
• Print Length: 292 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1943959455
• Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink (May 1, 2018)
• Publication Date: May 1, 2018
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B079QM574Y

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.