Jen Ferguson

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Fact: Ice cream is good. But ice cream can't fix everything.

Lou is dealing with enough complications under the roof of her family's ice-cream shack this summer. But when she gets a letter from her white biological father--a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life--Lou knows that he poses a danger to her and her family. Unless she can face him down.

In this complex and emotionally resonant novel about a Métis girl living on the Canadian prairies, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets and all the spectrums that make up a person--and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth.

Publisher: Heartdrum / HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0063086166

⭐ Kirkus Review: "Debut author Ferguson, who is Métis and White, touches on intergenerational family suffering at the hands of the state, mental health, substance abuse, racism, sexual harassment and assault, and missing and murdered Indigenous women—all with nuance and care. Heart-rending and healing; a winning blend that will leave readers satisfied."

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jen-ferguson/the-summer-of-bitter-and-sweet/

⭐ Horn Book

"Young adult readers can relate to the struggles Lou is facing as she navigates her transition from high school to college, and also use them as a conversation starter about race, identity, sexuality, dating, and friendship."

https://www.hbook.com/story/blogs/may-june-2022-horn-book-magazine-starred-reviews

⭐ Publisher's Weekly

"In a layered first-person portrayal of a young Indigenous woman navigating the edge of adulthood, Ferguson (who is Métis and white) tackles necessary issues—of identity and sexuality alongside colonialism, generational trauma, racism, physical and sexual assault, and substance reliance—through well-wrought, complicated characterizations and prose that sings with poetry: 'Summer arrives to the prairies slow—and stays for such a short time.'"

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-308616-6

Available for order:

SKYLIGHT BOOKS | AMAZON | INDIEBOUND | BOOKSHOP

Jen Ferguson is Métis/Michif and white, an activist, an intersectional feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD in English and Creative Writing. Visit her online at www.jenfergusonwrites.com.

www.jenfergusonwrites.com

Tags: YA Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC