Review: Fade to Us by Julia Day

Title: Fade to Us
Author: Julia Day 
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publish Date: February 6, 2018
Source: Publisher

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Brooke’s summer is going to be EPIC--having fun with her friends and a job that lets her buy a car. Then her new stepfather announces his daughter is moving in. Brooke has always longed for a sibling, so she’s excited about spending more time with her stepsister. But she worries, too. Natalie has Asperger’s--and Brooke’s not sure how to be the big sister that Natalie needs.

After Natalie joins a musical theater program, Brooke sacrifices her job to volunteer for the backstage crew. She’s mostly there for Natalie, but Brooke soon discovers how much she enjoys being part of the show. Especially sweet is the chance to work closely with charming and fascinating Micah--the production’s stage manager. If only he wasn’t Natalie’s mentor…

When summer comes to an end, will Brooke finally have the family she so desperately wants–and the love she’s only dreamed about?"

My Two Cents:

"Fade to Us" is the story of Brooke, who just wants to have a good summer. When her stepsister comes to live with her family, Brooke is excited but doesn't know how to deal with Natalie's bluntness or outbursts that come from her Asperger's. She has a lot of learning to do but she's willing to do it even if that means changing her summer plans.

I really appreciated seeing a character like Natalie in this book. I believe that it is important to represent people from all walks of life, dealing with all of the things that real life humans deal with. While it is important for everyone at every level to see this in books, it is especially important for young adult literature. I appreciate what the author was trying to do but sometimes it felt like her message of acceptance was too didactic and not baked into the plot as much as I would have wanted it to be. Also, Brooke had a tendency of telling rather than showing.

There is a romance in this book between Brooke and Micah but the book is really more about family than anything else. Brooke is really trying to be a good sister to Natalie, which her mom and stepdad appreciate (maybe a little too much; there were several times in the book where I was like "where are the parents???" because of the things that Natalie was left to do on her own).

Overall, I appreciated where this story was going; I just wanted more cohesiveness.