The Fall siblings live in hot Northern California wine country, where the sun pours out of the sky, and the devil winds blow so hard they whip the sense right out of your head.

Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces. Now Dizzy Fall, age twelve, bakes cakes, sees spirits, and wishes she were a heroine of a romance novel. Miles Fall, seventeen, brainiac, athlete, and dog-whisperer, is a raving beauty, but also lost, and desperate to meet the kind of guy he dreams of. And Wynton Fall, nineteen, who raises the temperature of a room just by entering it, is a virtuoso violinist set on a crash course for fame . . . or self-destruction.

Then an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl shows up, tipping the Falls’ world over. She might be an angel. Or a saint. Or an ordinary girl. Somehow, she is vital to each of them. But before anyone can figure out who she is, catastrophe strikes, leaving the Falls more broken than ever. And more desperate to be whole.

With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.

I read Jandy Nelson’s “‘ll Give You the Sun” several years ago, and I absolutely loved it. When I saw her latest was an Aardvark selection, I immediately scooped it up. While I had a few very minor issues with it, overall, I really loved it. It is a captivating story that delves into the lives of the Fall siblings and the mysterious rainbow-haired girl who turns their world upside down. Set in the picturesque Paradise Springs in Northern California, this novel focuses mainly on Dizzy, Miles, and Wynton Fall and the rainbow-haired girl named Cassidy, who randomly enters their lives.

Twelve-year-old Dizzy is a quirky and talented young girl who sees spirits and dreams of becoming a heroine in a romance novel. Seventeen-year-old Miles is the golden child – a brainiac, an athlete, and a great guy – but he struggles with his sexuality. Nineteen-year-old Wynton, the troubled violin virtuoso, is the oldest, a rebel who is still struggling with the disappearance of his father. When the enigmatic Cassidy appears in their lives, everything changes. Who is this mysterious girl? How was she conveniently in the right place at the right time when each of the Fall kids needed her most? A girl with secrets of her own, Cassidy’s presence sparks a series of events that unravel the deep-seated secrets and hidden truths of the Fall family. As secrets are revealed, betrayals exposed, and hearts broken, the Fall siblings must come to terms with their family’s past in order to forge a new future.

As is to be expected, Nelson’s writing is eloquent and poetic. Reading one of her novels is like being wrapped up in a big, cozy blanket. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and peaceful all at the same time. I loved the different points of view, as well as the letters and flashbacks thrown in between chapters.

Also, as was to be expected, Nelson’s characters are beautifully crafted and incredibly relatable. While I liked all three of the siblings, I personally thought Miles was the most relatable, but Dizzy stole the show. She had me cracking up so much. I was always excited anytime I would reach a Dizzy chapter.

But it’s not just the Fall siblings who steal the spotlight. Many of the supporting characters are just as entertaining, including the lovable dog Sandro, who is able to communicate with Miles, and Felix, the bisexual chef who catches Miles’s eye. The only characters I was on the fence with (and my only problem with this novel) were the parents. Every one of them really failed their children in some way, and my feelings were only made worse by giving them chapters to tell their side of the story. I think I wouldn’t have felt as negatively toward them had they not had a voice in the narrative. That said, it wasn’t enough to ruin it for me.

I picked up this book just when I needed it most. I found it to be a poignant and captivating novel that will stay with me for a while. With elements of mystery, romance, and family drama, it’s a story of hope, redemption, and the power of love. The characters are beautiful, and the story is wonderful (after you get past the slow start). Pick this one up if you need your soul warmed or your heart healed. It’ll do you good.

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