Book Reaction – Underneath the Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste

Description

Time is a luxury we don’t all have…

Emery Matterson’s life has been broken for a while. First, she lost her twin sister to an incurable autoimmune disease, then her father left, then her mother fell apart when Emery herself was diagnosed with the same disease that killed her sister. The only option for Emery seems to be to move in with the father she hasn’t seen in ten years, and start over.

Enter Kaiden Monroe, the brooding athlete who has baggage of his own. Kaiden makes Emery feel normal. Hated. Cared for. Loathed. And…loved. Somewhere along the way, Emery finds solace in the guy with the sad eyes.

But everything happens in stages. And nothing good ever lasts.

From fan-favorite author B. Celeste comes an raw, real, and unforgettable story of love and loss between two young people grappling with the harsh reality of invisible disease.

Book Reaction Navigation

The Gist

What Worked For Me

What Did Not Work For Me

Content Warnings

Final Verdict

The Gist

Get your tissue ready. Underneath the Sycamore Tree is heartbreaking. It explores reinforcing familial relationships heavily strained by invisible diseases and the harsh realities of them when someone is diagnosed with one. In 368 pages, you are immersed in the head of 19-year-old Emery Matterson, a high-school student, grappling with these realities. Her thoughts convey sadness, and depression, but also gleanings of reflection and hopefulness. 

Taking a reprieve from her residence with her mother to live with her seemingly estranged father and his new family, Emery sets out to somewhat make the most of what time she may or may not have left to live. Before moving in with her father, Emery’s living situation was clouded with resentment. Her mother is still recovering from the death of Emery’s twin, Logan, and Emery’s presence served as a reminder of that fact. Hence, Emery took it upon herself to leave and give her mom space to heal and regroup. 

At her father’s, Emery processes the death of her twin sister, addresses parental abandonment, and fights the same disease that killed her sister. It is also there that Emery takes advantage of experiencing new things in the vein of literal “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.” She finally finds something to look forward to, other than what her invisible disease has promised and the stories in her books. And I was on board with her until that something was a little too close to home. 

My rating is 3.5/5. I enjoyed it. It was informative and entertaining. 

Near the midpoint, Underneath the Sycamore Tree became challenging to read, and left me unsure. Despite tugging on my heartstrings near the end and forming a likeness towards Emery, because of the forbidden love element, I still have mixed feelings about it and that’s the reason behind my rating.

What Worked for Me

The first-person narrative is what kept me interested in the story. Emery is intelligent, resiliant, and more of a pillar than she gives herself credit for. I appreciate her inner thoughts for being informative and retrospective. And although I may not agree with all her life choices, I understand why she made them. 

What Did Not Work for Me

Kaiden’s angst and possessiveness. It’s not cute to me, but it may be cute to others. It affected my enjoyment of the book. He reminds me of how I feel about the artist, Chris Brown. He can do one good thing and I’ll applaud him, and just as swiftly, he’ll do something to make me want to take back my compliment (lol). That’s just like Kaiden. When he does show compassion, he’s too hot and cold most of the time for me to root in his corner.

Then there’s the taboo relationship. Insert deep sigh.

I don’t enjoy yucking someone else’s yum (if within reason). So, I tried. I tried to wrap my mind around it and it does not work for me. And it’s not because of the relationship. My dislike for it in this book is mostly because there was no friction against it. Nobody said anything about it. It felt like everyone willingly allowed and ignored it. The fact that it’s an established thing and it didn’t ruffle feathers is strange to me.

Content Warnings

Final Verdict

3.5/5, I recommend this book with a hint of neutrality and caution. 🙂 This book has a specific audience. Try it out. This may be your next great read. 

Many thanks to Bloom Books, B. Celeste, and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review. My review/reaction is voluntary, all thoughts are mine and unbiased, and receiving the ARC does not influence my rating and/or recommendation.

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