Wild Swans

by Jessica Spotswood

• ISBN10: 1492622168
• ISBN13: 9781492622161
• Publish Date: 3 May 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks, Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Realizing there's more to family than first imagined is something Ivy has to do in Wild Swans, which is a tender story about truly growing up.



Ivy has lived most of her life in a small town, where both she, and everyone else knows that her mom left her when she was very young. Since she was two, she's never seen her mom, but she's had a stable and good life with her grand-dad and some good friends. Wild Swans unfolds over the span of just a couple of weeks in the summer before Ivy's senior year at high school, and she has a lot of choices to make about her future. Alex, her best friend and the boy next door has showed her that he has more than just friendly feelings for her - but she just doesn't want anything to change. Then, her grand-dad throws a curve-ball her way, saying her mom needs to come home, with her two daughters so she can regroup.

As you can imagine, there are a lot of emotions in Wild Swans, and I thought Ivy dealt with those in quite a mature way! She wasn't the character who needed to grow up the most. Always striving to be good, to be better, to live up to her grand-father's expectations, Ivy was a hard worker for sure. And when her mother - whom she called Erica - came back with two girls, and pretended that Ivy was her sister rather than her daughter, things became more complicated and quite a bit ugly as well.

On top of having to deal with her mom and new sisters, she also had to live with her best friend not wanting to be around her anymore because he was in love with her. Also, falling in love with one of her grand-father's students, working on her grand-mother's poems and trying to forge a relationship with her younger siblings. Written in first person point of view, from Ivy's perspective and in present tense, the story unfolds in a way that makes each of Ivy's discoveries the reader's discovery at the same time. Definitely a solid read, and one I recommend to those who enjoy coming of age stories that are angled slightly differently than the norm.



Lightning hasn't split the sky yet, but I can taste it coming. The air's so thick I could swim through it.

Later, when he walked me to my door at three in the morning, he stopped and looked at me. Really looked, like I wasn't the Ivy he'd been looking at his whole life - or maybe I was, but I was also more. Ivy-plus.

No one is expecting him to be extraordinary. Except... I think he expects it of himself. I watch as he leans down, tripping his fingers lightly over those spines again, and he is so goddamn gorgeous I want to cry. He knows what he wants and he's going to make it happen.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
So this was a really sweet story, and I liked that there was kind of "something for everyone", but without it being overwhelming. Like, there were of course issues with family relationships and dynamics, but there were also a lot of great friendship plots, diversity, romance, and just growing up in general. Wild Swans told a story, but it did so in the context of just living life, which I really liked.

The characters were all really well done. Even some of the minor characters had a big impact. I found a lot to relate to- for me, some of the body shaming that Ivy's mom imparts on her sister, and the grandfather being loving but being pushy to a fault hit home for me- but the beauty of this book is that there really is someone (or something) that pretty much anyone can relate to.

I think the only qualm I really had was that there were a lot of changes in a short time frame (ten days isn't long for major shifts, basically), but it was definitely a solid book and one I am glad to have read!

Bottom Line: This story made me laugh, cry, and think about my own life situations, and I think that is a book that's certainly done its job. Bonus points for some really great characters.

*Copy provided by publisher for review

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I was very intrigued by the description of Wild Swans, even though it wasn't my usual thing. But I do love this author, so I gave it a try. I'm so glad that I did! I really enjoyed this one. I was immediately drawn into Ivy's life. The women in her family have a history of doing great things, and then meeting tragedy. Ivy simultaneous feels like she isn't good enough to hold the Milbourn name and feels relief at being nothing like her mother, whom she hasn't seen in 15 years. But then her mother returns, and maybe things aren't exactly how Ivy thought they were.

Wild Swans is all about figuring out who you are and what you want, with a side of dysfunctional family. Ivy has no talent like her mother, grandmother, great-gandmother, etc. She's trying to find it to please her grandfather and rid herself of this sense of mediocrity, but it's not working. Then her mother's return throws her chill summer plans into chaos, and causes Ivy to try even harder to win her grandfather's approval. I really believed Ivy's struggle. She wants to fit into her family, but she also doesn't want to fall into the same patterns. She knows her grandfather is overbearing at times, but she doesn't want to agree with the woman who abandoned her. It's a very trying ten days.

Wild Swans also has a lot of friendship! Ivy's best friends are Alex, the boy she grew up with, and Claire who is an awesome feminist and voice of reason. There's lots of scenes of Ivy interacting with both of them, although in very different ways. I love that Ivy was able to be friends with a boy for so long without it turning into something romantic. The author shows that it's okay to not have feelings for someone just because they have feelings for you and it's expected. Ivy's relationship with Alex is strained and I liked seeing how Ivy stood up for herself and wouldn't compromise on her feelings. And I just all around loved Claire, even though at times she felt almost like a caricature rather than a real person. But she was always there for Ivy and that's the most important part.

I really enjoyed Wild Swans. I do wish there had been an epilogue to check up on how Ivy, her mother, grandfather, and sisters were doing. The big drama happens, and then it just ends. It does end on a happy note, but I feel like there could have been more there. I want to know what happens next!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.