Think that the whole ‘sister missing’ plot got lost in the whole ‘dead actor/budding romance’ plot instead which was annoying.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book, as I couldn't get into it - nothing against the author or book, just not to my personal taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

The love interests in YA contemporaries can sometimes be a little samey and not have different personalities, however I'm glad to report that in this instance Sebastian is a bit more unique and totally adorable. His love of physics (his theories throughout the novel are clever and often amusing) and his awkwardness make him really come to life. The rest of the characters, both main and side, are also fleshed out but Sebastian was definitely my favourite.

As for the plot itself it mostly concerns family, in terms of finding your place and the reveal of a multiple of truths. Lynny and Sebastian are both dealing with an absent family member and so it is this that they bond over and support each other with across the span of the story. Alvaro (the character who brings the dual protagonists together) has his own problems that whilst seem minimal at first go on to become more prominent as the story progresses.

Altogether this was a lovely read that although a little predictable was still worth reading.

If Birds Fly Back is a gorgeous debut from author Carlie Sorosiak. Filled with emotion and feeling, this book is a beautifully written story of love, loss and finding yourself. From the first few pages I knew this book was going to be special.

I loved the dual narrative of this book and thought it was so well written. I really got to know both of our main characters and felt invested in both of their stories. First up we meet Linny who is struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of her sister Grace several months before. I really liked Linny because I could just feel her pain so easily and I loved her ambition. I thought she had great development throughout the book and I’d quite like to be her friend. Then we have Sebastian, sweet darling Sebastian. I thought he was adorable and I so badly wanted to scoop him up into a cuddle when things were collapsing around him.

I loved that both Linny and Sebastian had their own separate issues to deal with and how this intertwined to bring the story together. I thought that the theme of loss was very delicately handled and felt very real. Although the romance happened very quickly (I prefer a slow burn) I thought the relationship was very cute and I was really rooting for them.

Something I particularly enjoyed about this book was the little quirks in each chapter. All of Linny’s chapters started with an excerpt from her journal of lost people. These were really interesting to read and I could so relate with Linny because if someone I loved were to go missing I would be desperate to do all I could to find them. Linny’s chapters also contained scenes from her screenplay about Grace and these were so gorgeous to read. Sebastian’s chapters always stared with different scientific theorems and throughout his chapter were his own theorems about his life experiences. I loved these added elements because it was a real reminder that Linny and Sebastian are their own people and have their own passions too.

The relationships in this book were really well written and very realistic. Sebastian and his best friend back home have a great friendship full of funny, realistic ‘boy’ banter. Linny and Cass have one of the most realistic friendships I’ve read in a while. Their friendship is definitely flawed and under strain due to Grace’s disappearance but it was nice to see the conflict within their friendship not being hidden because even the best of friends will having fallings out and I think it’s important that not all friendships in YA are completely perfect.

I also really appreciated the influence of parents in this book. Quite often in YA novels the parents are mythical unicorn creatures who get the odd mention but nothing more. In If Birds Fly Back the parent/child relationships are so, so important. It’s clear from the beginning that Sebastian has a close relationship with his single mother and it was interesting to see how his feelings flipped and turned when discovering who his father is. Linny has a very complicated relationship with her parents and feels overwhelmed by them a lot of the time. It’s easy to see why, being as they have lost one daughter already, but it was great to see Linny discover her courage and finally speak up. I thought all of these relationships had excellent, realistic dynamics.

An incredible debut that will tug at your heart strings and insist on planting a smile on your face. Fantastic!

I was somewhat intrigued by its premise - teen girl tries to track down her runaway sister by investigating celebrity disappearances, including that of a Hollywood figure, and collides with a poetic, aspiring scientist along with the way - and figured it would be a pleasant early summer read. The concept is somewhere between Nina LaCour's Everything Leads to You and Nicola Yoon's The Sun Is Also a Star, but unfortunately that which made those books readable - charm, flashes of gorgeous prose - was lacking here.

Perhaps the most significant factor was the writing style. It's choppy, jerky and totally off-putting. It really reminded me of Harriet Reuter-Hapgood's The Square Root of Summer (my review can be read here) which I didn't enjoy either, though if you're a fan of Reuter-Hapgood, this book, also a Macmillan title, may be more your kind of thing. The book starts in media res and it's so jumpy and confusing I had to check I hadn't accidentally missed the first chapter of the ARC. The first half of the book is much of the same, with the prose leaving readers scrambling to catch up and get even a basic sense of who the characters are. I have high expectations for contemporaries - not least because there are so many of them in current YA - and if a novel doesn't bring its A-game, whether that be in beautiful prose or new twists, I'd rather use precious reading time elsewhere.

However, the second half of the book shows improvement. Once the prose is settled in, and stops rushing about so much, the emotional stakes become clearer. Linny, short for Marilyn, is desperately seeking answers to her older sister's disappearance even as her parents become ever more restrictive, while Sebastian, raised by a single mom who refuses to answer questions about his father, is searching for the man who has shaped his life by absence. Stronger pacing and greater dramatic tension make the book's conclusion far more gripping and powerful than its opening.

There were some stylistic details, like Sebastian's scientific explanations, which I really like, and others which are hit-and-miss. Linny's screenplay is interesting, but very little seems to actually happen in it, and it could have been far more dynamic. The mysterious Álvaro lacks the charisma described by many of the characters and the setting sinks into sun-bleached staleness. The secondary cast could've been more developed and the romance is fairly predictable. Ultimately, Sorosiak fails to make If Birds Fly Back stand out from the crowd.

I have been looking forward to this book for what feels like forever and it was definitely worth the wait!

If Birds Fly Back exceeded my expectations for it, Carlie is a stunning writer! I loved the way she wrote from both Linny & Sebastian's point of view ( Sebastian is bae 😍) it was just the perfect way to tell both of their stories. To see both of their individual personalities, I truly felt like I was in each of their heads!

I also loved the fact that it was realistic to what teens would do. I could relate to all of the characters!

I also loved Sebastian and my love for him almost got me into some twitter fights because HE IS MINE! We definitely need a real life version of Sebastian!

I can't wait to see what Carlie writes next! I also can't wait for everyone else to read this fabulous book so get pre - ordering!!!!

Full review will be posted on my blog and on Goodreads the week of the book's release, and the review will be cross-posted to Amazon.co.uk upon the book's release.

My thoughts:

I really did not anticipate before reading this book how simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming it would be. It features some beautiful relationships between sisters, friends, parents and kids, patients and carers, and romantic relationships. There are so many aspects to this story but it never feels complicated or confusing - the three main plots (the relationship between Linny and Sebastian, the one between Sebastian and Álvaro, and the one between Linny and Grace) are all so different but so wonderfully intertwined.

Pros:

The characters are so well-written and distinct, even the side characters, and their relationships are all amazing and real. I especially loved the relationship between Linny and her father, and the one between Sebastian and his aunt, Ana.

The setting is not one that I've read about before - Miami in the summer, in the scorching heat. It's such a summery book and it made me want to go outside and go to the beach.

The format is so interesting and original - each Linny chapter has an entry from her Lost and Found journal, and each Sebastian chapter has an extract from an astrophysics book (which is fictional, unfortunately, I checked).

Cons:

The story was a little bit slow to start and I found myself having to drag myself through it until around the halfway mark. Things really picked up towards the end, though.

There was one comment in the book which didn't really sit right with me:

"We pass all her school pictures, arranged chronologically in silver frames. In each picture, her smile fades a little more.
Happy.
Moderately happy.
Glum.
Audition for an antidepressant commercial."

It just felt insensitive and potentially offensive to people who are or have taken antidepressants. Bear in mind that my copy is an advance one, so hopefully this will be removed from or altered in the book during editing.

Rating: 3.5 stars - this was a 4 star read for me but I knocked off half a star for the comment mentioned.

Recommended for: Anyone searching for a beach read that's a little bit heavier than the usual fluffy summer romance, but not so heavy that you couldn't read it at the beach.

**Disclaimer: advanced reader copy received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

If Birds Fly Back is the story of Linny and Sebastian, set in a Miami summer at an old folks home called Silver Springs. Linny is still coming to terms with her older sister Grace’s disappearance and dealing with the pressure her parents are putting on her to become a doctor, and Sebastian has just found out who his father is, and has trekked from California to Miami to finally meet him. And then, Linny and Sebastian’s paths cross.

This book is written in dual perspective between Linny and Sebastian, which I really liked, and it’s sweet and adorable and nerdy - Sebastian dreams of being an astrophysicist and Linny wants to be a filmmaker, and we see physics quotes and film scripts throughout which up the cute factor.

Other reviewers have written about reading this book super quickly - I didn’t, I read this on the tube on my phone in the few moments I could get to a book and found the chapters the perfect length to dip in and out of. I will however say that this book is compelling, and the mystery element works really well here. Both Sebastian and Linny have really interesting premises, and I can definitely understand the addictive quality of this book.

This book also had a good dose of parents and complicated parental relationships, which is something I haven’t seen too much of in YA, and I loved the focus on where the characters will go after school, which is something so important and life-changing for many teens that we don’t always see in YA. I really liked Linny’s flawed friendship with Cass - I’m a big fan of friendships which aren’t perfect and unrealistic and Cass was a really interesting character in her own right. Sebastian also had a great (and realistic) friendship with his best friend back in California.

What I did notice throughout this book were the numerous bird references which were a really nice touch and not overdone.

If you loved Harriet Reuter Hapgood’s The Square Root of Summer, you’ll love this. The perfect summer read and a sure-fire summer hit.

Well written & well crafted but I felt the supporting characters were more interesting than either of the leads & overall the pace was slow going. Worth trying a few.

This book blew me away! I was excited to read this because I had heard quite a bit about it on the grapevine (the grapevine being Twitter) but I was a little worried that it would be too corny for me, a little too: quirky characters + quirky situation = major eyerolls. In reality, this book was so moving, with beautiful writing and beautiful stories.

If Birds Fly Back is about two characters, Linny and Sebastian, drawn together by the return of prolific Miami writer Alvaro Herrera, who disappeared three years prior. Linny wants to know why Alvaro returned, in the hopes that it might help her figure out how to bring her sister, who has run away, back home. Sebastian has grown up not knowing who his father is, and now he’s looking for answers. Over the course of the summer, the pair of them try to get the answers they need from Alvaro, but while they may not get the answers that they were looking for, they discover much, much more.

The characters in this novel were brilliantly written. I felt like I knew both Linny and Sebastian so well, and I always wanted to know Alvaro more, just like they did. Both Linny and Sebastian are smart, funny, a little shy, but mostly, they’re lost. Linny is desperate to bring her sister home, and she doesn’t have the guts to break her parents’ hearts by telling them that she doesn’t want to be a doctor, she wants to make movies. Meanwhile, Sebastian is also struggling with figuring out who he is. He thinks that meeting his father will help him to solve it, just like Linny thinks that finding her sister will put her back together. They come together in their missions to fix themselves, and when they do, it’s wonderful.

Sorosiak is really good at writing lovey-dovey scenes – I mean, really good. I was swooning. The relationship between Linny and Sebastian was the perfect balance of friendship and romance for me. I was worried at one point that this would be an instal-love situation, where from one moment to the next, suddenly the characters are in love with each other, but really there was so much more to their relationship. They’re helping each other out, comforting each other, having fun, sharing secrets and mainly, helping each other to free themselves. None of the scenes felt bland, or sickly sweet, but they were the ideal mix of fun, emotion, and romance. Whether the pair are sharing a moment in a ball pit, awkwardly watching a movie, or hiding out in a closet, it always felt fun to read the development of the novel’s main romance. Sorosiak really captures the characters’ different feelings, whether its having a crush, falling in love, grief, or something as simple as feeling like you’re going to melt from the intense summer heat.

My favourite thing about the book was probably the split narration between Linny and Sebastian. They had distinct narrative voices, and I liked that they occasionally made sarcastic jokes so that it felt a little like a diary, but not often enough that it felt too much like the author was trying to make a conscious effort to make the characters look ≈cool≈. It was just enough to make them feel real. I also really liked the little details that give you some more insight into their state of mind, so with Linny, each chapter begins with a section of her notes on disappearances and reappearances, and ends with a section from a screenplay that she is writing about being abandoned. Sebastian’s chapters are littered with quotes from the science book that he is reading, and his own notes on theories. This really captures their struggles of feeling lost and abandoned, but also their particular interests and how they deal with their feelings. They’re both looking for explanations, but Linny is looking for it in stories, and Sebastian in science.

This book was absolutely marvellous. I was really impressed with it. I’m a little shocked to be saying this, because I never really thought anybody could reach these heights, but I recommend this to anyone who has read and enjoyed Jandy Nelson’s books. I got the same vibes as I do reading Jandy’s books, the same gentle balance of great characters, great romance, great stories and great writing. This is a perfect book for anyone who likes YA contemporary, and even if you don’t read young adult books, If Birds Fly Back still a wonderful story of love and loss and finding yourself.

Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and John Green, IF BIRDS FLY BACK is a capable debut novel from Carlie Sorosiask. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and even if you're a cynical mess like me in all matters of the heart, you'll even feel a little heart-warmed. Though my cynicism kept from enjoying the romance of the novel to the full extent, I have no doubt that younger audiences will quickly be adding this novel to their list of swoony new favourites!

'If Birds Fly back' is written in a unique style. Each chapter alternates between two main characters Linny and Sebastien, who tell their part of the story. This is very effective and enables the reader to really understand each character well. I enjoyed this style of writing although sometimes I had to re-read again who was telling this particular part of the story as it got a bit confusing.


I found the romantic love story in this book appealing and it wasn't predictable, but reader you would be fooled into thinking this is just another teen romance. This book is about all different kinds of love, yes romantic love too, but also love for your family, friends, love for animals, parents and siblings, extended family, love for strangers, and romantic love.


I wanted to like the characters in this story, and I liked Linny, however I really struggled with liking Sebastien, mainly because of his use of bad language! I didn't warm to him as a person, and this unfortunately affected how I feel in general about this book. Linny however, was a very warm hearted character.


The plot is fantastic and really well executed. I found myself really excited towards the last half of the book, as I wanted to find out what was going to happen to the characters and the mysteries they were trying to solve. Linny's story was particularly interesting and I found myself wishing and hoping that I would get the end that I wanted. I think I did, without giving anything away, I was contented with that ending but a more dramatic ending would have been to my liking.


I didn't enjoy the bad language in the book which I found to be a bit unnecessary and also the references to causal sex were not needed. Sebastien's friend 'Micah' was the root of most of these references, and I think the author was trying to make the reader understand that Sebastien was the less problematic teen of the two, however it just made me mad that he had such a dysfunctional friend in the first place!


I enjoyed this book, however I wouldn't rush back to read it again. I found that towards the end of the book I wanted to keep reading to find out how it ended, but I wasn't sad to put it down once I had finished it.

In this book, Linny's sister Grace is missing. All Linny knows is she leapt from her bedroom window and hasn't been seen since.
Linny is a budding film student and we get to read scripted flashbacks between Linny and Grace to understand past events or potential fantasized scenarios. Linny has a passion for looking through old missing persons cases to try and work pout why Grace left.
Sebastian, whom has a passion for science, doesn't fit into his mum's new family, he feels a detachment as he doesn't know who his father is until his mum has a call which changes that. He heads out to a Miami care home where Alvaro has been spotted.

Alvaro Herrera, an old film writer but still very well known, has turned up after three years missing and is now living in a care home. Linny works there and Sebastian heads there to discover his father only to discover both of them.

Linny and Sebastian grow closer after realising they both know people who have been or still are missing. The two of them go on many little adventures in the book in order to piece together the history of what happened during Alvaro's missing years and embark on possibly piecing together clues to finding Grace too.

The friendships in this book show how everyone pulls together and how they grow closer and tighter together throughout trying to discover what happened to Grace. The book also deals with the feelings between family and when you come from a mixed family home setting with Sebastian's background in California.

This book was kindly sent to me to review by the publishers!