Thank you Netgalley and Brave Fawn Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

In Tangerines we follow Gillie who lives with her mother in the forest and the tangerine tree just behind their house. Through most of the book we also meet Oggy, her friend who has many secrets with even more made up words. Told in a journal like story from Gillies point of view, we find out her father possibly lives on the other side of the forest but she wonders if she ventures through the trees to find him if he'll still be there and possibly be exactly how she remembers.

I enjoyed the writing and loved the point of view from a much younger narrator! I did lose the plot a little along the way and the ending wasn't quite what I expected but overall liked the read and would like to read more of Tsvi's stories.

Ohhh, this was such a fantastic piece of children’s literature. A perfect glimpse into the mind of a 10-year-old girl full of curiosity, stubbornness and the little chaos that comes with being a children.

There was something so nostalgic about reading this. I saw so much of my younger self in Gilly, and it brought back that mix of wonder and frustration that comes with being a kid who feels everything so much. The way the story captures her thoughts, emotions, and the way she navigates the world is absolutely adorable and so well done.

This book truly gets what it feels like to be ten. How everything is so important, how friendships and little victories feel like the biggest things in the world. It’s heartwarming and real, and I loved every second of it.

concluding thoughts
Sweet, nostalgic, and full of heart. If you love books that bring back the feeling of being a kid again, Tangerines is such a lovely read.

Tangerines by Tsvi Jolles is a beautifully written, poignant exploration of a young girl’s emotional journey. Through Gilly’s perspective, the novel blends childhood imagination with the rawness of loss and longing. As she embarks on a quest with her best friend, Oggy, to find her missing father, Gilly navigates the complexities of memory, faith, and the desire to reconnect with the past. The prose is lyrical and tender, capturing the delicate balance between childhood wonder and the harsh realities of growing up. A heartfelt and moving story about family, friendship, and the power of belief.

I absolutely loved the narrator, Gilly's, voice - quirky, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny. That, combined with a build-up of lots of small mysteries in Gilly's backstory, made for a compelling read. It deals with an important theme in a light and engaging way.

I was planning to award a resounding 5 stars right up until the end, but unfortunately a lot of the questions were left hanging, and some of the answers revealed didn't make sense, so I didn't find the ending emotionally satisfying.

First off I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC copy of this book!! My review is 100% truthful and authentic to my opinions.

This book is not like anything I’ve read before. I genuinely felt like I was reading a 10 year olds journal. The complete randomness of certain things really made that 10 year old POV come to life. The story is very immersive and I could really picture everything that was happening.

The ending wasn’t completely satisfying BUT I feel like that was the whole point. The story has a big emphasis on the journey and the friend we make along the way rather than having a big bang at the end. (Also I’m in love with the cover of this book)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brave Fawn books for providing me this ARC to review and enjoy.
This was an engaging and short read that I devoured in one sitting. I did really like it.
The setting felt familiar and subtly foreign, a little fantastical… I don’t know, I thought it was a pretty brilliant portrayal of what it felt like to look at the world when as a kid, and I enjoyed watching the various fantastical elements unfold on the page into something more mundane and recognizable.
I’m curious to see how a kid would like this book.There seems to be so much written between the lines that may not be detectable to an audience Gilly’s age, and truthfully, it’s not a story with a lot of action in it (or, rather, the action is not written in an active voice and is all filtered through Gilly’s very specific lens). Maybe I’m underestimating the audience. I thought the writing was beautiful, and I would definitely recommend this story to HSP readers of any age.

Tangerines is a charming story told through the perspective of Gilly, a ten-year-old girl who lives in the forest with her mother and dreams of finding her father. The adventure, with Gilly and her childhood friend Oggy, unfolds in a world of innocence and childhood magic, capturing the curiosity and wonder that comes with youth.

While the central mystery kept me engaged, I found that at times the story didn’t fully hold my attention. Gilly’s behavior sometimes felt younger than her age, which made it harder for me to fully connect with her at moments. However, the contrast between what Gilly and Oggy think is happening versus the reality was an interesting dynamic, adding depth to the story.

The prose is one of the book’s strengths, with Tsvi Jolles doing a great job of capturing the mindset and mannerisms of a ten-year-old. The writing is witty and fun, although occasionally it felt like it was trying a little too hard to be different. This didn’t happen often, though, and overall, the writing was quite well done.

While Tangerines didn’t blow me away, it was still an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. It’s worth checking out, especially for those who appreciate unique storytelling, but it wasn’t a standout for me.

I'm giving it decent 3 ⭐.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own

One of the plagues modern entertainment faces is unoriginality. It's becoming more and more common for stories to be unpredictable, generic, and cliche. Tangerines is anything but.

Tangerines is told through the perspective of a 10-year-old girl Gilly, following the adventures of her and her best friend, Oggy. I expected this book to be a witty, charming read targeted towards kids. After reading it, I am completely blown away by how much this book makes me think. Tangerines is clever and fun, but it's also much more meaningful of a book than I anticipated.

The prose is one of the stars of this book. Tsvi Jolles has truly captured the thinking and mannerisms of a 10-year-old. Nearly all of the prose is witty; however, I do think at times it veered into the territory of being different to be different. There were only a few instances of this, though, and overall, it was very well-written.

This book isn't quite 5 stars, but it offers a unique experience to readers. It's definitely worth the quick read, and I will be checking out Jolles' other works.

7.5-8/10 stars

This book feels like a warm hug. A story about family and friendship, about love and hate, from the POV of a 10-year-old girl.

The storytelling is unique, it feels like I read a diary entry of a little kid. The "innocent" commentary somehow relatable, I even have to take a moment to highlight them because it's so good.

The made up names and words, it really feels like a kid wrote this book! I also found my favorite quotes from this book: [....] hating a person is just the forest's way of reminding you that you're wasting your time.

We follow Gilly, a ten year old who lives in the forest with her mother, and has a tangerine tree growing in her back garden. The whole book is told from her point of view, and steeped with the innocence and magic of childhood. Her father has left and she spends a lot of the book planning on going through the forest to find him. I found it very interesting to see what she and her childhood friend think is happening, compared to what is actually going on, and the central mystery kept me reading.

At times my interest did wane, and it did sometimes feel to me that she was a child much younger than her years, however as a whole this was quite a charming story.