Review: Candy Colored Sky by Ginger Scott

About the Book:

Jonah Wydner has been in love with his neighbor Eleanor Trombley for years. He has watched her life play out from the sidelines—homecoming dances, football parties, and first dates. Her life seemed easy…simple…𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. The complete opposite of his own.

But when Eleanor’s younger sister goes missing and the national media sets up camp in the middle of their street, the girl with the seemingly perfect life shows up in Jonah’s garage in search of a place to hide from the hurt and chaos. What begins as one night becomes many filled with unexpected surprises and unveiling, healing truths about Jonah’s own messy past.

Soon, Jonah gets to know the real Eleanor, and discover all the ways they’re the same. Friendship blossoms into more, plans turn into promises, and hopes and dreams become shared under the warm glow of the fading Midwestern sunsets. But how far can a kiss under a candy-colored sky take them? And what happens when the clouds close in?

My Thoughts:

Ginger Scott’s Candy Colored Sky is a beautifully told story of young adults set in the Midwest. For me, this is more a coming of age than it is a YA romance. Yes, socially awkward Jonah, pines for his neighbor, the vivacious cheerleader named Eleanor, but mostly this book is about his quiet support of her through the her family’s tragedy.

I loved that the story was told from Jonah’s POV; it is quite unique to have the boy be the sole narrator of a “young adult romance”. I did feel that many of his observations were more mature than I would attribute to any 18-year-old young man I’ve known. Even given Jonah’s family tragedy, some comments sounded more like a parent’s voice rather than that of a quiet, introspective high school senior. I appreciated that the leisurely pace allowed for ample character development. While we readers are not given Eleanor’s perspective, her emotions are palpable through her interactions with Jonah and his family. I adored Grandpa Hank and Jonah’s mom; even Eleanor’s sister, Morgan, grew on me.

There were a couple unexpected twists that blew my mind. Through those twists, Ms. Scott gave her story a feeling of authenticity instead of taking the easy route with a sugar-coated zenith. The HFN ending is bittersweet. The promise of hope, understanding and love is tempered by the impending start of their college careers in different states. Jonah and Eleanor’s naiveté and hopefulness is sweet and endearing. The beautiful story is matched by the book’s beautiful and meaningful cover, and as ever, Ms. Scott’s writing is sublime.