- Kimberly Jones
- Thursday, June 23, 2022
A teen in search of love, acceptance, and self; this novel in verse depicts a compelling tale of friendship.
Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne introduces us to Skyy, a teenage girl who finds herself in a bad friendship. Coupled with the stress of her home life and high school, Skyy finds herself looking to “Play smart not small”. Emerging from the shadow of her ex-best friend Lay Li the novel opens with us learning that Skyy felt unprotected in their friendship. See, Lay Li allowed people to talk bad about Skyy without sticking up for her. Skyy internalizes all of this and begins to resent Lay Li which results in a fight that ends their friendship.
In addition to her toxic friendship with Lay Li we also learn about Skyy’s mother who is battling addiction and she has a strained relationship with her older sister Essa. The only release Skyy gets from all the chaos in her life is Basketball and her first boyfriend Clifton. In reality, though the only thing Skyy wants is her friend Lay Li back so she can have someone to share all of her new experiences with her first boyfriend with.
“Like she got a life don’t nobody judge, cause she’s so perfect.”
Like Skyy, I struggled with a friendship as a teen. I can recall not talking to my best friend for a whole school year. Those feelings of hurt and anger when you see your once friend having fun with other people is real. Similar to Skyy I questioned myself and my ability to be me outside of my friendship because so much of me at the time relied on us and our dynamic. I can remember feeling super self-conscious during that time because rumors were started, and drama followed, and the one person I needed the most was not there. Chlorine Sky brought back so many memories of that time I could see myself in her as I was reading.
I love how this novel tackle’s the tale of friendship as a black teen learning how to just be herself. While also touching on several other relatable topics like first boyfriend, sibling quarrels, addiction, and rumors. If you enjoy novels in verse or looking for a quick read with an engaging story of discovering self this is the book for you.
Chlorine Sky
Crown, 2021
Formats: Book, Ebook, and Eaudiobook
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