{Review} I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

Page Count: 272

Published On: October 1, 2019

Published By: HarperCollins

Genre(s): Children's, Middle Grade, Realistic

Source: Hardback provided by the publisher
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

In her debut middle grade novel—inspired by her family’s history—Christine Day tells the story of a girl who uncovers her family’s secrets—and finds her own Native American identity.

All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn’t have any answers.

Until the day when she and her friends discover a box hidden in the attic—a box full of letters signed “Love, Edith,” and photos of a woman who looks just like her.

Suddenly, Edie has a flurry of new questions about this woman who shares her name. Could she belong to the Native family that Edie never knew about? But if her mom and dad have kept this secret from her all her life, how can she trust them to tell her the truth now?

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Hey, guys!

This book was gifted to me by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day follows young Edith (Edie) and her journey to self-acceptance, discovering her heritage and background, and coming to terms with the changes in her life. Edie has grown up knowing that she was half-Native American; however, she really doesn't have a connection to her NA roots. Because of her mother's adoption, she only really knows about her father's side of the family and her mother's adopted family. Until the beginning of the novel, she doesn't really think she'll ever get answers about her mysterious Native American side. 

One day, Edie and her friends discover a box full of letters and memorabilia from a woman that looks just like her -- a woman named Edith. This then leads Edie to question everything her parents have ever told her. Who is this Edith? Is her mother keeping her Native American family and heritage from her?


This book had a lot of promise, but unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy it as much as I would have anticipated. The writing was quite choppy, the characters were boring and lacked a depth that I would have hoped for in a shorter novel, and the relationships were half-baked. Not only that, but the pacing in the story was just extremely slow. The beginning and the end of the book were the best parts, but I felt like nothing really happened in the middle. There were a few scenes in there that I felt could have been cut. They slowed the pace and didn't add anything to the story. There was also a minor conflict between two of the characters that I felt like could have been handled much neater. There is a better way to handle a friendship breaking up than making one party the bad guy and leaving it at that. 

However, there were some really great discussions, really wonderful representation, and a really powerful overall message. The ending of the book was really its redeeming part. I wish that this story had been much longer. I honestly think that it could have been a novelette or short story. 270~ pages was just too long for me. 

I'm sort of glad that I didn't DNF this book, but full transparency, I wanted to during the entirety of the middle. 

Overall, this wasn't my favorite story, but I think that it will resonate with a lot of people and it will be really important for so many people. I'm excited to see this book on the shelves of so many younger readers. 

Thank you, HarperCollins for sending me this little book!

Happy reading!
Olivia
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