Tangled Roots and Broken Blossoms: A Review of "The Grove" by Brook Whitney Phillips
- Kim Bartosch
- Jul 17
- 4 min read
“Some secrets don’t rot, they root.” That’s the kind of haunting truth that lingers after finishing The Grove by Brook Whitney Phillips — a tender, emotionally charged coming-of-age story set in 1960s Florida that wraps family tension, adolescent longing, and painful secrets in prose that’s both raw and lyrical.
Thank you to the author, Viking Books for Young Readers, for the ARC and my honest review. This connection was made on NetGalley.com.
About the book:
Title: The Grove
Author: Brooks Whitney Phillips
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: June 17, 2025
Genre: YA Drama Historical
Amazon || B&N || Goodreads || Bookshop.org
Synopsis:
In this tender coming-of-age novel set in the socioeconomic tinderbox of the 1960s, two sisters in a struggling and damaged family only have each other to rely on . . . until an ugly secret tears them apart and threatens the cause of justice in their small town.
Fifteen-year-old Pip and seventeen-year-old Sissy aren't just sisters, they're best friends. Every year, they wait eagerly for the traveling carnival to put its stakes down in their tiny Florida town. It's the only time when the girls can abandon their endless chores on the family's orange grove and give in to pure joy. And the only time Pip and Sissy can forget their many troubles . . . living on the brink of poverty, Mama's despair, and Daddy's perpetual anger.
With the arrival of the carnival, the girls’ slow, small lives suddenly feels bigger and brighter. But this year, something is different. Once the carnival leaves, with the charming young sword-swallower with it, Sissy grows increasingly distant from Pip and is soon no more than a stranger in their house. Pip grows closer to her friend Silas as a result, but when Sissy's shocking secret is revealed, the three unwittingly find themselves in a desperate situation that will change them all forever. In the land of the sweetest fruits, Pip must find her way through the soured hopes and bitter regrets of her family to finally break free of the grove.
Set against the class and economic tensions of early 1960s America, this stark yet hopeful novel tells a compelling story about the inescapable bonds of sisterhood and the lies we tell ourselves to survive.
My Review of "The Grove" by Brooks Whitney Phillips
Fifteen-year-old Pip and her older sister Sissy are inseparable. The daughters of a troubled household—held together by an orange grove and unraveling thread by thread—these two girls anchor each other against the tides of poverty, their father’s temper, and their mother’s quiet sorrow. Every year, they cling to the magic of the traveling carnival as a brief, dazzling escape. But this year, something shifts. And when Sissy begins to pull away, Pip is left to piece together the growing distance, the arrival of a charming sword-swallower, and the devastating secret that follows in its wake.
What unfolds is a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Phillips doesn’t just capture the time period—she immerses the reader in it. The 1960s setting isn't window dressing; it's integral. You can feel the sticky Florida heat, smell the orange blossoms thick in the air, and sense the undercurrents of a society straining under class and racial divides. It’s a world that feels both nostalgic and brutally real.
💔 The sister bond is the soul of this novel. Pip and Sissy are beautifully written—flawed, believable, and deeply human. Pip, in particular, is someone you can’t help but root for. Her voice is clear and emotionally rich, and her journey from confusion to clarity, from dependence to personal strength, is one of the most compelling arcs I’ve read in recent memory.
Sissy’s transformation is heartbreaking but realistic. We see the devastating ripple effect of trauma—not just in what happens, but in how people bury their pain, sometimes at the cost of those closest to them. And the family dynamics? Spot on. Phillips doesn't sugarcoat the realities of a dysfunctional home, but she also doesn't strip it of tenderness. There’s love there—complicated, bruised love—but love nonetheless.
✨ The pacing is just right. It's a page-turner not in a thriller sense, but in that aching, “I need to know how this ends” way. Every chapter peels back another layer of the family’s fragile structure, and even when it hurts, you can’t look away.
🌼 What stood out most:
Authentic sibling dynamics that are heart-wrenchingly real
Stellar atmosphere: You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into 1960s rural Florida
A moving portrayal of how families survive—and sometimes fall apart—in silence
Themes of resilience, secrecy, and justice woven beautifully into the plot
If I had to sum up this novel in one sentence? The Grove is what happens when the sweetness of childhood meets the bitterness of buried truths—and the strength it takes to grow beyond them.
This one will stick with me.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: A beautifully told tale about sisterhood, survival, and the truths that break and bind us. The Grove is an absolute must-read.
Do you like to read historical novels? If so, what's your favorite period to read about? Tell me in the comments below!
Meet the Author:
Brooks Whitney Phillips is a freelance writer and author. She wrote a syndicated column and feature stories on music and the arts for the Chicago Tribune, is the author of eight middle grade books, and contributes design and travel stories to national magazines. She is the recipient of the Key West Literary Seminar’s Marianne Russo Award for novel-in-progress, and is co-founder of the Rowland Writers Retreat, which hosts and funds ten annual residencies for women authors. She lives in Key West, Florida, and Saugatuck, Michigan.
Follow her on Instagram @ BrooksWhitneyPhillips
This looks likeca great novel..