I am starting to accept that there are some books I’ve read this year that I’m never going to get around to reviewing. And that’s okay. I’m trying to start fresh from here going forward. So, without further ado . . .
About the Book
Title: The Key to the Golden Firebird
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: none
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 299
Edition Read: Kindle eBook
Dates Read: November 23, 2023
Blurb: The funny thing about stop signs is that they’re also start signs.
Mayzie is the brainy middle sister, Brooks is the beautiful but conflicted oldest, and Palmer’s the quirky baby of the family. In spite of their differences, the Gold sisters have always been close.
When their father dies, everything begins to fall apart. Level–headed May is left to fend for herself (and somehow learn to drive), while her two sisters struggle with their own demons. But the girls learn that while there are a lot of rules for the road, there are no rules when it comes to the heart. Together, they discover the key to moving on – and it’s the key to their father’s Pontiac Firebird.
Review
I’ve always been a big fan of Maureen Johnson, but up until a few weeks ago, I never knew this book existed. I was digging through GoodReads looking for help on my A-to-Z Reading Challenge, needing a book for the letter “K.” I was flipping through some of my favorite authors when I came upon this one.
At first, I was a bit concerned. Since I lost my dad in 2001, I tend to avoid contemporary books that deal with losing a parent, particularly a father or a father figure (fantasy genre stories don’t bother me for some reason, I guess because they are so far from reality that my mind separates out the tragic loss aspect of it). I kept going with this one because I have always loved Maureen’s work and I am so glad I did. Yes, this book deals with the loss of their father, but this book is much more about the relationship between the Gold sisters, how that has changed over the years since their father’s death, and the decisions they have made in their lives going forward. Not all of those decisions have been good ones, and some of those decisions may come back to bite them in the butt later, but it all came back to the fact that they had each other’s back the whole time, even when it didn’t feel like that was the case.
There was also a really cool road trip towards the end of the story. I’m always such a sucker for those.
I loved how the Gold sisters’ story was tied into the Firebird. The car that hadn’t left the garage since their dad died became a symbol of their freedom, both from the past and their expectations for the future. What I really appreciated was that none of this was easy, and even at the end of the book there were things that still needed to be worked through, but at the end of it all, there was hope and the certainty of having your family around you no matter what.
GoodReads rating: 5 stars
Categories: Books I've Read
Life With No Plot 
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