LGBTQ – Jill's Book Blog

Title: Halfway to Harbor (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #3)
Author: Nicole Melleby
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary, LGBTQ
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

If you want to get to know Harbor Moore, you need to know three things:

1. Sometimes she signs her name Harbor Ali-O’Connor to match her siblings.
2. She misses her dad a lot, but she doesn’t want to be away from her moms and siblings, either.
3. She just might have her first crush.

Harbor is excited to spend the summer working on her jump shot in an elite basketball league. But the games take place near her dad’s house—hours away from her beloved Sunrise Lagoon. Suddenly, she’s spending every weekend at her dad’s and getting to know Quinn, a girl whose smile makes her feel warm inside. Still, Harbor can’t help wondering what’s going on at home. Why is Sam hanging out with Harbor’s best friend? Has Marina’s friend Boom taken her place in the house? What have the twins “borrowed” this time for one of their disastrous scientific experiments?

When it comes time to decide whether Harbor will stay and play basketball with her team—and Quinn—all year round, or continue to live on Sunrise Lagoon, Harbor thinks she knows what to do . . . but is it the right decision?

Review:

Harbor is the oldest of the Ali-O’Conner sisters. She is the only one who has a dad, who she visits on alternating weekends. When her dad asks her if she wants to join a basketball league for the summer, which would mean her spending every weekend at his house, Harbor is eager to join. Staying at her dad’s house would give Harbor a room of her own and some peace and quiet from her four sisters. However, while Harbor is getting some quiet time at her dad’s house, the excitement at the Ali-O’Conner house continues without her. Harbor must decide if she’d like to live with her dad and have her own space or stay with her siblings in Sunrise Lagoon.

I loved seeing Harbor’s story in this book! In the previous two books, which were about Harbor’s younger sisters, both girls viewed Harbor as the oldest sister who had a lot of privileges they didn’t have. However, in this book, Harbor felt just as left out at times just like her sisters. Harbor was growing into a teen and beginning to feel romantic feelings, so she was questioning who she liked. She had some good conversations with both of her parents about these feelings and the way they made comments that made her uncomfortable. I really love reading about the Ali-O’Conner family, so I hope there will be more books in this series!

Halfway to Harbor is a great middle grade story!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!

Content warnings: death, funeral, homophobia

Other books in the series:

Have you read Halfway to Harbor? What did you think of it?

Goodreads Synopsis:

The second book in Nicole Melleby’s Sunrise Lagoon series follows Marina, the middle child, in a beautiful, heartfelt exploration of what it means to be brave and how a big family means you never need to be lonely.

If you want to get to know Marina Ali-O’Connor, you need to know three things:

One, despite her name, Marina is secretly afraid of the ocean.

Two, she wanted to be one of the Oldest Siblings, but is stuck smack dab in the middle.

Three, she’s pretty certain she’s the Extra Ali-O’Connor kid, the forgotten one.

When Boom, a budding filmmaker exactly Marina’s age, moves in across the lagoon, she decides that Marina’s quest to become someone’s favorite Ali-O’Connor would make a perfect documentary. So they get to work, coming up with ways to calm Marina’s anxiety. But when each plan goes a little bit wrong, Marina begins to wonder if she’ll ever feel like she belongs or if she’ll always be lost in the middle.

Review:

Marina is the middle child in the Ali-O’Conner family. She’s suddenly become scared of the water and boats, which is a problem since her family lives on Sunrise Lagoon and her mom has a boat repair business. Marina feels like the forgotten sibling. Her two older sisters look like her mom and they like boats just like her too. Her mama gave birth to her two younger sisters, which bonded them together. Marina wants to be someone’s favourite person in the family. Her new friend Boom suggests that Marina spend time with each family member to see if they would pick Marina as their favourite. Marina tests each of her family members, but she ends up in some dangerous situations.

This was a great story in the House on Sunrise Lagoon series. Like the first book, this one was about one of the sisters who doesn’t feel like she belongs in the family. They have some complex dynamics, since two of the girls are adopted and three are biological daughters of their moms. I love the well developed characters in this series. The third book, which is about Harbor, the oldest sister in the family, was just published this week!

Marina in the Middle is a great middle grade summer story!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!

Tag: LGBTQ

Review:Halfway to Harbor (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #3)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

Other books in the series:

Review: Marina in the Middle (The House on Sunrise Lagoon #2)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

Other books in the series: