Salted Caramel Dreams: A Swirl Novel (4)

This is a book you want your young daughter to read. Fun story with real-to-life characters who are great role models for kids in this age group. I read this as an adult and it was so enjoyable, refreshing, and quick. I wish I had had this book when I was younger!

What a great, refreshing read. Perfect for your pre-teen and teens and also for a throwback to middle school. I really enjoyed every page. Can't wait to read more from this author.

My granddaughter read it in one night and loved it.

This is the fourth book in the Swirl Novels, a series for tweens with middle schoolers as the main characters. Each is a stand alone book with the stories taking place in different places and no characters that are the same from book to book. Each story is by a different author. The similarities are that each has a sweet treat, a crush, and similar themes related to friendships and finding self. I also found that of the three I have read, the authors have similar writing styles- simple and organized, yet do a great job of moving the story along and keeping the interest of the reader. The characters evolve and grow in each story and all deal with a crush and a friendship difficulty. There is a good plot with underlying themes in each book, giving the stories the perfect depth for tweens.I think, thus far, this was my favorite of the Swirl Novels. I wanted to see what would happen in the story and cared about the characters, who I could relate to and believe most tweens and teens would also find relateable. The pace was just right. This book was about going to middle school where kids most often get involved with new activities and groups of friends and then have to navigate and try to find a balance with the new and old, sometimes having to make difficult choices. What do you do when friends have different interests? Can you forgive a best friend that betrays you? How do you go about fitting in? This is a light book about heavy topics- being yourself, finding yourself, trust, betrayal, following dreams, fitting in, crushes, friendship, and taking chances.This book is recommended for 8 - 12 year olds, but to me, the themes seem more toward the older end of this age group. I believe 11 - 13 year olds would enjoy this book the most, although I found it entertaining as an adult.

Thank you @kidlitexchange for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. #partnerI sped through this book and just couldn’t put it down. Salted Caramel Dreams is an incredibly sweet middle grade story that’s full of great characters and wonderful lessons!!! Jasmine has plans of opening an Etsy store where her and her best friend Kiara can sell fashion accessories. The pair have always done everything together so it’s a bit of a surprise when Kiara’s interests suddenly change. She’s now a member of the school basketball team. Jasmine tries really hard to be supportive until one day she overhears Kiara talking with some of her fellow teammates. They are making fun of Jasmine and her designs. Even worse, Kiara is agreeing and not sticking up for her lifelong friend. This causes Jasmine to lose interest and confidence in the talent that she has always loved. After a little persuasion from her mother, Jasmine joins the drama club. Will she have the courage to audition for the next production and perhaps make new friends along the way?The characters in this book are extremely relatable!!! Jasmine and Kiara display the emotions that often happen when a long friendship is tested by new experiences and hurtful words. Middle school is a time when students try new sports, join different clubs and even hang out with entirely new cliques. I loved watching Jasmine navigate through all of this. It’s incredibly scary to put yourself out there and trust new people. The members of the drama club were absolute fantastic. It was so refreshing to see a positive group of kids interact and encourage one another. The book also touches on the excitement of new crushes and includes a really cute, light romance - complete with mega jitters and feelings of utter awkwardness.This is a definite buy for me!!!! Be sure to check out the other books in A Swirl Novel series. This is the third one I’ve read and completely enjoyed.

Thank you @kidlitexchange #partner for this free review copy of Salted Caramel Dreams by @jnbwrite ! All opinions are my own.Jasmine and Kiara have always been best friends! They have a secret handshake, they walk to and from school everyday together, they created a delicious salted caramel steamer at a local cafe, and they also dream of opening their very own Etsy shop to sell their handmade accessories. Everything is wonderful until Kiara decides to join the basketball team at school. Jasmine tries really hard to support her best friend’s new hobby, but when Kiara starts hanging out with new friends and starts behaving differently, it makes Jasmine uncomfortable. After Jasmine overhears Kiara and her new friends saying hurtful things about her, Jasmine feels very lost and alone! She doesn’t want to sew anymore and she doesn’t know who she can talk to. Her mom encourages her to join the drama club and at first Jasmine is a little overwhelmed. Will she be able to meet new people, make new friends, and find another hobby she can love as much as sewing? Will her and Kiara ever be able to repair their friendship?This is such a great read for any middle schooler! It has so many layers to it...friendships, betrayal, trust, first crushes, taking chances, and forgiveness. As an adult it really flashed me back to my younger years when I was figuring all of those things out. It’s definitely a story everyone can relate to! I will definitely be picking this book up for my library, along with all the other books in this Swirl Series!