Boxing Day Sale is live! Up to 20% off 2000+ Books

Sugaring Off

3.53 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 673 ratings, 178 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Sugaring Off by Gillian French is a young adult novel that intertwines mystery and coming-of-age themes. The story follows a young protagonist navigating personal grief while uncovering family secrets in a small town setting. With its evocative portrayal of relationships and emotional depth, the book offers a compelling exploration of resilience and self-discovery.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2499
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might like this book if you enjoy young adult stories brimming with mystery and a hint of the supernatural. Its rich atmospheric setting and complex characters delve into themes of family, memory, and the secrets that can bind or tear us apart. If you're drawn to narratives that keep you questioning and engaged until the last page, this could be a compelling choice for you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Sugaring Off

A dazzling and evocative novel about seventeen-year-old Owl, left partially deaf by an early childhood tragedy that will come back to haunt her all these years later when her father is released from prison, and who is always her freest self while hiking the forested acres surrounding her family's New Hampshire maple sugar farm.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
A dazzling and evocative novel about love and loss—with a dash of thrilling mystery—for fans of Mindy McGinnis and Courtney Summers.

Sugaring Off follows the story of Owl, who has always felt her freest self in the mountains, tracking, hiking, and exploring the steep forested acres of her aunt and uncle's maple sugar farm. They never speak of the childhood tragedy that left her partially deaf and sent her father to jail. All Owl wants is to stay safe at the farm, her favourite place in the world, her refuge from those who would treat her differently.

Owl's sheltered existence is blown wide open by Cody—the magnetic, dangerous young man hired to help with the season's sugaring off. Cody seems to see the real her, to look past her hearing loss in a way no one else does. Together, they find comfort in their similarities and exhilaration in their differences, and risk a romance their families are desperate to stop.

But then Owl hears her father will be released from prison, and a seemingly motiveless murder shakes the foundations of her small town. When the crime draws all eyes to Cody, Owl realises he is in far more serious trouble than anyone knows—and it's followed him to her mountain.

ITW Thriller Award Finalist

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Sugaring Off by Gillian French has received praise for its blend of mystery, love, and loss, showcasing strong characters and a vivid setting. The book is noted for its compassionate portrayal of working-class life, capturing the complexities of small-town living with depth and authenticity. It masterfully intertwines a coming-of-age story with elements of a thriller, set against the backdrop of New Hampshire's wilderness, drawing comparisons to authors like Delia Owens and Kristin Hannah.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781643753799

Publisher: Workman Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 November 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Algonquin Young Readers

Audience: Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 208.0mm

Weight: 280g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Gillian French is the author of five novels for teens: Grit, The Door to January, The Lies They Tell, The Missing Season, and Sugaring Off. Her books have been finalists for an Edgar Award, a Bram Stoker Award, and an International Thriller Award, and have won a Lupine Award and two Maine Literary Awards. She lives with her husband and sons in Maine, where she's perpetually at work on her next novel. Visit her online at gillianfrench.com.

Also by Gillian French

View all

More from Young Adult

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.