Shattered Streams by Kelly Pollard is a young adult novel that tackles the hard realities of life. We all have felt the emotions of grief, pain, and trauma at some point in our lives. Pollard does a commendable job sharing how these emotions and hard realities affect not just adults but teens as well.

Avery is a seventeen-year-old girl on the cusp of adulthood. She chooses to spend the summer with her big brother Jay at his home in Nelson, Idaho, while her mother has an extended honeymoon with her new husband. Avery is excited, but she still has nightmares, panic attacks, and anxiety tied to the events that led to her father’s death. While she is in Nelson, Avery gets a job, meets new people, and makes the bold decision to take back her life.

Pollard’s writing style is what makes Shattered Streams so good. She quickly gives readers context and keeps on moving. Her descriptions of how Avery is thinking or feeling about something are vividly displayed on the page. Her character development is on point. She portrays the sibling relationship with amusing banter and raw conversations. Avery’s friends represent all the decisions teenagers face today. Pollard excellently weaves in the challenging decisions of where to go to college, what internship to take, or should I jump into the water from the dock.

Shattered Streams is not just a feel-good read. Pollard boldly takes on the task of sharing how teens are affected by grief and pain. She brazenly describes how teens can become scarred by events in their childhood. Avery’s father died when she was younger, but at seventeen she is still grieving, feeling responsible, and missing out on opportunities she can never get back.

Pollard shares Avery’s journey with readers to give us hope and strength. She reminds readers that we are never alone. There is someone else who has or is going through the same things. We can be optimistic that life can bring joy amidst the pain we experience.

Shattered Streams by Kelly Pollard is a heartfelt, coming-of-age story that teens and adults alike can appreciate. I recommend this one to every person who has ever felt like their life was stolen from them because of loss, pain, depression, or anxiety. Your hope for healing will be renewed.

Shattered Streams is an intentionally written novel that explores the value of friendships, courage, and healing. It is a heartwarming story centered on overcoming fears while building new relationships and embracing the growth that accompanies healing from trauma. A delightful and captivating read, this novel transports readers to life at the lake, making it a perfect summer escape.

Shattered Streams is a wonderful story and a quick read. It really engulfs you into the summer romance between the two main characters as they focus on overcoming the past and facing their fears. I highly recommend it!

One of the best books I’ve read! Miss Pollard is a brilliant writer and I cannot wait for her next novel! Amazing!!

I read "Shattered Streams" in just a few days! The story engaged me right from the start, and I was drawn to keep reading - I wanted to know how the main character's conflict would resolve. Pollard's dialogue was so realistic; I felt like I was revisiting my 17-year-old self and the sweet friends I was lucky enough to surround myself with at that pivotal point in my life. Also, the overall writing style was full of beautiful descriptions and lovely metaphors. A terrific story, with characters that readers will care about, all told through beautiful writing. A FANTASTIC debut novel.

This beautiful book immerses you in the summery backdrop of an idyllic lakeside town, where a tender romance grows between two teens haunted by their own secrets. You’ll love the soulful blend of fun banter and deep connection in this warm-hearted story as you root for Avery to find the strength to confront her past, helped by her new friends and her kindred spirit, Dalton. A poignant story about letting go of tragedy to embrace love and life.

I loved this book! It's been a great story to read over the summer and took me back to so many teenage memories. Beautifully written and easy to read. The concept of overcoming fear to get the most from life is incredibly valuable. It's portrayed here in a way YA readers can enjoy and see themselves in.

What an amazing book! I really liked the love story and all of the characters especially Avery! I couldn’t put the book down!

Such a cute book! If you’re looking for something in the YA genre filled with friendships and overcoming fears, this your book.

Shattered Streams is a heartwarming story that will capture your interest from chapter one. The author’s writing style reels you in and keeps you engaged, specifically with quirky and realistic dialogue throughout the book. This book exposes how a teenage girl, who experienced trauma as a child, faces her fears and anxiety through unexpected friendships. I truly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it!

I loved Shattered Streams! The Author, Kelly Pollard, truly has a way with words and this coming of age story captures so much heart and emotion. Something about it feels very nostalgic and peaceful, complementing portions that pull at your heartstrings in all the right ways. I look forward to future books from Ms. Pollard and I highly recommend Shattered Streams. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story of Avery and her summer away has everything from silly giggles to heartfelt tears. The progression flows easily and the vivid details and short chapters make it hard to put down. You can practically smell the aroma of a JuiSea smoothie. A fantastic read, well done!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shattered Streams. It was so well written and engaging. The author is knowledgeable about her subject matter and kept me wanting to read for more. It was a fun and delightful read! I can’t wait until she publishes her next book.

This book was truly enjoyable. As the storyline and characters evolved, I found myself reading more chapters than planned with anticipation. We all have a story and experiencing the healing process of grief in this book was heartwarming.

I loved this book!! It was very well written, and is one of the best books I have read. Well done!

The story and characters are incredible, it pulled me into a world so vivid it felt as if I could actually visualize the characters. This is the first time a book has managed to evoke an immersive visualization for me, which speaks volumes about Pollard's talent as a storyteller.

Regardless of whether you're a young adult or an adult adult, there's meaning within Shattered Streams.

Shattered Streams is a compelling tale of how we process grief and of the many other complex emotions that stem from loss. In particular, the story manages to capture experiences of anxiety and panic attacks -- something so personal and often impossible to fully explain -- in crisp and illuminating detail while creating space for hope, growth, and optimism. Avery's journey is heartfelt, balancing moments of seriousness and humor, and the relationships she has with family, friends, and Dalton shows the importance of genuine connections built on care and compassion for oneself and others. A worthy read!

Once I started this book, I absolutely tore through it! Such a beautiful and well done debut novel-I could so easily picture the characters, and each one of them felt like a fully real and established person. The writing so clearly depicted the vibes of summer, nostalgia, and the volatile time of late adolescence and early adulthood in a way that was so relatable and easy to fall into the experience of the characters.

The emotions and experiences of the main character(s) was so well described and written, and felt like it truly did justice to such difficult and heavy topics, while maintaining the exciting and light essence of a coming of age story in which the main character is multi-faceted, dealing with her own deep struggles while still experiencing the relationships, feelings, fun, and turmoil that go with the friendships, new loves, and everyday thoughts of someone her age.

The depictions of struggle, grief, friendship, and love literally made me laugh and cry along with the characters.

I loved this book, and can’t wait to read more of Pollard’s work! This is one of the few books I’ve recently finished and immediately wished that I could read more, and then added to my short list of re-readable books.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s a great book for young adults. Can be very relatable for anyone who struggles with anxiety or panic attacks.

This new author has checked all the boxes. A truly well written book with relatable context. Heartbreaking at times but a heartwarming journey. Story moves smoothly without repetition. Some unforeseen surprises makes it more interesting throughout. Hope to see more from Kelly Pollard in the future.

I really enjoyed reading Shattered Streams! The author's description of the characters and the setting is vivid yet leaves room for your imagination. I liked that the characters were personable and the focus of the story on going beyond what you originally think you can achieve and finding support in community. Great read, I highly recommend it!

Shattered Streams is a captivating story of healing, courage, and the beauty of companionship. From the diverse group of characters to the stunning moments woven throughout the story, Pollard's book will keep you engaged from cover to cover. If you are looking for a gripping story that will take you on an emotional journey, I can't recommend Shattered Streams enough.

This realistic novel for today’s reader introduced diverse characters… this story of trauma, courage and healing, kept you continuing to the next chapter to find out what happened next! Kelly’s talent for writing is very evident!

Shattered Streams is an intentionally written novel that explores the value of friendships, courage, and healing. It is a heartwarming story centered on overcoming fears while building new relationships and embracing the growth that accompanies healing from trauma. A delightful and captivating read, this novel transports readers to life at the lake, making it a perfect summer escape.

I loved this book! It is very well written & holds the readers attention. I loved the lakeside setting. It was an enjoyable book to read while I was on vacation. I definitely recommend, worth the buy!

Shattered Streams is an engaging story with a wonderful lesson about overcoming past fears and guilt in order to move forward and grow.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shattered Streams. I found myself steeling away to read a few chapters at a time to find out where the story was going. I highly recommend it.