IVY LEIGH EVER AFTER

In Lynch’s debut middle-grade novel, a bereaved 11-year-old must cope with shifting friendships, family drama, personal growth, and bullying, all without her mother to guide her.

Sixth-grader Ivy Leigh is in a bad place: Nearly a year has passed since her mom died, and almost all the people Ivy would naturally lean on for support are instead causing her further anxiety. First, there is Michael Carpenter, Ivy’s friend since forever, who suddenly wants to be more than friends. Then there are her two female best friends, Lizzie and Ruthie, who are starting to wear the sort of makeup and fashionable clothing that Ivy isn’t comfortable with. Worst of all is her older sister Vivian, who is establishing herself as a style influencer. Ivy and Viv used to be close, but Viv now actively taunts Ivy, trying to drag her along to an appreciation of boys and self-image. Ivy doesn’t want to grow up, or risk her friendship with Michael. Her other sister, Nat, understands this, and tries to be a mother to Ivy. Old Mr. Winters, who lives next door, offers Lenape wisdom (“All’s I know is your momma loved you more than the trees have leaves and the birds have sky to fly. And that kind of love has no end”) and a steady, reassuring presence. Even so, things are about to get worse—Ivy’s rescue dog, Peachy, has been causing havoc, and Ivy’s grandma is on the warpath, threatening to take Peachy away and criticizing the ways in which Ivy and her sisters live their lives and how their dad is raising them. And to top it all off, two bullies in Ivy’s class—Winona and Rachel—have started targeting her, mocking her clothes and looks. When Winona suggests that Ivy’s mother never loved her, Ivy’s pain becomes too much; she punches Winona hard. Can Ivy recover from this crisis and come to terms with the changes in her life?

Lynch writes in the first person, from Ivy’s point of view. The narrative starts with a flurry, diving into conflict as if to immerse the reader in preteen confusion and turmoil. The characters take some time to emerge from this—indeed, readers are never given a clear idea of the age differences between Ivy and her sisters—but the story quickly grabs hold and drags its audience along, increasing in pace and traction as Ivy’s troubles mount. Ivy’s voice is convincing, and she makes for a thoroughly relatable protagonist, grieving, floundering, and unsure of her place in the world. The characters around her also ring true, adults and children alike, their personalities registering to greater or lesser extents as they move between the peripheries and the forefront of Ivy’s experience. One particularly notable feature of Lynch’s approach is that all of the characters who bring negativity to Ivy’s life are themselves plagued by some form of adversity or inner demon. As lost as Ivy is in her distress, she comes to recognize that others need help too, and this in part is what enables her to deal with the bullying and her grandma’s conniptions. The idea that Ivy’s aversion to growing up is due to her not wanting to change from how her mom knew her adds poignant shading. Young readers will empathize with Ivy’s woes and learn with her as she navigates her way through.

Chaotic but cathartic, sensitively capturing the uncertainty, upheavals, and life dramas of a sixth-grade girl.