This Golden State: Spotlight & First Impression

*I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher. These are my personal, honest opinions. Thank you.*

Book Info

Author: Marit Weisenberg

Publisher/Imprint: Flatiron Books

Hardcover Publication Date: March 01, 2022

Hello, everyone! Today is my spotlight post for the This Golden State blog tour. Thank you to the publisher Flatiron Books for including me in this tour! Keep reading to see the book’s synopsis and my first impression of the story 🙂

Book Synopsis

Marit Weisenberg’s This Golden State follows a family on the run, a restless teenage daughter hungry for the truth, and the simple DNA test that threatens their carefully crafted world

The Winslow family lives by five principles:

1. No one can know your real name.
2. Don’t stay in one place too long.
3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.
4. Keeping our family together is everything.
5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.

Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice.

When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality.

Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?

About the Author

Marit Weisenberg has a master’s degree from UCLA in Cinema and Media Studies and worked as a film and television executive for a number of years. She currently lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two daughters. Her previous titles include Select and Select Few.

My First Impression

Based on reading the first part of this novel, I can say I’m impressed by the quick pace! There is an addictive quality to it that drew me in, and it was really easy to get into the story.

This is the book for you if you like YA thriller/suspense and coming-of-age elements, a focus on family relationships, and romance on the horizon!

I think the premise and plot are very interesting so far! Poppy is on the run with her family for unknown reasons. She doesn’t even know her parents’ real names because they must remain a secret! But Poppy is getting tired of living on the run and desperately wants to get some answers.

I look forward to finding out what the big secret is! You can too – when the book hits shelves on March 1st! Happy reading 🙂

*Content Warnings (so far): A few f-words and s-words.*

Copyright © 2022 by Spines that Shine (Caitlin Shaffer)