I had seen quite a lot of BookTubers talk about this book prior to its release, and the one thing that really captured my attention about this book was the cover. It has such beautiful gold foiling that shines and it’s just gorgeous. The only problem for me was that I went into this book with low expectations. I don’t really read a lot of historical fiction because of the connotations that are attached the genre (boring, long-winded…), but I think it’s safe to say that I was positively surprised.

Growing up in her sleepy Cornish village dreaming of being a writer, sixteen-year-old Lou has always wondered about the grand Cardew house which has stood empty for years. And when the owners arrive for the summer – a handsome, dashing brother and sister – Lou is quite swept off her feet and into a world of moonlit cocktail parties and glamour beyond her wildest dreams.

But, as she grows closer to the Cardews, is she abandoning her own ambitions… And is there something darker lurking at the heart of the Cardew family?

As aforementioned, I went into this book thinking that I wasn’t going to enjoy it. Historical fiction isn’t my cup of tea, but since I had heard so many people saying good things about it, I decided that I would take the chance and read it. I was actually lucky enough to be sent an unsolicited copy from Scholastic, so thank you so much to them for sending me a copy to review.

 

“I found the Cardew House, a house full of shadows, and I knew, with a huge sense of relief, that I belonged there.”

– Laura Wood, A Sky Painted Gold

 

The premise of this book is pretty straightforward: a farm girl meets a bunch of upper-class people and ends up partying her summer away with them whilst also getting to know them for who they really are. And yes, it was straightforward, but it was so bloody entertaining. I read pretty much the whole book with a goofy smile on my face because I loved the characters and their relationships with each other, I loved the romance, I loved the banter, I loved the friendships… Everything about the characters was so well done. A Sky Painted Gold is written in the 1st person from Lou’s perspective as she navigates her way through young adult life. Just as a side note, Lou has her 18th birthday at the end, and it made me feel so old… I wish I was still 18… Oh well.

I loved seeing the different family dynamics in this book as well. We see the family dynamic of Lou with her parents and her brothers and sisters (I loved her relationship with Alice), and then we also see the dynamic with the Cardew family and how their family is wrapped in secrets, but on the other hand, Lou’s family is so open about everything.

 

“Candles in glass jars dot the lawn and hang from the trees, flaming torches have been dug into the ground, and a hazy, romantic glow hovers over the scene in front of me.”

– Laura Wood, A Sky Painted Gold

 

I knew from the very first moment that Lou had a conversation with Robert that I would ship them. The banter between the two of them was amazing, and I thought that they had so much chemistry! Alas, he was already taken *sobs*. But still, every time they were together, they completely stole the show and took over the whole novel with their friendship, and I loved reading about it. The thing with Robert is that he is portrayed as an upper-class snob in all of the tabloids, but when Lou meets him, she realises how much pressure he is under to keep the family together, took look after his sister, and she realises that he’s actually a genuine, down-to-Earth guy who just wants to live his life. I think I may have fallen in love with him myself… Oops.

One of the other things that I absolutely loved about this book was the female friendships. Caitlin and Lou were such amazing friends, and even though Caitlin was hiding a lot about her self from Lou, they were both still there for each other throughout the good and the bad. Outside of their friendship were other women such as Laurie and Elodie who would also be there for the other girls. There was no name-calling, not bitching… Just honest, and positive female friendships which YA definitely needs more of.

 

“There are dozens of people gathered on the lawn. Moonlight strikes the rippling water beyond, and the sky is simply bursting with stars, like great handfuls of silver sequins scattered on a swathe of black silk.”

– Laura Wood, A Sky Painted Gold

 

Overall, this was such an enjoyable book, and I’m really glad that I took upon Scholastics offer to read it. It DID take me a quite a while to read (I started reading it in July, and finished it beginning of August), but that’s just because I have had so much life stuff going on that I’ve hardly had the time to read or DO anything! For more information on this, read my July wrap up, and also my August wrap up.

But ANYWAY, I thoroughly urge everyone to read this book if you are looking for a cute, quick contemporary read, that also discusses the darker themes of death in the family and the racism of the 1920’s. What a beautiful, beautiful book…

Trigger warnings: suicide, death in the family, racism, the use of the word ‘gipsy’ as a slur, alcoholism

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review