I read this novelette in two days, and at the end, I teared up. 😭 It’s a sweet, subtly powerful story of friendship and acceptance. The twist with the main character having monochromatic vision was so unique (I was ready to read it for that alone), and the themes of color and creativity were so captivating.
Ethan is a well-developed character, struggling with relatable wounds of feeling isolated and misunderstood. And the social anxiety. His arc was amazing and felt so believable. I love that he has a compassionate family, and his newly found friend Sophie is THE BEST. (Someone give HER chocolate. 🥰)
Usually I don’t talk too much about the plot in book reviews – I rant more about the characters, as you can see lol…but I have to express how BRILLIANTLY the plot of this story unfolded. The premise is so intriguing, and each new plot point is *chef’s kiss*. There was no dragging middle in this story, that’s for sure.
All in all, this is a wonderful quick Middle-Grade read that I’d recommend to any reader who is a creative of some sort and loves sweet friendship stories and solid themes.
(Also it’s a bonus that green is my favorite color 🤭)
Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Genre: Middle-Grade Contemporary
Author: Jaiden Phillips
Cover Art: Jaiden Phillips
About This Gray Canvas
Because how did one explain the gray canvas I was trapped in?
Ethan was born into a world of black and white a medical condition known as monochromatic vision, but with one exception—he can see the color green. After moving from the Colorado countryside to New York City, Ethan struggles to adjust to the busy and colorless atmosphere.
When encouraged to join a local art contest by his grandfather and a peppy bookworm named Sophie, Ethan considers it. But when the bullies at school get a hold of his sketchpad, and make fun of his colorless art, Ethan wonders if he has anything worth sharing at all. Because how could anyone understand the gray canvas of his life?
And don’t forget to add it on Goodreads!
about the author
Jaiden Phillips is a teen author residing in the mountains of western North Carolina. She has six older siblings and one set of amazing parents!
More often than not, you can find her sketching one of her wild ideas, writing out a scene for a book, or giving her sisters a healthy dose of sarcasm.
Her debut novel, The Guild of Thieves, is available on Amazon!
free character art!
For those who order and submit to this form between June 25th and July 9th you receive a hand-drawn character card of Ethan, the main character of This Gray Canvas. The picture is digitally colored using only colors Ethan can see, so you get to see him the way he sees himself!
Physical cards are available for US residents, international readers will receive a digital card that they can print on their own for themselves.
You’ll find the sneak peek at the very bottom of this post because yes I love to amp up the suspense. 😛
tour schedule
Monday, June 24th
Sisters Three – Blog Tour Launch Announcement
Rhys-Marie Whitnell – Spotlight
Emma Crooks – Spotlight and review
Tuesday, June 25th
Issabelle Perry – Character Interview
Kristina Hall – Spotlight
Kylie Beevers – Spotlight and Sneak Peek
Virginia Henderson – Book Spotlight
Wednesday, June 26th
Jaiden Phillips Art – Character Art and Spotlight
Lorelei Angelino – Spotlight
Thursday, June 27th
The Introspective Introvert – Author Interview, Sneak Peek, and Spotlight
Writers’ Vision – Spotlight
Friday, June 28th
Old Fashioned Book Love – Review and Spotlight
Saraina Whitney – Review and Sneak Peek
Sisters Three – End of Tour Post
sneak peek
What excites you most to read this book? Do you ever paint or draw? Are you better at portraits or landscapes? Have you heard of monochromatic vision? What’s your favorite color?
Saraina Whitney 
Oh wow. This sounds SO GOOD! Totally hope to buy it sometime! Great book review! And the sneak peek is so intriguing!!! And congratulations to Jaidie on the book release!
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It is!!! Thank you so much!! 😊 Yes, it’s super intriguing!! 🥳️🥳️🥳️
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I’d say blue is my favorite color lol. What’s yours?
Also, I never heard of monochromatic vision until I learned about Jaidie’s book.
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Ah, our blogs both reflect our favorite colors! Mine is green haha! 😆
Same, I’d never heard of monochromatic vision either before her book!
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Haha, how’d that happen? XD. Ooo, green is a good color!
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Haha , I wonder… 😂 It is! XD
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What excites you most to read this book? Do you ever paint or draw? Are you better at portraits or landscapes? Have you heard of monochromatic vision? What’s your favorite color?
I love books about people who are special. (Especially since my best friends are adopted, and one is deaf.) So I’m excited about that. I do a little art but it all ends up pretty horrible except my portraits. No, I haven’t, (One question, have you heard of anemia? It’s something I learned about for a book of mine and no one knows what it is!) I like purple.
Ya know what’s ironic? Two days ago I found out about Jaidie’s blog and subscribed! I didn’t even know you knew who she was!
I’m super excited for this, and for Jaidie! I’m praying all goes well.
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Ah, I love that! Haha, same, my art doesn’t turn out very well unless I’m doing portraits. XD (Actually, I think I have heard of that! Although, I had to look it up to confirm it’s what I thought it was lol. What book did you learn it from?) Purple is such a rich, lovely color! That used to be my top favorite along with green haha!
Wait, really? How funny!!! 😂
Same!! Thank you so much for commenting! ❤
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Well I didn’t learn it from a book exactly, I learned it for a book I’m writing. The main girl has anemia. It’s basically an iron deficiency. (the real definition is “A condition in which the blood doesn’t have enough healthy red blood cells and hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells, to carry oxygen all through the body.
Anemia can range from mild to severe. It can be short-term or long-lasting.
Sometimes anemia causes no symptoms. Symptoms that can occur include extreme tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath.
Treatment depends on the cause. Treatments can include diet changes, supplements, medicines and medical procedures ranging from getting donated blood to having a stem cell transplant.”)
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Ohh, I gotcha! I don’t remember reading a book where a character had that condition, so I love that you’re including that element!
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Awesome review!!! I’m so excited to read This Gray Canvas! I’ll do a little drawing from time to time but I’m not very good at it so it remains a secret hobby. 🤫 Do you paint or draw? My favorite color is probably olive green. I was about to ask what yours what but I just happened to scroll past Lillian’s comment where she already asked you… so *high fives* green is a great color!!!
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Thank you so much!!! I hope you enjoy it!!! Lol, then my lips are sealed 🤭 I don’t paint a lot, but I do draw! (Mainly portraits of girls because that comes easiest for me lol 😀 ) Ahhhh really? That’s my favorite shade of green too! *high fives* Yes indeed! Most superior! 😛
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