Recommended Age: 14+ (some sexual content, confrontational scenes, depression and anxiety, death)
Pages: 340
Author Website
Amazon Link
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from KidLitExchange and the publishing company. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.
But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.
Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.
But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first kiss, first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?
I thought this book was really touching and sweet, which would make it a perfect book to cry to. And honestly I did. I thought this book was amazingly well done. I loved the way the story was written with Spanish and English, some explained and some not. I loved the writing and how well the story flowed. The pacing and the plot was well done and the world building was as well. I also felt I learned a lot about the Mexican culture and I feel smarter for reading this book.
However, I do feel that the main character was way too confrontational. Although I could see where it works well for her character, it just made me not connect with her as much. I also had an issue with understanding why education was less important than family. I mean I can assume things, but I don’t want to. If any Mexican readers here could explain this to me I’d love to know why.
Verdict: Other than a couple of issues on my part, I feel this book was amazing and a book you should read if you’re looking for a diverse book on Mexican culture.
0 comments:
Post a Comment