"She tells me words give people permission
to be their fullest self."

I absolutely loved it.
When I started this book I was sceptical, really not sure that I was going to enjoy Xiomara's way of seeing the world or that I would be able to relate to her. The only reason I picked up this book was because it has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Award this year and it didn't look like it would take too long to read.
(BTW, it didn't actually take too long to read. Once I actually got time to read it, it only took me 2 sittings).
The whole story is written in verse. Funnily enough, although that means there's less words overall, I feel like it gives this book more meaning.
Poetry is a huge part of this story. The way each 'chapter' or individual poem is constructed adds something to the story. I also appreciate the fact that I now understand the purpose of Haikus. I have read books before that explain the format, but not the reason for that format. Thanks, Acevado.
Xiomara is a young girl who is feeling trapped by her overly religious family and their rules. (I was shocked by the way some people force religion onto others and then still count it as worshipping God!) But she feels like she can't talk about that to anyone. So she bottles her feelings up into her poems.
What I really liked about this story was that it focuses on the importance of communicating well with the people around us, and especially the people we care about. It explores the effects of neglecting your family, and also the benefits of sharing all aspects of your life with those around you, in a non-judgemental way, as opposed to trying to keep parts of your life secret. It shows the effect it has on ourselves and the people around us when we embrace our interests, and try things we've never tried before.
There was a whole lot of Spanish in this book, which I wasn't expecting. Most of the time there's translations, but sometimes the author just leaves you to work it out. I was fine with this since I understood it first time round anyways, I'm not sure what it would be like for someone who hasn't ever learnt Spanish. I think it would be fine. The Spanish dotted around the poems adds a certain sense of culture to the story.
I really liked this book. It dealt with a lot of family issues which are common today and I liked the way it dealt with them. Xiomara was a strong female lead and I really enjoyed her story.

"I don't tell her it's good, even though it is.
I don't tell her it's beautiful, although it's that, too.
"That gave me chills," I say.
"I felt it here," I say.
"You should finish it," I say."