Review by starrysteph - When We Make It

starrysteph 's review for:

When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

An energizing explosion of heart & spirit, with characters that speak earnestly and directly with a yearning that is incredibly affecting.

We’re following Sarai, a Puerto Rican teenager living in Bushwick. She shares her hopes, she questions her identity, she agonizes over her familial pain & trauma, and she wonders about the future of her neighborhood and community. Sarai’s personality bursts from the page as she shares her quietest thoughts and her loudest dreams, all in verse.

This book covers tough subjects as Sarai faces all sorts of challenges: familial trauma, abuse, sexual assault, drug use & overdosing, teenage pregnancy, sexism & objectification of young women, ignorance & privilege, gentrification, and much more.

The writing and voice is distinctive and connected and powerful. I was captivated by Sarai and hopeful for her and heartbroken for her.

I found the ending to be a little bit crushing; the very last piece was too quick of a wrap up and some threads didn’t come together in the way I had hoped they would. I would have preferred getting maybe one more year of Sarai’s life and expanding on the conclusion.

CW: death (including child death), drugs & drug overdose, pregnancy, sexual assault (of a child), child abuse, mental illness, sexism, fatphobia, body shaming, ableism, domestic abuse, miscarriage, police brutality, gun violence, addiction, racism, toxic relationship, religious bigotry, psychosis, classism

Content Warnings