I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions expressed in this review are completely honest. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Review: 2.5 / 5 stars

As much as I wanted to like this book, it just wasn’t for me. That being said, I still think this is a good book to read. It discusses topics such as racism, activism, and family. This book is very relevant to current events with all the division in the US. Also, this book encourages people to use their voices to vote for the issues that matter to them, so it is a good story to read before the upcoming election.

While the topics in this book are important to read about, I just didn’t like the characters in the story. Duke was my favorite character, but I had a hard time liking Marva. All the negativity that she had throughout the book made me dislike her. She is supposed to be the inspirational voice in this novel to get readers to use their voices for change, but because of her attitude, I find her voice to be less compelling. She comes across as too angry and serious all of the time and often seems ungrateful for the good things in her life.

Another issue I have with this story is the minor plot lines with Marva’s cat and Duke’s band. They just didn’t add much to the story, and the cat storyline was really problematic for me in the way that it was handled.

In conclusion, this book discusses important topics that young people need to learn about now. While I found many things problematic in this story, I still think people should read it. I think this book would help someone who doesn’t see the importance of voting.