The book sat unread on my shelf for way too long, especially for someone who is interested in Spanish history around the time of Franco. Sepetys has crafted a book that is both a love story and an intimate look at life under Franco in the 1950s. The amount of research that was put into this book is astounding, highlighting difficulties of the regime that not even all Spaniards acknowledge to this day. The love story was a touching way to explore the divides that existed between foreigners and Spaniards, and even amongst Spaniards between those who supported Franco during the Civil War and those that were opposed to him. At first, the alternating character POVs were very difficult to follow, especially in how they were all related to each other. But as I got further into the book, these characters really highlighted different facets of the regime and its effect on Spain. Sepetys very cleverly weaves the stories together, having them intersect in interesting ways. One of my favorite moments of the book were the series of short chapters, depicting several different characters adding confession.

While this is marketed as a YA book, the themes and plot lines will appeal to adults as well. It was a quick read for me, despite the length. I wanted a little more depth with some of the characters, but it was overall a worthwhile read.

4.5 stars

TW: death, especially of children; violence