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betweentheshelves 's review for:

In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington
4.5
emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Such a beautiful middle grade book about changing families, dealing with parental expectations, grief, and figuring out your identity. All set at a summer music camp! Andi and Zora are absolutely relatable narrators, and they're both struggling with their own things. They form a kind of kinship while they're at camp, something that eventually transforms into something more.

You can just feel the emotions behind the story in this book. Andi is struggling with her mother's death, trying to figure out where she fits into this new family with her aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Zora is trying to balance her parents' expectations with her true passion, dance. I love that they found each other and encouraged each other to follow their passions. It was the best thing about this book, hands down.

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