This is only the third novel told in poems I can remember reading (the first two being Love That Dog by Sharon Creech and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson). I am once again impressed by how this author, like those other authors, achieved not only a successful story but also a successful poetry collection. Xiomara Batista is a high school sophomore in Harlem, New York; she is a daughter of religious parents from the Dominican Republic; a twin; a fighter and a poet. Her notebook feels like the only place in the world she can express her true thoughts. In her poems she questions God, defends herself against her overbearing mother, expresses her fury over being constantly catcalled and groped by men, while at the same time curious about what it would be like to kiss a boy she loves. When a supportive teacher invites Xiomara to join a poetry club, she might finally have a place to release her words into the world- though it means sneaking and lying to attend, since she is supposed to spend her afternoons in communion class at church. I do want to add a trigger warning to this book for religious-based slut-shaming/sex negativity, abusive parents, and some background homophobia. However, all of these are things that Xiomara actively struggles and argues against in her writings.