What makes or breaks this story is the reader’s feelings towards the main character, Margot.

For many, she is a selfish, superficial lead with very little character growth. But personally, I saw a lot of my little sister in her character, especially in her flaws. This is not to say that my sister is selfish and superficial, but I do think that Margot’s need to be liked and desire to fit in with her peers is similar to my sister’s experiences in high school. We went to the same high school, and much like Margot’s situation, our peers were from incredibly wealthy families and the class differences were impossible to ignore.

Listening to The Education of Margot Sánchez really brought me back to the familiar feelings of frustration towards my sister whenever I felt like she was prioritizing her reputation over the interests of our family.

Having said that, I think this book beautifully and effectively captures the complexities of peer pressure, privilege, and class differences in high school. (Also, I’ve read several coming-of-age stories that tackle poverty and socioeconomic divides — such as Tweet Cute and Permanent Record — and this is, by far, the best and most nuanced one).

Full review to follow.