If You Read This had an excellent narrative voice. This is exactly how I’d think a child would process grief and parental neglect. The voice felt like it truly came from a child, which is not always easy to convey when writing as an adult. I also loved the island setting (Jamaica this time). 

Brie’s 12th birthday is the central part of the story, so her family and friends play a prominent role. Brie’s friends are a bit one-note because we don’t get to see much of them. But I absolutely enjoyed Brie’s father (and mother). I have the double-vision as an adult to empathize with both Brie and her father. 

Now, the story length is both a merit and a downside: the story is very short. You could read this all-in-one satisfying sitting. However, I felt like it could’ve been slightly longer and included another stop on Brie’s journey. There is one climatic point, or at least a point, where the drama ramps up. It concludes itself quickly and tied with a bow, but the story is largely more character-driven than plot driven. 

Overall, the narrative voice won me over though I wished it could’ve been longer or explored more of Brie’s grief and her father’s aloofness. 

3.5