I've heard praises for this book for a while and I totally see why. I went in not remembering much of what people have said other than It's great and about sisters who don't know about each other, so I assumed it was mostly about them meeting and so forth, but that is hardly the tip of the iceberg. So much more, this is about grief, family, and home. It really gets at parts of what it's like to love and grieve a complicated person. And it says some really beautiful things about family and community-- the importance of interdependence. There are also parts that deal with misogynistic violence, as well as poverty. It's, among many other things, a shining example of why YA as a genre shouldn't be underestimated. Incredible! 

I don't think this was really for me. I did like some of the descriptive writing with the food and the idea of the story. Some of the character backstory was also interesting. 

But I didn’t really see the suspence or foreboding in a lot of it. It seemed more like some of the creepy/foreboding details were too on the nose and then other parts almost read too awkward (like having second hand embarassment almost

like the scene with the racoon. It was just weird, not really creepy. A red flag for sure but something about how the aftermath was written was more awkward and embarrassing than scary. But then when she was told it was a test, it was too obvious in a way... like if it had been left to speak for itself, the scene would have been more scary, we could have assumed that, but when it was said explicitly, it felt silly, like an overdone villian monolog

). I think part of what made this feel stilted or awkward for me was the amount of telling. I think showing and telling both have its place in writing, but there were so many times where these feelings or situations were built pretty well, and then you were told in the middle something obvious about how the character feels multiple times (or about the situation at hand -- like my example under the spoiler cut). In that way, there was a lot more potential in the writing, but it would get in its own way.

 On a smaller/lighter note, it took me out a bit to hear that an assistent/adjunct with no second job had the funds to buy stuff at the farmers market *every* Saturday and rent a *house*. Also, not a even second's thought about how she would be perceived dating a woman in a college in Georgia... as someone who was a queer adjunct at a southern college, all that kind of broke the immersion for me a bit (this was a miniscule part of my issue with the book, but it's funny to think about so I had to include it). 

So, as much as I really liked the descriptions and some of the writing, it ultimately fell flat for me. I would be willing to give her work another shot

Not too much in the way of a storyline, but it was cute! More like a collection of short comics than a cohesive story It was fun read

I originally read the beginning of this a couple years ago and ended up setting it down despite really liking it (one of the many partially read books gathering dust because of my weird moody reading brain). I've wanted to get back to it since then and I am so glad that I finally have. I loved everything about this from the writing to her approach as a writing working with/telling the stories of other people. She tells the story of undocumented people from several cities while incorporating her own story of growing up undocumented and her experience interacting with and having relationships with the people in these communities. This is one I'm going to be thinking about for a long time

This was an engaging story with nice art. It brings up a lot of issues and danger that people encounter crossing the border and shows a few different reasons why people might have to. This brings up the legacy of xenophobic violence committed by the US towards Mexican in particular (and how this has impacts outside of that group). The story was interesting and puts a lot into perspective, but I do feel that some of the connections between characters was a bit rushed. Some of this could have been fleshed out if there were more time in the book. All things considered, it's still a pretty great book. 

This is weird and compelling novel. While there is technically a plot, this seemed to be much more about the time. There was a big part of it about connection and identity, but also so much about culture and morality being faced going into the 1990s. It's about being a lesbian in a straight world, but also about thinking deeply in the face of a cultural push towards individualism and apathy. It's about the breakdown of the American dream -- but also the breakdown of the idea that it ever was really. There is a lot more here, but overall, I found it fascinating. 

A great short look at ableism and how it intersects with technology. This talks a lot about physical disabilities but also discusses neurodivergence. There is a lot of history sprinkled in, as it is necessary for understanding where we are now -- including that of colonization and racism, as that was a key factor in old ideas about disability and eugenics. And there is so much interesting and nuanced discussion of the future with disability in mind! The author pulls from a lot of different writers and activists as well, so I am really looking forward to reading more from who she referenced as well

I loved this! I'm obsessed with the art and it felt like a cohesive story. I worry about pacing with comics this small that have such a big story, but this did really well. I also love that I picked this up knowing nothing about it but "ooh pretty cover" and it ended up being queer!

Incredible! Another instance where we would do well to read backlist for perspective on our current situation (concerning a number of global issues, as well as what we still see here in the US). There are some truly unforgettable essays in here.

I really liked a lot of this. I enjoyed the style and all the references. I do think it got a little muddled in parts and I have comments about specific passages. But it was interesting overall.