I think this is an important read that brings up very prevalent issues in our current society and gives insight into the perspective of a Black teenage boy which is often lacking in media. It absolutely made me angry at times because of the ignorance and racism that some characters depicted and as a future teacher I think this would be a great book to read in a classroom setting because of the themes it explores. It would be a great starting point to discussions of racism, police brutality, racial profiling, and more while also exploring regular aspects of the teenage experience such as dating and preparing to start college. I think it’s definitely worth the read!!

I wanted to try to finish this because of how quickly it reads but ultimately decided to dnf because I have no motivation to pick it up. The themes it discusses are important but I think the writing is too ambiguous and confusing for me personally. I tend to like writing that is more concrete and less abstract so ultimately this just wasn’t my cup of tea. 

Reread 3/29/2019 - “You know the problem with heroes and saints, Nikolai?" I asked as I closed the book's cover and headed for the door. "They always end up dead."

I'm going to keep my original star rating the same but I really enjoyed this reread in the end! I'm rereading the Grisha Trilogy before I read Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars because I had forgotten pretty much everything about this series. At first, I was feeling really unmotivated to pick this one up but I forced myself to because I want to get to her other books so badly. Once I got into the story though I found myself enjoying it more and I had forgotten some of the plot twists so it was nice being surprised again. And I missed Nikolai so much I'm so happy to be reading about him again I love him :')

This was very difficult to read at times because of the subject matter but was such a powerful and important book that everyone should read!

Sooo good!! I definitely recommend it!

I feel like this book would be so important for teen readers to pick up and very relatable to so many. The novel covers so many different topics that affect teen lives including mental health, difficult family dynamics, the immigrant experience, having your first kiss and first sexual encounter, teen pregnancy, and more. Having just read the author's memoir before this, I could tell that she put a lot of her own experiences into the novel which was interesting to see. 

The main character could be very judgy and negative at times which I've seen people criticize, but I felt like a lot of her judgment came from the fact that everyone was also judging her life and from her feeling like no one around her sees or understands who she truly is. The more I read the novel the more I felt that I understood her perspective and I really wanted her to find someone who truly understood her. 

What is keeping me from giving this 5 stars is that I almost felt like it was trying to cover too many topics at once. All of the themes it discussed were important, but I felt like some topics weren't as deeply explored as they could have been if the novel only focused on a few specific topics. I wanted more details and exploration from some portions and I sometimes felt like the pacing was a bit choppy. I think the story felt unfocused at times and the more that new topics were introduced the more the story started to feel a bit crowded. I would have preferred if the story focused on a few key themes and explored them deeply instead of trying to cover everything.

That being said, I still think teen readers and even adults would gain something from reading this and it is definitely a book I would want in my future classroom.

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In her memoir, Sanchez talks about a range of topics including mental health, romantic and sexual relationships, travel, writing, female beauty standards, the Mexican American experience, and so much more. I really enjoyed hearing about a lot of her experiences, particularly the parts about her time living in other countries, the relationships she has been in, and her experience moving through the world as a Mexican woman. I felt more gripped during some chapters/essays than others but overall I think it was a well-written and fascinating memoir with important things to say. I’m looking forward to diving into her novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter next to see what parts of the novel she might have drawn from her own experiences.

Reread 8/16/19: I just love this book so much. It always warms my heart. I love Simon and his friends and Blue and this story as a whole. I’m so glad that I decided to reread it.❤️