This book was lovely. I had a group of three students who chose this for their book project. Typically I don't let students do the same project at the same time; it just leads to cheating. But, I allowed it this time and I'm so glad I did. They each chose a different aspect of this book to discuss and they had me sold on reading this just as soon as I could get my hands on it. One talked about the characters, another about the plot and mood, and another about the ideas of justice and redemption.
And goodness, does Jeff Zentner absolutely slay in all of these areas. I seriously don't know why it took me so long to read this book.

I don't even want to write out much about this book because that will just delay you in reading it. Go read it now. Seriously.

This book wasn't my cup of tea, but I don't think that makes it any less important. Magical realism is a concept about which I am apparently incredibly picky. Off of the top of my head, I cannot think of any books in that genre that I particularly enjoyed. I picked this book up not knowing that there would be such a strong thread of the otherworldly, so perhaps if I had known what to expect I wouldn't have questioned so many things and been removed from the story while doing so.
I love that this book features Taiwanese culture and that most of the book takes place in Taiwan. I love that the main character is multiracial, as is her best friend. I love that it shines an unflinching look on depression and that even though Leigh's mother suffers losses in her life, there is no true cause for her depression or suicide. The conversations this book can spark are important and wholly necessary.
I disliked that colors are forced into descriptions and metaphors when they don't belong there. I can understand that this is supposed to show us Leigh's artistic mindset, but it felt forced and awkward to me. How am I supposed to invision "raw sienna hope"? Also, why a brownish orange color for hope? Wasn't their color for anger a vivid burnt orange? These seem too similar to me and they didn't enhance description or the image forming in my head. Instead, these instances only further removed me from the story.
I was not a huge fan of the unrequited romance arc. It felt like this was almost a separate story that was squished into the main arc of discovering Leigh's family and dealing with her mother's mental illness and suicide. I feel the book would have been far better served without the romance aspect. It made the ending feel cheap.
The timeline of this story can also be a bit confusing. The story is told mostly through flashbacks or memories. At times these are Leigh's own memories. At other times they are her mother's or her grandmother's as revealed to her through incense. Again, I'm not a major fan of magical realism, and this felt like a super convenient plot device instead of the mystic experience it was intended to be.
That said, I did enjoy the book, mostly. It wasn't awful. It just wasn't for me.

2.5 or 3 Stars - undecided

Eh, this was a book, a book that I read.

It had potential and a cute premise. The dialogue was sometimes witty, but nearly always felt forced. I enjoyed Nina and how so much of the story had to do with books. I loved her youngest sister and how Nina saw parts of herself in her siblings and often had to come to terms with how that made her a bit uncomfortable. I wanted more from the "surprise family" part of the story. I didn't like the romance. To me there wasn't really a romance. It fell completely flat, and was actually unnecessary. I didn't feel invested in the romance or in the trivia competitions either. This felt like a much shorter story stretched over a hundred too many pages.

It was cute at times, but ultimately forgettable.

This one was okay. I didn't like the first half, but I did like the second half. I have a feeling it won't stay in my head for long, but there were some good insights about writing and the main character was somewhat relatable, if not really likable.

I liked this one. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. The first portions of the book were much more enjoyable for me than the last. Perhaps that's simply because I don't understand what either of the main characters were really going through. I recommend listening to the audiobook for this one, because the lack of quotation marks might drive you crazy. It was much easier for me to tell when someone was speaking by listening instead of reading.

DNF at 8%.

There were too many characters with the focus shifted too quickly for me to easily remember who was dealing with what issue. I didn’t like any of the characters or the flow of the story. This one just wasn’t for me.

Elizabeth Acevedo will always be a go-to author for me. I will automatically read anything she publishes.

I can't imagine how tough it was to follow up [b:The Poet X|33294200|The Poet X|Elizabeth Acevedo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498766234l/33294200._SY75_.jpg|54024746] with a new character and to create a new voice with the same punch and "fire" as Xiomara. Ya'll, Elizabeth Acevedo DELIVERS.

Emoni is the type of strong at 18 that I hope to be and am still working on now at 28. She's raising her daughter, Emma. She's dealing with the social stigma of having a child just after her freshman year of high school. She's a natural in the kitchen and doesn't want to accept instruction or criticism. Her biggest flaw? She doesn't feel like she deserves anything for herself.

My students, even if they aren't black or Puerto Rican, will still be able to see something of themselves in Emoni. She stands up for what she believes in. She stands strong and refuses to feel shame about her daughter. She chooses to move forward and work hard, even when it would be easier to lash out. She's an amazing role model.

I can't wait to put this one in my classroom library.

Very suspenseful! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, even through the very slow build.

Meh.

I only cared about Jane. Her first portion was so long that I was insanely frustrated to see that this became a multiple POV book after things finally got interesting with her. I didn't really like any of the other characters.
I thought this book was going to be something like The Handmaid's Tale or at least dystopian, but it wasn't really. It tried to tackle so many huge issues, such as racism, classism, feminism, and family, but it really fell short on all accounts.

Moving on.

This book gave me the feels.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this one. I didn't read anything from the back cover of the book. I just dove in. This is probably the darkest fantasy I've read in a while. Think YA version of Game of Thrones meets X-Men meets Sarah J. Maas. But better, because it's Marie Lu.

In true Marie Lu fashion, this book broke my heart. I honestly expected worse for Adalina at one point, because although Enzo and Raffaele can appear to be total cinnamon rolls, they AREN'T. They're still my favorites, though.


Don't read too much about this book. Just dive right in like I did. You'll be glad you did.