White, Caitlin (October 1, 2017). "The 15 Best New YA Books Coming In October 2017". Bustle . Retrieved 6 October 2017. I'm going to start for the portrayal of Mexico and Mexican culture. Every time I read books by children of immigrants I remember a question that my cousin, also a child of immigrants that had never been in Mexico, made me when I made a trip to the USA, "oh my god do you have X-box in Mexico?". So far, in the YA I've read the authors seem to believe all of the country is still living in 1900 or something like that, eating tortillas and menudo and tacos all the time. Erika L. Sánchez even decided to introduce narcos as a normal occurrence! This even felt worse because Sánchez wrote about a place in Chihuahua, my state. But what is perfect anyway? When it comes to my literary characters, I’d rather have complex - and Julia delivers on that front. She comes to life and shines, and likable be damned. “I don’t know why I’ve always been like this, why the smallest things make me ache inside. There’s a poem I read once, titled “The World Is Too Much with Us,” and I guess that is the best way to describe the feeling—the world is too much with me.”Very well-written story, especially for a literary debut. I’ll be on a lookout for more from Sánchez.

What ensues is what amounts to be a mystery investigation into the nature of human imperfection, leading to these secrets Olga has kept. In the process, Julia has to grapple with what Olga’s friend tells her about Olga and whether she should share this information with amá and apá: The portrayal of Amá made me increasingly furious throughout the book. She's a demonized, one-dimensional portrayal of a grieving mother. And by demonized, I mean she's a caricature of an emotionally abusive mother. The writer attempts to shoehorn in some sympathy for her towards the end, but it falls flat because, again, she's literally an abuser.This gritty contemporary novel about an unlikable first-generation Mexican-American teen fails to deliver as a coming-of-age journey.

If you ever wanted to [understand] the harsh truths of immigrant life, this is the book you need to read.” — Bustle This book is for any Latina who feels that she doesn't fit anywhere because she "talks white" according to her community and she's just "too hood" in white spaces. This book is for Latinas who know they are good enough to leave a neighborhood and challenge a system that usually doesn't accept brown girls. I was truly touched by this book. But this isn't about you. This is about protecting those who are still here. Why would you want to cause your family more pain? Julia, several years younger than Olga, doesn’t know her sister very well, and what she thinks she knows is that Olga, “settling” for being a receptionist, is very conventional; that is, until Julia finds some surprisingly sexy underwear stashed in a secret place in Olga’s room, with a hotel key. . .

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When I was really struggling with my depression as a young woman, someone trying to comfort me actually said something to me that made me feel about a thousand times worse for a really long time. She said that people with depression were "deep, sensitive, caring people" and that we cared too much about others and didn't spend enough time caring about ourselves. It made me feel like trash, because I didn't feel sensitive or caring. I felt angry all the time-- mostly with myself, but with others, too. I just despised myself slightly more than I did the things and people around me. I walked away from that person hating myself a little more that day, because it was like, "Oh, great, so not only am I depressed, selfish, and hateful, I'm not even feeling depressed in the way that I'm supposed to." why? do? all? teens? in? books? have? to? do? some? sort? of? drug? but like, it wasn’t exactly the most extreme in this case Overall, I so enjoyed this book & somehow managed to relate to the character despite our many differences both in culture + personality. This was also a really informative book about the Mexican culture, I did learn a lot. Somehow Sánchez manages to create these settings that can be so perfectly visualized ; like man, I felt that greasy quinceañera.

If you want to read a YA/coming-of-age novel starring a judgmental teenager who vacillates between self-loathing and delusions of grandeur, and loses her virginity in a painful sex scene, I'd recommend Curtis Sittenfeld's novel, "Prep." That main character has a much keener intelligence level, and sharper powers of observation, that make tolerating her hateful attitudes much more rewarding. The main character, however, is equal parts clueless, arrogant, cruel, and balances her character flaws with delusions of grandeur. I could not connect with this Mexican-American teenage girl, as much as I wanted to love her. She was just too selfish, entitled, and mean, even though I understood that her position in life was meant to be pitiable and elicit my sympathy. There was just nothing redeeming about her, and being in her head while reading this story felt needlessly painful.Through the process of learning to live without Olga, Julia slowly begins to better understand why her parents, both immigrants, are the way that they are. More, Julia begins to unravel the deep secrets that her sister kept. And it’s during a trip to Mexico to visit family that Julia begins to learn how much her parents sacrificed for her and Olga, as well as how much she has to step up and take control of her own life and future. That it’s OKAY for her not to be someone she isn’t.