I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant—by the boyfriend she hasn’t told her parents about, because he’s Black, and her parents are racist.

Things are hella complicated.

Weighed by a depression she can’t seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?

Short and Sweet Review

Belén just wants to be a normal teenager and have normal experiences but in her life nothing is going right, her father left, she may not graduate, and her religious and studious friend ends up pregnant by a boy she can’t tell her parents about because they’re racist. Soon Belén starts to distract herself by skipping class and hanging out with an older guy but she starts to wonder what the future has in store for her when she sees everyone around her ready to move on.

First and foremost this is one of the best books I’ve read this year! The story follows Belén who’s in high school, she’s not taking school very seriously and has a chance of not graduating. Belén and Leti are best friends, Leti is pregnant and her parents are super religious and also racist which complicates things because Leti’s baby daddy Quentin is black. We follow Belén try to navigate this time during her life, her father left and since then her mom has become more absent and her older sister Ava is almost the mother figure in her life. When Belén, Leti, and Quentin go to a college party, Belén meets a college guy who she spends a lot of time with mainly to distract herself from everything that’s going on in life. My favorite thing about this book was how realistic it is. It also reminds me of those movies where the student is failing but they find a teacher who cares about them who helps them make it to the finish line. I loved the friendship between Belén and Leti, Leti was the more logical one but Belén would balance her out and make her realize she doesn’t have to take everything so seriously. I liked that Belén wasn’t pregnant but that she was the biggest support for Leti and Quentin during this time. This book takes place over a school year and I just loved seeing Belén navigate life and where she started to where she ended, her character made leaps and bounds in the development department.

Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone! It’s so realistic and you fall in love with the characters and their stories. Belén was an amazing character that was relatable and showed that even through the hard times you can still find the light at the end of the tunnel.