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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Received a free ARC from NetGalley.
The Zavala sisters are well-known at St. Agnes. Older sister Clara is the golden child - off at college with the intention of being a doctor. Troublemaking Milagro is mostly into fashion, her friend Carmen and boyfriend Pablo. She secretly makes good grades but also gets detention. Younger sister Lulu is super interested in science and very awkward around people. When their mother goes on a pray retreat during their school break, both Milagro and Lulu are excited. Lulu has a school trip to visit colleges, while Milagro plans on spending time with Pablo while her mother and Lulu are away. When a spot on the college trip opens up, their mom signs up Milagro to accompany Lulu. Milagro reluctantly goes after finding out that Pablo is cheating on her. Milagro and Lulu have unexpected experiences on the trip. Milagro realizes that she has the potential to do well in college, even though she was not interested in attending. Lulu befriends her trip partner Leo and is surprised that he is interested in her romantically. The girls find out that Clara has been keeping secrets from them and that maybe she is not as perfect as she seemed.
The book was entertaining and is similar in tone to [b:To All the Boys I've Loved Before|15749186|To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)|Jenny Han|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372086100l/15749186._SY75_.jpg|21442106]. Occasionally the main characters were somewhat annoying as they could be self-centered and overly dramatic in their reactions to situations.
The Zavala sisters are well-known at St. Agnes. Older sister Clara is the golden child - off at college with the intention of being a doctor. Troublemaking Milagro is mostly into fashion, her friend Carmen and boyfriend Pablo. She secretly makes good grades but also gets detention. Younger sister Lulu is super interested in science and very awkward around people. When their mother goes on a pray retreat during their school break, both Milagro and Lulu are excited. Lulu has a school trip to visit colleges, while Milagro plans on spending time with Pablo while her mother and Lulu are away. When a spot on the college trip opens up, their mom signs up Milagro to accompany Lulu. Milagro reluctantly goes after finding out that Pablo is cheating on her. Milagro and Lulu have unexpected experiences on the trip. Milagro realizes that she has the potential to do well in college, even though she was not interested in attending. Lulu befriends her trip partner Leo and is surprised that he is interested in her romantically. The girls find out that Clara has been keeping secrets from them and that maybe she is not as perfect as she seemed.
Spoiler
It turns out that Clara dropped out of college in Iowa after having terrible first semester grades. She had been volunteering as a translator at a charity in San Francisco for the past 6 weeks.The book was entertaining and is similar in tone to [b:To All the Boys I've Loved Before|15749186|To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)|Jenny Han|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372086100l/15749186._SY75_.jpg|21442106]. Occasionally the main characters were somewhat annoying as they could be self-centered and overly dramatic in their reactions to situations.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a chance read that surprised me by how much I loved it! Exploring sisterhood, relationships with their mom, expectations, life as the child of a 1st gen immigrant, the college search, healthy romantic relationships…so much here in a really enjoyable read that I couldn’t put down! Definitely recommended.
An important first-gen narrative, but not as good as I had hoped. Maybe because I was listening to it and the voices were annoying. Had a hard time getting through it.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Quick read. Nice journey story about families and colleges and boys.
Questions, which may have been resolved by a layer printing.
1. Piedmont college (s) are along the peolidmont and nowhere near san francisco..
2. Why would a person drive 3 hours from Iowa city to Des Moines to fly? There are closer places to fly from...
Questions, which may have been resolved by a layer printing.
1. Piedmont college (s) are along the peolidmont and nowhere near san francisco..
2. Why would a person drive 3 hours from Iowa city to Des Moines to fly? There are closer places to fly from...
Sisters Lulu and Milagro couldn’t be any more different from one another. Lulu is a self-professed nerd who aspires to attend a prestigious summer environmental program. Milagro’s focus is on her boyfriend, Pablo, and the latest fashion and makeup trends. One thing these two sisters do have in common is their big sister, Clara. Clara has set the standard of expectations for the two younger Zavala sisters, being a high-achieving, model student and overall good human being.
Everything shifts in the lives of the Zavala sisters through one college tour trip that forces each sister to dig deep within themselves in order to grow individually and as a sibling unit.
This YA novel elicits quintessential heartwarming vibes. It’s a feel-good story that will make you smile, laugh, and root for each character. I particularly enjoyed the way the author weaves in Peruvian culture, and single parenting into this novel. There was a nice balance of lighthearted narrative and moments that create space for deeper thought.
Everything shifts in the lives of the Zavala sisters through one college tour trip that forces each sister to dig deep within themselves in order to grow individually and as a sibling unit.
This YA novel elicits quintessential heartwarming vibes. It’s a feel-good story that will make you smile, laugh, and root for each character. I particularly enjoyed the way the author weaves in Peruvian culture, and single parenting into this novel. There was a nice balance of lighthearted narrative and moments that create space for deeper thought.
i was actually pleasently surprised with this one, it went deeper in to the sisters than i thought and i liked the ending beign this beginning into being their true selves more and coming together. i could see my family in them (were many sisters too) , it was pretty interesting. I didnt like Milagro much at first but by the end she was my favorite
(this is more like 4.5 stars)
Oh, how I loved this book. I very much think that YA coming of age stories (like this and also Moon Fuentez) are something I missed out on reading as a teenager. But, I'm also grateful I get to read them now. Lulu and Milagro's relationship was very much a sibling dynamic - I say this specifically because sometimes you read books with siblings and it feels fake, but this book had none of that. They had their conflicting moments and you could see how the relationships with each of them and their mother trickled down to influence their lives. It was authentic and I loved how similar but also how different they are. They have their unique personalities and voices and it was evident in the dual-pov chapters. Seeing them go on campus tours kinda made me miss the magic I first felt when on campus. Anyway, I loved this book. I think if you liked How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe, you'll like this too.
Thank you to Netgalley and HCCFrenzy for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Oh, how I loved this book. I very much think that YA coming of age stories (like this and also Moon Fuentez) are something I missed out on reading as a teenager. But, I'm also grateful I get to read them now. Lulu and Milagro's relationship was very much a sibling dynamic - I say this specifically because sometimes you read books with siblings and it feels fake, but this book had none of that. They had their conflicting moments and you could see how the relationships with each of them and their mother trickled down to influence their lives. It was authentic and I loved how similar but also how different they are. They have their unique personalities and voices and it was evident in the dual-pov chapters. Seeing them go on campus tours kinda made me miss the magic I first felt when on campus. Anyway, I loved this book. I think if you liked How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe, you'll like this too.
Thank you to Netgalley and HCCFrenzy for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.