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thepetitepunk's review
5.0
I certainly wasn’t expecting to cry and yet here we are.
Such a great example of what YA can be. Highly recommend.
*Also, the audiobook narrator was fantastic!!
Such a great example of what YA can be. Highly recommend.
*Also, the audiobook narrator was fantastic!!
thealexarachelle's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was well done. Cute family story about feeling lost and finally finding your place in life. ♥️
emp15's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
slow-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
4.25
elleisntabell's review against another edition
4.25
I read this probably around when it came out and it's always stuck with me, so I decided to pick it back up because why not? It's not perfect but I had a good time with it, it's about a 4.25. Probably my biggest gripe is that one of the main characters is half-Mexican, and it's done respectfully, but I'm pretty sure Benway is fully white so I don't know if it's amazing rep. I at least wish she had credited some own-voices beta readers or something but I think that's become more common in recent years. Regardless, I love stories with interesting family dynamics and stuff and this book slots pretty perfectly into that so we were basically a match made in heaven. I definitely feel like it deserved the National Book Award at the time, it's very well-written and impactful. I feel like this is a must-read for adopted teens, but I can't really speak because I'm not one.
katykelly's review
5.0
Moving adoption story, with a central threesome of convincing adolescents.
It's not an easy read for a parent, seeing how the children cope taken away/given up by their birth parents. I felt tugs at my heart all the way through, thinking of my own children, which as a teenage reader, I wouldn't have considered.
Three siblings discover their connection, a birth mother, after one gives up a baby for adoption and they find each other. Grace is an only child, accidentally pregnant who has given up her baby in its own best interest and regrets it soon after. Maya was adopted as a baby just before her adoptive parents found themselves expecting their own child, and though loved, feels out of place. She's kept her girlfriend out of her emotions. And Joaquin, bounced around foster homes his entire life, has trouble letting anyone in, even the foster parents he cares for and who want to adopt him officially.
This dysfunctional threesome find each other, each with their own burdens that they don't want to share, but with their family connection, they might find a new and unconditional bond.
I admired the careful creating of several realistic and unmawkish foster/adoptive families. Each had parents that showed a genuine ("we love you / you make us mad sometimes") relationship between adopted children and their guardians, and the three central characters were just as strong.
Grace's situation hit home with me, having just had a second child and feeling protective of my baby, her emotions at giving up her newborn felt very real and very raw. Maya's attempt to stay invulnerable and Joaquin's to attempt to keep others away also seemed very reminiscent of the adolescence I remember, and the story moved gently through each story and background until each was opened up to us and each could be worked through.
With some good secondary characters (and potential love interests for each), it's a very heartfelt story, with a lovely ending that felt complete and satisfying.
There's a small amount of scenes that give debating points on the different treatment of pregnant girls/teenage mothers versus the boys who helped create those babies - good talking point.
I hope this is well read in secondary schools, foster-child stories aren't particularly common and this is also a great look at teenage pregnancy.
For ages 14 and above.
It's not an easy read for a parent, seeing how the children cope taken away/given up by their birth parents. I felt tugs at my heart all the way through, thinking of my own children, which as a teenage reader, I wouldn't have considered.
Three siblings discover their connection, a birth mother, after one gives up a baby for adoption and they find each other. Grace is an only child, accidentally pregnant who has given up her baby in its own best interest and regrets it soon after. Maya was adopted as a baby just before her adoptive parents found themselves expecting their own child, and though loved, feels out of place. She's kept her girlfriend out of her emotions. And Joaquin, bounced around foster homes his entire life, has trouble letting anyone in, even the foster parents he cares for and who want to adopt him officially.
This dysfunctional threesome find each other, each with their own burdens that they don't want to share, but with their family connection, they might find a new and unconditional bond.
I admired the careful creating of several realistic and unmawkish foster/adoptive families. Each had parents that showed a genuine ("we love you / you make us mad sometimes") relationship between adopted children and their guardians, and the three central characters were just as strong.
Grace's situation hit home with me, having just had a second child and feeling protective of my baby, her emotions at giving up her newborn felt very real and very raw. Maya's attempt to stay invulnerable and Joaquin's to attempt to keep others away also seemed very reminiscent of the adolescence I remember, and the story moved gently through each story and background until each was opened up to us and each could be worked through.
With some good secondary characters (and potential love interests for each), it's a very heartfelt story, with a lovely ending that felt complete and satisfying.
There's a small amount of scenes that give debating points on the different treatment of pregnant girls/teenage mothers versus the boys who helped create those babies - good talking point.
I hope this is well read in secondary schools, foster-child stories aren't particularly common and this is also a great look at teenage pregnancy.
For ages 14 and above.
scottlovestoread's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0