A review by laurensbookvibes
The Girl, The Ring, and the Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez

hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

This YA magical realism book about navigating high school, family, and trauma was a real treat! I simultaneously read the print and listened to the audiobook, and I really enjoyed the audio narration by Amanda Alcántara, Melania Luisa, and André Santana.

Our three main characters Rosie, Caro, and Zeke each discover magical talismans that end up helping them overcome obstacles that they each face. One has to face crushing systemic racism and injustice in school, one deals with difficult relationships and friendships and strong feelings and how to control them, and the last deals with loneliness, healing, identity and love. While I enjoyed the perspectives and stories of all three, I found Zeke to be my favorite. He brought a positive and fun energy to the group. 

Additionally, I loved all the representation in the book. There are strong Dominican characters represented as well as queer characters and I love finding this representation, especially in YA books.