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Separated by distance--and Papi's secrets--the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. This is one of the most moving explorations of grief that I've ever read, a deep-dive into the lightless depths of what it means to lose something and be utterly unable to move on—not only a literal person, but also a way of life.

Yahaira tells us of her girlfriend Dre, and it's wonderful to see a happy, and healthy lesbian relationship in a YA novel. We see the reality of what it means to grow up in a female body without a father (or male guardian).Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). When we see Camino again, we are introduced to her friend Carline, who is pregnant, but still has to work endless hours since her family needs the money to eat. There are two things that I didn't like about how the sexual harassment was handled in the story though: 1) There is a scene in which Camino wants to reach out to her aunt Tía to tell her about El Cero, but before she gets the chance, Tía accuses her of having let El Cero on, of inviting him into her life. Maybe anger is like a river, maybe it crumbles everything around it, maybe it hides so many skeletons beneath the rolling surface.

From the descriptions of the food and spices to the small barrios and communities coming together, Elizabeth gives you an image of what the Dominican Republic is like. The novel also handles other thematic notes with so much clarity and grace; namely the question of identity, what it means to grow up in a world you felt only halfway inside of and constantly question your claim to your parents’ roots when you’ve never set foot in their world. I wish more YA books would push the message that opening up about your problems is actually PREVENTIVE and HELPFUL. At the same time, across the Atlantic, Yahaira Rios learns that her hero Papi has died in a plane crash.During my reread, however, I decided to focus on another thing entirely: the disparity of these two girls, one who grew up with her mother in the United States, and the other who grew up in the Dominican Republic with her aunt. Acevedo's free verse poems for each girl share an easy cadence and thoughtfulness, yet each girl's perspective is clear: Camino is strong but fearful of the dangers that threaten her life and hopes; Yahaira's anger is palpable, but so is her tenderness and love for her girlfriend Dre.

You experience the black holes being created in both girls chests for the Father their worlds revolved around now gone forever, the pain of life never being the same. I feel this book is very personal to the author, which is why it struck those chords in your heart even more vividly. Tackles family secrets, toxic masculinity, and socio-economic differences with incisive clarity and candor. This story was so moving and heartfelt, addled with grief, loss and having your world altered due to death and family secrets. Written in a dual narrative we spend a lot of tI'm not victim blaming her, it just makes no sense to me why Camino would put herself willingly in this very unsafe environment because literally EVERY TIME (!