Juleah Del Rosario

3.5 Stars

CW: alcoholism, parent abandons child, racism, offensive comments made to girl about her promiscuity after she drunkenly cheated on her boyfriend.

CW: Loss of mother, miscarriage.

This story moved quite slowly and considering that it's a verse novel, that's really saying something. That being said I enjoyed the heartfelt tone and the portrayal of two sisters managing their grief in the aftermath of two painful losses. I understand the stresses of being the eldest sibling and the how the mantle of responsibility can weigh quite heavily during family emergencies. The ending felt believable and satisfying.

This one hit hard and close to home. Story of two sisters, each dealing with grief in their own way. The question that flows throughout the story is “how do you move on after losing someone so important in your life?” Is it possible to move on? Yes. Does it take time? Yes. Does one tend to push others away as they move through their grief? Yes.

Narrated by Annie Q. Drawn from book description: "High school senior Nic Chen attempts to salvage her reputation among her Ivy League-obsessed classmates by writing their college admissions essays and in the process learns big truths about herself." I did not realize in the audio format that this was written in verse which likely explains what I felt were choppy shifts in the story.