The description on the back of the book lead me to believe the story was more of a mystery than it is, but what it truly is is much better than the mystery I expected.

The story follows Julia's, a first-generation Mexican-American, journey through grief and mental health struggles following the unexpected death of her sister. The story provides a clear view of the struggles first-generation children of immigrants often face, both from wider society and within their own cultural community.

I loved Julia's voice throughout the novel. Even when she was being a jerk, she was being true to herself in the best way she knew how. I empathized with her struggles. If Sanchez writes another book in this universe, I would love to see Julia pop up in the background so we could see where she's at on achieving her dreams. ( )

Julia is not the perfect Mexican daughter, that was her sister Olga. When Olga dies unexpectedly, Julia is left to pick up the pieces of her rapidly unravelling family. As she uncovers her sister’s secrets and learns of her parents’ extremely violent journey to America, her world will change forever. With themes of loss, suicide, relationships, family, cultural identity, and love, this book will take you on a remarkable journey. ( )

This fast-paced coming of age novel begins with a bang, as Julia finds out that her older sister has been hit and killed by a bus. The novel is told from Julia's perspective as she navigates he complexities of identity, family, and grief in the wake of this tragedy. Julia, who is a bright and vibrant young girl struggles under the weight of cultural and familial expectations, buried under the assumption that her sister was "the perfect Mexican daughter". However, as time passes and Julia begins to learn more about her sister's secrets, she realizes she was maybe not as 'perfect' as she seemed. In discovering this Julia also begins to discover a lot about the challenges and sacrifices her parents made to bring her and her sister to America. Sanchez weaves together themes of mental health, immigrant experiences and the clash between tradition and modernity, to create a compelling and relevant narrative for the reader. While Sanchez's work explores a lot of heavy topics, Julia's wit and humor help to keep the novel light, and deliver her message with an honest and compelling voice that really gives the story its life.

I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Julia, a young girl with an older sister (Olga) that dies suddenly when a bus hits her. It touches on the typical teen experience with boys and looks, but also how she experiences classism and racism. It really gave a window into the world of first generation Americans born from immigrant families, and how the worlds they have experienced are so vastly different. I would recommend this book for students in grades 8 and above for more mature content involving sex and drugs. ( )

3.5 stars. I often wonder if listening instead of reading changes my overall impression of a book. This is one that I may have liked to read from words on a page. I'm not sure why. Maybe it would have felt more intimate. ( )