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Books | Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age
3
Carolina Ixta
WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ YA AUTHOR AWARD* A Morris Award Finalist * Parade Best Young Adult Books of All Time * Indie Next List Pick *An unforgettable YA debut about two Latina teens growing up in East Oakland as they discover that the world is brimming with messy complexities, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Erika L. Sánchez.Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant—by the boyfriend she hasn’t told her parents about, because he’s Black, and her parents are racist.Things are hella complicated.Weighed by a depression she can’t seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?From debut author Carolina Ixta comes a fierce, intimate examination of friendship, chosen family, and the generational cycles we must break to become our truest selves.
Coming Of Age
Young Adult
AD
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More Details:
Author
Carolina Ixta
Pages
368
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2024-01-09
ISBN
0063287889 9780063287884
Community ReviewsSee all
"Wow, couldn’t put this one down. Great for a senior in high school or the mid-20 something that wants to go back to when they were 16. For me, it was the latter - I saw so much of myself in Belen when I was her age, just wanting to be liked, giving up on your grades/not knowing what to do for college… all of the stuff you deal with at that age. There’s also really important themes (generational trauma and racism) in it, which speaks a lot about how it affects children of immigrants. Overall, easy + great for a casual read."
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Sara SoDeezy
"SO FREAKING GOOD!!! definitely recommend!!"
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Ava Scahill
"This took me a bit to get into--for about the first third I really didn't care much for Belen but as it went on and she opened up more I came to understand and empathize her. The turning point was when she says how she reads to immerse herself in someone else's life and problems and it rang so true for me, how I can become so invested in characters and their growth while ignoring my own. I was very glad she started seeing a therapist at the end and also related to the feeling of how therapy can often make you feel more confused and jumbled up before it finally starts clicking. Although Leti was her anchor, it was her friendship with Ali I enjoyed and felt helped her finally move forward."
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Liesl Prentice