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The Trouble with Sunshine
A heartwarming story about grief and new beginnings, by Pura Belpré Award-winning author Yamile Saied Méndez.
THE TROUBLE WITH SUNSHINE IS IT COMES EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T DESERVE IT.
Dorani's mom, Isa, taught her to be bold and challenge the rules if they don’t seem fair. People are more important than rules. But she never taught Dorani how to do it all without her. So, when Isa dies on the way to speak with the principal about Dori's latest revolution, Dori loses her voice. Her grief and guilt become the loudest parts of her.
Moving from vibrant Miami to quiet, middle-of-nowhere Wyoming with her aunt feels like the punishment she deserves. She spends most of her time with their newest horse, Sunshine. Sunshine was involved in an accident that's left her skittish and hard to care for. Tia Ivette knows her behavior comes from fear, and she is trying everything to make Sunshine brave again.
But Dori knows grief can feel like fear… and grief is just love with no place to go.
Speaking up for Sunshine reminds Dori that the very best parts of her mother live on through her, and so when she starts to notice that the rules at her new school unfairly target specific students, she knows just want her mother would do…
THE TROUBLE WITH SUNSHINE IS IT COMES EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T DESERVE IT.
Dorani's mom, Isa, taught her to be bold and challenge the rules if they don’t seem fair. People are more important than rules. But she never taught Dorani how to do it all without her. So, when Isa dies on the way to speak with the principal about Dori's latest revolution, Dori loses her voice. Her grief and guilt become the loudest parts of her.
Moving from vibrant Miami to quiet, middle-of-nowhere Wyoming with her aunt feels like the punishment she deserves. She spends most of her time with their newest horse, Sunshine. Sunshine was involved in an accident that's left her skittish and hard to care for. Tia Ivette knows her behavior comes from fear, and she is trying everything to make Sunshine brave again.
But Dori knows grief can feel like fear… and grief is just love with no place to go.
Speaking up for Sunshine reminds Dori that the very best parts of her mother live on through her, and so when she starts to notice that the rules at her new school unfairly target specific students, she knows just want her mother would do…
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2025
15 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Yamile Saied Méndez
44 books723 followersYamile (sha-MEE-lay) is a fútbol obsessed Argentine-American. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.
She’s represented by Linda Camacho, from the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.
She’s represented by Linda Camacho, from the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 7, 2025
The Trouble With Sunshine isn't a cute story about horses (because this is what I thought without reading the synopsis). It's a complex story that follows a middle school age girl as she not only deals with grief, but adjusts to a life with a family member she barely knows. Yamile Saied Mendez not only has a way with words, but also a way with tugging on every fiber of your heart. This was well written with dynamic characters. Dori not only find's space to process her grief, but she also finds a support system, a community that guides her every step of the way. Unfortunately, The Trouble With Sunshine attempts to be too many things at once. Though I appreciated the main storyline, Mendez weaves in other elements (though relevant to today) that make the story feel less cohesive at times. Overall, a dynamic book that's definitely worth checking out.
July 10, 2025
Dorani finds herself moving to Wyoming to live with her Tia Yvette (who she hardly knows) upon the loss of her mother. Dorani makes the best of the situation, but her heart hurts.
When Dorani meets Sunshine, a horse traumatized with a loss of his own, she makes an instant connection. It is this connection that helps Dorani heal.
I loved the pacing of this book and I liked how natural the friendship developed between Dorani and the kids at school.
This may be a little too neatly tied together, but it feels genuine to me.
When Dorani meets Sunshine, a horse traumatized with a loss of his own, she makes an instant connection. It is this connection that helps Dorani heal.
I loved the pacing of this book and I liked how natural the friendship developed between Dorani and the kids at school.
This may be a little too neatly tied together, but it feels genuine to me.
October 20, 2024
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
This was a really great, emotional story of grief, healing, and family and community. Dorani blames herself for her mother’s death because the reason her mom wasn’t at the hospital when she had a heart attack was Dori got in trouble at school and her mom was called in. Her Christmas is spent having to pack up and her mom’s funeral before she moves from Miami to Wyoming to be with her aunt, Tia Ivette. At first Dorani feels unwelcome and unwanted and just wants to get back to what and who she knows in Miami, but when she starts bonding with recently injured Sunshine, a horse that was the only survivor of a car accident, she starts to see that she has a place in Wyoming after all.
This has lots of really great lines about dealing with grief and how much work it is to heal. I also love that Dorani is someone unafraid to do what’s right and stand up against injustices. I did in some ways feel that read young for a thirteen-year-old protagonist, but at the same time it worked really well and was a super engaging story that I struggled to put down. I really loved this one and all the ways it hit my emotions.
This was a really great, emotional story of grief, healing, and family and community. Dorani blames herself for her mother’s death because the reason her mom wasn’t at the hospital when she had a heart attack was Dori got in trouble at school and her mom was called in. Her Christmas is spent having to pack up and her mom’s funeral before she moves from Miami to Wyoming to be with her aunt, Tia Ivette. At first Dorani feels unwelcome and unwanted and just wants to get back to what and who she knows in Miami, but when she starts bonding with recently injured Sunshine, a horse that was the only survivor of a car accident, she starts to see that she has a place in Wyoming after all.
This has lots of really great lines about dealing with grief and how much work it is to heal. I also love that Dorani is someone unafraid to do what’s right and stand up against injustices. I did in some ways feel that read young for a thirteen-year-old protagonist, but at the same time it worked really well and was a super engaging story that I struggled to put down. I really loved this one and all the ways it hit my emotions.
August 5, 2025
The Trouble With Sunshine
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 5.71/10 overall
Characters - 6
Atmosphere - 6
Writing - 5
Plot - 5.5
Intrigue - 6
Logic - 5.5
Enjoyment - 6
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed how this story started but the pacing after that was pretty terrible. I felt like the tone really shifted throughout the book and the plot didn't have a clear focus. There were a lot of plot-points that seemed to either not get resolved or get resolved way too quickly. The beginning got me hopeful that the book might tackle some heavier themes but it pretty quickly shied away from anything complex, opting instead for a bunch of smaller-scale issues which got jumbled up and convoluted. I still enjoyed parts of this, but I wish there was more of a focus to the plot. :/
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 5.71/10 overall
Characters - 6
Atmosphere - 6
Writing - 5
Plot - 5.5
Intrigue - 6
Logic - 5.5
Enjoyment - 6
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed how this story started but the pacing after that was pretty terrible. I felt like the tone really shifted throughout the book and the plot didn't have a clear focus. There were a lot of plot-points that seemed to either not get resolved or get resolved way too quickly. The beginning got me hopeful that the book might tackle some heavier themes but it pretty quickly shied away from anything complex, opting instead for a bunch of smaller-scale issues which got jumbled up and convoluted. I still enjoyed parts of this, but I wish there was more of a focus to the plot. :/
March 10, 2025
I'll be a horse girl until my dying day, so of course as soon as I saw a new beautiful hardcover MG book with a horse on the cover, I had to snatch it up.
I felt this book had a wonderful emotional journey for the main character to take. Dorani is a protagonist every reader is going to like. She doesn't have all the answers, but she has a lot of questions and the bravery to get herself through them.
One of my favorite scenes is the morning of Three Kings Day. Not only did I learn about a new holiday I had never heard before, but the letter Dorani's mother wrote to her in her journal brought real tears to my eyes!
I did have some issues with the story, all of which could have been solved by making it longer. As several other people have already said in reviews here, I wish there had been more time between Dorani and Sunshine, and more scenes with them together. Often the author mentions things that have been happening "between scenes" but I wish I had seen them for myself. For example, before the big scene where Dorani rides Sunshine, we only have one other scene of her ever even being on a horse. It would have been more believable if we had gotten to see a few more scenes of her practicing her riding before she did it on her own.
I also wish the author worked a little more on foreshadowing. A few times she dropped statements that would have had more impact if we had been set up for them. For example, at the end of the book Dorani states that she squeezed her aunt's hand three times, which had been a signal of "I love you" between Dorani and her mother. This was never mentioned anywhere in the book up to that point. If it had been stated before, then it would have had a more emotional impact with me when it happened here, at the end.
It also feels like there's a lot being left unmentioned. A Valentine's Dance is brought up several times, and Dorani's friend asks out the boy she likes, but it's never mentioned if Dorani goes to the dance, and if so, does she ask a boy? Also the issue with the school's dress code and rules about not speaking anything but English outside of certain classrooms isn't really brought to a satisfying conclusion, except for one line that says "the principle agreed to modify the dress code." What about speaking Spanish outside of class? What about the start of her rivalry with Vivian, that didn't seem to have a conclusion? Maybe these are set ups for a sequel book?
But despite the story going much too quickly, and having too many side-plots to give them all sufficient exploration, it was still a very emotional and satisfying read to me. I'll definitely look into the author's other works!
I felt this book had a wonderful emotional journey for the main character to take. Dorani is a protagonist every reader is going to like. She doesn't have all the answers, but she has a lot of questions and the bravery to get herself through them.
One of my favorite scenes is the morning of Three Kings Day. Not only did I learn about a new holiday I had never heard before, but the letter Dorani's mother wrote to her in her journal brought real tears to my eyes!
I did have some issues with the story, all of which could have been solved by making it longer. As several other people have already said in reviews here, I wish there had been more time between Dorani and Sunshine, and more scenes with them together. Often the author mentions things that have been happening "between scenes" but I wish I had seen them for myself. For example, before the big scene where Dorani rides Sunshine, we only have one other scene of her ever even being on a horse. It would have been more believable if we had gotten to see a few more scenes of her practicing her riding before she did it on her own.
I also wish the author worked a little more on foreshadowing. A few times she dropped statements that would have had more impact if we had been set up for them. For example, at the end of the book Dorani states that she squeezed her aunt's hand three times, which had been a signal of "I love you" between Dorani and her mother. This was never mentioned anywhere in the book up to that point. If it had been stated before, then it would have had a more emotional impact with me when it happened here, at the end.
It also feels like there's a lot being left unmentioned. A Valentine's Dance is brought up several times, and Dorani's friend asks out the boy she likes, but it's never mentioned if Dorani goes to the dance, and if so, does she ask a boy? Also the issue with the school's dress code and rules about not speaking anything but English outside of certain classrooms isn't really brought to a satisfying conclusion, except for one line that says "the principle agreed to modify the dress code." What about speaking Spanish outside of class? What about the start of her rivalry with Vivian, that didn't seem to have a conclusion? Maybe these are set ups for a sequel book?
But despite the story going much too quickly, and having too many side-plots to give them all sufficient exploration, it was still a very emotional and satisfying read to me. I'll definitely look into the author's other works!
March 20, 2025
This book wanted to be too many things and was ultimately spread too thin to be satisfying.
March 4, 2025
The Trouble With Sunshine is a quick read with a good protagonist. She is strong, and thoughtful. I did feel the plot was lacking in Sunshine. By this I mean the progress Dorani makes through her grief is a bit too abrupt, as is her instant connection with a traumatized horse. I can see where an author was using Sunshine's trauma and Dorani's grief to parallel each other, as well as Tia's work with equine therapy to outline how the horse and girl could help each other. However, things progressed far too quickly and Dori seems to come upon her realisations about her new life out of the blue and on her own. I appreciate that the author included a bit of school controversy, which everyone had to come together to solve. The Trouble with Sunshine is possible a bit too brief, but kids will enjoy reading it.
October 2, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After the sudden death of her mother, Dorani must move to Wyoming to live with her Tia Ivette, since her father, Guti, is a film star who has never been part of her life. At first, Tia Ivette seems cold and distant, but she is just dealing with a lot of emotions about losing her sister after having fought with her years ago and not having made amends. Dorani is also dealing with not only her grief, but her guilt; if she hadn't gotten in trouble at school for reading The Diary of Anne Frank, her mother would have been in the hospital when she had a heart attack, and could have been saved. At least the students at her junior high in Cooper are friendly, and her experience is fairly good, even though she gets mistakenly placed in an English Language Learner class. Ivette is a horse trainer and rehabilitator, and works long hours with the animals. Even though Dorani is not a "horse person", she takes an interest in Sunshine, a horse who was in an accident that killed several other horses. Sunny doesn't want anyone to touch her and is very skittish, but Dorani is able to brush her, and the horse even cuddles up to her when she is crying. Dorani and her aunt slowly warm to each other, and family secrets emerge. When her new school reinforces racist policies, Dorani is finally able to rely on her friends and family to support her, and finds her voice just in time to speak up for herself when her father shows up to claim custody of her.
Strengths: This was an interesting trip to Wyoming, and the descriptions of place are top notch. I almost wish there were a touch of Christmas to the cover, since it starts during the holidays when there is a lot of snow. Moving from Miami to Wyoming in December would definitely necessitate some flannel and nice warm boots! Tia Ivette's personality seemed perfectly explained for someone who ended up having to take care of her estranged sister's daughter; she's not irritated, but she's not all that thrilled about it, either. It was especially nice that the other students (with a few exceptions) were nice to Dorani, and the inclusion of information about book bans and questionable policies puts this on trend for 2024 middle grade fiction.
Weaknesses: While the parallels between Dorani and Sunshine both processing grief are nicely done, this would have been more fun if there had been more information about horses. When my students see a book with a horse on the cover, they want a lot of details! That said, there were a decent amount of equine exploits, and way the grief is handled is much more positive and realistic than in many soggily sad middle grade books about grief.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy horse books like Henson's The Whole Sky or Stevenson's Lizzie Flying Solo that combine horse elements with serious issues.
After the sudden death of her mother, Dorani must move to Wyoming to live with her Tia Ivette, since her father, Guti, is a film star who has never been part of her life. At first, Tia Ivette seems cold and distant, but she is just dealing with a lot of emotions about losing her sister after having fought with her years ago and not having made amends. Dorani is also dealing with not only her grief, but her guilt; if she hadn't gotten in trouble at school for reading The Diary of Anne Frank, her mother would have been in the hospital when she had a heart attack, and could have been saved. At least the students at her junior high in Cooper are friendly, and her experience is fairly good, even though she gets mistakenly placed in an English Language Learner class. Ivette is a horse trainer and rehabilitator, and works long hours with the animals. Even though Dorani is not a "horse person", she takes an interest in Sunshine, a horse who was in an accident that killed several other horses. Sunny doesn't want anyone to touch her and is very skittish, but Dorani is able to brush her, and the horse even cuddles up to her when she is crying. Dorani and her aunt slowly warm to each other, and family secrets emerge. When her new school reinforces racist policies, Dorani is finally able to rely on her friends and family to support her, and finds her voice just in time to speak up for herself when her father shows up to claim custody of her.
Strengths: This was an interesting trip to Wyoming, and the descriptions of place are top notch. I almost wish there were a touch of Christmas to the cover, since it starts during the holidays when there is a lot of snow. Moving from Miami to Wyoming in December would definitely necessitate some flannel and nice warm boots! Tia Ivette's personality seemed perfectly explained for someone who ended up having to take care of her estranged sister's daughter; she's not irritated, but she's not all that thrilled about it, either. It was especially nice that the other students (with a few exceptions) were nice to Dorani, and the inclusion of information about book bans and questionable policies puts this on trend for 2024 middle grade fiction.
Weaknesses: While the parallels between Dorani and Sunshine both processing grief are nicely done, this would have been more fun if there had been more information about horses. When my students see a book with a horse on the cover, they want a lot of details! That said, there were a decent amount of equine exploits, and way the grief is handled is much more positive and realistic than in many soggily sad middle grade books about grief.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy horse books like Henson's The Whole Sky or Stevenson's Lizzie Flying Solo that combine horse elements with serious issues.
January 24, 2025
#TheTroubleWithSunshine #NetGalley
Readers need to make some shelf space alongside "Black Beauty" and "My Friend Flicka".
Both Sunshine and Dorani find themselves in a new ranch and in a new City. Both arrive by way of tragic and unpredictable circumstances. The author immediately draws you in from the first chapter. What makes this different from the classics? Incorporation of modern society with a family of the heart (extended family and non biological, mom's fiancee ) vs traditional mom/dad. Liked the author showing pride in her character's heritage and bilingualism.
Only reason why it was a four star vs. five star read as felt the last 1/3 of the story had an abrupt resolution with the school principal and there could have been more interaction with Sunshine (Bear featured prominently in the story so would've nice to see him on the cover of the book-though it was a beautiful cover already).
This ARC was provided by the publisher, Scholastic | Scholastic Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Readers need to make some shelf space alongside "Black Beauty" and "My Friend Flicka".
Both Sunshine and Dorani find themselves in a new ranch and in a new City. Both arrive by way of tragic and unpredictable circumstances. The author immediately draws you in from the first chapter. What makes this different from the classics? Incorporation of modern society with a family of the heart (extended family and non biological, mom's fiancee ) vs traditional mom/dad. Liked the author showing pride in her character's heritage and bilingualism.
Only reason why it was a four star vs. five star read as felt the last 1/3 of the story had an abrupt resolution with the school principal and there could have been more interaction with Sunshine (Bear featured prominently in the story so would've nice to see him on the cover of the book-though it was a beautiful cover already).
This ARC was provided by the publisher, Scholastic | Scholastic Press, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 30, 2025
A wild horse and a grieving girl find one another in this sweet MG book.
🐴
Dorani’s mom dies suddenly on the way to pick her up from school when she gets in trouble. Now Dori has to leave the only home she’s known in Miami for a cold and barren life in Wyoming with her mom’s sister, whom she didn’t get along with. A new home, new people, new school leaves Dori feeling lost, but when she wanders out to the barn one day and connects with a horse named Sunshine who won’t let anyone touch them, Dori finally feels a connection to something since her mom’s passing.
☀️
This was a fantastic novel that deals with grief in a realistic way for kids and tweens. It doesn’t focus so heavily on it—it was more on the positive side of things like when Dori says the very best parts of her mother live on through her, that got me. I’m watching Yellowstone right now so anything horse-related is an instant hit with me lol Grab this @scholastic title now!
CW: grief, death of a parent, abandonment, racism, xenophobia, bullying
🐴
Dorani’s mom dies suddenly on the way to pick her up from school when she gets in trouble. Now Dori has to leave the only home she’s known in Miami for a cold and barren life in Wyoming with her mom’s sister, whom she didn’t get along with. A new home, new people, new school leaves Dori feeling lost, but when she wanders out to the barn one day and connects with a horse named Sunshine who won’t let anyone touch them, Dori finally feels a connection to something since her mom’s passing.
☀️
This was a fantastic novel that deals with grief in a realistic way for kids and tweens. It doesn’t focus so heavily on it—it was more on the positive side of things like when Dori says the very best parts of her mother live on through her, that got me. I’m watching Yellowstone right now so anything horse-related is an instant hit with me lol Grab this @scholastic title now!
CW: grief, death of a parent, abandonment, racism, xenophobia, bullying
January 17, 2025
I'm a horse girl at heart, and I will almost always pick up a book if there's a horse on the cover. This story felt a little bit disjointed and a little too fast-paced. There were a lot of threads introduced, and I think the way this is written would appeal to younger Middle Grade audience more than kids about to go to high school. I love found family. I like the exploration of grief and guilt, but I think more could have been done to connect Dani's healing with Sunshine's. A lot of that journey was implied instead of shown.
I think all the topics that were started were really important to note - the casual racism in the name of "assimilation", book banning, grief over losing a parent/sister, an absent parent, new school, neighborhood "development". All of this introduced only to have a rushed conclusion. Overall, still a good read that younger middle schoolers would enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
I think all the topics that were started were really important to note - the casual racism in the name of "assimilation", book banning, grief over losing a parent/sister, an absent parent, new school, neighborhood "development". All of this introduced only to have a rushed conclusion. Overall, still a good read that younger middle schoolers would enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
August 27, 2025
When Dorani's mom passes away suddenly, her life in Miami comes to an abrupt halt. She is whisked away to a small town in rural Wyoming to live with her estranged aunt. Her healing comes through the help of new friends and animals, especially the horse Sunshine, who has gone through trauma of his own.
This was a sweet story; I liked the characters and the setting. This tackles a lot of themes: grief, social justice and using your voice, forgiveness -- and maybe there's too many threads for one short middle grade book. But overall I still liked this one!
I think the cover is beautiful but I'm a little bothered that Dori is in short sleeves when the whole book takes place during the winter months in the mountain West!
This was a sweet story; I liked the characters and the setting. This tackles a lot of themes: grief, social justice and using your voice, forgiveness -- and maybe there's too many threads for one short middle grade book. But overall I still liked this one!
I think the cover is beautiful but I'm a little bothered that Dori is in short sleeves when the whole book takes place during the winter months in the mountain West!
September 25, 2024
What a heartwarming book about Dori starting a new life after losing her mom. Dori goes to live with her aunt that she barely knows in Wyoming. She starts at a new school and makes friends. Her aunt Ivette has horses, and Dori discovers that she and Sunshine have a connection she didn’t expect. Her aunt is even surprised the horse seems to trust Dori. Dori’s dad has been filming in Mongolia and she hasn’t seen him in a while. When he shows up unexpectedly he says he’s there to take her back home to Miami. Does Dori stay with her aunt or go back with her dad.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
April 12, 2025
Frankie Corzo excellent on audio
Really tragic beginning
Principal makes a fuss over her and a friend reading illustrated version of Anne Frank and her mom doesn’t make it to meeting with principal
Official guardian is Tia Yvette, can’t stay with Oscar, mom’s fiancé, her dad who is uninvolved actor far away
Have to move to Wyoming near Yellowstone from Miami
Without communication, trust and love don’t thrive
She was brave and could do scary things altho she was doubtful, although she was sad. She kept on going with hope.
Great ending - perfect MG horse girl book
Really tragic beginning
Principal makes a fuss over her and a friend reading illustrated version of Anne Frank and her mom doesn’t make it to meeting with principal
Official guardian is Tia Yvette, can’t stay with Oscar, mom’s fiancé, her dad who is uninvolved actor far away
Have to move to Wyoming near Yellowstone from Miami
Without communication, trust and love don’t thrive
She was brave and could do scary things altho she was doubtful, although she was sad. She kept on going with hope.
Great ending - perfect MG horse girl book
April 29, 2025
The book is about being brave enough to stand up for what you believe, even when it's hard and those in charge fight against you. But Dorani is also dealing with grief over the death of her mother. I like that Dorani remains true to herself throughout. The story touches on lots of topics - book banning, racism in schools, grief, horses, family dynamics, etc. All these topics are handled well, but only on a surface level. I really wish Sunshine and the interactions with Dorani were more extensive. I think readers that love horse stories may be a little disappointed.
July 30, 2025
A tender, sensitive story about a grieving girl who finds healing with horses. As someone who’s recently started equine therapy, this book deeply resonated with me. I completely understood how Dorani could initially be scared of horses, but eventually come to feel comfortable — and comforted — around them. I may have grown up in Kentucky, but I didn’t grow up around horses. So my raging anxiety has included some unease around these GIANT animals. I’m getting over that, though!
Dorani also gets in some good trouble so she’s a good model for learning how to speak up.
Dorani also gets in some good trouble so she’s a good model for learning how to speak up.
July 12, 2025
When I picked this book up I expected it to be just another cute horse story, however I was wrong. This isn’t just about a girl and her horse, but instead a girl going through grief, pain, and loss. Along the way of her path to healing she brings hope and happiness to the community making friends (and enemies) quite quickly. Reading about a character like Doranibcan not only tug your heart strings, but challenge your view of the world and sometimes yourself. A must read.
April 17, 2025
Really lovely story about a girl dealing with grief after the sudden loss of her mother. Dorani has such an appealing spirit that readers should fall in love with her as she tries to start her life over in a new place. The animal content is top-notch, and this book should please all sorts of readers. Highly recommended.
December 29, 2025
As a school counselor I found it enlightening to read from the child’s perspective of what it’s like to lose a parent. The thoughts of darkness and despair and the experiences with emotions and how to deal (or not deal) with them.
March 23, 2025
A sweet book about a hard topic. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed. I also wish Dori had solved the problems in the end instead of her Tia and her dad saving the day.
May 28, 2025
It is a good book because you feel a lot of emotions with Dorani.😁💬💌
June 17, 2025
I found this boring tbh
July 30, 2025
This was really good. I wasn't really enjoying it for a while, and was going to give it a three star rating, but it's actually pretty decent!
August 21, 2025
After her mother’s death, a grieving girl finds connection and comfort with a traumatized horse.
November 15, 2025
New berry worthy!
October 30, 2025
4 stars
Grieving Dorani moves from Miami to Cooper, Wyoming after her mother's sudden deal and begins to heal from her grief thanks to a horse with its own grief.
Grieving Dorani moves from Miami to Cooper, Wyoming after her mother's sudden deal and begins to heal from her grief thanks to a horse with its own grief.
June 10, 2025
I absolutely loved it! As a Boricua, I got excited and nostalgic to see Puerto Rican characters, food, traditions, and problems we are facing right now, like gentrification. Dorani Gutierrez is always fighting for what she believes in, like helping others when there is injustice, talking about the problems of banning books, and always raising her voice. As a school psychology grad student, I was drawn to the themes of grief, family relationships, healing, therapy with animals, and prejudice at the schools. I highly recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews