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Shut Up, This Is Serious
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.
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.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2024
90 people are currently reading
7465 people want to read
About the author
Carolina Ixta
2 books113 followersCarolina Ixta is a writer from Oakland, California. A daughter of Mexican immigrants, she received her B.A. in Creative Writing and Spanish Language and Literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz and obtained her Master's degree in Education at the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently an elementary school teacher whose pedagogy centers critical race theory at the primary education level. Shut Up, This is Serious is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
October 26, 2024
Whew! This book was tougher than I thought it would be! CW: colorism, racism, teen pregnancy, parental neglect, verbal abuse, mental/emotional abuse, body shaming.
Shut Up, This Is Serious is a YA realistic fiction book that packs a hell of punch in unexpected ways. It follows main character Belén who is juggling the absence of her father as well as the pregnancy of her best friend Leti. As Belén attempts to help Leti deal with the experience of not only being pregnant, but also helping Leti tell her parents that the baby's father is black, she struggles with keeping up with academic expectations that will determine whether she graduates high school. Emotional and well developed, this book is a sweet, yet hard coming of age story.
What Worked: I absolutely adored the relationship between Leti and Belén. It evolves in so many different ways. Although it appears that Leti is dependent upon Belén due to her pregnancy, it eventually felt as though Belén began to need Leti more to add some sense of stability to her life. They love each other deeply and it's clear that Leti wants Belén to make smart decisions that prevents her from sharing Leti's experiences. Ixta does such a wonderful job illustrating the impact of parental abandonment whether it is physical or emotional. After her father leaves, Belén begins to perceive her mother's mental and emotional absence as abandonment as well. It sends her on a whirlwind of a spiral that Ixta beautifully addresses with the incorporation of decisions related to mental health and therapy. It's not an easy read and definitely made me emotional at times especially those moments when Belén finds herself in a physical relationship with someone who doesn't value her as a person. The robust discussions related to racism, colorism, as well as the hyper-sexualization of Black and Brown girls only elevated my reading experience of this novel. Ixta handles these topics in a realistic manner, but with care and in a way that teen readers will connect to.
Overall, this was a beautiful, engaging novel that beautifully incorporates important topics and teen experiences. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more books from this author.
Shut Up, This Is Serious is a YA realistic fiction book that packs a hell of punch in unexpected ways. It follows main character Belén who is juggling the absence of her father as well as the pregnancy of her best friend Leti. As Belén attempts to help Leti deal with the experience of not only being pregnant, but also helping Leti tell her parents that the baby's father is black, she struggles with keeping up with academic expectations that will determine whether she graduates high school. Emotional and well developed, this book is a sweet, yet hard coming of age story.
What Worked: I absolutely adored the relationship between Leti and Belén. It evolves in so many different ways. Although it appears that Leti is dependent upon Belén due to her pregnancy, it eventually felt as though Belén began to need Leti more to add some sense of stability to her life. They love each other deeply and it's clear that Leti wants Belén to make smart decisions that prevents her from sharing Leti's experiences. Ixta does such a wonderful job illustrating the impact of parental abandonment whether it is physical or emotional. After her father leaves, Belén begins to perceive her mother's mental and emotional absence as abandonment as well. It sends her on a whirlwind of a spiral that Ixta beautifully addresses with the incorporation of decisions related to mental health and therapy. It's not an easy read and definitely made me emotional at times especially those moments when Belén finds herself in a physical relationship with someone who doesn't value her as a person. The robust discussions related to racism, colorism, as well as the hyper-sexualization of Black and Brown girls only elevated my reading experience of this novel. Ixta handles these topics in a realistic manner, but with care and in a way that teen readers will connect to.
Overall, this was a beautiful, engaging novel that beautifully incorporates important topics and teen experiences. I'm definitely looking forward to checking out more books from this author.
August 31, 2024
This is how you know I am old. I finished this book, and my main thought was: “I hope you are ready to support your mom in old age, Ali, because she just drained all her savings so that you can attend your private “dream school.”
December 27, 2023
I could totally see this as a movie. A very good (and not too sweet) coming of age story. I love Oakland and having it be so central to the book brought me joy. It reads smoothly. Well crafted prose. It’s a bit too long and some stuff is spelled out too much for readers, but as a debut (and a YA book) it’s very solid.
May 14, 2024
This YA book is set in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, CA, a place that is very important to me. It was incredible to read a book where a place you know well is rendered so perfectly. El Farolito!
I kind of don't know where I want to begin with this book, I have so many thoughts. But I think I will start with the side characters. In so many books - YA or not - side characters tend to have the function of comic relief of source of wisdom/information - in these books, the main character is usually a bit more than a trope, but the side characters are kind of stock figures. The clown. The helper. The confidant. The kooky artist. But in this book all the main side characters of Belen are characters unto themselves - they have struggles, they have moods, they are at different levels of support and non-support for the main character. I really appreciated that. Especially the friendships between Belen and Leti and Belen and Ava - complicated relationships with a core of love.
The character of Belen made me feel like I should have tried harder as a teacher to see what might have been behind students being angry or checked out. What an incredible universe of thoughts and feelings and intelligence and struggles was within Belen - but to most outsiders, she would have seemed to have been just another checked out student who cut class and didn't try at school.
And Belen - and her friends and family - are dealing with a lot. Throughout the book Belen speaks of the heaviness of feeling she is having - the word was never used but it is depression, mixed with guilt and worry. She seeks escape through both reading and sex, but neither work. I think it is really interesting that the author depicts reading and sex as equal diversions that don't help Belen get to the root of why she has been feeling so badly. Though it is made clear that the reading does impact Belen as a thinker and a writer - and the sex, well, she learns a lesson about herself and her self worth around that.
This book has a lot of tough topics covered frankly, and with great care. I fear that this is exactly the kind of book that would get knee-jerk book bans and challenges because of "inappropriate content". But of course the book is not encouraging characters to make bad decisions - quite the opposite. The book does not deal in black and white, it deals in nuance. It is a coming of age story, and gives space for the young characters to make mistakes and learn from them; to receive support, and grow and to find resilience even when the odds are so greatly stacked against them.
I don't really love what I just wrote, I don't think I am doing this book justice. It speaks for itself.
I kind of don't know where I want to begin with this book, I have so many thoughts. But I think I will start with the side characters. In so many books - YA or not - side characters tend to have the function of comic relief of source of wisdom/information - in these books, the main character is usually a bit more than a trope, but the side characters are kind of stock figures. The clown. The helper. The confidant. The kooky artist. But in this book all the main side characters of Belen are characters unto themselves - they have struggles, they have moods, they are at different levels of support and non-support for the main character. I really appreciated that. Especially the friendships between Belen and Leti and Belen and Ava - complicated relationships with a core of love.
The character of Belen made me feel like I should have tried harder as a teacher to see what might have been behind students being angry or checked out. What an incredible universe of thoughts and feelings and intelligence and struggles was within Belen - but to most outsiders, she would have seemed to have been just another checked out student who cut class and didn't try at school.
And Belen - and her friends and family - are dealing with a lot. Throughout the book Belen speaks of the heaviness of feeling she is having - the word was never used but it is depression, mixed with guilt and worry. She seeks escape through both reading and sex, but neither work. I think it is really interesting that the author depicts reading and sex as equal diversions that don't help Belen get to the root of why she has been feeling so badly. Though it is made clear that the reading does impact Belen as a thinker and a writer - and the sex, well, she learns a lesson about herself and her self worth around that.
This book has a lot of tough topics covered frankly, and with great care. I fear that this is exactly the kind of book that would get knee-jerk book bans and challenges because of "inappropriate content". But of course the book is not encouraging characters to make bad decisions - quite the opposite. The book does not deal in black and white, it deals in nuance. It is a coming of age story, and gives space for the young characters to make mistakes and learn from them; to receive support, and grow and to find resilience even when the odds are so greatly stacked against them.
I don't really love what I just wrote, I don't think I am doing this book justice. It speaks for itself.
January 27, 2024
First official 5 star of the year!
I hold stories like these close to my heart, I am extremely happy it lived up to the high expectations I had placed for it. It's a beautiful, sad, hopeful book that literally had me unable to put it down. This is the type of book I wanna see get turned into a movie or a mini series. Carolina Ixta did a phenomenal job in this debut novel and trust I WILL be seated for any future projects she puts out in the future. 🩷
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I hold stories like these close to my heart, I am extremely happy it lived up to the high expectations I had placed for it. It's a beautiful, sad, hopeful book that literally had me unable to put it down. This is the type of book I wanna see get turned into a movie or a mini series. Carolina Ixta did a phenomenal job in this debut novel and trust I WILL be seated for any future projects she puts out in the future. 🩷
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
February 7, 2024
“Look, there are so many people you can become in your life. It’s a miracle we aren’t becoming the outline somebody left for us.” -SUTIS, Carolina Ixta
There are so many things Carolina does well in this book, but the thing that shines most is her character work. The characters are fully fleshed out characters who you are rooting for (or against. If you know, you know :P) and they go through believable character arcs and growth. Their relationships with each other and their journey towards understand each other are what make this book.
If I had to say WHO I would recommend this for, I would say high school age fans of contemporary character-driven stories, like John Green books, although older people would enjoy it as well.
There are many good messages in this book and I think it could really open teens up to new perspectives and paths in life. You can definitely tell it was written by a teacher!
There are so many things Carolina does well in this book, but the thing that shines most is her character work. The characters are fully fleshed out characters who you are rooting for (or against. If you know, you know :P) and they go through believable character arcs and growth. Their relationships with each other and their journey towards understand each other are what make this book.
If I had to say WHO I would recommend this for, I would say high school age fans of contemporary character-driven stories, like John Green books, although older people would enjoy it as well.
There are many good messages in this book and I think it could really open teens up to new perspectives and paths in life. You can definitely tell it was written by a teacher!
July 25, 2023
Shut Up, This Is Serious is a book I'll never forget. Debut author Carolina Ixta weaved together an incredible story of friendship, family, and community. Set in East Oakland, the story follows main character Belén in her senior year of high school after 2 life shifting events: her father abruptly leaving her family and her best friend Leti becoming pregnant (and keeping it a secret from her parents). Belén has to juggle responsibilities of friendship and family as she navigates the year and keeps herself afloat.
Ixta's magic was writing a deeply relatable character, setting the story in an often overlooked community in the SF Bay Area, and touching on topics that affect so many (racism, generational trauma, colorism, sexism). You can't help but root for Belén as she works to get through this year. She'll stay in my heart forever, I think.
Ixta's magic was writing a deeply relatable character, setting the story in an often overlooked community in the SF Bay Area, and touching on topics that affect so many (racism, generational trauma, colorism, sexism). You can't help but root for Belén as she works to get through this year. She'll stay in my heart forever, I think.
February 1, 2024
It is clear that Ixta loves Oakland in the way she colorfully and thoughtfully depicts Fruitvale and its residents. A raw and real narrative that reminded me that teenagers are SO resilient and complex in ways some of us will never know. We don't give them enough credit. And even when characters can be messy, it makes the plot that more interesting. There were multiple instances where I found myself crying because of the complicated (and unfair) life instances Belén and Leti must face at the age of 17. I honestly would've finished the book faster if it weren't for the crying lmao.
February 7, 2024
I'm speechless; only tears can express what I feel. It's been a long time since a book has moved me like Shut Up, This Is Serious has. Everything about this book is stunning, from its cover to the language employed in her storytelling. Carolina has skillfully captured the intricacies of navigating adolescence amidst challenging circumstances. Each page of this book offers a fresh perspective on girlhood, adolescence, classism, and racism, leaving readers with newfound admiration for the sincerity of the characters portrayed. This is precisely the kind of book I needed in my teenage years, and even now as an adult, I still grapple with similar conflicts. Everybody could learn something from Belén, even if you think you're as smart as Leti. I highly recommend giving Shut Up This Is Serious a read.
March 12, 2024
I loved this book!
This is probably one of those book "they" would ban, deals with truancy, teen pregnancy, teen sex, but truly that would be a heartbreak because Belén, Leti, Quentin and Ali are everywhere and they need to know they are not alone and there are options and dreams can come true, often they ate hard-won, but those mean the most.
This is probably one of those book "they" would ban, deals with truancy, teen pregnancy, teen sex, but truly that would be a heartbreak because Belén, Leti, Quentin and Ali are everywhere and they need to know they are not alone and there are options and dreams can come true, often they ate hard-won, but those mean the most.
February 17, 2026
In Shut Up, This Is Serious, Isa navigates life in East LA while balancing high school, friendships, and nearly constant tension in her home life. In addition to the usual concerns felt by a teenager, Isa is also experiencing the strain of her mother’s high expectations and the grim realities of an older brother who is involved in a gang. When a family tragedy strikes, Isa is forced to rise above the challenges around her.
Carolina Ixta’s debut is a raw, heartfelt narrative that’s grounded in real-life experiences. Isa is strong, smart, and emotionally complex. Readers are likely to connect easily with her honest voice and
authentic relationships.
The novel tackles heavy themes — including, but not limited to, violence, grief, and family loyalty — while still leaving space for hope and growth. For teens who prefer realistic fiction, social commentary, or stories that reflect real challenges, Shut Up, This Is Serious is a solid choice.
Content notifications: gang violence, poverty, grief, complex
family dynamics, and marginalized communities.
Carolina Ixta’s debut is a raw, heartfelt narrative that’s grounded in real-life experiences. Isa is strong, smart, and emotionally complex. Readers are likely to connect easily with her honest voice and
authentic relationships.
The novel tackles heavy themes — including, but not limited to, violence, grief, and family loyalty — while still leaving space for hope and growth. For teens who prefer realistic fiction, social commentary, or stories that reflect real challenges, Shut Up, This Is Serious is a solid choice.
Content notifications: gang violence, poverty, grief, complex
family dynamics, and marginalized communities.
January 25, 2024
No hyperbole is grand enough to describe the amount of love I hold for SHUT UP, THIS IS SERIOUS.
Carolina Ixta took my heart, wrung it out, and then filled it back up with this tale of friendship, family, and fruteros (IYKYK).
If the title + cover art aren't enough to sell you on this book, I recommend picking up a copy and reading the first page. If that STILL isn't enough, skip to the end and read the acknowledgements section. If that doesn't do it for you??? Well... you must not like rhythmic writing, interesting characters, or heartfelt stories.
Pro tip: Keep your Spotify close by. The book has a playlist (found on the author's website!), but also has a soundtrack embedded in its pages. You'll be bopping your head and singing along to the sounds of SUTIS long after you've thrown away your last tissue.
Carolina Ixta took my heart, wrung it out, and then filled it back up with this tale of friendship, family, and fruteros (IYKYK).
If the title + cover art aren't enough to sell you on this book, I recommend picking up a copy and reading the first page. If that STILL isn't enough, skip to the end and read the acknowledgements section. If that doesn't do it for you??? Well... you must not like rhythmic writing, interesting characters, or heartfelt stories.
Pro tip: Keep your Spotify close by. The book has a playlist (found on the author's website!), but also has a soundtrack embedded in its pages. You'll be bopping your head and singing along to the sounds of SUTIS long after you've thrown away your last tissue.
February 6, 2024
This beautiful story is a love letter and an angry rant and a sobbing confession for the complicated but so life-giving high school girl friendships, for figuring yourself out in the shadow of a father people say you look and act just like who left you, for the mothers sacrificing for their kids and their surrogate-kids amidst their own heartbreak, for the parents who can’t see past their own struggle to give their children what they never had, for the tumultuous sister relationships, for the parts of a city that others look down on full of kids with dreams bigger than their surroundings can hole. I’m so grateful for it and feel so seen by it. What an absolute masterpiece of a debut. Carolina Ixta will be an instant-read for me.
February 29, 2024
When I tell you I cried for the last 30% of this book I mean I CRIED, like ugly tears, snot the whole shebang.
This was such a moving book. The main character felt like a real person, making decisions (albeit bad ones) that a teen would make. I feel like many teens will connect with her family situation as well as her best friend’s.
This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to feel something.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
This was such a moving book. The main character felt like a real person, making decisions (albeit bad ones) that a teen would make. I feel like many teens will connect with her family situation as well as her best friend’s.
This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to feel something.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
January 31, 2024
Tears were flowing from about Chapter 17 onward. I was so moved by the relationships between these characters and by Belén’s journey to manage the weight on her chest. Don’t hesitate to pick this up!
July 9, 2025
i‘m really starting to fall in love with ya more and more
February 1, 2024
Anytime I read a novel with a Latina protagonist, I'm always nervous about how they will be protrayed however this book did us justice. Bringing to life a lot of the experiences I've had in a way that was nostalgic. Everything felt so real. I found myself really invested in what was going to happen to everyone in this novel.
Genre: YA novel
Tropes: Found Family, Applying to College, Teenage pregnancy, Dad Left, Absent Parents, Graduating Hangs on this one paper
Things I liked: As a Latina myself, I felt this rang very true for the struggles I grew up with and struggles people around me went through as well.
Even though all the characters are teenagers, I didn't have any trouble reading this book. All the characters acted their age, but the struggles were addressed honestly and realistically.
Things I disliked: I would love to read more about these characters. I hope there's a second book coming!
Audiobook or Physical? The audiobook was super good! Frankie Corzo does an amazing job, I loved their voices for all the characters.
Extras: Belén's POV, debute novel
Genre: YA novel
Tropes: Found Family, Applying to College, Teenage pregnancy, Dad Left, Absent Parents, Graduating Hangs on this one paper
Things I liked: As a Latina myself, I felt this rang very true for the struggles I grew up with and struggles people around me went through as well.
Even though all the characters are teenagers, I didn't have any trouble reading this book. All the characters acted their age, but the struggles were addressed honestly and realistically.
Things I disliked: I would love to read more about these characters. I hope there's a second book coming!
Audiobook or Physical? The audiobook was super good! Frankie Corzo does an amazing job, I loved their voices for all the characters.
Extras: Belén's POV, debute novel
November 19, 2023
SLJ gave me a copy of this book for review. I’ve given it a starred review, and I suppose the review will come out soon.
In the meantime, Goodreads is asking us to vote on 2023 books and has changed some of the voting categories. After reading this book, I’m convinced Goodreads should offer a genre that should be called: “will make you ugly cry.”
Thank you, SLJ, for the gift of this gorgeous and well crafted book.
Rooting for the author to be the next Pura Bepre winner.
In the meantime, Goodreads is asking us to vote on 2023 books and has changed some of the voting categories. After reading this book, I’m convinced Goodreads should offer a genre that should be called: “will make you ugly cry.”
Thank you, SLJ, for the gift of this gorgeous and well crafted book.
Rooting for the author to be the next Pura Bepre winner.
March 10, 2024
3.5 Definitely loved the ending and self growth. MC was so infuriating, hypocritical, and jaded. Glad she got the help she needed and perspective. She is a typical teenager that is just too focused on her pain and takes the easy way out by trying to mask it versus facing it head on.
February 4, 2024
One of the best YA books I have read! A really strong, promising debut.
February 11, 2024
4.5⭐️
This was such a challenging and honest story. There aren’t many YA books that address parental abandonment in this way.
This was such a challenging and honest story. There aren’t many YA books that address parental abandonment in this way.
March 27, 2024
4.5 stars rounded down.
i always think it's overly bold to say something is good for fans of elizabeth acevedo--who i adore--just bc it's often slapped on any latine ya about girls coming of age, when really her work is much more specific than that. it feels appropriate this time though--the complexity it affords the characters, the thoughtfulness of the language, the refusal to create an expected linear narrative where everyone just grows. this book is deeply about friendship as the core relationship, which is really not present enough in books. i really appreciated it and want it in high school libraries all over.
i always think it's overly bold to say something is good for fans of elizabeth acevedo--who i adore--just bc it's often slapped on any latine ya about girls coming of age, when really her work is much more specific than that. it feels appropriate this time though--the complexity it affords the characters, the thoughtfulness of the language, the refusal to create an expected linear narrative where everyone just grows. this book is deeply about friendship as the core relationship, which is really not present enough in books. i really appreciated it and want it in high school libraries all over.
March 24, 2024
4.5 stars
This is one of the best YA books that I've read so far this year. The voice is powerful and commands your attention. I love how all of the characters are extremely messy, make bad choices, but still come across as realistic. The journey of self discovery is excellent and I loved the in depth analysis of trying to find your authentic self when everyone seems already know who you are. Highly recommended for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Erika L. Sanchez, and Isabel Quintero.
This is one of the best YA books that I've read so far this year. The voice is powerful and commands your attention. I love how all of the characters are extremely messy, make bad choices, but still come across as realistic. The journey of self discovery is excellent and I loved the in depth analysis of trying to find your authentic self when everyone seems already know who you are. Highly recommended for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Erika L. Sanchez, and Isabel Quintero.
May 27, 2025
YA debut about two best friends living in Oakland during their senior year of high school.
This was just a great book and covered lots of different themes. If you have a high schooler I would highly recommend this. Loved the positive therapy representation. Loved the hope and realistic writing.
My favorite quote was “you can feel sad without becoming sadness.” As a highly emotional person especially during high school…I would have felt seen.
This was just a great book and covered lots of different themes. If you have a high schooler I would highly recommend this. Loved the positive therapy representation. Loved the hope and realistic writing.
My favorite quote was “you can feel sad without becoming sadness.” As a highly emotional person especially during high school…I would have felt seen.
August 21, 2024
This book was incredible, I especially loved the way that Leti and Belén’s friendship was portrayed.
April 27, 2025
Shit. This WAS serious.
It was my first YA book in a long time, and I ain't mad at it ❤️
It was my first YA book in a long time, and I ain't mad at it ❤️
August 31, 2024
LOVED Belén and Leti’s friendship! I also enjoyed the depictions of mental health, Latine colorism, and catholic guilt. I think these were all wonderfully tackled.
January 18, 2024
✨Book Review✨
Shut Up This is Serious by Carolina Ixta
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
I really really enjoyed this book. I read it in two days (except for the last 5 pages which I waited a week to finish for some weird reason). I LOVED the Oakland setting and how much you could feel the love for this incredible city. I loved how you got to see inside of a character who presents as so hard to the outside world. I loveeeee the bonds of friendship in this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves YA!
Shut Up This is Serious by Carolina Ixta
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
I really really enjoyed this book. I read it in two days (except for the last 5 pages which I waited a week to finish for some weird reason). I LOVED the Oakland setting and how much you could feel the love for this incredible city. I loved how you got to see inside of a character who presents as so hard to the outside world. I loveeeee the bonds of friendship in this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves YA!
February 5, 2024
This book will forever live within my reach and be visible because of how it made me feel visible the way no other book has. What Carolina Ixta has managed to do with her characters, Leti and Belen, is so much more than create a generic "strong Latina," but instead has captured the beauty and darkness of what it is to be human.
I wish I had this book when I was Belen's age. To make sense of a world and situation I didn't ask for, and what so many young people haven't asked for. Ixta captures complex themes of race, immigration, colorism, classism and messy family dynamics in a way that feels accessible and genuine. It feels REAL. Maybe this isn't or wasn't your reality but for those of us that it was, this book is a must read.
Thank you for writing this book.
I wish I had this book when I was Belen's age. To make sense of a world and situation I didn't ask for, and what so many young people haven't asked for. Ixta captures complex themes of race, immigration, colorism, classism and messy family dynamics in a way that feels accessible and genuine. It feels REAL. Maybe this isn't or wasn't your reality but for those of us that it was, this book is a must read.
Thank you for writing this book.
April 20, 2024
Realistic teen fiction done so well. I loved how many topics this book covered and did so in a well rounded way!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews