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Say When
On the road to finding yourself, expect to get lost along the way.Bridget Montez is boring. But it’s not her fault.
She imagines she could be a witty, exciting, and badass seventeen-year-old. But for now, she splits her time between school, chores, and nursing her mother back to health after her most recent drug binge.
For Bri, college is where she’ll leave the cold walls of her Brooklyn home behind and blossom. She’s desperate for change and when Jax, an arresting and mysterious college sophomore, rolls into her life she gets a taste of what freedom — and love — could be.
But when her demanding father threatens her plans for escape, she may be willing to follow Jax into a seedy world that challenges everything she thought she knew in order to get the life she wants. With her future and freedom on the line, Bridget hopes she knows the limits of love, loyalty, and legality.
If you enjoyed On The Come Up by Angie Thomas, or Jackpot by Nic Stone, you'll love Say When, the debut novel by Athena Hernandez. This engrossing tale explores generational trauma, love, poverty, friendship, and a sprinkle of crime all with Brooklyn as the backdrop.
She imagines she could be a witty, exciting, and badass seventeen-year-old. But for now, she splits her time between school, chores, and nursing her mother back to health after her most recent drug binge.
For Bri, college is where she’ll leave the cold walls of her Brooklyn home behind and blossom. She’s desperate for change and when Jax, an arresting and mysterious college sophomore, rolls into her life she gets a taste of what freedom — and love — could be.
But when her demanding father threatens her plans for escape, she may be willing to follow Jax into a seedy world that challenges everything she thought she knew in order to get the life she wants. With her future and freedom on the line, Bridget hopes she knows the limits of love, loyalty, and legality.
If you enjoyed On The Come Up by Angie Thomas, or Jackpot by Nic Stone, you'll love Say When, the debut novel by Athena Hernandez. This engrossing tale explores generational trauma, love, poverty, friendship, and a sprinkle of crime all with Brooklyn as the backdrop.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 25, 2019
11 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 29, 2025
I found myself talking (and sometimes screaming) to the pages as I flipped through this tale of a young black female teenager navigating through life in Brooklyn. Actions have consequences and I’m glad the author left no plot lines unresolved when it came to this theme. I was sucked into Bri’s universe and found myself rooting for her even when her poor decisions almost made her the villain. I would love to get the POV from other characters in the book like Yuri but I guess I’d have to wait for a second part to the series ;)
January 21, 2020
Say When
A story of the journey of a teenager, Bri Montez-from being daddy's girl to becoming a rebellious teenager, experiencing first love and her first heartbreak to becoming aware of the need to self love. A well written journey about friendships with a hint of not so subtle crime. I loved this story. It brought back some teenage memories.
This was my first read from this author and I know it won't be the last.
Waiting for the next read. Excellent book☑️☑️☑️
A story of the journey of a teenager, Bri Montez-from being daddy's girl to becoming a rebellious teenager, experiencing first love and her first heartbreak to becoming aware of the need to self love. A well written journey about friendships with a hint of not so subtle crime. I loved this story. It brought back some teenage memories.
This was my first read from this author and I know it won't be the last.
Waiting for the next read. Excellent book☑️☑️☑️
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews