Brighter Than the Sun

by Daniel Aleman

This timely and thought-provoking story about a teen girl shouldering impossibly large responsibilities and ultimately learning that she doesn’t have to do it alone is the perfect follow-up to Daniel Aleman's award-winning debut novel, Indivisible. 

Every morning, sixteen-year-old Sol wakes up at the break of dawn in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico and makes the trip across the border to go to school in the United States. Though the commute is exhausting, this is the best way to achieve her dream: becoming the first person in her family to go to college.
 
When her family’s restaurant starts struggling, Sol must find a part-time job in San Diego to help her dad put food on the table and pay the bills. But her complicated school and work schedules on the US side of the border mean moving in with her best friend and leaving her family behind. 
With her life divided by an international border, Sol must come to terms with the loneliness she hides, the pressure she feels to succeed for her family, and the fact that the future she once dreamt of is starting to seem unattainable. Mostly, she’ll have to grapple with a secret she’s kept even from herself: that maybe she’s relieved to have escaped her difficult home life, and a part of her may never want to return.
 

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance, LGBT, Young Adult Contemporary

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2023

About the author

Daniel Aleman is the award-winning author of INDIVISIBLE. Born and raised in Mexico City, he currently lives in Toronto. His second novel, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN, is out now, and his adult debut, I MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE, is coming in late 2024.

Reviews

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Powerful. Sad at times. Hopeful in the end.

I immediately fell in love with Daniel Aleman’s debut Indivisible, a raw story about undocumented Mexican immigrants. And believe me, Brighter Than the Sun is as good and maybe even better!

Sometimes I just know from the first page that a book will be a five-star read. Because a smile immediately tugs at my lips or because my chest tightens. The start of Brighter Than the Sun made my stomach fidgety, and goosebumps immediately danced on my arms. Sol is a sixteen-year-old Mexican girl who leaves her house each morning at five to go to school across the border. Born in the US, Sol has an American passport and therefore has privileges her family doesn’t have. But those privileges are also a burden because she feels the responsibility to look after everyone else.

Even though Sol tries to be as bright as the sun, her full name Soledad (solitude), has a way of winning every single time. Her loneliness and struggles are palpable from the very first page and dug a deep hole in my heart. At times, I just wanted to hold her and take all those responsibilities off her shoulders so she could be happier and more carefree. And at other times, I felt so much recognition, even though I’m a grown-up woman living in different (and better) circumstances. Passages about letting go, drowning, and change touched me deeply.

But there’s also brightness in this novel. Warmth slipped into my body whenever Sol interacted with her little brother Diego and my heart opened for Ari and Nancy, who did so much to make Sol feel at home. And Nick, patient, cinnamon roll Nick made my eyes crinkle in smiles.

Brighter Than the Sun is YA, but this story is so much more than that, and I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves to read a gorgeous, engrossing, and powerful book!

Thank you, Daniel, for giving me the opportunity to read Sol’s story early! You’re an auto-buy author for me, and I’m eagerly waiting for your adult novel to come out somewhere in the future!

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[Daniel Aleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello! I wrote this book, and I am so excited to share it with you!

If you read and loved Indivisible, you'll find many familiar elements in this new story. Brighter Than the Sun is a book about family, friendship, and immigration, and it is guaranteed to break your heart but also mend it. This is also a novel about loneliness, about finding strength within ourselves to achieve impossible things, and about an internal battle that so many of us are familiar with — between the person we are, and the person we wish we could be.

I truly can't wait for this book to be on shelves next spring. I hope you'll enjoy it, and I am grateful that you're on this journey with me.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartfelt YA immigration story that sees a Mexican American teen girl making the difficult decision to travel back and forth across the border to attend school in California, where she was born, but still trying to help her struggling Mexican family with their restaurant. Perfect for fans of books like Somewhere between bitter and sweet, this book paints a vivid portrait of the difficulties involved in having ties across the border, living a precarious life, always wondering when/if you might get detained by authorities. Great on audio too!

[Glenda Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far Daniel Aleman is 2/2. His books have yet to disappoint me.

To grow up Latino/a and know everyone has their own unique story/journey, is special. Yet, we can all connect with a story and feel the same pull.

Sol lives in Tijuana with her dad, brothers and grandma where they run a family restaurant that is really struggling… Sol makes the trek across to the US every morning to attend an American high school in hopes of bettering their situation at home. When the family business begins to struggle and food is sparse on the dinner table, she moves in with her best friend in the US to get a job and help her family.

You can imagine the strain this puts on her as she navigates working, school & all the while worrying about things back home.

I connected with this story on so many levels. So many times i said, “i understand that feeling all too well”

Thank you Daniel for an amazing story.

[Meg Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

you all have heard me talk before about how much I love reading diverse books that show me other people's perspectives and lives. This book did so beautifully. Sol's story is so heartbreaking. She feels enormous pressure as a 16 year old trying to help support her family. She gets up so early every day, to cross the border and attend school to better her future. Her life is so vastly different than my own, but Daniel Aleman's writing is so beautiful and descriptive. I could feel Sol's anguish, her worry about her brother, and her desire to have some teenage normalcy in her life. I will be raving about this book for a long time and highly recommend you all read it!

[Nancy Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much to say about this book that I had to take some time to organize my thoughts after I finished reading. This was a deep, thoughtful, engaging read.

• Characterization: Sol was such a tenderly drawn character, deeply relatable and easy to root for. The loneliness she feels and the pressure she faces as she carries the weight of the family on her shoulders were extremely poignant. The family dynamics felt very realistic (I always love a good family story, and this one delivered!) Honorable mention to Ari and Nancy, who were possibly my favorite characters. Despite Sol's struggles, she finds family, friendship and comfort in them, and I was so moved by their relationship.

• The themes: There’s so much to unpack in this novel. There are strong themes of immigration, social mobility and the importance of education, grief, self-growth, family and friendship. This is a book about a young woman who has to grapple with great burdens and responsibilities, but who also finds her way through relying on the people around her, opening her eyes to the love and support that is available to her, and finding power in her own voice. Simply beautiful.

• The writing: This is written in the same style as the author's previous work, Indivisible. The narrative is engaging and accessible, which makes this a quick, easy read.

Brighter Than the Sun has cemented Daniel Aleman as one of my favorite authors. Highly recommend picking this one up for yourself, the teenagers in your life, or for your classrooms and school libraries.

[Katie C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books where the story is as great as the cover illustration. In this case, it's safe to say they both left me breathless. A highly recommended read.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Aleman's second novel; his 'Brighter Than the Sun' is an outstanding read.

The story about a Mexican family in Tijuana, Mexico trying to keep the family restaurant open; but financial worries are mounting.

Because sixteen year old Sol was born in San Diego, she is able to attend an American school; each day she must take the trolley from the San Ysidro National Border to reach her destination. Sol's full name is Maria de la Soledad Martinez.

One of the reasons I was drawn to this novel was the San Diego locations; I have lived in San Diego County for 48 years. So I was quite familiar with not only the trolley system but the locations mentioned in the novel.

[Kriti | Armed with A Book]

According to an article in Politico Magazine, approximately 50,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians were using the San Ysidro Port of Entry daily in 2017. Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman is the story of one of these pedestrians, crossing the border to attend school.

Sol, short for Soledad, is a sixteen year old girl who lives with her family in Mexico. In all her memory, her family has always owned a restaurant. But when her mom passes away, money becomes short and the restaurant starts to be more of a liability than an asset. In order to support her family, Sol decides to take a job in the US. She already crosses the border every day to attend high school, earning a living there would not be a problem.

Sol is the only member of the family who is a US citizen. She was born on the other side of the border due to her mother’s complicated pregnancy. Her family hopes for her to be the first person to attend college. They want her to do better than they did and in the process, lift up her younger brother in particular. But the challenges of living in poverty are not lost on Sol. Before she can realize her dream, she wants to pitch in and do everything she can to put more food on the table and make living conditions better for her family. Hence, Sol makes the decision to move to San Diego and stay with her childhood friend, Ari, and her mother, Nancy.

I learned so much from this book. I could relate to Sol and loved that she was surrounded by friends and family who understood her. 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚗 makes it to my list of books with grandma-granddaughter relationships. Abuela is a great source of strength for Sol and her presence added a lot to the story for me. Her grandma is the first to admit that they have put a lot of pressure on her and maybe the need for money has made them forget that she is still a child and at sixteen, taking on the responsibilities of an adult.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a review copy.

Check out the detailed review and author interview on my blog. :)

- Kriti, Armed with A Book | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story reminds me of one of my best friends, who during high school would study and simultaneously working as much as she could to support her family. I cannot fathom the experience and strength needed to do this. It brings me to tears that this is the experience of many immigrant families/young adults.

I wish there was an epilogue to this book so that the reader knew whether Soledad went on to college or followed her dreams. I hope she did.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read many YA books but I was given a copy of this and I’m really glad I was. Heartfelt and sweet and also thought provoking. Wrapped up a bit too neatly in the very end but I was also glad it did because I really cared about the characters and it had a great message of hope.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, moving story about family, finding yourself, and the complex situation of people living at the US-Mexico border- why are more people not reading this?

[Secret_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝙼𝚊ñ𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚛á 𝚘𝚝𝚛𝚘 𝚍í𝚊,”
𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚍𝚊𝚢.

Brighter Than The Sun
By Daniel Aleman
Pages Count: 230
Genre: YA Fiction with a little bit sweet romance spice.
Rate: 4⭐

This book follows Maria de la Soledad's life, along with that of her papa, her abuela, and her two brothers. Sol was the one who insisted on keeping the restaurant after her mother passed away because it was the only thing her mother had left. She continues to work hard, but what she had sown wasn't enough to support her whole family and keep the restaurant open. With that, she and her family are left with no choice but to close the restaurant, and they must find a different way to earn enough income to survive. 

I really liked Sol, an independent 16-year-old girl. She is so strong at such a young age. I liked how determined she is to achieve what she seeks. The way the friendship and the family connections had grown was awesome. The Mexican representation was beautifully portrayed. Told in a first-person single POV with a strong female character. This book was simple to read and very emotional. A perfect YA contemporary novel.

Thank you to @danaleman and @tbrbeyondtours for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

•𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

•𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭.

•𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴.

•𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.

•𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘧—𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘺𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

•𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.

[Thanh Tu Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me out of my reading slump and made me realize how much I missed YA. Although it was a light read, it covered very real issues such as racism, privilege, and how two countries can be so differently separated by the border.
As a teacher, it also humbled me that some students have very busy lives as they have to provide for their families and care for their younger siblings. I'm glad everything worked out at the end: that Bruno can stay in school, that her family found better jobs and she got families on both sides of the border, while being able to go home every day after school.

[book_worm119 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
DNF 60%

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this out of a Little Free Library in June on a walk with my dog. I've found some truly fantastic books in Little Free Libraries over the years, and if the book ends up being bad, I can always return it. After finishing Brighter Than the Sun, I understand why someone wanted to give this book away. It's just not good, which is a shame because the concept is really interesting; I'd never even considered what it would be like to live in Mexico and cross the border to go to school or work every day. On pages 235-36, there was a genuinely sweet moment between Sol and her younger brother, Diego, when he comes out to her as gay without ever saying the words. It was the one moment in the entire book where being in Sol's head was actually a positive: I really loved how we got to see her figure out the balancing act between being supportive and loving but also not making a big deal out of it. Sadly, that was the only sweet moment in this book.

I think the biggest problem that this book has is that it tells you everything instead of showing you, which stems back to Daniel Aleman being, in my opinion, a very unconfident writer, especially when compared to someone like Cynthia Voigt. If you know me even a little, you know that Cynthia Voigt is one of my favorite authors of all time. She has written some of the best YA books I've ever read (The Tillerman Saga, The Kingdom series) and a lot of that comes down to her being very confident, both in her skill as a writer and in her readers' ability to think for themselves. She trusts her readers to keep up and remember information, even if she gave it to them several chapters or even several books ago; she doesn't waste time recapping information beyond the bare essentials. She doesn't hold your hand because she trusts that she doesn't need to, and I find that so refreshing. Daniel Aleman does not trust his readers to remember things that happened even a chapter ago. On page 264, he recaps what happened to Sol just twelve pages ago, as if we'd already forgotten. Frankly, I find it insulting.

This book is 339 pages long, but I would argue that at least 150 pages of it is filler. Look no further than pages 38-39, where we get a page and a half of Sol carrying her heavy bag to her locker, struggling to fit it in the locker, unloading some items, going to her first class, complaining to her best friend Ari about how she can't fit her bag in her locker, the two of them taking Sol's bag to Ari's car, and then the two of them getting food. The entire thing could have been cut down to a paragraph, or a sentence, or honestly not put in at all, because we don't learn anything new about Sol or her life; it's not important to the plot in any way. This book is full of things like this. If I were the editor, I would have asked, "Why do you feel the need to include this? How is it advancing the story?"

So many conversations are clearly meant to be heartfelt and meaningful, especially with Daniel Aleman telling us over and over again how much Sol loves her family, or how she and Ari are like sisters, but because the writing is so unconfident and amateur, it never rings true. It also doesn't help that a lot of conversations feel meaningless; they're not giving us any new information about Sol or her friends or her family. It's just so boring to read. Take this exchange between Sol and some friends on page 164:
"There's a boy!"
"What?"
"Oh, I think you're right."
"How did you know?"
"Sol! Why didn't you say anything before?"
"There's nothing to say. He's just...my coworker."
"Hmm. I'm sure he is."
"Well, who is it?"

Your mileage may vary, but to me, this is incredibly boring. There is no creativity to this writing, no quirks, nothing to make you interested in where this conversation might go. Everybody is just talking in a circle; no one is actually saying anything. Again, the editor should have said something like, "How is this important to the story?"

I think that if Daniel Aleman put in a lot of work and got a better editor, he could become a competent writer. As it is, I'm going to put this back in a Little Free Library in the hopes that someone else might enjoy it.

[Elizabeth Overturf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soledad is a US citizen - the only one in her family. As such, she is able to go to school in California and travel back and forth without issue. She dreams of reaching the stars - being the first in her family to go to college.

Life has different plans.

Her mother dies and the family begins to struggle. Their survival depends on her working in the US because she can make the most money in the shortest amount of time.

But how would that work with school?

She has to learn to balance her crazy work schedule, school, and life. She moves in with her friend and her mother to help with less travel. As such, she learns what family can really be like and what life can be.

Is this what she really wants and how she wants to live? Does she really want to leave her family and be in California?

Her heart is torn. But in the end, she realizes that supporting her family is her choice and not her obligation. She does not have to put her dreams on hold.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to help my little sister with her English class assignments on it. It is so painfully made for freshmen in high school, but it did what it needed to do. Was it an objectively well-written book? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Not really. I dragged through this book because it was written with the intention of being read by a 14/15 year old and not a 20 year old who already understands the implications of being an immigrant in America at this current point in time. Solid book that I feel like freshmen in high school should be reading.

[Roonies · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was really good. And really real. But it ended so tied up and perfect which I felt wasn’t authentic to the border life.

[Jenna Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story, one I will continue to carry with me.

[Karis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars.

I dunno, I think I was expecting something else when I went into this.

I thought this would be about the pressure and stress about being the eldest daughter, that Sol would come to come to terms with that. But she didn't really change by the end; the only thing she did differently was testify for a friend when she should have over a 100 pages ago. I just wish Sol was allowed to be more selfish and bitter about her situation, get angry at her dad for making her work and her brother for making her another mother figure. Maybe it's a cultural thing, considering she's Mexican-American and I'm a mutt of European descent. But still, I feel like Aleman really missed the mark when it came to Sol's character.

There are some emotional beats. I mean, I was definitely feeling for Sol and her family's situation, but it just got repetitive and slow, of Sol having glimpses of growth before reverting. I decided to play through the story while playing a game because I didn't want to waste more gym time reading this.

All in all, I wasn't much of a fan of this one. I still have Aleman's adult debut on my ARC list, so I hope I'll be able to enjoy that, at last.

[Sara Raquel Cervantes · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That change gives as much as it takes, and it can open doors you never even knew existed. And that is a wonderful thing. . . Because without change, we can't grow. Without change, we can't gain perspective. And without change, it's impossible to see that the bad times only give place to the good, and that nothing worth having in life is permanent."

Brighter Than the Sun depicts a teen girl, Soledad, who bears an impossibly heavy burden as she and her family navigate the real issues facing families who live along the U.S./Mexico border. Sol, as the only American citizen in her family, struggles to find her own identity as her citizenship has opened the door for her to two live two separate lives, each presenting her with very distinct paths.

The reader is shown the real life obstacles faced by persons trying to reconcile their cultural identity while pursuing opportunity in another country. This book humanizes many of the extremely polarizing issues we see in the news and I highly recommend it as a tool to shed light on the humanity of us all.

[Raquel Venado Bolaños · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been thinking about how it has been a bit hard to care about teenage characters in books, even when it comes to authors I really like and whose books I usually finish pretty fast. Maybe I am biased about this book for a couple of reasons, one of them being I'm from Mexico, but it was easy to care about Sol and her story. I loved how she talks about being both Sol and Soledad, and being torn between who she is and who she wants to be. I think this explains perfectly three things:

1) what it is like to be a teenager
2) what it is like to be someone in between countries, longing for one while you are in the other one
3) what it is like to have the pressure of having to take care of your family at such a young age.

Daniel has a beautiful writing style that makes you feel like you're right there with these characters. I felt like I was with Sol at her family's restaurant, having dinner with Nancy and Ari, at school, and at the warehouse with Nick.

[Casey R Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

I pre-ordered this book because I loved Indivisible so much. It did not disappoint. I love the way this author consistently shows the humanity of immigration. The way family is woven into the fiber of his books is so beautiful. Knowing that every decision Sol made as a 16 yr old was driven by family speaks volumes about the importance of family and community within the Mexican culture. Daniel Aleman is officially an auto-buy author for me. He absolutely doesn’t miss.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN had such an interesting concept - one I had never thought of before: a teen girl lives in Mexico but commutes to the USA for high school. Unfortunately, the writing and the story were bland. I never felt like I got to know the main character. There was a real opportunity for suspense but the author didn't take advantage of it. Even the romance was just meh. I don't think many teens would finish the book.

[katherine cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO AMAZING!!!!!! EXCELLENT REPRESENTATION! this book had me laughing, sobbing, and rooting for Sol!!!!!!!!! ☀️

[Jessica Mytrohovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kind of book. I read 95% of it in 1 day. Easy to read, a sympathetic story. The conflict felt real but not anxiety inducing.

[Holly Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not yet read Indivisible by Daniel Aleman, but I have heard such great things about the debut novel and definitely intend to grab it. So when I saw this tour opportunity pop up for his sophomore YA book, Brighter Than the Sun, I jumped at the chance to participate. Now I see why there’s all the accolades for Aleman’s work! This novel was a beautiful examination of what life is like for a teenager who lives in two worlds: Sol and her family live in Mexico, but Sol was actually born in California, making her a citizen of the US as well. Sol began attending school in California for high school, which means she has to be at the border and stand in line for an hour and a half before she can cross and head to school. After Sol’s mom passes, her family is struggling to keep her restaurant afloat and put food on their table, so the decision is made that Sol also needs to find work in California. She goes to live temporarily with her childhood friend and her mom, who moved from Mexico to the US a few years back. She finds a job in the warehouse of a department store and has shifts beginning at 5:00 a.m. before school or from 7:00-10:00 p.m. on school nights. Most weekends, she travels back to Mexico to stay with her family. In other words, she’s exhausted and burnt out and has little time to spend with friends, date, and just be a teenager. Her grades begin to slip and she feels herself being pulled underwater, just as she is discovering a budding relationship with a sweet guy who works with her in the warehouse.

I was struck by the incredible struggles Sol went through, both physically and emotionally, as she works at just 16 years old to help her family just be able to have food and pay bills. I cannot imagine going through these things as an adult, let alone as a young woman trying to make it through high school and to become the first person in her family to go to college. Sol desperately wants to go to college, but she also feels responsible for bringing home paychecks that no one else in her family could possibly make, all because of the accident of her being unexpectedly born in the US. I went through so many emotions reading this, and I also learned a lot about what it’s like to have such dual citizenship when the rest of your family does not. My heart went out to Sol, and I just wanted her to be able to be a teenager, spend time with her friends hanging out on the beach, and explore the budding connection that may turn into first love. The story is heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful, as Sol tries to figure out just where “home” truly is for her.

I would encourage everyone to pick up this book; you will learn so much and feel so connected to Sol, no matter how different your own experiences are. In fact, you should read it *especially* if you have completely different experiences, as this is one of those books that will expand your horizons and help you to see the struggles others go through that we know nothing about. Brighter Than the Sun is exactly the kind of book we talk about when we say that reading increases empathy, and I hope you will pick it up and make sure the young adults in your life do so, too.

Rating: 5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What had once been an opportunity had now turned into an obligation as the situation changed. It had felt like privilege to cross into the U.S to attend school but now, as the family situation changed, Sol felt that attending school would have to go on the back burner as the family’s restaurant needed her attention. Trying to juggle school and work just wasn’t cutting it, perhaps she should just work as the family needed her financial help now before it was too late.
What a heavy burden for a 16-year-old to carry. Being the only individual in her family born in the U.S., Sol had the ability to travel back-and-forth freely between the U.S. and Mexico which was a tremendous benefit for their family. Sol and her family lived in Mexico and they owned a restaurant there. Her mother had just recently passed away and this restaurant was her passion. Since her death, this restaurant has struggled to stay afloat and unfortunately so has her family. Her mother was a huge part of their family and they all miss her badly. Sol has traveled to the U.S. to attend school for a few years with her father being her driver to the border. I can just imagine this ride as the two of them sit in the car twice a day. Sol proud that she is able to get a better education and her father proud and reserved, his daughter the person he could never be. As the restaurant struggles, Sol takes a job after school to help the family financially. With the long hours, Sol decides to stay with her best friend in the U.S. during the week and return to her family in Mexico on the weekends. I was having mixed feelings as I know that some sixteen-year-olds can handle this separation and for some, it’s a breaking point.

The first couple weeks went good as Sol tried to get into a routine. She was embraced by her new weekday family and when she returned to Mexico, she crammed as much as she could into those few days. Needing more money, she worked more hours and her time away from Mexico stretched. The more money that she brought it, it didn’t seem to be enough. Losing the restaurant would mean losing another piece of her mother, she couldn’t let that happen. As she fought with her emotions, I could feel the tension and her hope fading. When is enough……enough.

I really enjoyed this book. The cover of the book and the synopsis is what hooked me on this one. The book starts off rather sad as Sol talks about her name. Born on the day of the Feast of Our Lady of Solitude. Soledad feels the loneliness follows her wherever she goes. She had even tried to give herself a couple nicknames to get away from her name but nothing took. So, she was stuck with Sol. She has high expectations for herself which she has a hard time lowering throughout the book. Her best friend, who she stays with in the U.S. tries to talk to her about this. Ari tells her that she needs to let go and that she doesn’t need to control everything all the time and Sol listens but its hard to apply this information when you life is spinning out of control. The more that Sol spends in the U.S., Sol realizes that she’s different than when she’s at home. I love it when she makes this light-bulb moment yet what can Sol do with it. A great read that worth picking up. 5 stars

[Megan Gallardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: Thanks to Netgalley, TBRandBeyond tours, Daniel Aleman, and his publisher for the early eARC and for my first Physical ARC and for the chance to participate in my 2nd book tour!


"Change gives as much as it takes, and it can open doors you never even knew existed. And that is a wonderful thing. A wonderful thing, mija. Because without change, we can't grow. Without change, we can't gain perspective. And without change, it's impossible to see that the bad things only give place to the good, and that nothing worth having in life is permanent."
- Brighter Than The Sun, Daniel Aleman

When it comes to recommending authors or books that have changed my life, Daniel Aleman always comes to mind. I remember hearing the buzz about Indivisible coming out and following the author's Instagram page as he mentioned one of his favorite scenes involving a cockroach, and THAT was the moment I added the book to my list.

I will never regret that because not only did that cockroach scene make me laugh, the book itself changed the way I looked at immigration and it was one of the few books I went to review on Goodreads at the time. The book ripped my heart, chewed on it, spat it out again and gave me some hope despite the emotional turmoil but it was such a beautiful book and now, with Brighter Than The Sun hitting shelves on March 21st, Daniel Aleman has done it again.

So, onto all the feels for my second book tour then!

Short Summary: A girl named after loneliness embarks on a daily journey between borders to support her family, chase her dreams, and to hopefully, find happiness at the end of it all.

Long summary: Maria De La Soledad-- or Sol, for short has always had a heavy name to carry. Named after the Virgin Mary and plagued by not only the loneliness of her name, but the one constantly haunting her heart, her family depends on her to stay afloat financially.

The stakes? Crossing the border from Mexico to San Diego every day to go to school and work or have her family face more trouble. When Sol accepts a new job at Warren's, a clothing warehouse, she tells herself that a new job will bring more money to help her family. It will keep her Mami's restaurant open, the last legacy after her death. It will keep their family from falling apart.

But, no one told her she'd wake up more exhausted each day. No one told her it would be harder to stay on top of school and work. No one told her that her cute coworker could give her hope for a future that might not be in her old home in Tijuana.

And the more she is in San Diego, the less she wants to return to her difficult family life with a father who is harsh, a little brother who is always sad, an older brother who resents her and a grandmother who is barely keeping everything together. In the end, she will have to make a choice of who she wants to become....

Sol, the girl with hope... or Soledad, forever plagued by loneliness and sadness.


What I love about Daniel Aleman's book is how stepping into the character's shoes is something that is so easy, even with all the obstacles they face. They're characters I relate to, with burdens of carrying their families, with expectations that seem too high and with living between two worlds where we wonder what does it really mean to be American, and how exactly to make peace with the chaos of life. Aleman does this with a deeply moving narrative that had me laughing, smiling, and even tearing up at times.

I felt right at home following Sol's story and her full name was perfectly chosen with the weight and burden of her name being such an integral part of this book and I tip my hat in respect for this second book that will leave me patiently waiting for whatever else this author writes.