Welcome to Litsy!

Ok, this was good but not great. There was really a lot going on in here (seriously- every possible teen thing from grief to first sex to suicide ideation to college applications) that I found my mind wandering at times.

I really loved everything about this story. I loved Julia and her fiery personality. There are a lot of big coming of age topics topped off by being the child of undocumented immigrants that occur throughout and seeing Julia learn and grow from them was great. I think a lot of high schoolers can take a lot away from this one.

#summersouls #perfect #day27

Read this with a group of students a few years ago.The book generated such insightful discussion! 🩷💙🩵

April was a good reading month for me! Good books and time to read them.

#bookly

I read this for my book club, much read during a 3 hour plane delay at the airport.
There is a lot to unpack in this tale of 1 coming-of-age Mexican-American daughter. Although this is YA there are multiple adult themes, but I most appreciated the illustration of the divide that can happen between immigrants & their first generation American children. Above all I enjoyed the snarky main character navigating a complicated teenage life.
🥡🥡🥡🥡🥡

Thanks so much for this trio of #book2book books, @Catsandbooks ! I really appreciate it and I‘m so excited to dive in! Fitz is excited too. 😋

Thanks to @AllDebooks for organizing (and my books are going to go out this week!).

Just finished this one! I really enjoyed it, and found it relatable on so many levels. Being a first generation Mexican-American from Los Angeles, I‘ve experienced similar expectations as a daughter from a very traditional & catholic family. I read some reviews on goodreads saying it was slightly racist, but I didn‘t really feel that was true. I also read it in Spanish, so it may have not been as obvious vs the English version. Really liked Julia.

Started this one yesterday. I‘m loving the imagery and nostalgia I‘m getting from reading it so far.

“Be careful. Please. The border… The fucking border”. I feel wildness spreading through me. “It‘s nothing but a giant wound, a big gash between the two countries. Why does it have to be like that? I don‘t understand. It‘s just some random, stupid line. How can anyone else tell people where they can and can‘t go?” -280

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Read before seeing the play adaptation at Seattle Rep

#AlphabetGame
#LetterI

Today's pick is I Am Not You Perfect Mexican Daughter. I enjoy reading books I can relate to. This one had a few things that hit close to home, not a lot but a few.

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Mexican Daughter reads like a grittier and darker Judy Blume coming-of-age novel. When her perfect sister dies tragically, Julia sets out to uncover the secret life she‘d been living. On the way, she faces her own identity and path away from her parent‘s expectations. Though it may try to fit in too much (rape, suicide, immigration), the clash between immigrant parents and first generation American children over cultural values felt authentic. 4⭐️

Great read!
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#bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookreviewer #booklover #booknerd #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookish #bookworm #bookaddict #bookreviews #bibliophile #bookrecommendation #booksbooksbooks #bookblog #bookphotography #books #bookshelf #bookaholic #booklove #bookclub #goodreads #reading #bookobsessed

This was a good one, there was just a lot happening. The main character really goes through a lot of self discovery/awareness. It easily could‘ve been several separate smaller novels

#poetrymatters @TheSpineView
#Neon

Julia is in high school when her older sister Olga gets accidentally killed by a semi truck. Her parents (illegals from Mexico NOTE: Julia prefers that title). The family lives in a cramped, cockroach infested apartment in Chicago. Her mother is incredibly protective and the whole family is mourning Olga‘s death. By snooping in her sister‘s room, Julia discovers she was not the perfect daughter they imagined.

Thanks @LA_Mead for the great #poutinepenpals. #thanksgivingswap

I am looking forward to reading these!

@StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego

2.5 ⭐️

I read through this book because it was a Buddy Read and I had people to commiserate with over the horrible characters. I really didn't find anyone in this story to be likable. The suspense surrounding Olga kept me a bit interested, but really everything about the situation and the interactions felt so over the top. I wouldn't recommend it, but to each their own.

Meh. This books had a lot of things to say, but the plot went in too many different ways. None of the elements got fully explored, and the story got too meandering. Sometimes less is more, and I wish the author would have separated some of her different plot ideas into different books.

#sundaybuddyread

Read for #SundayBuddyRead I found this YA novel to be OK—I didn‘t love it and I didn‘t hate it. I think it had a lot of potential but was bogged down by too many plot points that didn‘t seem to go anywhere which diminished any power in its messages. I liked seeing the MC, Julia, grow & come into herself but it overall, left me wanting. I‘m glad I read it with the group as the discussions always help keep me going & give me new insights.

This one started off strong and has some important topics to address, but it really went sideways and was a bit scattered. While it somewhat found it‘s way back, it ultimately was a meh. Read for #sundaybuddyread

Catching up on my buddy reads #sundaybuddyread #potteraday

Finished this one last week but I was waiting for the #SundayBuddyRead before I posted this review. What I took away from this was the more Julia learned about her family‘s past and their trials, the more empathetic she became. Also, seeking help for your mental health is the right thing to do. I was so annoyed with her when she was so angry all the time and wouldn‘t listen to anyone. #112 #BookSpinBingo #12 #BFC21 #4 #BOOKED2021 #SuperSeptember

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

I am so very torn. At first, I had nothing but positive and exciting thoughts. But somewhere in the middle, something changed and suddenly I felt as if the author was getting too crazy, trying to fit in too much, and dropping some completely unexpected bombs. Ultimately, I liked this one but felt the writing could have been executed in a more organized fashion.

2.5/5 ⭐️ I think the author tried to do too much in the book and ended up adding unnecessary stuff. Also I hated her mother.

#sundaybuddyread

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m traveling, but may try to join the #SundayBuddyRead discussion for this. I have some thoughts and am interested to hear what others think. I liked a lot of individual elements, but the overall result didn‘t really work for me in some way. I‘m not really sure what to make of it… @TheBookHippie

Well, today I finished the tagged for #SundayBuddyRead and it was ok. I‘ll save the rest for discussion.

I also finished Sophie‘s World, because I just couldn‘t leave 12 pages sitting there unread for next week! #sophiesworld #deadphilosopherssociety

And Sal & Gabi Break the Universe is a whole lot of fun so far.

This just wasn't my favorite. My biggest complaints are that it seemed really unfocused and the transitions were very abrupt. I am not the target audience, however so maybe this would appeal to YA readers.

#SundayBuddyRead with @TheBookHippie
Final discussion on Sunday. Until then 🤐🤐🤐

#BookSpinBingo square 2
@TheAromaofBooks

I didn‘t realize I got my first ever #BookSpinBingo The Writing on the Wall yesterday. I have another today after finishing the tagged book for #SundayBuddyRead. While I can‘t deny being annoyed with Julia‘s mother, I give this one 5 stars because I just really like Julia and how she went about figuring out her world and knew the place she wanted in it. This was also my #DoubleSpin book.