e-Audio, 05:35:09
Narrated by: André Santana & Stacy Gonzalez
Release Date: April 12, 2023
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: April 11, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Libby
TW: Wrongly incarcerated parent, fatphobia, past recount of rape, death of a grandparent, dementia
For fans of: Novels in Verse, Romance, Fat Leads, YA, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Sparkly CoverDanna Mendoza Villarreal’s grandfather is slowly losing himself as his memories fade, and Danna’s not sure her plan to help him remember through the foods he once reviewed will be enough to bring him back. Especially when her own love of food makes her complicated relationship with her mother even more difficult.
Raul Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn’t the same person who left?
When Danna and Raul meet, sparks fly immediately and they embark on a mission to heal her grandfather…and themselves. Because healing is something best done together—even if healing doesn’t always look the way we want it to.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This is a novel in verse, so take what I had to say with a grain of salt. Y’all know they’re not my favorite. But also remember that I’ve also read and loved this author before too. So of course I had to make sure I at least tried it. And shocker, I did indeed enjoy this!
This whole book was so sad. I don’t remember actually crying, but I do remember coming close. I mean the entire plot was about helping her grandfather who was suffering. And Raul’s mom was wrongly incarcerated and was just coming back from being released. Both of these things came with their own emotional challenges. And of course this isn’t even counting the way Danna’s mom was terrible to her about the fatphobia. So don’t be surprised that this book packs a punch.
Even though it’s a novel in verse, I never felt like I was missing anything. This is usually the biggest issue I have with them, so seeing that it was absent in this one was great. It still read like a full novel to me. And I know ALL novels in verse are full novels, but I’ve said before how I always feel like I have missed some of the message. I didn’t get that with this one, so I will definitely be adding it to my recommendation lists.
The characters were great too. I liked Danna even if it was mostly because I wanted to hug her. She didn’t deserve the way her mother treated her. And Raul, I felt really bad for him. She was wrongly accused but she was still away. So trying to accept any criticism from her when she didn’t really know that much about him was really REAL. This book is relatable in so many ways.
The audio version of this was just ok. I don’t remember any visceral reactions from them reading it, but I did enjoy it. It was good because they seemed to be Own Voices LatinX which was 1000% amazing in it’s own right. From the accents to the names of the foods and the emotion in some of the experiences, it was even shown in the narration, and I thought that was pretty bad ass.
This book was kind of a surprise to me. As someone who’s not a novel in verse person, this was an enjoyment. From relateable characters to a plot that will pull on your heartstrings, this book is everything that I love (besides the verse lol) But I knew I had an author I trusted. I really hope y’all pick this one up!
Overall, I give this
