Tag Archives: Mexico

Review: The Reunion by Kit Frick

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,
The Reunion by Kit Frick cover shows four people. A boy with a surfboard faces left with his back to the camera. Two figures stand in profile back to back with their arms crossed in the bottom center. A girl stands in profile, her face toward the right edge of the cover, her hands over her heart.

The Reunion
Kit Frick
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published August 29, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Reunion

From the author of I KILLED ZOE SPANOS comes a YA thriller in the vein of THE WHITE LOTUS and Karen M. McManus’s THE COUSINS following a doomed family reunion gone wrong at a posh Caribbean resort, where old grudges and dangerous secrets culminate in murder.

Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.

It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break. Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout. By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a suspect:
The peacekeeper: Addison needs a better hiding place.
The outsider: Theo just wants to mend fences.
The romantic: Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.
The hothead: Mason needs to keep his temper under control.

It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.

My Review

I KILLED ZOE SPANOS was one of those books I really wanted to read but wasn’t able to get a review copy of and haven’t (thus far) managed to pull from my backlist. All that to say that I’ve been looking forward to reading a book by Kit Frick, and THE REUNION is the first one I’ve read.

One of the things I found really intriguing about this book is the amount of screen time the soon-to-be-dead person gets. I don’t read tons of thrillers, so I’m not sure how commonly this is done. I can’t think of another book that I’ve read that does this, though. In any case, I found the idea that I got so much information about the murder victim really cool.

The story is told from four points of view. The twins, Addison and Mason, each share their perspectives. Their cousin Natalia and their stepbrother-to-be Theo also tell the story from their viewpoints. As the outsider to the family, Theo has the least backstory drama, though he plays a pivotal role in some of the other characters’ conflicts. I think he was probably my favorite character. I loved Natalia, too.

Something about the book reminded me a little bit of BAD THINGS HAPPEN HERE by Rebecca Barrow, which I really liked. Both books include really wealthy characters who are used to getting what they want and explosive secrets. I think fans of Karen McManus will enjoy this one, and I’m even more eager now to check out I KILLED ZOE SPANOS.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Natalia and her sister Mia are biracial: white and Puerto Rican. They have two moms. Theo is bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some references to being attracted to someone off-limits.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Addison and Mason’s dad is an alcoholic with anger issues who crashed his car while driving drunk, injuring his family members. References to a past accidental death. One scene very briefly tells about a boy beating up another boy. Some descriptions of a man losing his temper and accidentally or purposely injuring a restaurant worker. One scene briefly describes a person’s death.

Drug Content
Adults drink alcohol at the resort. One adult buys alcohol for a teenage boy and pressures another boy to drink with him.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE REUNION in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Secret of the Moon Conch by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall

Book Review and Content, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

The Secret of the Moon Conch
David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall
Bloomsbury
Published June 6, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Secret of the Moon Conch

Award-winning authors David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall join forces to craft a sweeping fantasy romance about falling in love despite all odds.

In modern-day Mexico, Sitlali has no family left and has caught the attention of a dangerous gang leader. She has no choice but to make the perilous trip to the US border and track down her long-absent father. The night before her journey, she finds a beautiful conch shell detailed with ancient markings.

In 1521, Calizto is an Aztec young warrior in Tenochtitlan, fighting desperately to save his city from Spanish imperialists. With his family dead and the horrors of war surrounding him, Calizto asks a sacred moon conch for guidance.

Connected by the magical conch, Sitlali and Calizto can communicate across centuries, finding comfort in each other as they fight to survive. With each conversation, they fall deeper in love, but will they be able to find a way to each other?

My Review

I loved the romance in this story and the connection forged between Sitlali and Calizto. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Mexican history, so a lot of the details about Calizto’s timeline were unfamiliar to me. I knew the broad strokes of colonialism, but it was cool to get to see some (fictionalized) snapshots from history and think about how those moments affected the ordinary people living them.

The story shows firsthand the dangers that Sitlali faces, especially those which prompt her to flee her home in Mexico to the United States, where her only surviving relatives, her father, and godmother, live. It also paints a stark, terrible picture of what life in the US is like for the undocumented: few opportunities, wages below legal limits, and constant fear of discovery and deportation, all without any legal protection. We also encounter scenes of prisoners kept in inhumane conditions in ICE custody.

Pairing sixteenth-century Mexican history from the perspective of indigenous people with the experiences of a young undocumented immigrant to the United States was a powerful choice. I feel like I’m still processing some of my thoughts about it.

Above all, though, THE SECRET OF THE MOON CONCH is a spiritual story. It’s about the connection between two people whose love and humanity transcend time. It’s about their journey of discovering the power they have through the conch shell and through their love for one another and their people. And it’s about how to use that power to help others, even when they know some moments of history are already decided.

All in all, this was a truly unexpected story. I tend to really like faith-positive stories because I believe faith can be a positive, powerful part of our lives. So I enjoyed the ways in which both Sitlali and Calizto’s faith guided them and helped them along their paths. I think readers who enjoyed SKY BREAKER by Addie Thorley will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Both Sitlali and Calizto are Mexican. She lives in 2019, and he lives in 1521.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A gang member pursues Sitlali, determined to possess her. In one scene, he grabs her and forces a kiss on her. Later, consensual kissing between a boy and a girl. In one scene, he puts his hand under her shirt, and she stops the interaction from going further, fearing they’re moving too fast. She asks for privacy from him when changing or bathing and offers him the same.

In one scene, a married couple undress in front of one another, and the scene ends as we assume they consummate their love.

Spiritual Content
Sitlali and Calizto are connected by a conch shell that belonged to the Moon Goddess. As the phases of the moon progress toward a full moon, their connection to one another increases. They discuss the faith and spirituality of their people and how it has changed over the past 500 years. Sitlali prays to the Virgin of Guadalupe. Calizto prays to the Moon Goddess, whom his mother served.

Sitlali sees and interacts with the ghosts of her grandmother and her mother, as well as other ancestors.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Gang members surround Sitlali, and one tries to force her to agree to marry him. A coyote attacks a young woman. A man shoots another man. A young woman stabs someone and shoots them. Calizto fights in many battles. Several scenes describe combat and gruesome injuries.

Some scenes show inhumane conditions inside an ICE detention center. A mother begs for medical care for her young child. Guards perform an illegal body cavity search on a prisoner kept in isolation.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE SECRET OF THE MOON CONCH in exchange for my honest review.


Review: The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna
Alda P. Dobbs
Sourcebooks
Published September 14, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna’s mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papa is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left―her abuelita, little sister Amelia, and baby brother Luisito―until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: “They’re like us barefoot peasants and indios―they’re not meant to go far.” But Petra refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border―a life where her barefoot dreams could finally become reality.

My Review

I read this book in one sitting, both because it’s a pretty easy read, but also because I couldn’t stop. Petra is bright and full of curiosity and determination to keep the promise she made to her father to care for her family. She makes sure they stay together, helps them when they’re weak, and stays focused on what matters, no matter what comes across her path. Her relationship with her grandmother is complex– there are levels where they just don’t get each other, and others where they deeply connect. I loved that.

The descriptions of the places Petra travels are vivid and gripping. I felt like I could almost taste and smell the food sometimes. And the hot dry desert and its affect on them as they traveled felt so real.

Though there’s some violence, it mostly happens off-scene, with some one-line references to what’s happened. In the author’s note, the author talks about how she learned about these events from her own family’s history rather than at any point in school. I didn’t learn about these events in school either, so I was really moved by the history in which THE BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA takes place. It made me want to learn a lot more about Mexican history.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The characters really resonated with me, especially Petra and Marietta, a captain in the rebel forces. I think readers who enjoy historical fiction or stories about strong female heroes will love this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are Mexican.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Petra and her family seek refuge in a church. Petra’s grandmother has taken them to mass only rarely.

Violent Content
Soldiers force boys and men to join their ranks, executing them by firing squad if they refuse. (That’s referenced, but not explicitly shown.) Soldiers tear apart Petra’s home looking for her cousin. They burn the village, and Petra and her family flee. They threaten to kill civilians.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, New Adult 18up, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Genuine Fraud
E. Lockhart
Delacorte Press
Published September 5, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Book Depository

From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel–the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. 
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. 
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. 
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

My Review

Wow. I was not expecting this book to be as dark as it was. From the description, I think I expected there to be two points of view, Imogen and Jule. There’s not– the whole story is told from Jule’s perspective. It’s also told in a choppy timeline, where each chapter jumps backward a bit and then runs forward to end where the previous chapter began. (Like the movie Memento with Edward Norton.)

I think the timeline totally worked. It created this choppy, suspenseful story where Jule’s completely in control of the narrative. I suspected a few of the twists before they happened, but some things took me completely by surprise.

Some of the book reminded me a little bit of a poem I read once by Robert Frost, which I think is about a boy killed with an axe. The words create this kind of aloof, calm sense, but somehow that makes what the poem tells all the more shocking and disturbing. That’s how I felt about some of the scenes in the book.

I felt like I couldn’t look away. Even when I didn’t want to know what happened, I felt like I had to finish the story. The writing was pretty compelling. It’s definitely one of those stories that looks at the darker impulses of being human: selfishness, obsession, greed.

If you’re into darker lit, GENUINE FRAUD is probably right up your alley. If you prefer stories where you like the characters and grow to like them more as the story progresses and you understand them more, GENUINE FRAUD is not likely to be the kind of book you’d enjoy. I’d recommend WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart instead, or WE ARE THE GOLDENS by Dana Reinhardt.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Jule’s sexual orientation is unclear. At times it seems like she has feelings for Imogen, but it’s hard to tell whether those feelings are sexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity and some crude language used often throughout the book.

Romance/Sexual Content
Jule witnesses Imogen having sex in the pool with her boyfriend. Imogen references walking in on two female roommates having sex.

Spiritual Content
Jule listens to a man singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” at a bus station and wonders whether she’s too lost for a savior. She concludes that she is.

Violent Content
Scenes show two young women bashed in the head with heavy, blunt objects. In two other scenes, a young woman attacks someone who’s following her. Details are a bit disturbing. A young man is found after having apparently hanged himself.

Drug Content 
Imogen drinks alcohol at a bar in Puerto Rico with Jule (where it’s legal).

Note: This post contains affiliate links which cost you nothing but which help support this blog.

Review: Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

Tell Me Something Real
Calla Devlin
Simon & Schuster / Atheneum

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Her mother’s cancer dominates Vanessa’s life. Alternative treatments in Mexico are the only hope for her mom, whose cancer is terminal. While Vanessa tries to anticipate her mother’s every need and keep her sisters (foul-mouthed Adrienne and saint-obsessed Marie) together, she also dreams of a day when she can pursue her own dreams. She pours out her grief in her music and counts the days until she’ll hear back from music schools about applications she’s secretly sent out.

Then two new members join Vanessa’s family group—a boy whose cancer is in remission and his overprotective mother. As Vanessa and Caleb begin to fall in love, a terrible betrayal rips her family apart. Vanessa and her sisters must sift the wreckage for the truth and discover how to heal.

I started reading this book feeling a little anxious about the whole betrayal aspect. It’s always a gamble, right? You don’t want the character you fall in love with to be the guy who suddenly turns out to be the villain. So it’s a risky thing to read a book where you know something like this will happen and it’s going to be REALLY BAD.

That said, I felt like Devlin handled the betrayal part with real care and power. I was shocked by what happened (I had a short list of things I imagined the betrayal might be, and it turned out to be none of the things on my list) and definitely identified with the girls as they scrambled to piece together their own feelings and care for one another. I liked all three of the sisters. Marie’s obsession with saints fascinated me, especially juxtaposed against her relationship with her mom.

I loved that there are honorable adults in the story. Not all of them are honorable, but as the girls endure this betrayal, it shakes their faith in who the good guys are and who they can trust, especially where adults are concerned. I liked that as I looked around at the cast of characters, there were respect-worthy role models there for the girls to fall back on. We all need that. We all need mentors who’ve gone before us who can encourage us to keep seeking the truth and moving forward. So that really resonated with me.

Just before this book I read One Paris Summer which also features a young talented pianist. It was interesting reading each character’s different reactions to the same composers (some I was familiar with and some I wasn’t) and why certain pieces were significant to them. Both girls found music to be a way to express their grief and strong feelings about the changes in their lives. They’re very different stories, but I felt like both did justice to the healing power of music.

This book is darker than One Paris Summer, but has some real thought-provoking ideas in it. See the content description below to decide whether this book is a good fit for you or your readers.

Cultural Elements

Vanessa and her sisters drive with their mother across the Mexican border to receive cancer treatment that’s illegal in the United States. A nurse named Lupe takes care of Vanessa’s mom, and a cook named Rico dotes on the girls. The major characters are white, middle-class Americans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Romance/Sexual Content
Vanessa states that Adrienne and her boyfriend have been sleeping together for a year. Vanessa herself is a virgin, but when she begins seeing her first boyfriend, she feels this might change. She exchanges kisses with him, and at one point he reaches under her shirt/bra. At one point Adrienne makes posters sexually denigrating to her ex-boyfriend.

Spiritual Content
Marie idolizes saints listed in a book. She quotes them and collects cards with the saints pictured on them. She especially loves the young virgin girls murdered for their strong faith, like Joan of Arc. At one point the family decides a Catholic school may be the best place for Marie because she’ll receive some understanding for her love of saints while also having the structure she desperately needs to survive the tumult at home.

Violent Content
Mild violence. Adrienne has some angry outbursts. One of the girls remembers her mother slapping a nurse and becoming agitated when a doctor tries to draw blood for tests.

Drug Content
Vanessa’s mother receives alternative treatment in Mexico considered by US doctors to be harmful, even toxic. Caleb believes the treatment is harmful and wants to discontinue it, but at seventeen, he doesn’t have the right to refuse treatment his mom requires him to have.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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