This reminded me of the musical In the Heights and Angie Thomas’s books.

When a brick is thrown through the window of the Ginger Store, which is like a second home to Chinelo (or Nelo), it threatens to change her world forever. Now, her best friend Kate’s family, who run the store, may sell it and move from their lower-income neighborhood, Ginger East. Nelo and Kate are the only two left in their group of friends, and Nelo worries that she’ll be left all alone. She launches a quest to prove that the brick was thrown by an outsider, not someone from the neighborhood. The incident also brings some of their childhood friends back, as everyone has a different reaction. This was a book about the ties we have to our communities.

Onomé isn’t afraid to have her characters show complicated emotion and challenge each other on their perceptions of the world. We have Nelo, who fiercely loves her neighborhood just as it is, and ends up on TV for it. Then the boys, Bo and Rafa, who left but still have ties to the area. This book tackles tough topics like gentrification and exploitation and the judgement low-income communities face from the outside world.

I also loved that Kate and Nelo’s friendship faced challenges, and none of the characters were perfect. But in the end, their love for each other wins. It was also great to see Nigerian rep in a young adult book.

It was powerful to see how each of the residents and former residents of Ginger East reacted to the changes in their neighborhood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )