Gr 9 Up—Camino and Yahaira, two teenagers in different countries who have never met, are suddenly thrust into
each other's lives when their biological father dies in a plane crash. They piece together their Papi's life in New York
and the Dominican Republic, joining their partial memories to finally see the whole person. Told in alternate
narratives, this novel in verse is a cathartic exploration of grief, love, and family secrets.

I hadn't read a verse novel in awhile, so it took me at least the first 20 pages or so to adjust to the style/voice. But after I settled in, I was in deep. I loved the sister's different voices and how their stories were compared. ( )

Representation: Non-white main characters
Trigger warnings: Cheating, death of a father, grief and loss depiction, plane crash

9/10, I picked this up from one of the two libraries I go to and one library didn't have this so I had to go to the other one and I had high expectations for this considering that I've read the last book this author has written and enjoyed at and this another amazing verse novel from Elizabeth Acevedo who is the same person who wrote The Poet X, which was just as entertaining and captivating as this book so where do I even begin? It starts off with the two main characters Camino and Yahaira Rios or Camino and Yahaira for short and they live lives separate from each other until the last few pages when they finally meet. I loved the big reveal towards the end of the book, where the main character had a secret sister, and the first half was really convincing as well, where the main characters grieve over their father's death in a plane crash. These two main characters were really well written since they have differences, but also similarities, which I enjoyed seeing. Definitely recommended if you want a verse book or a book about grief. ( )

I loved this book. It was so well done. The story is told in verse but so seamlessly that you forget and when you remember you feel short changed that not all books can do the same. Sometimes YA has the tendency to be either heavy handed or light and fluffy this book does neither. There is no forced lesson on what the reader should learn. Instead there is a beautiful array of realities that are so raw and beautifully told that anyone can relate to something. I will recommend this book again and again. Such a beautiful piece of writing and display of talent. ( )

I was not expecting the format that this story is told in, but man, I enjoyed it. I can picture it being performed in a recitation, spoken word poetry, or just a play performance with two people telling the story back and forth. ( )