3.5*
I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It's incredibly diverse, with some great explorations on sexual and gender identity, and a main character who learns so many things about herself as she grows. It fell a bit short for me emotionally, but was overall a good book.
What I Liked:
- Our MC Vanni is trying to figure out... life. Oh, how I love when a book doesn't automatically pretend that everything after high school is sunshine and happiness! Vanni gets this, and she struggles with this, as actual humans tend to. She has to deal with a lot at her young age, like a sick father, the possibility that she too may carry the gene for the disease, figuring out how to navigate a seemingly altered future, and discovering more about her sexuality. It's all the crappy decisions that come with growing up, and all the great moments that happen, too. It just felt so authentic.
- Vanni and Leigh's relationship was messy. It had some truly lovely moments, and some truly brutal ones. And again, this felt so, so real. In the tough moments, you can definitely feel the anger and hurt of two people who care about each other but are thinking selfishly- as we all do at times. But they absolutely genuinely care for each other, and it's awesome to see them develop as people with each other, not because of each other.
- The New Mexico vibe was on point. I just adore when an author nails a setting- especially one that you can almost feel. This is that kind of book. I love that the characters sometimes spoke in Spanish phrases, I loved the descriptions of the landscape. The town itself was supposed to feel a bit depressed, and it definitely worked. It was really great and worked so well to set the tone for Vanni's story- and her desire to get out of her small town.
What I Didn't:
- The biggest issue I had was that I didn't really feel the emotional connection I had expected. While Vanni was going through all of this life altering stuff, I expected to really feel things. And while I rooted for her, I didn't really get a sense of an emotional charge. Especially when discussing her father's illness, her potential illness, I hoped it would evoke something more profound.
- This is maybe a bit nit-picky, but the swimming stuff bugged me. For example:
"And I’d done some competitions with the Santa Fe Aquatic Club. I could have Dad film me and show the coach the reel, do well in tryouts, get at least a partial scholarship to squeeze me through."
Okay. That... is not at all how it works. At all. Also swimming scholarships are basically unicorns. Like swimming is a big commitment- especially if you're trying to do it at the collegiate level. Even at a smaller school, you can't really be not on a team and then be on one in college. Anyway. I didn't exactly like, penalize the book for it, it just irked me a bit.
Bottom Line: A solid book with some really great real life exploration that fell just a bit short emotionally.
*Copy provided for review
**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change