Jen Petro-Roy

11 year old Veronica is struggling with a lot of problems right now: she is great at softball but feels too much pressure to match up to her family’s standards in that game; her mother has been diagnosed as an alcoholic and needs to enter rehab if she has to save herself, her job and her family; her best friend’s parents are going through a separation and this seems to be impacting her friendship with Veronica. The book tells us how the little 6th grader manages to keep herself afloat in between all these problems with her wisecracks, her practical approach to life, and her understanding.

The book is full of teenage thoughts and vibes, right down to the lingo used. As the entire book is written in first person from Veronica’s point of view, the view we get is that of a young girl straggling to make sense of the chaos around her. The writing seems very realistic and readers will be able to identify with the insecurities that Veronica is going through. I liked how the book portrays the difficulties of struggling with an alcoholic parent in the family without showing the typical physical abuse or passing out drunk scenes. It shows how alcoholism is actually a disease and those struggling with it need to be supported rather than stigmatised.

The moral ideas presented in the book don’t limit themselves to children. It also shows parents how to treat kids with honesty while teaching children that parents also struggle to show themselves as perfect in their child’s eyes. As a parent, I found my heart breaking when I saw little Veronica struggle to help out in any way she could without adding to the burden of her family, to the point of squashing her own dreams to keep her mother happy. Her understanding, upfront attitude and maturity make her a good role model for little readers. I loved this line: “Sometimes we forget that we don't all have to be superstars.”

The narrator Carrie Burgess does a fabulous job of enacting Veronica with a young and light-hearted voice.

Thank you, NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio, for the Advanced Audio Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


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When Evie's older sister Cilla gets pregnant, their Catholic parents ship her off to great-aunt Maureen until she can have the baby and give her up for adoption. Evie wants Cilla to come home afterward instead of going to St. Augustine's boarding school, but Cilla doesn't respond to any of Evie's letters, and their parents won't tell Evie anything.

Meanwhile, Evie begins to realize that her friendship with new girl June might be something more, but she's afraid of what everyone will think. Finally, she tells her friends Maggie and Katie, and they help her get to St. Augustine's - where Evie gets a terrible shock, and the truth, finally, from her parents.

Afterward, Evie finds the strength to question authority, be her authentic self, and honor her sister publicly.

The Morgan family is coded white; June is dark-skinned, and she and her mother are atheist.

See also: How to Find What You're Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani; Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

Quotes

It was like one of those pictures of a snake eating its own tail. Or that optical illusion with the staircases that never stop going upward. No one ever apologized and the yelling never stopped. (29)

We need to save you from the Land of Blouses and Slacks! We need to return you to the Kingdom of Jeans and T-shirts! (43)

...I caught Mom crying again. I didn't feel bad for her, though. If she's sad that you're not here, she shouldn't have made you feel like you don't belong. (97)

Having June [at our house] made me look at things differently, though....Mom doesn't let me read about zombies, but I hear the resurrection story every single year. It doesn't make sense. (104)

I wish our religion wasn't so mean and judgy. I want to tell everyone the truth. (153)

...when I'm talking to June, I love what I have to say. (161)

What if I want a different God than the one who'll hate me for who I like? (199)

Why don't we thank people as much as we thank God? Maybe it would make the world a better place. (236)

It didn't feel like me saying the words. I felt like someone else, someone proud of who she was.
Someone who wasn't ashamed of what other people thought.
I acted the way I wanted to be. Because maybe then, this bravery will start to feel more natural. (285)

It happened. It'll never be over, but it did happen. (296)

It was the first time I'd asked an honest question and they'd given me an honest answer in a long time. Maybe ever. (305)… (more)