3.5 ( )

2.5 ( )

Based on the author's own immigration story to New York in the 1980s.

"On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie -- a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit's West Side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?"

Hot Damn. That's all I can say for now, I just finished this after struggling to read literally any text whatsoever and I'm really glad my brain finally allowed me to finish this book because it's great.

I loved how Fabiola was written, I love how her cousins were written, I especially love how Pri was written. I just cannot express how many feelings this book gave me. The way Fabiola merged her religion with all her new experiences and how it all felt both like a religiously flavoured interpretation as well as a real solid thing that was happening at the same time.

I'll probably add a more in depth review later ( )

3.5 stars. I actually expected this to be more about the experience of trying to get the mom released and Haitian culture than about the daughter's experiences living with her cousins. ( )