I adored Amandla. She has such a fantastic voice that leaps off the page, and she's not ashamed of who she is or where she comes from, while also wanting to know the family secrets and dreaming of a better life for her and her mom. Amadla is a character that many young girls can see themselves in or can learn a lot from. The desire to have a better life than the one you’re dealt is definitely something that many people can empathize with. I also loved her friends, especially Lil Bit, who has a great sense of humour, and is just such a loyal and stubborn best friend- Lil Bit reminds me a lot of one of my best friends, which made me fall in love even harder. They also end up making friends with Sugar Town's resident "princess", named Goodness (of course it is), who they used to think was stuck up but actually she's not too bad. There is also a smidge of romance for Amandla (which was perfect) AND there's a side queer romance which I loved!!
The themes of bigotry, racism and living in poverty are effortlessly woven into the plot with so much care, I wasn’t surprised that the author was drawing on personal and past experiences. These themes are impressively written and absolutely heart wrenching.
The themes of bigotry, racism and living in poverty are effortlessly woven into the plot with so much care, I wasn’t surprised that the author was drawing on personal and past experiences. These themes are impressively written and absolutely heart wrenching.