I finished this book in two days (which is fast for me). There's lots to unpack here: being a woman of color in America, growing up in an immigrant family, figuring out who you are in places where you don't belong, etc. and all of the emotions and trauma that come with those struggles.

I see that the writer is from Queens and you can see that very clearly in the way she incorporates things like the 99 cent cans of iced tea and Queens Center Mall in this book. Having grown up with these things myself, it was great to be able to relate to the characters in this way (in addition to the other experiences mentioned). It definitely made me reminisce about my own childhood.

This book is a quick read, but there's a lot to process here especially if you're able to relate to any of the identities discussed. Overall, I highly recommend.

Would love to have this read to me. Impressive, soothing rhytm.

Welcome to Queens, New York, where the streets echo with languages from all over the globe, trains rumble above dollar stores, trees bloom over sidewalks. The funky scent of the Atlantic Ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach within one of the cities most vibrant and eclectic borrows young women of color like Nadera, Gabby, Nas, Trish, Angelique, and countless others attempt to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture in which they come of age where they become friends for life, or so they vow.

The author writes this book gorgeously, lovingly, not wasting a single word and yet providing us with exquisite detail. I found myself nodding along at so many of the descriptions of the scenarios. The chapters were concise and had titles to know what to expect. It read like an anthology, but the stories were in chronological order. There were so many highlightable sentences that I reread the book to do just that.

This was such an poignant story. I don’t think that I’ve ever read a novel where there was a collective voice, and this literary device is so effective at bringing me into the story. I feel like I have lived all of these experiences, even those opposed to one another. This book is at parts sad yet triumphant and beautiful. I want to see more from this author.

Absolutely wonderful

3,75
The story shows the universal experiences of women of color, more specifically 2nd generation daughters.
It was skeptic at first because I'm not sure I agree with the "we" are all the same and share a common experience thing. But I ended up finding warmth in our similarities and differences.
In a way, this book is about seeing yourself in others.

Rating: 5/5 stars

I was in my feelings while I engaged with and related to everything going on in this narrative.

Andreades wrote as a collective voice of brown girls sharing their experiences in life, love, family, careers, education, parenthood and more from childhood through to death.

There is a lot that can be said about the dated experiences of brown girls. The book doesn't try to say that ALL brown girls go through exactly the same experiences, but it does emphasis that ALL brown girls go through similar ones. There is more than a few that we can understand, emphasize with, and even absolutely correlate our own lives with.

This book was exceptional. I'm not sure that it will be for everyone. It so told in short burst of moments and the pov is first person plural which might not be easily read by some, but for me that made such an impact.

Highly recommend.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars