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.