Review by Booklist Review
All Aaliyah Campbell wants is to know that she's worth loving. She was raised by Grandpa Joe, her maternal grandfather, and all her life has only known that her parents, Lena and Quincy, were no good for her. So when she comes across Lena's Facebook profile and wants to reach out, she knows it'll cause problems with her family. Her cousin Ivy is adamant that reaching out would be a mistake. But Aaliyah longs to know why her parents left her with Grandpa Joe all those years ago, and the gnawing desire within her to be told she's worth loving won't let her turn away, no matter the consequences. Johnson's young-adult debut is rich with tight, complicated family bonds, with Aaliyah and Grandpa Joe's relationship as the beating heart of the book. Aaliyah is passionate about running track, and her commitment to her sport and genuine love of it enrich the story. The plot twists and turns throughout Aaliyah's budding relationship with Lena and Quincy, leading to unexpected conclusions.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Aaliyah Campbell, a Black 18-year-old from Chicago, has lived with her grandfather ever since her mother left her with him when she was small. With no memories of her parents and only pictures to go by, Aaliyah feels a void in her heart and desperately desires to meet them. But she faces opposition from Grandpa Joe, who "hates them for reasons" she doesn't understand, and from Ivy, her cousin, who believes that the past should stay in the past. Despite this, she finds her mother on Facebook and sends her a message. This opens the door to revelations of family secrets and deception even as Aaliyah tries to make sense of what happened among her family members and to find a way to bring everyone together again. At the same time, she struggles with completing 12th grade (she's dreaming of UCLA) and maintaining her status on the track team (last year she won the state championship). Debut author Johnson provides readers with an in-depth look into living with anxiety: Aaliyah experiences frequent panic attacks and uses various coping methods to deal with them. The book also explores feelings of insecurity and abandonment as Aaliyah faces her complicated emotions about her parents. The story, which unfolds over the second half of Aaliyah's senior year, is very quickly paced, sustaining readers' interest, while offering deep characterization. A deeply emotional and complex novel that looks at how we define family.(Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
