A terrifying thriller from start to finish that explores family, culture, fear, and the depths of survival. THE BORDER moves with a fast-paced plot made more tragic by the truth behind its story.

Just by reading the description of The Border, I knew it was going to be an emotional roller coaster type read and it was. SO MANY FEELS. I laughed, I mostly cried. It was such a sad and emotional story. It’s also a story about survival and boy did Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys fight to survive. I grew to love every single character; even Marcos and at times it was so hard to. The things that they had to see and live through, no kid should ever have to. They lost everything and in the end they only had each other and they needed each other more than anything. They fought hard and I was rooting for them all the way to the end.

I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read this book, because it’s so important. Things that have happened in this book are things that have been going on in Mexico for decades. This isn’t something new and it’s still happening today. The Border may be a work of fiction, but some of the places and things happening are not. There are thousands of people that lose their lives in the Mexican desert just trying to get out of an already crappy life in Mexico. They’re willing to risk everything (even their life) for the chance and hope for something better for themselves and their families.

Overall, The Border was a very emotional read. At times it was pretty scary and some of the events that happen are horrific. There were some good moments as well even through all the bad. Hands down, one of my favorite books of the year so far. This book, this story, these characters were EVERYTHING. I loved this book so much and it’ll be one of those books that I will forever think about, talk about, and recommend.

This is a highly relevant and important book. It is fairly well written. The weight of the content makes it difficult.

I was invited to read and review this book and to be honest I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book. The content was something that I don't usually choose, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about the lives of people who choose to illegally immigrate to the US via the Mexican/American border.
Living in the upper Midwest my entire life, I was aware of this happening, but never really knew much about it. I appreciate the insight this book gave me as well as the empathy that I have developed for those individuals having to deal with this experience.
Thank you for inviting me to read this book, it was amazing and eye opening to say the least.

This is the ultimate story that will grip you and reel you in from beginning to end. You won't be able to put the book down once you've started reading it. It's a tragedy, romance, and some drama all in one book.

I'd say that this would be based on something true.As I read through the story, I also felt a bit uneasy - while I know this is a fictitious story, I also know the realities that this is based upon.

The main characters' determination and strength is something that will stay with me for a while. The characters never give up, even when faced with something that's bigger than they are. This story is filled with courage and the power of hope. It was an inspiring read, and I the themes will never be forgotten once you've read this book.

Overall, I thought this was a good read.

What a page turner for me. We always hear how hard it is for people to cross into the United States but to have it told in a story it felt different, more raw and I liked that. Four kids have their lives changed when gunmen kill at a party. We see how they learn to come together but yet still fight for their lives while trying to get across the border. Nothing will be easy and heartache will ensue. They will encounter harsh conditions and death. This book was not like anything I have read before and I enjoyed that. The characters felt real and when put into certain situations I felt that they handled it like they were suppose to. The whole scene with the vultures was like nothing I have seen described and I felt it went where it needed to in the story.
There was one scene where Pato and Arbo are in the desert and Pato thinks about the only way to cool Arbo down.
Well this leads to later on everyone joking with Pato which actually had me laughing and just shaking my head, because well you will do anything to make sure your friend lives.

Another part in the book I really liked was when Pato and Arbo are talking about water and the taste. They are questioning why water doesn't taste like anything unlike everything else we put in our mouth. "You can't describe water, and it's the one think we need the most. Why not give it flavor?" This really gets you thinking about that!

Overall this book was amazing and a real eye opener to the illegal immigration that goes on and the depths of what people will do to get out of the country they are in., especially when they are running away from something terrible.

Incredible life drama and the terror of four young teens running for survival after they witness the brutal mass slaying of their families and a contract is put on their lives. They will flee from their homes in Mexico across the scorching desert only to face attempting an unplanned, illegal escape into the United States. They are clueless as to what will happen or if they will all make it, let alone, what they will do if they do cross that magic boundary.

Steve Schafer’s THE BORDER is as horrific as it is intensely magnetic as we take each step, feel each desperate emotion and can only hope they will all survive with the odds stacked against them and monsters on their heels.

The emotional toll on these teens is enormous and every single word or step they take comes alive in bitter and raw clarity. These are children forced into a world few adults could survive and their inner strength is nothing short of admirable, even as the truth that they have nowhere to go as a safe haven is heartbreaking. This is one of those reads that cannot be “unread” or forgotten.

I received an ARC edition from Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (September 5, 2017)
Genre: Drama
Hardcover: 360 pages
ISBN-10: 1492646830
ISBN-13: 978-1492646839
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

What a poignant book. This is the ultimate journey story that will grip you and reel you in from beginning to end. It's the type of book that keeps you up at night because you need to know more, more, more. It's tragedy, romance, and drama all rolled into one, with just enough comic relief to keep you from suffocating under the intensity of this book.

As I read through the story, I also felt a bit uneasy - while I know this is a fictitious story, I also know the realities that this is based upon. The narcos, the desert, the corruption... It's all real, and it's happening just south of me. If that doesn't make the book a terrifying read, then I don't know what will.

The main characters' determination and strength is something that will stay with me for a long time. Their story is poignant, but never do they give up, even when faced with something much bigger than themselves. This is a story of absolute courage and of the power of hope, of how setting goals is crucial in times of despair. It was an inspiring read, and I don't think I'll ever forget the themes of this book.

I'd like to thank Sourcebooks Fire for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It will be hitting the shelves in September, so keep an eye out for it!

An action packed and emotional journey, this is one book I will for sure be recommending to all the teens. It reminded me a little of the movie A Far Off Place, which I adored as a teen.

This book is a little out of my genre of YA simply because of the subject matter. While interesting, the writing was sometimes a little too mature for my taste. I understand that this book was told from the perspective of teenagers, but the narrative didn't always catch my attention and I found myself skimming some of the pages.

The story is about four Mexican teenagers who are fleeing the scene of a gruesome massacre in which all of their immediate family members die. The kids have no idea what to do with themselves so they run. They find themselves at he home of Sr. Ortiz who helps them get ready to cross the border.

While Pato, Arbo, and Gladys don't seem to know much about crossing, Marcos does. Marcos is a tough character to read. It's obvious he wants to be the tough guy but you can also tell that he's scared. He wants to be in charge, only he makes terrible decisions and nearly gets them all killed multiple times.

In addition to struggling through the desert and trying to stay alive, Pato and Arbo find out something about their father's that makes their grief even worse. It's a heartbreaking story.

While I enjoyed reading about the crossing of the border and was glad to have some insight of what happens to people trying to find a better life, it felt like a lot of the story was repetitive. The same mistakes were being made and the same things kept happening.

I would have loved to have seen a little into the future of the characters and their life after. Still a good informational read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcefire for the ARC.

This was an interesting read. I, personally, haven't seen another book with this kind of premise so I was intrigued by the summary. I've heard about the struggles of people crossing the border but I got a better understanding of it in this fictional setting.
President Trump's wall seems more of a waste of money, time and resources, after reading just a little about the grueling journey these people already have to go through.

The characters were all likable. I wasn't always happy with some of their decisions but I was able to sympathize with them. I would definitely recommend this book!

The Border is a hard hitting, gritty read that grabs your attention by starting with a hugely distressing multiple shooting and doesn't let up interest wise until the very last page. A group of four teenagers, orphaned by the shooting, are forced to flee Mexico to escape from the most powerful gang, La Frontera (the border). The urgency and adrenaline filled panic they feel is conveyed very well and their extreme thirst whilst in the desert was vividly described. The accidental shooting of one of them that leads to a tragic outcome is heartbreaking but the ending, although in keeping with the bleakness of the rest of the story, is at least hopeful.

This superb YA novel about 4 teenagers orphaned in a massive drug massacre in a Mexican border town will have your heart in your throat and tears in your eyes.

After their entire families have been murdered, the young people realize they are not safe and set out on the arduous journey across the Sonoran desert, hoping to illegally, but safely, cross the border into Arizona, where an unknown future, but one certainly better than the past they have fled, awaits them. Living in Arizona, I know only too well what border crossers, who are not crazed drug mules or criminals, but simply living, breathing, human beings, face as they make their way across an open desert, filled with rattlesnakes, both human and reptile, brutal, blazing sun with hardly any shade, and even less water and food, undertake when they make the choice to seek a better life. That four young adults would undertake such a journey, most of it on their own, is mind boggling. But I guess that one can conquer more obstacles than one could ever imagine in the quest to save one's own life.

I could not put this book down. While clearly written with the young adult reader as the intended audience, the characters, main and subsidiary, are so multidimensional that the adult reader can easily overlook the style of a book written for a younger audience.

This is a must read. Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Fast paced and action packed. This book draws attention to very real conditions for people living just south of the US Mexico border.

Pato, Arbo, and siblings Marcos and Gladys are the only survivors of a local Mexican gang's attack. They are now on the run from a local Mexican gang and their only hope of survival is crossing into the United States. With no time to cross legally or find a guide, the group attempts to cross on their. The border is a harsh desert, where they attempt the impossible task of avoiding immigration for either side, the gang, and staying hydrated/safe against the elements.

I found the characters interesting. Their journey was compelling, though grueling and gritty.

I was able to read this book thanks to Netgalley.
Many years ago, when I was pregnant with my first baby, I had the opportunity to go on a trip with several of my students to Tijuana, Mexico. There we saw the border, and met with people who were preparing to cross - many not for the first time. That trip really opened my eyes. In many ways the book "The Border" had the same effect on me. The book centers around 4 teens who flee across the border into the Sonoran Desert to escape the narcos who killed their families. In the author's note, Schafer says that "The beginning of empathy is realizing that everyone has a story". This is a poignant, painful story, but it's an incredibly important story -- especially for those of us lucky to be born on this side of the border.

he border between Mexico and the US is something I know next to nothing about. I have little to no knowledge of what life is like for those that live on the Mexican border, the drug gangs, or what life is like for Mexicans, and this book really opened my eyes. A week-long trek across a harrowing desert, fleeing gunmen who’ve put a price on their heads, and and trying to survive in the searing heat is something I can barely conceive. But Schafer does an excellent job of putting the reader in the desert with these scared kids.
Gladys and Marcos and Pato and Arbo are two mismatched pairs who don’t even really like each other, but are thrown together by unfortunate (understatement) circumstance and forced to work together, or risk that none of them will survive.
Tense, taut, high-stakes, and always sympathetic, the contrast between these kids fleeing death and destruction and the casual holidaymakers they meet from the US is stark in highlighting the difference a few hundred kilometres of birthplace can make to your life.

The Border was an excellent book – I could practically feel the heat of the desert emanating from it, and I was entirely caught up in Pato, Arbo, Glady, and Marcos’s struggle to survive. Not knowing who to trust (trusting nobody) and struggling across the desert in search of a better world, I was utterly captivated by this chilling (ironically) and still somewhat heart-warming pilgrimage.

It was a quick read with a lot of action and very accessible characters. Great for reluctant readers, and exposes students to a human element of the drug problem in Mexico. Some details either got resolved too easily or were glossed over, but that is to be expected in a short novel.

First thoughts as I finished: Wow. This was a situation unlike any I had read about or heard about in intimate detail. And as many other reviewers have commented, it's timely considering all the talk in the news about immigration, illegals and the need for a wall between the US and Mexico.

I'm personally Canadian so my exposure/experience to immigration is generally limited to legit immigration and refugees. The experiences these four teenagers deal with as a result of a gangland attack at a birthday party is horrific. I sped through much of this book as the action built but there were also moments of humor and happiness, where the characters remembered good times/happier moments from their past, moments they could cling to in tougher times. The constant fear and stress made my own heart race at times.

While I knew all four probably wouldn't come out of this unscathed I was disappointed about who the author chose to eliminate. It felt like the easy choice.

I really enjoyed the characters and how different they were. Each brought their own specific strengths and weaknesses that made the journey that much more challenging. And I really enjoyed the naivety of all the characters about living in the US and what it meant to just cross the border. Their knowledge and expectations were a little heartbreaking considering the horrible events they would have to live through JUST to make it.

Great story overall and a fantastic read.

Thanks so much for inviting me to reviews this title. It does not sound like something I would currently enjoy, so I have decided not to read and review it!