I enjoyed this road trip story. I purchased this for my library. Authentic characters that were relatable and genuinely written.

I did want to like this book. And I mostly did. It’s overall a heartwarming story of family. But there a few things I couldn’t get past. For one, if you find your sibling writing a suicide note, you. tell. your. parents. You call a hospital. You get them professional help. These siblings have a lot of respect for each other, but I can’t forgive that. Secondly, it is not the responsibility of a seventeen year old to be the guardian of his extremely traumatized older sibling. Nor is it the responsibility of the twenty year old sister. Manny needs a lot of help, as those who suffer from PTSD do, and forcing that responsibility on a child is not the way to help. Many dangerous things can and did happen. Please, if you or anyone you know is suffering and considering harming themselves or others, seek proffesional help. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. However, this review deals with the published edition.

Relationships and connections. These are things that keep Teodoro “T” going. First, he has a best friend who believes in him and is willing to stand by him through pretty much anything. Second, he has a sister who will push him, but will also hold him tightly. I loved seeing the back and forth between Xochitl and T. They both want the best for each other and their brother Manny though they don’t always go about things the same way. Flores-Scott lets readers get to know T, but also allows us to see the ways in which the siblings interact and how those relationships shape the individuals. Beyond these two, he also has quite a few others in his corner both near and far. One of the beauties of this story is how many, many people are willing to pitch in to make life better for both T and his brother. Their lives are often dark and difficult, but hope doesn’t curl up and die because of the many people around them.

And who can resist a road trip story? Road trips almost always provide moments for bonding even if it’s just having some horrible shared experience. This particular road trip is all about connecting and re-connecting with people. Each stop felt like they were tying themselves to others. I pictured pins on a map with the strings connecting from one to another. This was not an upbeat road trip though. There are some moments of humor, but Manny’s PTSD is intense and no matter how far they run, they can’t seem to escape it. Xochitl’s plan is to buy time for healing, but this isn’t easy.

This might be a challenging book for those who have experienced PTSD in their families. The pain is hard to witness even knowing it’s fiction, but the love and caring of so many people offers hope and optimism. Woven in throughout the most difficult issues, there are moments of laughter and a lovely bit of romance so it’s not constant intensity.

Recommendation: Get it soon especially if you enjoy family stories. This is not the story of a perfect family, but does show a family willing to do what’s needed even when it gets hard. I loved getting to know the characters in this story and hope many people get to experience them too.

T's story was one of my favorites from this past summer. I think it is the best road trip book I have ever read, but it's also so much more than that. This story about dreams, work, love, sacrifice, PTSD, family, and music set just after the financial crash of the early 2000s is one I know I will be recommending for years to come!

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt Books for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 and all the feels for this 9/18/18 release. Teodore’s family hasn’t been the same since his brother Manny went overseas with the military. When T meets and old, now crazy beautiful, friend when he is wandering around the University of Washington’s campus, he promises her that they’ll both go there together after graduating high school. The problem? Besides his family’s sad state, his grades are even sadder. He kicks it into gear to round out his junior year, and just when things are looking up, his brother comes homes with serious PTSD. As he moves into the summer before his senior year, T is ready to put his family’s new troubles out of his mind and focus on making himself U-Dub worthy. His siblings have something else in mind though, and it is a trip that changes everything. The characters in this are fantastic, and the story packs all kinds of emotional punches. I would recommend this for mature middle schoolers (like, 8th grade) and up.

Teodora and Xochitl Avila are excited that their brother Manny is finally coming home from Afghanistan. However when they learn Manny has PTSD, Xochitl decides to take her brothers on a road trip in order to help Manny deal with it. This book is one big emotional journey for the Avila siblings. Teodora is conflicted between helping his brother and improving himself in order to get the grades needed to get into college. Flores-Scott captures the love as well as the conflicts between the siblings. Loyalty among family comes off very strong. There is even a little romance between Teodora and a girl named Wendy Martinez that is very cute. Readers see the seriousness of PTSD through Manny's struggles and the toil it takes on Teodora and Xochitl. Must read for readers of realistic fiction.

In this heartbreaking novel, Flores-Scott tells the story of how a young man and his sister drop everything in their fight to help their brother who is battling PTSD after returning from Afganistan. This is the story of true sacrifice. While there were some slow parts, this book opened my eyes to how families are affected by PTSD. It is not rainbows and sunshine for many of our military when they try to return home after their stints in the military.

If this makes sense, this story gently handles how a family copes when a brother comes home from war post-2008 election. PTSD is front and center in this story told through the eyes of a younger brother who is trying to make the most of his life despite poverty, ability, and lack of resources. The protagonist is likable and has an engaging voice that allows us to see his ambition, his struggles, and how much he cares about his family. We all make sacrifices, and there aren't any easy ones. But the story feels approachable without hiding from the truth. There's a tough attempted suicide scene, but it is handled with compassion. Not everything in life is pretty, but the focus is on overcoming.

I just finished an ARC of this book. A powerful story!
Manny has just returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East and is suffering from PTSD. His family and friends pull together to help him recover. Along the way, we see how Manny's tour of duty and return home impact the whole family - brother, sister, parents extended family. The story is told from Teodoro's point of view ... Manny's teenage brother. Each member of the family has dreams for a better future. They each struggle to achieve their dreams and find their way.