Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On Beatriz’s 15th birthday, she’s dancing, preparing for her quinceanera, when the shots start. In one quick moment, her life changes when her brother, the leader of a fictional gang, is killed by a rival gang in a revenge killing.

The story then picks up a few months later as Beatriz begins her freshmen year of high school. She initially views high school as unnecessary and just as a place to continue pushing the drug products that her gang is selling.

However, what she doesn’t expect is Nasser, a high school junior who encourages her to start dancing again.

But Beatriz is torn between her life in the gang and her life outside of it. Can both exist? Must she choose? And if so, how can she can get out of this gang?

Becoming Beatriz acts a companion novel to the upper middle grade Like Vanesssa. While some characters reappear, this does act as a stand alone as well. In this novel, we get a very serious look at some of the darker sides of Newark in 1984. While this is fictional, it is rooted heavily in historical facts. Throughout this novel, we never see the author preaching at us about the impact of gangs on communities; her story speaks for itself.

And what a story it is. It’s definitely one worth checking out.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book but as soon as I started it I loved every minute, when I was younger I danced so reading about dance is always enjoyable, I love the main character and her support system around her ✨

Thoroughly enjoyed Tami Charles’ second book and how it tied into Like Vanessa. This was an engaging story of family, bravery, and friendship. It would pair nicely with Lilliam Rivera’s Dealing in Dream as part of an exploration of how girls in gangs are treated in YA literature.

<b>Gracias a [author:Tami Charles|14775736] y al editor por proporcionar un ARC a cambio de una reseña sincera y es un honor leer esta historia. Esto no afecta en mis opiniones de forma alguna.</b>

<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tW0vfsy3wX4/XGsqva08LgI/AAAAAAAADe8/0i56vo8pjQ42bLqIvDmRhCBlYuaigzwLwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/ficha2.jpg" width="200" height="50" alt="description"/>

Beatriz sueña con una vida dedicada a bailar, hasta que la tragedia del día de su quinceañera lo cambia todo. Hasta su decimoquinto cumpleaños, lo más importante para Beatriz Méndez en el mundo era su sueño de convertirse en bailarina profesional y conseguir que ella y su familia se alejaran de la vida de pandilla que definía sus días: eso y conocer a su ídolo de baile Debbie Allen en el set de su programa de televisión favorito, Fame. Pero después de la última batalla en una guerra constante deja a su hermano líder de la pandilla, Junito, muerto y su madre afligida, Beatriz tiene un nuevo conjunto de prioridades. ¿Cómo se supone que debe sentir el ritmo cuando su familia necesita huir, cuando su madre no puede lavarse los dientes y cuando lo último que puede recordar de su antiguo yo es bailar con su hermano, seguido de correr y disparos? Cuando la clase de cerebritos le recuerda a Beatriz su amor por la pista de baile, sus sueños desterrados vuelven a colarse. Ahora la única pregunta es: ¿la pandilla la dejará ir? Ambientada en Nueva Jersey en 1984, la historia de Beatriz es atemporal en la navegación de un adolescente por el romance, la cultura de pandillas y el difícil pasado de su propia familia.


<img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b6T6ee9cJVA/XGswTBAve4I/AAAAAAAADfI/AjPb6_kjqA0Sgq7Lbksx-wo5wDnSDGQDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/op2.jpg" width="200" height="50" alt="description"/>

¡Este libro fue tan diferente de cualquier otro libro juvenil que haya leído antes! Es fácil de decir por la sinopsis que la protagonista y su vida familiar son muy poco ortodoxos, lo cual fue interesante. El libro está ambientado en 1984, Nueva Jersey, lo que lo hace aún más único todavía.

Esta historia es el claro ejemplo de que algunas personas sufren por circunstancias de nacimiento y que suelen interferir en sus ambiciones y sueños. También, la protagonista está rodeada de tragedias: la muerte de su hermano es un ejemplo de ello y esto afecta gravemente a sus planes de futuro. La novela es trágica y real. No suelo leer las notas de autor, pero me alegro de haberlo hecho en esta ocasión. Menciona que quiere complicar la visión que tiene la gente sobre la diversidad, y vaya si lo hace.

Volviendo a la historia, Beatriz tiene los sueños y aspiraciones de cualquier chica de quince años. A pesar de estar escrito originalmente en inglés, hay mucho español a lo largo del libro, lo suficientemente simple como para cualquier angloparlante pueda entenderlo.

Había romance, sí, pero tan poco que encajaba a la perfección con la actitud de los protagonistas. Me decepciona un poco ver que la muerte de su hermano afectó tan poco a la protagonista, que cualquiera diría que no eran muy cercanos. Me hubiera gustado ver más detallada todo lo previo a la escena trágica de su hermano. Beatriz piensa que es su culpa, pero no da motivos por los que piensa eso y el lector se queda un poco con la duda de saber realmente qué pasó.

Me ha encantado aprender sobre el mundo de la danza, porque a no ser que estés inmerso en ese mundo, apenas sabes lo que pasa.

Este libro me ha gustado porque la autora se ha implicado de tal forma que hace que quieras conectar y empatizar con la protagonista.

El libro no estará disponible hasta septiembre de 2019, y le agradezco a la autora y al editor que me hayan prestado un archivo para dar mi opinión personal.

Calificación: ★★★

A very interesting story that was not able to sustain my attention for the totality of the narrative. An admirable attempt.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions and thoughts.
This book was so refreshingly different from any other YA book I’ve ever read! You could probably tell from the synopsis that the main character and her family life is very unorthodox, which was interesting. The book is also set in 1984 New Jersey which makes it even more unique.
The book starts out with a lot of action which sucked me in and was a great way to introduce a character’s life that is filled with fear and violence. Tami Charles’ writing was spot on for a YA book, capturing the attitude and thoughts of a fifteen year old perfectly. Beatriz is both black and Puerto Rican, and I admired the diversity displayed by the characters. Lots of Spanish is sprinkled throughout the book, most of it simple enough that I understood what was being said, but even if I didn’t I would have still known what has going on. I also appreciated that there was only a little bit of romance, but it wasn’t super cheesy because that wouldn’t have made sense for the main characters personality.
There were some parts of the book that I would have liked to be elaborated a bit more. We don’t see much of Beatriz’s grieving process, nor do we really see it at all. I would think that the death of a brother would effect someone much more than Beatriz seemed to be. I also would have liked to have seen flashbacks to what was happening right before her brothers death. We know she was dancing with him and she believes it’s “her fault”, but it’s not clear exactly why she thinks it’s her fault.
I loved reading about a girl that is passionate about dance because I’ve never really known much about competitive dancing. Also, the college I go to was mentioned in the book which is always exciting! Overall, I was very impressed with this book and how Tami Charles made me care about and connect with Breatriz, despite her life being very different from mine.