Furia has my whole heart. Literally.

This was absolutely remarkable. Everything about this book was written flawlessly that truly made this book stand out, A strong feminist story that captures a glimpse of the realities that women are facing today.

The best thing about this book is the female protagonist, Camila Hassan, or as we know, "Furia". Everything about her, such as her love for futbol and determination towards achieving her dreams and aspirations is truly inspiring. Throughout the book, we follow her journey in reaching her goals in life. It was not perfect, there were so many obstacles on her way including the troubles she experienced at home and even the society's expectation that women are not good at sports. Her resilience and perseverance towards breaking through the odds were awe-inspiring. Even if there were times she felt like giving up, she kept ongoing.

She did not let anything come in her way, even if its the man that she truly loves since their childhood. However, throughout the story, Camila makes several heartbreaking decisions that prove that she will go such lengths to defend herself and all women out there.

This book was hard to put down for a single minute because as I journey through the pages, the story keeps on getting intriguing. The message bestowed upon the readers is truly uplifting and is surely something that will stay with me for a long time. Like what Furia showed, we must keep striving to reach for our dreams and aspirations in life, even if it is so high up because nothing is impossible if we keep ongoing. A must-read for all! <3

Huge thanks to Alonquin Young Readers for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez tells the story of Camila Hassan, a girl from Rosario, Argentina, who dreams of becoming a professional soccer player (preferably, in the US), as impossible as that may feel like. She plays for a small team called Eva María in secret while her brother gets to live the dream of being signed into a club.

On top of that, her childhood friend and crush, Diego Ferrari, comes back to town for a week after spending a year living in Italy and playing for Juventus and she cannot deal with that on top of the coming up Sudamericano tournament and the piles of lies she's told her family.

"The part of me that had been set free during the game stretched her wings and howled at the sun." — Yamile Saied Méndez, Furia.

Before signing up for this book tour, I was drawn to Furia for two main reasons: first, the Argentinian rep. I know it's easy to think about Latin America as being just one place but the truth is, the continent is huge, and just 'latinx rep' doesn't always hit home, you know? Well, even with our countries rivalry, Argentina and Brazil are close enough (don't tell anyone that, please), and reading Furia felt great.

The second reason was the soccer.

Growing up in Brazil, soccer (or football, really) was always everywhere. It's weaved within families and friends, it's in bars and bakeries and schools. And I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of the five World Cup titles and the incredible players we have. However, sexism is deeply rooted in Brazil's history, and, because of that, only recently women have been acknowledged in the sport with the respect they deserve (and we're still far from equality). Furia is a book that centers on women's experience with soccer and for that, I'm profoundly grateful.

Camila was a brilliant character. I was impressed with how determined and strong she was. She's by no means perfect, but she felt real to me. I connected with her through her love of soccer, through her difficult family background, through her struggles to make her dreams come true. South America can be a difficult place to grow up in as a woman and it's not easy at all to accomplish our goals, and, even though I can barely play soccer, I could relate to Camila every time she was on the field.

"The part of me that had been set free during the game stretched her wings and howled at the sun." — Yamile Saied Méndez, Furia.

The secondary characters (her family and her friends) were also written skillfully. Every one of them has virtues and flaws (some are worse than others) and still, most of them managed to grow throughout the pages.

I loved how the romance part was handled. Camila is a powerful character who knows what she wants (to play soccer professionally) and what she's willing to compromise to get there. Seeing how a relationship falls within those things, and, especially, how she never takes her mind off of her dream, was incredible (and refreshing!) to me. Regarding the love interest, Diego, well, I liked that he's cute, but not even close to perfect. He is the product of a society and, therefore, shares some of its beliefs and behaviors. That, added to his character improvement at the end of the book, made him realistic to my eyes.

"I’d leave this house the first chance I got, but not by chasing after a boy, including my brother. I’d do it on my own terms, following my own dreams, not someone else’s. And most importantly, no one would leech off my sacrifices. No one." — Yamile Saied Méndez, Furia.

Concerning the plot, it was gripping and original. I read Furia all in one sitting because I simply could not put it down (Yamille owns me some hours of sleep). Being able to follow Camila's journey was incredible. It was painful and hopeful and ultimately the best experience a reader can hope for. The ending was very coherent with the story (and the characters' growth). Reading the epilogue made me giddy with joy (after I went through a lot of very stressful pages, lemme tell ya)

The book is written beautifully. I hadn't known any of Yamile's work before reading Furia but now I'll surely check it out. She can write characters and stories in an exceptional way. Also, Yamile's love for soccer permeated the story and it was incredible to read it.

Oh, and Marta is one of my role models too.

“I’m not like Messi or Dybala, or even you. I’m like Alex Morgan. Like Marta. My team doesn’t compare to yours, but one day I’m going to play in the United States with those women.” — Yamile Saied Méndez, Furia.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez is the perfect, gripping sports romance. I recommend it to anyone looking for strong female characters, breathtaking soccer matches, and some (realistic!) romance sprinkled on top.

I loved this story. It is one of resilience, empowerment, survival, and believing in yourself.
We follow Camila as she fights her circumstances; patriarchal society; misogynist/abusive father, socioeconomic challenges, in order to achieve her dream of playing women's professional futbol (football).
I loved how the story centred female friendships, female ambition and the ingenuity of women overcoming the obstacles put in their way.

Furia is a contemporary debut set on modern day Argentina and asks important questions identity, family, and radical self acceptance.

Our main character Camilla, spends a good portion of the novel trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. It’s a common theme in many YA novels Camilla’s struggle is handled beautiful on Mendez’s authorial hands. Camilla, while still trying to figure things out, is tenacious and her personality burns with a ferocity befitting the book’s titular namesake.

While there is a love interest in this book is it is not the novel’s driving force and I really appreciated that in a YA contemporary. With that said, the love story is sweet and real and I absolutely ADORED it.

The pacing was fine, in fact my only real complaint is that some scenes could have been fleshed out a little more, adding only a few pages here and there to the overall length.

For those who loves sports there is plenty of that as well with some solid, intense athletic focused scenes sprinkled throughout this short novel.

Honestly, I gave this fantasy book 4.5/5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves ownvoices contemporaries authors like Angie Thomas and Elizabeth Acevedo

I enjoyed reading this book so much!

Furia/Camila was such an interesting character! She is trying to do what she wants, while also trying to living up to the expectations from her family/surroundings. I loved seeing her standing up for herself, and finding out how to fit all the different parts of her life together!

There were also two side characters, Diego and Roxanne, of who I also really enjoyed their development! They both had a certain standpoint, but throughout the story they started to see things from another side, and changed their viewpoint. Which was really good to see.
I really liked that this book is set in Argentina, since I’m not very familiar (or not at all) with how live is there. I really feel like this book showed a small piece of how life is in Argentina for a ‘normal’ girl. And basically how hard it is to do what you want as a girl, since it is often the opposite of what your parents want for you. And it also showed a bit of how unsafe life is in Argentina, especially for a girl! It made me appreciate growing up where I did!

The main focus of this plot is Furia’s football career and her love life. The football part made me a bit hesitant at first since I’m not that into sports focussed books. Although football was a big part of the book it more focussed on team spirit, and fighting for what you want and using football to do this. So there were no in depth football scenes, were you had to understand the rules etc!
I also thought the love story in this book was very cute!
Another part of the book was about her and her family standing up against her dad, which of course was quite a difficult topic to read about, but it was very well done in my opinion!

I really enjoyed Yamile Saied Méndez’ writing, and I definitely want to check&nbsp; out more of her works! I really recommend this book!

Omg, this book is so powerful, especially for young readers! I love all the points it made, I love how brave Camila (Furia) was, how strong, how inspiring this whole book felt
I would 100% recommend it!
4,5/5 stars ✨

𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚: fury, anger, rage. hurry, rush⁣⁣
All perfect adjectives to describe the star player and coming of age character of Camila. Set in Argentina, Camila tries to find a place for herself in the strongly male dominated society. Between her strict parents who will not allow a girl to play fútbol and her new love interest back in town, she is forced to make her own way in a world unprepared for a girl with a passion like hers. ⁣⁣

Loved the story. I will definitely be recommending this book to students in my library. Well written and strong female lead.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin for the ARC. This in no way affected my rating of the book**

This was a book I was very excited for and I don't think the hype held up for me.

Camila Mendez wants nothing more than to play soccer. Her brother is a soccer star and so is the boy she's in love with, Diego (albeit, a much bigger star). Camila is just as good, if not better. But due to her gender, she doesn't have the same opportunities. Throughout the book, she balances her drive to become a soccer star with her blossoming relationship with Diego.

Camila is a very headstrong character. I can see a lot of readers, especially young girls, being inspired by her bravery and refusal to give up on her dreams. I admired her and can see the book being recommended from a feminist viewpoint.

My main issue is that I would've liked to see more soccer (fútbol). While Camila works and trains and tries to get her parents to understand this more than a hobby she's been forced to hide, there are fewer chapters about soccer games or scrimmages than I thought there'd be going into the book. There are much more about her relationship with Diego, which, since this is definitely intended to be feminist, was a little frustrating. I would've liked more about Camila's accomplishments on her own instead of her running around with Diego in his fancy car. That isn't to say being a feminist means you can't also find love. I just think the main focus ends up being what will Camila do about Diego and not "how is Camila going to accomplish her career goals".

The relationships are mostly well written. Again, I would've liked maybe a little less about Diego, but we get to see Camila as a sister, a friend, and a teacher. She has different obstacles in each role, but she overcomes them with courage and grace. I liked that she could be strong and vulnerable in the same book. She really is a very well-rounded character outside of her romantic relationship.

Overall, the book was a fairly good read with a strong character and good growth and development for that character. But the romantic relationship felt weird to me and became the main focus of the book, which I wish hadn't been the case.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 stars

Thank you to Yamile, Netgalley, and Algonquin YR for an advance copy of this book and for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It has literally everything you could want in a book. Various relationships are explored, there is romance, passion, sports, female empowerment, overcoming obstacles, self-exploration, the reality of growing up in a less-than-stellar area and the crime that comes with it, physical and mental abuse, all the struggles that go along with adolescence and growing up...and possibly more that I am blanking on right now. Oh, and it's Own Voices :)

Furia follows the story of Camila, an Argentine teenager, who leads a double life. Playing futbol is frowned upon by her parents, even though they are both avid fans...of her brother and her childhood (male) friend/crush. She plays on an all-girls team in secret, but when they advance to a big competition, she is at a crossroads and needs to come clean. Meanwhile, she is trying to navigate a relationship with futbol star and old friend, Diego. She also has to battle the tumultuous and dangerous relationship with her father. Watching la Furia navigate through all of these topics made me want to cheer, brought a tear to my eye, and gave me so much inspiration.

As a sports lover, there were moments that brought me back to being a kid and playing ball and the joy, pressure, and every emotion that went along with it. But, if you're not a sports fan, don't worry, while it is the focal point, there are so many other interesting side stories that you won't even realize you're reading about something you're uninterested in. The sports story was the main reason I accepted this blog tour, but it honestly just became an added plus to me because the rest of the story was also so engaging.

I can't recommend this book enough, I'm so happy that I was invited to this tour and I cannot wait to gift my physical copy to someone and hear their thoughts as well.

Some of my favorite YA books of all time have featured strong heroines, but I do get a tad frustrated when a romance element is introduced simply because some YA writers believe no book with a female main character is complete without one. “Furia” breaks out of the box with this trope by featuring a female protagonist who still chases her dreams – even with a love interest.

The novel, by Yamile Saied Mendez, is told from Camila’s point of view – a 17-year-old girl from Argentina. She lives somewhat of a double life as a dutiful daughter with good grades and also as a secret futbol (soccer) player who is deemed ‘Furia’ because of her mad skills on the field. Even though her brother is a soccer star too, Camila knows her parents would expressly forbid her playing because she’s a girl. So, her Furia alter ego is kept hidden from the ones she loves the most. When Camila’s childhood best friend, Diego, comes back to their hometown after becoming a famous professional soccer player, she must confront her feelings of wanting to be with Diego but also chasing her dream of becoming a pro player as well.

There were a few storylines that felt a tad unnecessary and detracted from the main focus of the plot (like a fight between Camila and her best friend), so the middle of the novel did drag a tiny bit for me. But the buildup to an important soccer tournament and Camila’s decision of how to ultimately handle her relationship with Diego did bring plenty of excitement. One of the things I loved the most about this book was that Mendez was able to so spectacularly blend in the struggles of women faced around the world (the fight against the patriarchy, violence against women, media bias, etc.) with Camila’s own experiences. The way women are abused and mistreated can happen both on a smaller level and on a much larger scale – Mendez perfectly incorporated all of these oppressions within Camila’s story in a seamless way that felt both meaningful and, at times, hopeful. Plus, the fact that Camila and the author are women of color makes the story all the more necessary.

I think my favorite part (besides the descriptions of Furia’s inspiring passion on the soccer field) was the ending – Mendez was able to tie up all loose ends while never allowing her protagonist to compromise her dreams. I can’t wait for this book to get into the hands of young women – what the world needs is definitely more heroes like Camila/Furia!

Full review: https://www.inabookshell.com/2020/09/furia-by-yamile.html

Cover

First of all, we are going to talk about the cover, that’s a striking cover, now that I’ve read the book, the cover is more than that. It shows a brave woman who’s not afraid to face the harsh realities and make the best out of things.

Characters/Plot

There was significance to every single character. Camila is one of the best protagonists I’ve read in all YA novels. She was sincere, hard-working, ambitious, and also very tough on herself. She was beautiful and her beauty is conveyed in her personality, not her looks.

All the other characters, her encouraging coach Alicia, ever-supportive best friend Roxana, Diego the charming, sweet, loving boyfriend were well-developed. Coach Alicia was Camila’s rock. She was the perfect mentor. The conversations with Camila and her mother were the most melancholic and the ones with her coach were the most cheerful.

“You go find that joy in playing again, okay?”-Coach Alicia“Are you telling me to smile?” I asked, faking outrage. Coach laughed, throwing her head back. “No Hassan. I’m demanding that you make everyone who watches you smile.”

Camila and Diego were cute together. I loved their relationship and how they understood each other. From the very beginning, Diego gives me the ‘oblivious boyfriend’ vibes and you’ll have to find out if my opinion holds out till the end. I admired Diego, not unlike most of the characters in the novel. On a side note, WhatsApp is mentioned. I was so happy when they mentioned WhatsApp because it is the most used social media in India and is also hardly spoken about in most of the books I generally read.

“I prepaid for service. There’s an international plan with enough data that we can chat on WhatsApp all day.” He misunderstood my stunned expression. “We can make this work, Cami. If you want.”


With all the burdens she’s facing her focus remains unwavering. Her love and dedication towards futbol triumphed over everything else in her world and how she fought for that through and through.

“My eyes prickled. I had forgotten how beautiful futbol was. Without referees, lines on the ground, trophies, tournaments, or life-changing contracts, the ball was a portal to happiness.”

Camila’s parents don't see her worth. Her mom, a Seamstress, has specific expectations for Camila. Her dad Andre(the name deserves a person with a better attitude) has his agenda. In the beginning, he reminded me a lot of Dan Scott from the earlier seasons of One Tree Hill.

Themes

“Lies have short legs.”

This novel portrays the many, many expectations society place on women. Themes of violence against women, victim-blaming, slut-shaming..., the author doesn't hesitate in showing the agonizing truths. If it makes the reader uncomfortable, that’s good, because it's supposed to. Camila lives in a community where there is extreme prejudice and women are being violated. She questions people. Ones that get cast off by her parents and family friends and the rest of her community. The primary tone of the novel, hope hides behind all the heart-breaking moments in Furia. Time and time we see that Camila chooses the hard way out, she’s ready to face the obstacles to achieve her dreams.

“Our country has legalized same-sex marriage way, before the U.S., but prejudice didn’t read or obey laws. It was a hard weed to pull from people’s hearts.”

I was surprised by a lot of things in this book. But Camila’s mom’s character development tops that list. There couldn’t have been a better climax. It doesn’t lose its grip on realism.

Writing style

I love the way the book just simply jumps in without any introductory elaborate descriptions. It made me feel like I was imagining a real story. The Spanish didn’t throw me off, probably because I spent 3 of my high school years in the U.S. The food items, the slang of the people, weather descriptions made it extremely clear to imagine the setting. While I couldn’t comprehend all of it, I certainly connected to the atmosphere. I was trying to read this book slowly (the last 20%) because I didn’t want it to end. I finished it in one sitting.

Conclusion

This book hit close to home for an Indian student like me and with the entire #StudentLivesMatter movement going on right now. For those of you who are not aware, organizations like NTA(National Testing Agency) have decided to conduct JEE and other exams such as NEET, KCET, and EAMCET, compromising a lot of social distancing measures that are significant during this time.

This novel discusses the difficulties people face in life, especially regarding career choices. A lot of students are pushed into corners by the burden of expectations, their hopes, and dreams, sacrifices they need to make for themselves. It just spoke to me. It's gonna connect with a lot of other kids. That being said, this is a story that deserves to be read by everybody, not just students.

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez is the most realistic coming-of-age novel I have read in my entire life. I loved Camila and her story. How free, untamed and unapologetically herself she is? It truly inspired me, made me want to be more like myself, regardless of what people think. I can’t wait to read another novel from Yamile that will surpass ‘Furia’ for me. If the above paragraphs haven’t made it obvious, READ THE BOOK. Claro?;)

ARC provided by Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley. Thank you.

Camila Hassan, La Furia, WOW! What a character, what a story, this book was very inspirational, and it makes me so proud to read, I feel so honored, being a woman of color, and having a powerful book like this? I was just loving everything.

So La Furia (Camila), is ferocious in the soccer field, and all she ever wants to do is play soccer, go to the states and become something of herself. Unfortunately, where she lives and her family culture is making harder for her to do what she wants. But she beats the odds!

Her home life isn’t the best, which sucks, but she overcomes it all, she comes clean with her mom and her family even though her dad is a jerk, she finds love, but then when she had to choose between her own happiness and those of others? She thought about herself. At times i had to sit back and think “wait? How old is Camila again?”

I feel that this is a book that all young women should read, a book of never giving up, going above and beyond and going as far as believing in yourself regardless of your situations!!! I hope when this book launches it succeeds beyond expectations.

Thank you Netgalley and Algonquin Books for sending me this advanced copy for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Emotional abuse, mention (and one on page incidence) of physical abuse, food restricting, body shaming.

I've not read many, if any, books that centred football, so this was a refreshing change of pace for me. La Furia, Camila, is a multifaceted character who deserves more people in her corner.

This book is an intense YA, temporarily moonlighting as a light contemporary as there are some sweet moments sprinkled in (as a treat) in the middle of Camila struggling to live her dreams. Mendez spins a tale of sacrifice, fear, and perseverance in the face adversity. There's also a fight for balance in a world where we're told that we can have it all and yet are shut down every time we try to have it.

It's a quick read but, by no means an easy one. You will rage, you will chuckle, but above all, you will want to protect these characters during their most vulnerable moments. This book breaks you and builds you up in waves.

I can't wait for everyone to read this one. My heart.

All my hopes and dreams for a promising future for little Karen.

Furia was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of the year. With a premise that reminded me of one of my favourite movies, Bend it Like Beckham, and promises of a strong female lead, I couldn't help but be hooked from the start. And boy, did it not disappoint.

Furia is an extremely well-crafted book. Camila is a very realistic character, and a very lovable lead. You feel for her, you root for her, you want her to succeed and see her dreams come true. I especially loved the way the author explored Camila's relationships with her family - you can see the love she has for her mother and her brother, even when things get tough. Mendez did not shy away from depicting complicated relationships, relationships where love was not enough, where the characters needed to develop in order to understand and fully appreciate one another, and I really admire her for that. Often in YA we see extremely one-dimensional relationships, especially between family members, even though that is rarely the case in real life.

I was also a big fan of Cami's relationship with Diego; it was a very sweet, innocent love. Again, not a perfect one, but it felt so real, almost like actually seeing two teenagers realize they are in love for the first time. Of course, they will fuck things up, and yes, they will make mistakes, but you could genuinely feel their bond and their love.

While I loved the way the author depicted family and romantic relationships, I was not a big fan of the friendships in this book. Camila and Diego convinced me they were in love, and I could understand Camila's mixed feelings towards her family. Camila and Roxanna, however, did not convince me that they are best friends. I just couldn't feel their bond and they genuinely did not feel like best friends to me. I would have loved to see them depicted and developed in a different way, as Roxanna felt a bit like a background, one-dimensional character, but this is a relatively minor flaw in an otherwise extraordinary book.

Relationships aside, I absolutely loved the setting of this book. I loved all the descriptions of Rosario, and I really appreciated the exploration of Argentinian culture and daily life. I believe I haven't read enough books set in Argentina, so that was a great opportunity for me to further see a culture I am not familiar with, and I am forever grateful to this book for this opportunity. As a lifelong football fan, I also appreciated all the football scenes and the characters' love for football. I also really liked the fact that we got to see both sides of football, the good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. Once again, Mendez provided us with a very nuanced and layered understanding and depiction of something (in this case, a sport) and how it affects the lives of those around it.

** An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. **

When the book is pitched as a powerful, #ownvoices contemporary YA for fans of The Poet X and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter set in Argentina, about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams, I know I definitely have to review and promote this new release in my bookstagram.

Furia is a story about standing up and being brave enough to write the story of your life.

Camila Hassan has always been behind the shadows of his soccer star brother while living a double life as Furia, their community's leading futbol player, since her family prohibits her from playing in the field but when an opportunity in the name of possible sponsorship and exposure in the America's league knocked on her door, Camila knows the time has come to finally make a mark and be herself.

With scoops of scenes radiating female power and lambasting the patriarchy rule, this book easily became one of my favorite galley reads. I love reading stories celebrating women empowerment and characters being brave to stand for what they want.

Also adding the fact that the romance subplot also delivered the swoons and made the journey even enjoyable.

Overall, this is a recommended read and cheers to reading and promoting books amplifying marginalized voices and celebrating cultures around the globe.

RATING: 4stars

I absolutely loved this #ownvoices contemporary YA novel by Yamile Saied Mendez.

This story follows teenager Camila in her hometown of Rosario, Argentina. Camila has a huge passion for soccer but she has to keep her love hidden. We get to see all the heartbreak but also her strength and resilience

This is a powerful book and I think girls all over the world should read it. Yes it centers around her love for soccer but you don’t have to enjoy sports to love this book.

Also let’s talk about this beautiful cover! I definitely love when I can see myself in a character, so I’m loving seeing a brown girl like myself.


Thank you Netgalley and Algonquin for the eARC of this book.

Thank you to Algonquin Publicity for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and honestly review an early copy of Furia.

I absolutely loved this book. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it within a few hours. As soon as I started, this book gave me Bend It Like Beckham vibes. A girl fighting against her family and cultural beliefs trying to accomplish her dreams and goals, which happen to revolve around futbol (soccer). The vibes drew me in immediately. Once I started reading though, I realized that Furia may have a similar premise, but tells a story all its own.

Camila is known as Furia on the futbol pitch. When she’s playing she becomes an unstoppable warrior. Nothing can stand in her way. She’s fierce, talented, and a goddess. She and her team have a real shot at making it to the championship and that’s just one more stepping stone to her ultimate goal of playing professionally. Unfortunately, she has to keep her playing a secret from her family. Her abusive father is only focused on her futbol playing brother and the money he can bring in for the family when he’s not scaring the living daylights out of his wife and children, his brother, despite himself, has his own thoughts on girls playing futbol, but is hyperfocused on his girlfriend and his career and her mother doesn’t seem to support her at all and just wants her to focus on studying for medical school and staying out of her father’s way. As if keeping her life a secret from her family isn’t enough, her childhood friend and crush, Diego, has returned home for a visit while he’s on break from his professional futbol career in Italy. Diego is the love of her life and he sees her like no one else, but being seen with him could blow her entire futbol secret. Not to mention he’s a distraction. Can she really juggle all of this and still make her dreams come true?

At it’s heart, Furia is the story of a girl fighting against all odds to be seen and heard, while also trying to enjoy what she loves. Futbol is Camila’s life and that’s clear from the moment you pick up the book. It’s also clear that she’s got several things stacked against her and the odds aren’t necessarily in her favor. Camila’s voice shines through in this novel and you can’t help but root for her. You understand her love and her fears all at once. I loved how while her romance with Diego does play a role in the story, it also doesn’t overshadow the story of her trying to make it as a fubol player in a town that doesn’t respect women who won’t stick to the gender norms. Also, the other relationships in her life give you a glimpse at what she’s fighting against. They are all strained, but I found myself rooting for Camila and her mother the most. Camila gets so frustrated with her mother sometimes but both she and the reader come to understand that her mother wasn’t always this way. Her attitude and withdrawal comes from years of being beaten down physically and emotionally by her husband. Once this gap is bridged between them, their relationship began to blossom and it was amazing to see.

In addition to the personal obstacles that Camila is facing, there is also the backdrop of what is happening in her town. Women are to be seen, not heard. One of her teammates, a young mother, is forced to quit the team. Girls of all ages are going missing and being found dead in the streets. Every where you turn, the girls as young as 12 are being blamed for their disappearances and deaths.

“She was hanging with the wrong crowd.”
“She shouldn’t have been out late.”
“She had no business meeting that boy.”

It’s always the fault of the girls. There’s no justice for them and their names and stories are silenced by just about everyone around them. This lends itself to the backdrop of the story and the attitude that Camila has to fight every day. It touches Camila, her friends and family in a personal way. Could they be next? Camila and her mother express this fear countless times. This part of the story in itself has political undertones and while it isn’t the focus of the story or necessarily what the story is rooted in, it’s a reality that the story is sure to let the reader in on. Some things cannot be ignored, no matter how hard you try.

I will caution you in letting you know that while the abuse is alluded to through most of the book, there is an incident of on page abuse later in the book, so please be safe as you read.

In the end, I loved Camila as a person and a character. Courageous, loving, and all around amazing, if you don’t find yourself rooting for Camila to succeed in the end…well then you need to take a second look and try again.

This is such a powerful book, with such a resillient main character!

They story swept me away, and I simply just loved the passion Camila had for sport. I was so happy


that she kept going despite her home life, especially the fury of her jealous (and somewhat abusive) dad. I also enjoyed having the other themes present such as fame, relationships, and schooling.

I love the teamwork that is fostered within the books, as well as inspiring because even when everyone else doesn't believe you can do it, you don't have to listen to them because you've got it. This also includes partners and parents and family, because sometimes you just have to reach your goals, ya feel?

I rate this title a 4/5.
(Blog link active September 20!)

La Furia fights for the ball with fire and passion but most importantly, fights for her family and believing in what she wants, even if she has to hide it from her family.

Camila Hassan, a 17 year old soccer star in Rosario, Argentina hides her love for fútbol from her short-tempered father and her strict and narrow expectations mother. It’s not until her fútbol team qualifies for the South American tournament and is deemed La Furia on the field and her first love comes back, does her life start to spin.

I gave Furia five stars, believing every step of the way that Camila could find her way to shine through her love of fútbol and tell her family that she wants to play, not just for fun, but for her future. Her story showed me as a reader that you have to fight hard for your passions and dreams the way Camila did with fútbol. Her life is filled with complications and we could see throughout the book that she is working hard to make her family happy even if that means she has to hide what she loves.

No matter what, Camila held her head high even through complications with her family and with fútbol. Even when her first love, Diego, comes back to Rosario, she must hide her feelings for him from her parents and brother which causes tension between her and her family.

This book pushed me to realize that many families have similar problems like Camila’s and many young teenagers had to hide their identities from their family because it wasn’t allowed or was frowned upon their religion/society/family. Camila had to hide her love of fútbol because her parents thought it was unladylike to play.

I love the way Camila was a strong character and was mature and responsible throughout the book. She was a powerful main character that showed that you don’t have to constantly rely on other people to be able to achieve your goal. She didn’t give up her dream to fall in love with Diego who she loves, or give it up because her parents forced her to. She was headstrong and followed her own dreams at her own standards.

Furia doesn’t paint a picture perfect world, but a realistic world through the eyes of Camila. Her family isn’t very well off and that forced her to deal with domestic abuse and her misogynistic father who is money hungry. Her brother is forced to be the star of the family and we are given information to his true feelings throughout the book. Her mother doesn’t want her to think about fútbol but become something that could better provide their family, make her father happy.

Furia pushes readers to look at the hopeful side of the book, even through the negative feelings you might feel during the book. I rooted for Camila throughout the book, I rooted for Diego and I rooted for her mother and her brother, because even though I could not relate to their situation or Camila’s, the story of their family and Camila’s journey as La Furia made me feel hopeful that their story got the ending it deserved.

Thank you again to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review!