Indivisible tells the story of a family with undocumented parents with native born children, high-schooler son Mateo and elementary schooler daughter Sophie. When the parents are detained by ICE, Mateo and Sophie have to navigate their existence without their parents before working with family friends to deal with their situation. The book addresses how one person’s detention by ICE has a ripple effect throughout the community, from their kids to their church, to the businesses they may own or work.

Meanwhile, Mateo is grappling with typical post-high school planning from SATs to colleges. He must contend with drastic changes that reshape all of his plans while also trying to deal with the changing relationships of his best friends. The one part I was not entirely convinced of concerned his reluctance to tell his closest friends what was going on in his family, leaving his friends alienated and befuddled. Then he enters a relationship when he clearly is under a lot of stress and not in the best headspace. Throughout the story, we are on the side of Mateo and his family while seeing each of them as the imperfect people that they are.

I recommend this book to high schoolers or anyone interested in the immigration debate. The text shows that it is not always as clear what is “right” when children are involved.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mateo's life revolves around school, his family's bodega, his love for Broadway shows, and his friends. He looks after his little sister Sophie, and wonders how he's going to make it big in theater and when he'll have his first boyfriend. When Mateo's parents get taken by ICE, his whole world changes. As Mateo is thrust into a parental role, can he keep his family from falling apart?

Indivisible is an important look at immigration and how it affects both those who are living in the United States illegally, and their children who are often American born citizens. Daniel Aleman writes characters that clearly depict the struggles of immigrants without delving deeply into the political sides surrounding the topic of immigration.

This book was such a powerful story about love and sacrifice that permeates the immigrant experience. I ached for Mateo and the choices he had to make to care for his sister and face the awful circumstances of his parents’ deportations. The anger at the deportation process, at the separation of families, and the callousness involved. But also, the strength of community. All of it is so beautifully rendered in this book. I did find the interpersonal relationships between Mateo’s friend groups and eventual romantic relationship and but lacking of substance and felt like some of the characters who were supposed to be huge presences in his life were a bit of an afterthought, and I think this stunted some of the emotional impact of the heavier scenes. But overall, a great book that I would recommend to absolutely everyone.

Excellent debut novel about family love, deportation, and hope. After ICE agents find Mateo’s parents, his life is turned upside down. Mateo can’t tell his best friends, and he and his younger sister are forced to live with a family friend. When his dad is deported, his mom goes as well who tells him be strong, be brave.Mateo finally tells his friends who offer their support because Mateo feels an emptiness and that his life has been stolen. When his sister becomes depressed and begs to live with his parents, he is really torn. What does he do?

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

An all-too-real story about deportation. Really well done.

I found my heart fully with Mateo Garcia and his family as I read Indivisible by Daniel Aleman. Pulling the reader in from the beginning with the fear of immigration agents, Aleman also shows how complicated Mateo's life is while he tries to balance school, supporting his younger sister, and nurturing his dreams for his future. Aleman presents a strong, protective protagonist that you will root for until the very last word of the story.

Mateo Garcia and his sister Sophie find themselves struggling to survive after their parents are arrested by ICE agents and deported to Mexico, a place they haven’t been to in over 20 years. Mateo, a junior in high school, must deal with the feelings of isolation created by the need to hide his parent’s immigration story. He doesn’t know if he can tell his friends and can’t figure out how to reconcile his dual identities of Mexican and American. It’s also a small love letter to New York City and the craziness that is living in the city, taking the subway, visiting Central Park, and seeing a show on Broadway.

An additional layer of the story is that Mateo is gay. This is a great novel that doesn’t center Mateo’s homosexuality or make it about his coming-out story. Instead, readers learn about Mateo’s internal struggle to understand how these two invisible identities affect his life. Mateo must learn to ask for help, trust his found family, and make decisions for himself. While trying to help his family, he doesn’t easily see the love that surrounds him.

The multicultural characters bring to life the complexity of what it means to be an American and live in one of America’s most diverse cities. The relationship that Mateo and Sophie have is authentic and quietly deep. The novel offers readers a look into the legal and familial experience of deportation; however, readers will also see how communities come together to support each other. This is a beautiful novel and Mateo is a complex main character who will inspire readers to ask questions and think about about immigration, family, love, and friendship.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.