*A MUST READ*

I cannot write a review that would do this book justice. This contemplative exploration into individual's relationships with race, justice, and family will knock you off your feet. At every turn, my heart clenched a little bit tighter and tighter as I grew to know the characters. As the stakes ratcheted up, I felt tied to my phone. I could not stop reading.

This Place is Still Beautiful explores the practical and emotional aftermath of a family recovering from a racist act of vandalism. Chapter point of view alternates between sisters Annalie and Margaret Flanagan as they respond to the racial slur spray painted on their garage. The sisters have very different relationships with their biracial identities, which informs their different reactions to the incident.

The younger Annalie gets her looks from their white father, who has been out of the picture for over a decade. She wants to hide what happened, move on, and continue her life. She doesn't want to believe that it was intentional. Annalie just wants to spend the summer before her senior year scooping ice cream and making eyes at the popular soccer player she's crushed on for years. She definitely didn't expect to wind up in the headlines or navigating the strained relationship with her sister.

Margaret looks just like her mother, who immigrated from China. Growing up, no one let her forget it. That she was different. Instead of just trying to make it through until graduation, Margaret continually fought back against racism, and it won't be different this time. She expected to spend her summer interning at a prestigious law firm in New York City. But she rushed home to help her family. Margaret is determined to find out who vandalized their home. She won't let the town forget that there's racism in the community. While others may overlook it, how could she? She's the one who has experienced it her whole life.

This Place is Still Beautiful shows two very different people growing together. As Annalie and Margaret deal, they both have to challenge their beliefs about racism and develop greater empathy and respect for each other. This story resonates. I can't imagine a person who could read this novel and not be deeply and forever moved.

It's a good one, but it's not my type of book. I was expecting to like because I liked the synopsis but it didn't affect me.