Thank you to Natgally and Tantor Audio for giving me an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review,
This was a really solid hard hitting YA novel.. The romance was a bit instalovey and I do think that father character could have been written a bit better- both could have used a bit more development,
Overall this was a very powerful while still down to earth story for the intended age range.
The narrator does a great job but I do think the voice for Steven made him sound much younger then he actually is.
This one is definitely worth the read but maybe look into some trigger warnings if that is something that you need.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audio version of this book. I am in no way affiliated with or associated with the publisher. I am not compensated for my review in any way. Everything I write is my own personal opinion, thoughts, and feelings.
I loved listening to this book the narrator did an amazing job.
The book touches on some sensitive topics but doesn't go to deep into the topic. They include-- death of a parent. alcoholism, high schooler helping/stepping up to care for a younger sibling, I may be missing a few but those are the bigger ones.
The author writes beautifully and the story is well written. It picks up six months after the mothers death. it explains how life has changed sor Sarah to the point where she feels she has to be the mother/adult in the home because the dad has taken to drinking to cover his pain. Sarah has to stop going to a private school and she now attends public school. At school she meets a boy and she is smitten with him. as she gets to know him she tells him to stay away that she cant handle a relationship. He tells her not to worry about it he wants to help her.
while this is happening she has a school project due. she decides to do a project her mother had started.
that is all I want to say, trust me when I say you WANT to read/listen to this book. I binged it in 4 hours that's how amazing the story is.

After Sarah’s mom died, her dad fell apart, and Sarah had to move back home from her boarding school to take care of her little brother. Sarah is trying to balance going to the local public school, caring for 8-year-old-Steven, keeping the house running, making art to sell for grocery money, and keeping an eye on her dad’s drinking and grief. The last thing she has time for is a potential relationship with her cute and sweet new classmate, David Garza. When a school project leads Sarah to learn about her mom’s Guatemalan and Mexican roots, she begins to understand her mom better and the need to use her art to speak up about important things. She can’t do it alone, so Sarah will need the strength to let people in.

<i>The Weight of Everything</i> deals with some heavy topics and handles them well. The characters are all three-dimensional and realistic, and Mickelson did a beautiful job bringing the story to life, as did Victoria Villarreal with the audiobook. I liked that we got to learn about the Guatemalen Civil War and the U.S.’s part in it through this book, as well as some art history. I recommend this YA book to readers of all ages.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This is quite a dark, emotional and heart-breaking book for a YA wit unique, diverse characters that are going through grief, growing up too fast and dealing with addiction. Although at times I did feel the speech and actions of characters was quite childish and annoying. However mostly there is a strong set of characters that go on an important emotional journey which was great and interesting to read.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Victoria Villarreal
Content: 4.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Sarah’s mom died in a car accident. Because her father can’t face the death of his wife, his drinking gets out of control. Therefore, Sarah has to leave fine arts boarding school and enroll in a local school because she has to take care of her father and younger brother.

The Weight of Everything is a beautiful young adult novel that introduces some heavier themes (loss of a parent, alcoholism, mental health, depression). I especially liked Guatemalan history and art that is woven into this story. Narration by Victoria Villarreal is great. She made Sarah and her story come to life.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Sarah has been forced to grow up early due to the unexpected death of her mother and subsequent breakdown of her dad.

She’s trying to take care of her brother, her dad, the household, schoolwork and have a personal life after leaving her prestigious boarding school.

David, a classmate, enters her life bringing normal teenage fun and some romance but he just seems like another complication to Sarah.

Meanwhile her dad has turned to drinking for comfort and it’s getting worse.

There’s plenty of dramatic self sacrificing and childish adults to go around in this one. I just couldn’t get over Vic covering for his friend instead of taking the safety and well-being of the two kids more seriously.

This was a heartbreakingly beautiful YA story that tackled some heavy topics! Sarah is forced to return home from boarding school suddenly when her father falls apart in his grief following her mother's death. With her father struggling with depression and alcoholism, it's left to Sarah to care for her younger brother and pay the household bills.

Just when Sarah starts to think she might be able to entertain a new romance with a sweet boy things get worse at home causing her to choose family over love. Her one solace is researching her mother's Guatemalan and Mexican history and finding a cause to fight for.

Great on audio but definitely a book that could be triggering for readers dealing with similar issues. I really enjoyed this one and appreciated the ALC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review!

TW: death of a parent, alcoholism, grief, depression

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"There is nothing to do about the rain but to enjoy it. To let the eager drops soak every inch of my body. There are too many things in the world that bother me, worry me, make me afraid. Rain is not going to be one of them."⠀
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Marcia Argueta Mickelson, The Weight of Everything ⠀
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The Weight of Everything by Marcia Argueta Mickelson is such a haunting yet beautiful story! Following the tragic death of her vibrant mother, Sarah leaves her art school behind to help her grieving dad and autistic brother find their way forward. This story explores grief, addiction, and shame in such an honest way that I felt like I was there beside Sarah in her mind. She is trying so hard to move forward and make the happy kind of memories that her mom was known for, but she keeps feeling pulled back by the past and it's pain. As she begins to explore the horrors of the Guatemalan coup that directly affected her family, she finds a strength and belonging with her culture and her own desire for the wrongs of the world to be righted. This book is a riveting and emotional story that displays the power of family, friends, forgiveness, art, and history.⠀
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When I started this book, I did not know how heavy, "The Weight of Everything," could be. It was heavy. I felt so sorry for our heroin who had to grow up way to fast, as she took care of her brother, dad, and household when her father falls into a depth of grief with no end in sight. It is where she can barely have her own grief because she took over the sister, daughter, and mom role.

I thought this was a wonderful look at a family who are dealing with the grief of a wife and mother. I know it made me so anxious thinking about my own parents, and thinking what I would ever do without one, or both, of them. I know I could not make it. I loved seeing such a strong character, even if she was treading water sometimes.

This was amazing, and I cannot wait to recommend it to everyone I know.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Weight of Everything

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher of this book for providing this eARC.

The main character in this story is a female teen, working through her grief and determining how to move on after losing her mom.

Due to the immaturity of her father, who is drowning in his own grief rather than letting his children experience their feelings of loss, this girl is forced to deal with the added burden of running the household, and being the sole caretaker for herself, her brother AND her father, as she, at least temporarily, loses both parents.

Along the way, she falls in love, and discovers new knowledge about her about her Mom, and her family history.

She also discovers that even when her Mom can no longer be there for her, there are signs of her love and her dedication to helping her daughter's dreams come true.

A well-written and entertaining read, and in a way, a timely story for Mother's day, reflecting familial dedication and commitment.

Until next time...

This book really makes you look at the impact of grief on a family. It had sweetness and sadness throughout. Sarah has a small group of wonderful people in her life, old and new, who support her with the difficulties of life without her mum, as she tries to look after her family and take on the role of parent as her dad spirals. At times it’s a difficult and emotional read, though I think it would have added to the story if we saw more of Sarah’s own grief, despite arriving in her narrative six months after her mother passed away. Her father’s grief is all consuming and incredibly damaging but Sarah’s seems mostly absent and the emotions of it not examined too closely. Her focus is instead on navigating school, romance and the demands of her family, looking after her younger brother where her father can’t or won’t. It’s difficult to judge her father’s grief, it appears selfish and it’s definitely dangerous at times, but at the same time, he lost his wife and facing that isn’t easy. All in all, it was good to look at the different ways loss affects people and to see the family recovering, slowly, by the end of the book.
I also found the history element very interesting and I would have loved to see further insight into Sarah and David’s relationship with their heritage language as well.

I enjoyed this! This is a heavy book that delves into grief, addiction, parentification of children, and U.S. imperialism. This is an emotional book that will have you feeling Sarah’s stress as she tries to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. It also delves into history between the US and the Guatemalan Civil War, teaching the readers about it as Sarah connects with her mother through her research.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Weight Of Everything by Marcia Arguela Mickelson. This is a gem of a novel. Love, love, love! Sarah's Mom died, and her world disintegrates with only herself to rely on.

The Weight of Everything is a Netgalley audio book with the tags Multicultural Interest | Romance | Teens & YA. Normally those tags would have made me swipe left, however, I have a goal to finish 100 Netgalley reviews by the end of April so I'm literally requesting all I see on the audio side.

Thank goodness that goals sometimes work out even better than anticipated. I loved this book. Marcia Argueta Mickelson is an unknown author to me, and I was pleasantly surprised by the journey in this book. The death of a mom..... the formerly active, employed father turns to alcohol..... the talented art student daughter still in high school rises to the challenge of caring for her family including a young brother with challenges...... To me classifying it as a YA novel might mean a bunch of adults ignore this book. It felt bigger than a young adult novel. The sadness of loss kept my attention. The intrigue of an art project tying in Mexican and Guatemalan roots was a nice addition.

This one releases May 2, 2023 and I encourage you to swipe right.