Shannon C.F. Rogers writes so tenderly that it's hard to not connect with or at least sympathize with her characters. Her work again has blown it out of the water, and I continue to be thoroughly impressed with her care and hope for the kids she writes about. I highly recommend not only this but her past work too.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"Eighteen Roses" by Shannon C.F. Rogers is a fun YA coming-of-age story that explores the complexities of family, tradition, and self-discovery against the backdrop of the Filipino debut tradition.

At the heart of the story is Lucia Cruz, a senior in high school grappling with a myriad of challenges, from the unexpected planning of her debut behind her back to the impending closure of her beloved local theater. I had never heard of the Filipino debut tradition before, and I absolutely loved learning more about it from this book. I also really liked how Rogers expertly captures Lucia's internal struggles and growth throughout the story especially with her eventual transformation and self-discovery.

As the story unfolds, Lucia's character development shines through, revealing layers of complexity and relatability that make her journey all the more compelling. There is quite a bit of sarcasm and sharp wit from Lucia (mainly at the beginning), which I struggled with at first as I found that I couldn’t connect with Lucia and I almost disliked her at times. However, she really grew as a person, and I loved how she discovered herself and what is important to her, even if it means deviating from tradition. She felt like such an authentic teenager, and I think younger YA readers would really connect with her and enjoy her voice.

One of the book's strengths (besides the character writing) lies in its exploration of Filipino culture and traditions, particularly through the lens of the debut celebration. Rogers navigates the intricacies of familial expectations and societal pressures in a way that I found to be refreshing and engaging. We really got to see the portrayal of the tensions between tradition and individuality. There were a couple storylines that I wish got more development, especially Lucia’s strained relationship with her mother. This plot point just seemed a bit unresolved; the dynamics of sisterly love and friendship, however, were wonderfully developed throughout the book.

Overall, "Eighteen Roses" is a compelling and insightful read with its authentic voice and heartfelt storytelling. Shannon C.F. Rogers delivers a memorable coming-of-age tale that leaves a lasting impression.

At first I didn't connect well with the main character, and it took me a while to realize it was because Lucia is so well-written as a teenage protagonist. In the beginning, she's self-centered while also caring about others in the capacity she's able, and that expands throughout the story to shift her viewpoint of the why and how of things. She grows as a person and learns to care in a more considering way, relearns what it means to be family and friends. This is a great read with such a passionate main character.

Luz turns eighteen soon which means it is time for the traditional Filipino debut — except that’s not her thing at all. For one, she already ruined her cousin‘s debut when she was little, why would she need a repeat of that? And then also she would need a court of eighteen friends for the ceremony, which she doesn’t have.

This was such a fun and sweet read! I absolutely loved it once I warmed up to the characters. Luz is an amazing main character and I loved the humour of the book as well as the fact that there‘s no romance side plot for the main character! This is for everyone who‘s always felt like they live life in their comfort zone and far away from things like school clubs and societies. Oh, also for the vintage movie theatre lovers of course.

THOUGHTS

This book has a lot of heart. It's a book about growing up and growing apart--and just growing in general. And I appreciate that.


PROS
Unique Voice: Luz's voice catches you from the very first page. Lucia might not be the nicest narrator, but she's got such a toxically funny inner monologue that she makes for an entertaining storyteller at least. She's pretty anti-social, and she's definitely not popular. But she's pretty confident in herself, and I like that.

Realistic Angst: Sometimes YA books that feature a heavy amount of angst can feel a bit, well, hyperbolic. But that's not the case here. This mother-daughter tension feels perfectly realistic. Lucia's mom has expectations that she isn't quite living up to, and Luz doesn't understand her mom's choices. And this causes friction between them... while not causing a whole ton of spite. They love each other in their own ways, and I like that. Even when Luz doesn't get along with her mom, they're still close--definitely closer than she is with her really-quite-terrible dad. Luz is a child of divorce, and her father isn't doing his job well. And I'm glad that this book doesn't push the need to make up and move on with a father like this, either. Luz is allowed to, you know, not want him in her life. Just like she's allowed to be frustrated with her mom.

Growing Apart: I said it above: Luz is mean. She's judge-y, and she's anti-social. Of course her friend Esmé, who kinda wants to move out of their insular bubble, feels frustrated with Luz. That doesn't mean Esmé doesn't love her best friend, but it can be frustrating when you want to grow as a person and the one closest to you doesn't want to at least try the same. I appreciate this tension, even if it hurts both of these girls in the process.


CONS
Mean-Spirited: Third time I'm mentioning it, but Luz isn't really very nice. She can get kind of mean-spirited at times. I don't think she's overly mean in any way. I think she's just compensating for her own insecurity in a way that feels harsh but is ultimately forgivable. But you know what some readers really hate? Girls who aren't all sugar-and-spice in their narratives. She might be off-putting to some, and reviews will definitely come back calling her out for being too mean. But ultimately, I think this kind of rep is important for girls, too--even if Luz can be a bit harsh at times.

Secondhand Embarrassment: This book comes with a healthy dose of secondhand embarrassment, so readers beware! In stepping out of her comfort zone, Luz steps onto the comedian's stage... and not all of her comedy routines hit like she would hope. This, plus her cringy judgments of her classmates might make it hard for some readers to push through.

We Need to Apologize: Luz and Esmé have reasons to drift apart... and reasons to come back together again. And I like that this book doesn't end on a sour note in their friendship. But their fight was justified, as much as it was dramatic, and I don't know that this book does enough to showcase what a good apology would look like here. Sure, there's an attempt at an apology, but I'm not sure it was enough, given the nature of the friendship break-up in the first place. We kind of just move on, and I wish we had spent more time in the making-up phase first.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10
Fans of Shideh Etaat's Rana Joon and the One and Only Now will like this coming-of-age story about a girl trying to find her niche. Those who enjoy complicated emotions like those found in Wendy Mass's A Mango-Shaped Space will like this snapshot of contemporary life.

This was a very intersting book. I am not very familiar with the milestone events like quinceaneras, Bat Mitzvah or in this case a debutante ball, so this was totally new territory. The pressure and expectations from and to each other- from parent to child - to family and society. It is overwhelming.
And the timing of these events are when a teen's life is in flux and so many changes are coming. Relationships with friends can be challenging as well as relationships within the family. It is alot to handle.
I really loved how the author used this time and subject matter to educate the reader and immerse us in the story. I felt the frustration and the love. It was really well done.
Enjoy!

Lucia knows that she's a disappointment to her mother. Nearly eighteen, she doesn't care about any of the things that her mom thinks are important--appearance, friends, connections. Lucia just loves spending time with her best friend Esme, watching old movies at the town's run-down theater. When Lucia finds out that her mom is determined for her to have a traditional debut for her 18th birthday, Lucia reluctantly agrees. With the mounting pressure of planning her debut, news of the movie theater's closing, and Esme's abandonment for theater club, can Lucia keep it all together?

I enjoyed the details of Lucia trying to plan her debut and the elements of Filipino culture woven into the story. The comedy subplot didn't seem to flow, and the whole story ended rather abruptly.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me and ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I think a good book makes you not only feel something, but be called to action. After reading "Eighteen Roses," I started working on a tight fifteen for my own standup routine! Overall, I found the characters sweet, if frustrating in the way high school kids often are, and the plot satisfying, if a bit predictable. This is a fun romp through a very stressful senior year, and I think it will be perfect for teens looking for a sweet coming of age novel about a cynical girl who learns liking things can be very cool.

DNF at 36%. I really wanted to like this book because I was intrigued by the premise of a book talking about debut parties, especially as a Filipino-American myself. However, I think this is largely a case of "this book wasn't for me".

One thing I really enjoyed was the use of the Tagalog language in the narrative! It was really endearing to see my language used regularly, and even for the parts I couldn't translate myself right away, the author still made it easy to understand what was being said. And overall, I really enjoyed the representation and seeing my culture come to life on the page.

I rate this three stars though because my biggest issue was the main character and not being able to understand her hatred toward pretty much everything. I saw some earlier reviews come in about how the backstory plays a big part later in the story and that's how you learn to understand Lucia, but I personally wasn't willing to wait that long to see why Lucia turned out the way she is. But, like I said, I think it's largely just this not being the book for me because Lucia and I are very different, so maybe that's why I couldn't understand her as easily.

Also I’m not come of age and not Filipino I really felt for the main character. With the fact that she struggles as everyone does and she really goes into depth with it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.
This is a story of a girl named Lucia who, against her will, at first, has to plan for her debut.
Along the way she learns to open up and try new things and meet new people.

One thing that I wish this book had was the translations into English for her native language.

I enjoyed the story though.

Lucia Cruz is a senior in high school and kind of a loner, except for her friend Esme and her sister Ali. Her family is...complicated, and she struggles with their expectations for her versus her own ambitions and values. She shows honesty and bravery in facing these conflicts as she navigates the cotillion that means so much to her family.

This is a super quick read - 1 day for me. The best part of this novel for me was the character development. In the beginning, I couldn't stand Luz. But the more I got to see of the girl behind the attitude, the more she grew, and in the end, she felt real and relatable. Her struggles were really interesting insight on the family and traditions of being a Filipina American, so I felt like I learned something there. Shoutout to Luz for finding her niche and not expecting it to fit perfectly right away.

There was one conflict/story line in particular that I wish had been more developed, but overall this felt like an accurate and empathetic view of a cast of enjoyable characters.

I am glad that the protagonist eventually does get over herself. I can’t judge the character too much for being quite insufferable at times, because it is an accurate illustration of the kind of arrogance and know-it-all-ism that teenagers unfortunately tend to possess.

But it still feels lacking somewhat, more like it trails off rather than coming to a proper end. With so much of the plot being about the protagonist having to plan and organize her debut, I expected that more time would be spent on the debut itself.

Still, it was an interesting look into another culture’s traditions, and I’ve always been a sucker for stories about characters trying to find a way to make longstanding traditions their own, honoring both the past but also reflect who they are and what they believe.

I just feel that the book spent too much time in some places, not enough in others, and wound up muddling its thesis.

Lucia Cruz may be turning eighteen this year, but she is not the debutante type. Everything about a traditional Filipino debut feels all wrong for her. Besides, custom dictates that eighteen friends attend her for a special ceremony on her birthday, and Lucia only has one friend– Esmé Mares. They've stuck to each other's side all throughout high school, content to be friends with only each other. At least, Lucia thought they were content.

As it turns out, Esmé wants something different out of her senior year. And, on top of that, Lucia's mom has planned a debutante ball for her birthday behind her back. She'll be forced to cobble together a court of eighteen “friends” before her beloved lola arrives from the Philippines for this blessed occasion.

How far will Lucia stray from her comfort zone in order to play the role of dutiful daughter and granddaughter? Will she do the unthinkable– participating in a school sponsored activity? Will she discover that her sense of humor can be a way to connect with people, not just push them away?
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A great read for teens struggling now

I lived for the drama, with Esmé and Lucia at the beginning. It had me offended at that point, what Esmé said was CRAZY but honestly understandable when she wanted to really live out her final year of high school. Their relationship had me absolutely REELING because it was such an emotional rollercoaster, yet was happy all managed to end up well.

Lucia and Esmé also had me absolutely losing my mind with the whole “infatuated with a sophomore when they are literal seniors” mostly because Lucia had to mention him being in the same grade as her sister, it's weird to think about being interested after someone who is your sister’s age in my opinion. That part constantly plagued the back of my mind, but it could not compare to how baffled I was by Noah instead. That was what kept me awake at night.

I had such conflicting feelings about Lucia’s mom, it was easy to feel irritated with her and then the next moment you feel bad. It was gut-wrenching the way she struggled with the debutante ball and her just wanting to be at the same level as the other members of her own family. I loved Lucia's character and how relatable she was, she was truly so “human” with how she knew she had flaws and she knew she had regrets but all she could do was push through it. I loved how internally conflicted she was with the whole situation, she was trying so hard and you could really see her struggle. Also, her TikTok arc had mE losing it because it was such an unpredictable move I was not expecting it to come up. I really loved Lucia and it was so lovely to read through her experiences.

The story honestly had a really abrupt ending, I wasn’t expecting it to end so soon and cut to the epilogue to fast as it did. With the way that the story had such a great lengthy build-up, it was lacking when it ended so suddenly because I was ready to expect so much more from it. I really wish I could have seen more of what happened with her father in the end, that was what made me really curious.

Before I get into the actually story, lets get a round of applause for this cover. The colors are so wonderful, the illustration is so beautiful, amazing. Now, the plot: it blew me away just as much. This story of the battle between being a dutiful daughter and doing what you think is right for you is a story I am quite familiar with. However, I often hear it told from the perspective of Hispanic children. It is so important to see this told through a different cultural lens. Filipino culture is one I rarely see in popular novels as well, and this really showcased aspects of that culture. My maternal side of the family is from Laos so I am often frustrated when all Asian representation is Chinese or Vietnamese (though I am happy they are breaking into this Caucasian-dominated-market), so this book was really refreshing (even if it was an emotional story) as it brought a culture so close to the one I grew up with.