DNF'd this one around the 10% mark. I keep trying to love novels in verse, but they're just not for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I love when a book prominently features a hobby or sport that isn't often represented in middle grade books. As a teacher with several students who fence (and nearly of whom are huge readers), I was excited about this one, as Black Brother, Black Brother is the only other I've come across that features fencing. I enjoyed this, and the idea that it's easy for students' identities to be so tied to one things, especially in an era of year round sports.

I can't say I've ever read a book about a Latina fencer, so I was excited to pick up this verse novel. Valentina is recovering from an injury as her story opens, desperate to get back to being a nationally ranked competitor as she was before the crash. Her single-minded focus is not one I see in my students as she values her fencing proficiency even above her friendships with her peers. However, it was the same-sex crush that meant I won't be adding this one to the shelves of my Christian school classroom library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

I just want to hug Vale. I loved how strong willed she is and how she needed to make her own decision about her future. The progression of her crush was super cute, and I loved the relationship she had with her brother Manu. I also appreciated the discussion about what is a disability and how Vale feels using that word to describe herself. Andrea does it again with another beautiful book that had me going through every emotion.

Can Vale find the courage to return to her life’s passion when all she’s worked for slips away after a life-changing accident?

Author Andrea Beatriz Arango’s It’s All Or Nothing, Vale wrestles with a girl’s desire to return to her elite fencing status after an accident leaves her with leg pain, despite months of rehabilitation. She discovers she must work harder than she ever has to regain her identity as a top fencer. But with
all the changes in her life, will she discover there’s more to who she is than just fencing? Eye-opening story for ten to fourteen year olds.

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley & Random House. Opinions are my own.

🏳️‍🌈🤺🩼💃🏻🏍️

Vale is a fencing all-star, clearly on top of the competition. After a motorbike accident severely hurts her leg, she’s grappling with the potential end of her identity as an athlete. It hurts worse when she goes back to fencing practice at the end of her therapy and finds that a new girl has taken her place at the top. To further complicate things, she kind of has a crush on her. Friendship drama, crushes, disabilities, and identity are all explored in this quick middle grade novel in verse.

Spanish phrases are scattered throughout which accentuates Vale’s Puerto Rican heritage. They’re not directly translated, but context clues are given to explain.

I also appreciated Vale’s family as they support her in trying to grapple with major change with her injury and mean girl friendship drama. Her mom, dad, and older brother are all there for her. In the end, she also recognizes that talk therapy may be helpful as she navigates all the new things in her life.

Arango disability commentary in this book is spectacular and so so needed! Seeing Vale's progression from frustrated and angry with her own body to acceptance of disability was incredibly moving and poignant. The fencing details were engaging and accurate while the family dynamic was so nice to see. A first tier recommendation, especially for fans of verse novels.

Andrea Beatriz Arango has solidified herself as a must read author for me. It's All of Nothing, Vale is less intense than her two previous works, but it still addresses hard hitting topics and involves a flawed main character than deals with a lot of anger over her situation. Valentina is struggling with chronic pain following an accident and the uncertainty over her future in fencing. As Valentina questions her identity as an athlete she also finds herself developing feelings for a rival and trying to figure out how to navigate who she wants to be moving forward. I really loved this book. It has great representation and would be a perfect addition to a classroom library as well as any middle school curriculum.

I just finished It's All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango! It is about a girl named Valentina who used to be a national champion fencer. However, after a bad accident, her leg is injured putting her fencing dreams in jeopardy. Throughout her recovery, Vale struggles to reconcile with the "new Vale." The "after the accident Vale." In her usual way, Arango has us rooting for this character through her deep character development. It's a story of broken dreams, but also finding new beginnings when things don't work out the way you want.

This is Arango's third novel, and I have loved every single one! The way she develops the main characters leaves the reader feeling like they were going through the experience themselves. I will always read anything she writes!

It's All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango 🤺

"A poignant novel in verse in which, after a life-changing accident, one girl finds her way back to her life's passion."

I never thought I would find a character who mirrors my recent struggles as much. Vale is an athlete who after a car crash, has to endure surgery and all that comes with it. Even possible disability.

Late 2023, I also had a car crash that ended with a fractured wrist, surgery and months of physical therapy. One year later, I still deal with the aftermath. Yes I have a scar and a few new pieces 🔩 to help.

WOW Andrea, you truly understood what's it like going through that. How can you write frustration through the eyes of a young woman? Only from the heart. The journey, the pain, the ugly and the good days. I loved seeing her flaws, but also what made her HER. Cause we are more than pain, and seeing a Puerto Rican queer kid discover how to deal with her new life and new joys was one beautiful ride.

One of the things I love the most about Andrea's books is that although they are middle grade, they're actually for everyone; they still heal me as an adult. The pressure to go back to your old self as soon as possible, the pains, the constant and new routines of self care, the endless doctor visits and you just trying to stay afloat. I'm in awe of the love put into this book, the empathy and also the hope.

Beautiful and much needed.

#bookreview #bookstagram #netgalley #penguinrandomhouse #bookstagram #bookstagrampr

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Random House Books for Young Readers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Valentina is used to being the best fencer at her club, but following an accident, she struggles to come back to the sport as the same athlete she was before. Her body is not the same and learning to understand that is a frustrating process for Vale. But realizing that life and training continued for the rest of her club, while she was out, is something that she also struggles to wrap her head around. Learning to define one's self after so much change isn’t easy for anyone let alone a young girl like Vale, who has always defined herself as the best.

Andrea Beatriz Arango is such a talented writer and I love that young kids get to read books where they are represented. But the lessons in Arango’s books are not just for young readers, we as individuals are always changing, and how we identify is always evolving. May we give ourselves the same space that Vale does to continually learn about ourselves and what we let identify us.

This was my first read by Andrea Beatriz Arango, but I know I’ll be checking out her other books immediately. This is one of the best free verse books I can recall reading, with the perfect balance of lyricism, authenticity, and uniqueness to make me fall in love with Vale’s story. This story—one of a middle-school champion struggling to find her identity after losing what she grounded herself in—is one I can’t recall seeing before but that I absolutely loved. Vale is so utterly relatable: determined, perfectionistic, self-sufficient, and yet ultimately incredibly vulnerable, I loved every beat of her voice and her story. The queer romance plotline here was also incredibly sweet, adding a light touch that made me smile. I truly can’t recommend It’s All or Nothing, Vale enough—five extraordinarily well-deserved stars!

Novels written in verse can be a great format for an emotional and thoughtful story like this. So much of the change and growth happens in Vale's head, her emotions and reactions, so there is little need for long descriptions. Even the fencing action fits well with the spare language, pulling the reader into how it feels to excel at a sport, rather than a play by play. I was very interested in the friction between the "all or nothing" support Vale got from her parents before her injury, and the disappointment and fear they felt afterward. It is all laid out very clearly, and both the parents opposing views make sense. Vale is a strong and resilient character learning to see herself and the world around her in a new way.

My arc had a total of 73 pages.
We meet Valentina during her recovery after an accident.  Valentina is an athlete with chronic pain, with a competitive nature and she gets to discovers that there is more to recovery than just her leg healing.  She learns about herself, friendships, her relationships and her family.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's-Random House Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED Iveliz Explains It All so I was very excited to read Andrea Beatriz Arango’s new book. Just like with Iveliz, Vale is such a complex and wonderfully written character. It’s so easy to understand her feelings of anger, frustration and jealousy as she navigates her new world where she’s not automatically the best fencer after her injury. I really loved how she learned ways to communicate what she needed from her family and also to do things just for the sake of joy instead of competition. I also enjoyed seeing her friendship with Amanda and her feelings towards Myrka evolve. Also, the look at the spectrum of disability was done in such a nuanced way and I loved how it was explained. I very much enjoyed this book and I’m so excited to see what Arango writes next!
CW: injury

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Kids for an advanced digital readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

I always have the same complaint about Andrea Beatriz Arango’s incredibly written middle grade novels in verse - I wish they were longer! I fall in love with her characters and read her books quickly because they’re written in verse, and I am always left wanting more!

Her most recent release, It’s All or Nothing, Vale, is no different! It is just so well written and I could keep reading hundreds more pages of Vale’s story!

Valentina’s identity centers around her being a highly successful competitive fencer. When she has a motorbike accident with her dad that leaves her with chronic pain, she finds that her future as fencer is suddenly very uncertain.

The exploration of disability and identity labels is incredible representation for the many readers out there figuring out how to manage life with chronic pain. Vale figuring out that she’s so much more than a fencer is beautiful. And the queer representation of Vale crushing on another girl is another perfect layer to the story. (And how could I forget to mention how Andrea always weaves lines of dialogue in Spanish seamlessly into her stories?!)

As you can tell, this is a must-read new middle grade novel in verse!

Andrea Beatriz Arango has yet to disappoint me. As a queer Boricua who also navigates chronic illness, I connect deeply with her stories, and "It's All or Nothing, Vale!" is no exception. I've loved all her work, from indie to traditionally published, and this one earns another high rating from me.

Vale, a nationally ranked fencer, faces a challenging return to the sport after an accident leaves her with chronic pain. Arango masterfully weaves together themes of physical and emotional recovery, rivalry, friendships, and family dynamics within the novel-in-verse format.

"It's All or Nothing, Vale!" is packed with so much for young readers to unpack. It's a story that will resonate with anyone who has faced setbacks, big or small, and offers a powerful message about self-acceptance and finding strength beyond achievements. This book would be an excellent catalyst for discussions about the many challenges kids face today.

Valentina, once a promising fencer, returns to fencing after a life-changing accident. She struggles with accepting that she will never be as good as she once dreamed as she deals with chronic pain. This novel in verse was decent but it tried to do too much.

This is a beautiful novel in verse about a girl going through a physical recovery. She discovers that there is so much more to recover from than just her leg healing. I love the lessons she learns about herself, her friendships, and her relationships with her family.

95/100 or 4.75 stars

This was fantastic. This story will be important for so many middle grade readers, and I so happy I got to check it out as an ARC.
If I could find this for a reasonable price once the book is released, I will definitely buy it for my library! I know so many middle grade readers that come to the resort who would love to have a story that represents them! The representation thorughout the story is well done and genuine. Vale is a strong female protagonist, and I had a great time reading this!