Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Interesting premise but it didn't carry the weight of the story once it got rolling. I think if you are looking for a good summer read - it is a quick light story that I would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I liked it. The magical realism part was OK, but I felt that it was also an odd addition to the narrative.

Cassie is different from the rest of her town, not white but apart from the black community. She forms an unlikely bond with her half-sister to find their father and their inheritance. What she finds is her future..

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

This is Feldman's debut and it is a solid start. It's a story of two girls, sisters actually, who share a father but not a mother or even the same side of town.
Cassie lives with her mother, Lil Ma, and her Grandmother at the far end of Negro Street in Heron-Neck, Mississippi. They run a laundry for the white folk that live in the other parts of town. When Cassie is young she meets a white girl, Judith, that she hears is her sister. But they don't live together and they both have a Mama, although both of them have a Daddy that disappeared. As the girls get older it becomes a bit more obvious that they are in fact sisters with different skin colors, a true sister from another mother kind of situation. When Cassie and Judith are 17 they embark on a trip that they hope will change their lives for the better. Along the road out of Mississippi and through the South they grow up, learn more about themselves, and make tough choices.
I think one thing I really liked about Feldman's writing was her character development and her efforts to remain true to the characters - specifically where they came from. The Mississippi dialect is translated authentically through both girls and the people they interact with all along the way. I also found Cassie's Grandmother's efforts to whitewash her family line fascinating - if not a bit disturbing, although I suppose I can't blame her - and trust me, it pains me greatly to say that. I enjoyed Feldman's debut and will be on the lookout for future titles.