A fun YA read with a recognizable theme. I didn't love the writing and think there are other books out there that also do storytelling well from a POC perspective.

This novel covers a lot of ground, including dynamic friendships, peer pressure, budding romance, class struggles, challenging machismo, family drama, and personal growth. Margot is an incredibly flawed person but also a sympathetic protagonist, and watching her character learn and grow was intensely satisfying. In other words, the book really lives up to its name.

Did not finish. I couldn't get into the story at all.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for the opportunity to read and review The Education of Margot Sanchez. Right off the bat, Margot Sanchez seems and acts like a spoiled brat who is lost and trying to find herself, but so self absorbed that she can't see that she's not the only person on earth that matters. She's being punished for stealing while she was away at an expensive school and, now that's she's home for the summer, she has to work at her family's supermarket to earn the money for what she stole plus enough money to pay for her tuition to attend the same school again in the fall. She feels as though she's above working there and is embarrassed by her upbringing. During the summer, Margot's eyes are opened slowly to some things, such as how she treats others, and opened quickly to how dysfunctional her family truly is. Margot matures and learns to value friendship and she begins to find herself and her place in the world. 4 stars for this believable realistic fiction story.

*sigh*
Not going to lie, I had my concerns going into Seven Days of You that it could potentially wind up being a disaster, but I still held out some hope and gave this book a try because hello? Romance with a Tokyo setting? How does one resist that? Unfortunately, I should have stuck with my gut because nothing about Seven Days of You worked for me.

-Probably my biggest issue with Seven Days of You was the setting. It really really bothers me when authors choose a vibrant, culturally-rich setting and wind up not developing it at all. This was unfortunately the case with Seven Days of You. The book may mention that it’s set in Japan, but it honestly could have been set literally anywhere and nothing about the book would have changed. The author didn’t spend her time describing the scenery, lifestyle and culture enough, in my opinion, so it fell flat. When she did describe cultural elements, they felt incredibly stereotypical. Another thing I thought was pretty unrealistic was how every character in this book was white. You are in Tokyo, why do you not have any Japanese friends?
-I didn’t care for ANY of the characters, which means the book was doomed from the start for me. I just didn’t think they were likable. The main character, Sophia, was a whiner. She constantly made illogical decisions and I found her to be immature. I get that she was a teenager, but everything about her felt so forced and dramatic.
-The relationships in this book are an utter mess. I hated the friendship between Sophia and Mika (if you can even call it that). I don’t know why she even had a crush on her other friend, David, who insisted on calling her Sofa (*EYE ROLL*) and who in actuality was a dirtbag. Jamie, her actual love interest, was decent enough, but again, I didn’t feel like he was fleshed out enough for me to find him memorable. Ultimately, even the romance fell flat for me.
-OPEN ENDING
UGH. Just ugh. I absolutely despise open endings, especially in contemporary YA romances. Enough said.
So yeah, Seven Days of You wasn’t the book for me, sadly. I definitely thought it had the potential, but unfortunately, it got lost among all the dramatics and lack of descriptive setting.

I feel as though there are so many new books to read and comment upon during February, March and April so I am going to keep my reviews short and encourage you to try some yourself – especially with Spring Break fast approaching. Let's start with this post on YA titles, many of which are listed here with 30 other "Really Excellent YA Books You Need to Know About." That article is referring to UK releases and showing UK covers, but it’s still an impressive overview containing some titles - like PIECING ME TOGETHER - that we have already highly recommended.

... On that list, THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ by Lilliam Rivera is another book where I am curious to hear student reaction. A quick read, I found it to be rather stereotypical and filled with clichés, but maybe that is not a fair assessment since it is talking about a place undergoing gentrification (Bronx, New York) and a culture (Puerto Rican heritage) with which I am not very familiar. Margot Sanchez was caught stealing and now has to work off her debts over the summer by doing manual labor at her family's supermarket.

There is plenty of family drama and secrets involving serious issues infidelity and drug abuse, along with Margot's exaggerated fixation on friends at her new private school. She could hang with Elizabeth, a friend from her neighborhood who is going to art school, but Margot says, "I always used to take the lead and Elizabeth always went along with me. The [Elizabeth's] blue hair is daring, but not in a way that makes sense. What benefits does it have? I'm daring because it will get me somewhere. Now that I'm in with the right crowd at school I have to keep up. Blue hair will work for the artsy-folksy crowd at the museum but not at Somerset." Overall, I think the appeal of THE EDUCATION OF MARGOT SANCHEZ will be highest with middle school and less mature high school readers.

We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts, reactions and recommendations! Tell us what you think!

Links in this post (which comments on several YA books):
https://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseypippin/32-ya-books-that-want-to-be-your-valentine?utm_term=.buP0dwmap#.edJBNpWV2 AND
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2017/02/piecing-me-together-by-renee-watson.html

Margot Sanchez is facing serious punishment and grounding after she 'borrowed'' her fathers credit card to get herself some very stylish clothes to fit in with the popular girls. Her father owns a small grocery store in the Bronx, and by grounded Margot has to work to pay of her debt.She is in a total different world at work then from her private school, where she doesn't fit in with the rich teens who don't accept her for who she is.

She totally dislikes working at the stire , but some people she meets make it a little more fun. Like Moises, a guy who actively fights to end gentrification in their neighborhood. She really starts to like him, but her father & brother forbid her to date him as he doesn’t have the social standing preordained by Margot and her friends. The reader gets an up close and personal look at the diverse world of the South Bronx Margot lives and works in; the employees from the grocery store can barely make a living, her brother has been kicked out of school and now mismanages the store. In the end he really gets in trouble when Margot finds a box filled with money and drugs at the bottom of his closet, and it seems her mistake is teeny tiny small when she finds out her father is doing with one of the cashierista's, this made the end part of the book quite thrilling!

The Education of Margot Sanchez starts of a little slow paced, but it soon catches up in speed, and the plot also got better and better!!! I liked how it was not the usual YA story but, as I said earlier, a close look in the New York neigborhood Margot lives in: the South Bronx, which you don't see often. I really liked how the author make everything in Margot's family look nice on the outside first, but slowly on the reader sees that little bursts starts to appear in her family live, especially with her parents. I really didn't see the end with her father coming. And also her brother's part was unexpected, altough I didn't like him at all, he was quite rude. I though this book is very well written and it was an exciting and good read!!

This book was enjoyable. A little predictable but I think it will work well for teens looking for a diverse read. Margot was a good narrator for the story and her voice was authentic to the story.

I enjoyed The Education of Margot Sanchez.--it's exactly as it's advertised: a coming of age novel set in the South Bronx. I love that it featured characters of color. I loved that it incorporated so many things that this white sourthern girl would've not necessarily known about the city and the neighborhood dynamic and seamlessly incorporated that into a story that felt familiar: messed up summer, family situations, finding your place in the world and figuring out how those around you fit into it (or don't).
Quick, interesting read.

~

Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.

THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:

Mami, for destroying my social life
Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal
Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal
This supermarket
Everyone else

After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.

With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…

Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

At the beginning of The Education of Margot Sanchez, Margot was more than a little spoiled. She was exceedingly ungrateful to her family, and tries to be just like the popular girls at her super expensive private high school. She honestly earned her hated nickname of Princésa, but as I got further into the book, I started liking her more and more.

As someone who worked in a grocery store to pay the bills for four years during college, I wanted to strangle her every time she complained about the work she had to do. That being said, I loved seeing Margot reinvent (or deinvent?) herself back to being more of her true self, and learning about her privileges, how gentrification works, and how complicated being a part of someone else's life actually is – whether they’re family members, friends or classmates.

I loved seeing the changes in how Margot saw her family, despite how seriously flawed her father and brother were throughout the book. I regularly wanted to punch both of them. (I might be a little violent in my mind.)

The Education of Margot Sanchez was a great mix of serious moments and lighthearted ones, and I appreciated the combination. It kept the book from being too preachy, while also keeping Margot down to earth. I’m very glad for the fictional Margot and her family for all of the changes that happened throughout the book, and the hopeful ending for the building near Sanchez & Sons.

I also want to talk about the cover, which is stunning. The style of it was absolutely perfect for The Education of Margot Sanchez, and it looked like the kind of thing that Elizabeth would have painted of her friend, which was awesome.

The ending with Nick really threw me off, and messed up a little bit of my love for the book, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much else. It just really bothered me.

This was a four star read for me. I highly recommend it, but it wasn’t exactly perfect for me. If it sounds like more your cup of tea, you can pick up a copy on Amazon, Indiebound or your other favorite bookseller!

Five stars

Originally from the Bronx, NYC, Lilliam Rivera is a 2016 Pushcart Prize winner and a 2015 Clarion graduate. She has been awarded fellowships and grants from PEN Center USA, Elizabeth George Foundation, and A Room of Her Own Foundation. Her work has appeared in Tin House, Los Angeles Times, Bellevue Literary Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Latina, among others. She hosts the Los Angeles-based radio show Literary Soundtrack on Radio Sombra and lives in Los Angeles with her family. Visit her at LilliamRivera.com.
Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster for approving me to receive an eGalley of The Education Of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5 STARS*

PLOT

Ok Guys & Gals, the time has come for me to review this awesome book & I cannot tell you how excited I am to do so! the Goodreads synopsis more than covers the plot so I won't repeat what's already up above, instead i'll touch on some of my fave plot points. The Education Of Margot Sanchez is first & foremost a Own Voices book about a Puerto-Rican family living in the Bronx, New York. Margot's dad is the owner of two Grocery Stores from which he provides for his wife, son, and daughter. Margot attends a prep school in Manhattan along with the children of wealthy families. Her brother Junior works with their father in the grocery in hopes to one day take over the family business. We start off with Margot getting caught stealing her fathers credit card to order clothes online. Her punishment is to work off the debt in one of the grocery stores throughout the summer. This does not bode well for Margot who has a social life to maintain back in the city if she ever wants to "fit in" with the wealthy kids in her school. We follow Margot's daily routine as she fulfills her duties in the grocery store by stocking shelves, working in the deli with the meat, and basically handling all of the grunt work. Her dad has every intention of teaching her a lesson but also utilizing her knowledge of social platforms to possibly give the store a new edge. The neighborhood is experiencing Gentrification and the family business is feeling the side effects. Situated next to a college and a new and upcoming food market, the family business can either benefit or be hurt by the change in demographics in their neighborhood. Margot however, could NOT be bothered with these things. Her thoughts are occupied by that guy back in her prep school who may or may not be interested in her and the "friends" she's made by appearing to be someone she's not. Margot is pretty much living a double life, something she has learned to do in one way or another by her own family. When Margot meets a guy while working in the grocery store, who is the complete opposite of the guy she's had her eyes on in prep school...everything she worked so hard to create starts to fall apart. Moises represents everything her family does not want for her & yet he seems so right. This story is about Margot & how certain events lead to her growing up & learning some hard lessons from those she loves most.

CHARACTERS

I'll start off with saying what I've seen many readers say about Margot...she's not the nicest, she's self-absorbed, selfish, deceitful, and ultimately an unlikeable protagonist. However, I understood this to be the whole point in educating her. Margot hasn't had the best examples at home. Yes, her dad does pay for her to attend a pricey prep school in Manhattan but her values are all screwed up. Her parents marriage is not all that it seems and her brother is going through substance abuse issues. The problem is, there is no communication whatsoever between any of these family members. All is solved by simply not talking about it. On the surface this family appears to have it all but underneath they are hurting and divided. As a Latina woman, my childhood/family set up looked a lot like Margot's. I experienced first hand what it's like to look towards Papi (dad) as the bread winner and more than anything wanting to please him with success in school. Both Margot & Junior (son) want to succeed but get lost while trying to please a man who himself was failing. Mami (mom) was pretty much a silent figure in the background but you could feel her pain through her compulsion to keep everything extremely clean & tidy all day every day. I took this as her way of keeping control over something in her life when underneath it was all a giant mess. This family touched me because I was able to relate to their experiences, culture, and pain. This after all is the beauty of reading books by Own voice authors. I still think about this family & wonder whether these fictional characters are ok now...

WRITING & THOUGHTS

The Education Of Margot Sanchez was a light read that I flew through in just under two days. I enjoyed reading from the perspective of a Puerto-Rican family since it truly is rare to come across. This family felt familiar and relatable making this read one that I devoured all the while making comparisons to my own experiences growing up Puerto-Rican. I was pleasantly surprised to see the topic of gentrification play a role in this neighborhood since it's one that i've personally seen have an affect on local mom & pop stores. There are other more serious topics covered in this book however, I feel that mentioning them is very spoilery since when I came across them I was taken aback and was moved by them. Although I know that at it's core the story is about Margot and her family, I would've enjoyed seeing her take on a more hands on approach with the issues & concerns affecting her community as a symptom of gentrification. I do however appreciate how Lilliam Rivera explored the morals and values of this family in a very realistic sense. These characters were deeply flawed and were all weathering internal battles that seeped into their relationships with one another. Sometimes parents don't always have it right themselves. A lot of times the kids get caught up in the unspoken. Such is the story of Margot & her brother Junior.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Originally from the Bronx, NYC, Lilliam Rivera is a 2016 Pushcart Prize winner and a 2015 Clarion graduate. She has been awarded fellowships and grants from PEN Center USA, Elizabeth George Foundation, and A Room of Her Own Foundation. Her work has appeared in Tin House, Los Angeles Times, Bellevue Literary Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Latina, among others. She hosts the Los Angeles-based radio show Literary Soundtrack on Radio Sombra and lives in Los Angeles with her family. Visit her at LilliamRivera.com.

****Review will go live on my blog Lairofbooks on Thursday 1/26/2017 @ 10am, I will link up on the go live date. Thanks again for the opportunity to read & review this awesome book. I wish Lilliam all the best & look forward to picking up my finished copy on release day :)

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for ARC, The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera. I loved the cover of this debut novel; as soon as I started to read I knew Margot was going to be challenged throughout the book. Why? Because her gorgeous curly hair is straightened in the book by Margot since that is the way her friends from her new prep school wear their hair! Margot has finished her first year and it has been a struggle to get to where she is; she has two friends Camille and Serena, rich and living in big houses and spending their summer in the Hamptons. Margot was invited to spend the summer with her girl squad but she is now working in one of her family’s grocery stores to pay off the credit card debt she incurred when she “took” her father’s credit card and charged $600. Margot is determined to work off her debt and go to the big party at the end of the summer to get with Nick and nothing is going to stop her. Imagine how Margo feels when she meets Moises, setting up a table outside the store to obtain signatures to help old apartment building tenants keep their home. Very conflicted, Margot realizes she is attracted to this activist and he seems to like her too. But Margot will spend her summer fighting this desire since her father & brother forbid it and he doesn’t have the social standing preordained by Margot and her friends. The reader gets an up close and personal look at the diverse world of the South Bronx Margot lives and works in; the employees from the grocery store can barely make a living, her brother has been kicked out of school and now mismanages the store, always looking for a better deal that does not involve the store. Her family is a united front, hiding things from Margot and always concerned with their reputation. As the summer unfolds, Margot will be tested on many levels; in her friendships, family relationships, and those she works with – what kind of person will Margot choose to be? Lilliam Rivera did such a great job crafting Margot’s world of disparity in class, family dynamics and friendships. The characters were many, flawed and trying to eke out an existence. Margot’s South Bronx was in direct contrast to her prep school and the Hamptons. As Margot crashes into this minefield, the reader experiences with her the sexist cultural attitudes of the men (father, brother, workers), the judgments of her friends, and her own slippery slope concerning her existence, her heart, and identity. Teens will love this YA novel that speaks volumes on the drama of finding yourself. Highly recommended.