Speed of Life

"Perceptive, funny and moving...I laughed out loud and I teared up while reading this novel. I will eagerly place it on my daughter’s bookshelf, so that she, like Sofia, can find her own resilience and voice in our painful, joyful, speeding world." -New York Times Book Review

“The Speed of Life is the kind of book that you want to read speedily, all at once, because the characters are so engaging, the voice of the narrator pitch perfect, the situations convincingly real and raw, the humor and liveliness of the prose such fun to follow, and the feelings of that time in a teenager's life when everything can go from awful to awesome in a heartbeat are so vividly captured. You won't want to put it down. But my advice is slow down and savor this delightful book, full of cariño, funny and heartfelt, and (spoiler alert) not just for teens.” —Julia Álvarez, award-winning, bestselling author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies

“Carol Weston's Sofia moves beyond sorrow to all the possibilities of teen life in this wonderful book that takes us from loss to laughter.”—-Richard Peck, Newbery Gold Medalist for A Year Down Yonder

"There is a clear message that while time does not necessarily heal, it helps. The advice of not to fall too hard, too fast, or too far is real, not preachy. Complex characters and a strong voice make this one stand out.' -Kirkus, STARRED review

"Sofia’s growth—amid unexpected interest from boys, her first relationship, new additions to her family, and grief—is both relatable and moving." -Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"This slice-of-life story echoes the author’s own experience as a teen magazine advice columnist and addresses all sorts of issues: death, grieving, moving, parental dating, parental sexuality, stepsibling conflict, new schools, self-esteem, and relationships. This refreshing work tackles a lot of themes, but eventually Sofia does get to a better place…Weston isn’t afraid to tackle the squirm-inducing questions common to high school freshmen too embarrassed to seek sound information from reliable sources." -School Library Journal, STARRED review

"This novel is jam-packed with important, dramatic, and inevitable aspects of adolescence, from pimples to periods to popularity…Weston draws heavily on her years as “Dear Carol” at Girls’ Life magazine, creating a solid, affecting tale of maturing and coming to grips with one’s reality." -Booklist, STARRED review