I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

By Erika L. Sanchez

Borzoi Book Publishers by Alfred A. Knopf, Penguin Random House

National Book Award Finalist, 2017

YA Contemporary

Julia’s older sister, Olga, is dead. Julia didn’t realize how much she loved and depended on Olga, but that’s not what is bothering her. Julia senses from the smirk on her dead sister’s face (I found this a bit of a stretch) that Olga had a secret. It’s only a twitch in the back of Julia's mind until she searches Olga’s room and finds lingerie and a hotel room key.

Their parents Ama & Apa are undocumented immigrants from Mexico. Ama runs a traditional household keeping her girls close and safe. Olga loved her parents and sat at home with them each evening, attended prayer circle with Ama and led too boring a life for Julia to understand.

Julia rebels, fights with Ama, is always sneaking out, getting caught, getting punished.

Olga is hit by a truck coming off the bus because Ama couldn’t pick her up because Julia got in trouble at school, again. Julia senses her mother blames her for her perfect daughter’s death. We go with Julia deeper into a depression that is so contained her friends and family don’t suspect.  Until one day they know.

Julia wants to be healthy and happy. She is sent to her grandmother, tias,  tios, and cousins in Mexico. Julia believed she was poor until she visited with them.

I haven’t mentioned Conor, her love interest, but it is a hopeful side story. Her BFF Lorena and her new friend Juanga are loyal and good to her, even while Julia learns to be good to herself.

I would love to share some of the secrets Julia uncovers in Mexico and upon her return, but I’m opposed to giving away the twists of the story.

Julia struggles. She keeps secrets and uncovers secrets as she learns about herself. Most importantly, Julia perseveres enough to get accepted to college and leave home. She needs and wants to be her own person.

I rate this a B+. A good story, a little slow in the middle, with a quiet hopeful ending – which is whatI love about this novel.