Maria E. Andreu

Really liked the narrative devices as Ana, newly arrived from Argentina, starts at a New Jersey high school. She helps Harrison in math, who looks to her as if he just stepped out of the screen of a teen movie. And then there is the striking Greek boy in her ESL class. The two of them start watching American movies after school. Ana is trynig to come into her own even with the strict expectations of her parents, especially her dad who has been in the US for three years while the family was apart.
I liked the way the book portrayed Ana understanding and not (wah wah wah) over those English words. The romance was sweet and Ana had to come to terms with not being straightforward with people, then work to make things right/repair relationships.… (more)

3.5 Stars

Well that was some lovely writing!

I loved Ana's journey and thought she was a relatable character. In my opinion, the author did a very good job of portraying the experience of being in a country where the language predominantly spoken around you, is not your own.

I lived in Japan for a year and it really is like you are moving in a 'bubble of silence'. My husband won't be impressed I am going to write this, but all these years later it still amuses me, so sorry mate, I'm telling it. Before we went to live in Japan I dutifully learnt some useful phrases e.g. "Do you speak English?" and "Where is the ___?" among many others. My husband was less studious. He was trying to buy something or get directions one day and had a huge amount of trouble getting his message across. He came home and was telling me about the experience. He told me he had been asking if they spoke English. When he told me what he had been saying in Japanese, I cracked up and informed him he had been repeatedly asking 'Where is the English? Where is the English? W h e r e i s t h e E n g l i s h?' He said the lovely people he had approached were so patient and sincere in their attempts to help my floundering husband as he tried to make himself understood with careful pronunciation of a completely bizarre question. We experienced nothing but kindness and generosity, and our experience of living in Japan will remain one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. The point is, I could relate to Ana as she struggled to make sense of new and tricky language.

Maria has some lovely ways of expressing feelings and I found myself literally saying, "how lovely", at various points throughout the novel.

I really wish there hadn't been a love triangle but it wasn't hideously offensive. A nice heartwarming story about finding your place.

I am aware that there might be some ownvoice issues but I do not know the particulars so it might pay to read some other reviews to get some clarity around this.
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A story that takes a good look at the struggles kids from other countries have with the language barrier when coming to America and being thrown into school with very little, if no background of the English Language. The writer pushes across the pages the confusion Ana and Neo have with the English Language, how two words can sound exactly the same but have different spellings and meanings. How even using a translator still does not provide an accurate meaning. I really enjoyed the poems Ana wrote describing her confusion with the words. They also showed her progression of understanding with the English language.… (more)