Eighteen Roses / Shannon C.F. Rogers / Book Review

EIGHTEEN ROSES

Lucia Cruz isn't the debutante type. Plus she doesn't exactly have the friends for a traditional Filipino debut anyway. She'd need at least eighteen of those to fill out her posse, and she's got exactly one. And she doesn't want more than that.

When an argument sparks between Luz and her best friend, Luz's grand total of friends goes to exactly zero. And on top of that, Luz finds out that her mom has planned a debutante ball behind her back. One that Luz can't exactly back out of, considering her grandma will be flying in all the way from the Philippines to attend.

Forced to cobble together a court of eighteen "friends" on short notice, Luz can't exactly stay in her comfort zone. And branching out might mean the unthinkable: participating in an after-school club. And joining a club means finding something Luz is good at. Which isn't exactly an easy task.

THOUGHTS

This book has a lot of heart. It's a book about growing up and growing apart--and just growing in general. And I appreciate that.

PROS

Unique Voice	Luz's voice catches you from the very first page. Lucia might not be the nicest narrator, but she's got such a toxically funny inner monologue that she makes for an entertaining storyteller at least. She's pretty anti-social, and she's definitely not popular. But she's pretty confident in herself, and I like that.
Realistic Angst	Sometimes YA books that feature a heavy amount of angst can feel a bit, well, hyperbolic. But that's not the case here. This mother-daughter tension feels perfectly realistic. Lucia's mom has expectations that she isn't quite living up to, and Luz doesn't understand her mom's choices. And this causes friction between them... while not causing a whole ton of spite. They love each other in their own ways, and I like that. Even when Luz doesn't get along with her mom, they're still close--definitely closer than she is with her really-quite-terrible dad. Luz is a child of divorce, and her father isn't doing his job well. And I'm glad that this book doesn't push the need to make up and move on with a father like this, either. Luz is allowed to, you know, not want him in her life. Just like she's allowed to be frustrated with her mom.
Growing Apart	I said it above: Luz is mean. She's judge-y, and she's anti-social. Of course her friend Esmé, who kinda wants to move out of their insular bubble, feels frustrated with Luz. That doesn't mean Esmé doesn't love her best friend, but it can be frustrating when you want to grow as a person and the one closest to you doesn't want to at least try the same. I appreciate this tension, even if it hurts both of these girls in the process.

CONS

Third time I'm mentioning it, but Luz isn't really very nice. She can get kind of mean-spirited at times. I don't think she's overly mean in any way. I think she's just compensating for her own insecurity in a way that feels harsh but is ultimately forgivable. But you know what some readers really hate? Girls who aren't all sugar-and-spice in their narratives. She might be off-putting to some, and reviews will definitely come back calling her out for being too mean. But ultimately, I think this kind of rep is important for girls, too--even if Luz can be a bit harsh at times.	Mean-Spirited
This book comes with a healthy dose of secondhand embarrassment, so readers beware! In stepping out of her comfort zone, Luz steps onto the comedian's stage... and not all of her comedy routines hit like she would hope. This, plus her cringy judgments of her classmates might make it hard for some readers to push through.	Secondhand Embarrassment
Luz and Esmé have reasons to drift apart... and reasons to come back together again. And I like that this book doesn't end on a sour note in their friendship. But their fight was justified, as much as it was dramatic, and I don't know that this book does enough to showcase what a good apology would look like here. Sure, there's an attempt at an apology, but I'm not sure it was enough, given the nature of the friendship break-up in the first place. We kind of just move on, and I wish we had spent more time in the making-up phase first.	We Need to Apologize

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Shideh Etaat's Rana Joon and the One and Only Now will like this coming-of-age story about a girl trying to find her niche. Those who enjoy complicated emotions like those found in Wendy Mass's A Mango-Shaped Space will like this snapshot of contemporary life.

Details Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Date: July 30, 2024 Series: N/A Add to Goodreads Buy it HERE

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.