Welcome to my tour stop for LIKE HOME, hosted by TURN THE PAGE TOURS!
TITLE: Like Home
AUTHOR: Louisa Onomé
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
RELEASE DATE: February 23rd, 2021
GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT FICTION--Contemporary
BUY LINK: https://bookshop.org/a/11727/9780593172599
See the tour schedule here!
SYNOPSIS:
Fans of Netflix’s On My Block, In the Heights, and readers of Elizabeth Acevedo and Ibi Zoboi will love this debut novel about a girl whose life is turned upside down after one local act of vandalism throws her relationships and even her neighborhood into turmoil.
Chinelo, or Nelo as her best friend Kate calls her, is all about her neighborhood Ginger East. She loves its chill vibe, ride-or-die sense of community, and her memories of growing up there. Ginger East isn’t what it used to be, though. After a deadly incident at the local arcade, all her closest friends moved away, except for Kate. But as long as they have each other, Nelo’s good.
Only, Kate’s parents’ corner store is vandalized, leaving Nelo shaken to her core. The police and the media are quick to point fingers, and soon more of the outside world descends on Ginger East with promises to “fix” it. Suddenly, Nelo finds herself in the middle of a drama unfolding on a national scale.
Worse yet, Kate is acting strange. She’s pushing Nelo away at the exact moment they need each other most. Nelo’s entire world is morphing into something she hates, and she must figure out how to get things back on track or risk losing everything—and everyone—she loves.
MY REVIEW
Thank you HarperCollins and Turn the Page Tours so the e-arc. Nelo is a fierce fighter against change in her neighborhood, but her world gets rocked when her best friend's store is vandalized, and she feels pushed away from the life she knew. Her story is about change and the pain that comes with it. Sometimes we get too comfortable in what we have that we don't look outside and see how things are different for others. Nelo has a ton of empathy for others and she feels their pain like it's her own. That is not to say she's not an angsty teen, but a lot of what she deals with, we have all dealt with at one point or another. Her stubbornness reflected my own. I don't do well with change, even something as simple as a daily routine being interrupted. It's hard when you're preoccupied, and not so open to seeing things another way. Not to mention the way society changes, and we all must adapt to change along with it. Nelo is flawed and relatable. I loved the family element of this book as well as Nelo's internal monologue. Although I did predict the twist, it did not affect my rating. I think it all came together really well.
Overall... I had a great time reading this book. I hope others also enjoy it too.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
GIVEAWAY
Up for grabs, we have TWO (2) finished copies of Like Home by Louisa Onomé! This giveaway will run from February 21st to February 28th at 11:59 PM CST and is open to US residents only. To enter, click the link below!
Louisa Onomé is a writer of books for teens. She holds a BA in professional writing from York University and is represented by Claire Friedman at InkWell Management.
A part of the Author Mentor Match round 3 cohort, she is also a writing mentor and all-around cheerleader for diverse works and writers. When she is not writing, her hobbies include picking up languages she may never use, trying to bake bread, and perfecting her skincare routine. She currently resides in the Toronto area
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