My Never Ending List

All the stars!  This book was breathtaking.  Perhaps, I just needed this book but there was so much that I loved about this book that this review cannot contain it all!  It was heartbreaking, eye-opening, captivating and enduring, and the way that the author put the story together was fantastic. 

First, I love how Elizabeth structured this story.  Told in verse, this story captivated me emotionally and mentally. Elizabeth paused in parts of her verse and I loved how these pauses made me feel.  They were dramatic, as the pauses felt sharp and powerful.  This book was hard to put down as I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen next.  Told from two different viewpoints, there was no right answer, there was no clear winner.  I wanted both of the main characters to feel that they were going to be okay. 

It didn’t seem fair to neither of them what had happened but there was nothing that they could do about that now.  Their father was dead and they now needed to move forward.  Separated by miles, separated by years, separated by parents, the girls now needed to decide what their next steps would be. 

The writing in this book was terrific. This was an eventful and emotional story as the author described the events as the story unfolded.  I found many great scenes in the book as I was reading it. I could hear Papi favorite bachata songs, as they spun around on the record player, when they gathered to discuss his arrangements.  I could see his daughter’s reaction as she put these songs on, to remember her Papi. I could feel the family’s emotions as they heard the devastating news.  As each girl considered what to do next, I felt their confusion and frustration. I wondered how far they would take their relationship and how each family would feel about it.   I enjoyed how this book carried a mysterious element to it. It was amazing how using verse can enhance a story. 

You need to read it. I would love to listen to the audio of this one!   I highly recommend it. 

“For the rest of my life I will sit + imagine

what my father would say in any given moment.

+ I will make him up:

his words, his advice, our memories.”