"I don't want to spend the rest of my life searching for someone who isn't here anymore."
pages: 262
read: 7/12-13/2020
book: 57 in 2020
"You were right," I tell him.
He looks at me. "Of course I was. About what?"
SYNOPSIS
From the author of If This Were a Story comes a heartfelt, coming-of-age novel about sisterhood, friendship, and the stories behind our journeys that connect us to one another.
Cassi has always been proud to be Puerto Rican, but when others comment on her appearance, telling her she doesn’t look like the rest of her family, Cassi begins to question everything.
At school, Cassi finds a distraction in the Math Olympics, where she is able to do what she loves and soon befriends Aaron, the new boy who tells her stories about all the tree towns he’s lived in. Just when everything seems to be getting better, a painful video goes viral and Cassi wonders if Mapleton is just another stop on Aaron’s list.
As the seasons change, Cassi must learn to solve the pieces of her life that are varied and emotional and at times, beautiful. And even when they don’t equate, reveal a rewarding answer.
THOUGHTS
GAH!
ever since I started picking up KIDS YA books last year, I've been so lucky to score some mega gems. 😍
From Dusti Bowling (book 1/2/3) (whose new book I've already preordered) to Dana Alison Levy to Erin Entrada Kelly; they've all written amazingly beautifully worded stories about kids that I hold dear to my heart. Now I have The Last Tree Town by Beth Turley to add to this collection.
Like I've said in every single one of those book posts, if I ever have children, these are the kind of stories I want to raise them with.
Something about the fact there are stories such as these out there for not only me to discover but all of the future generations that are to follow makes me utterly happy.
I know these are considered YA books but I feel like they're more kids books than anything else....and that's what makes me happy. learning how to properly learn and convey your emotions is something you're never too young to learn.
At the core of this book, this story is about Cassi discovering herself as a human and how her identity defines her or its lack thereof. All the while you see her sister Daniella go through some changes just like Cassi but in the opposite direction. At the end of the day, Daniella will always be the older sister but their paths as sisters might look a bit different for a while and they're both learning that themselves; within each other and apart.
Not only that but you also have Aaron's story which I expected to be funny in a way. not sure AT ALL why I thought that. Maybe because his attitude when they first meet was so upbeat.....idk.
His story was just as heartbreaking but needed for this entire thing to fit together beautifully. And Jac!!!!
(man, the names in this book fucked me uuuppp!)
I loved Jac. She's also dealing with her shit but just, her actions or the way people thought she was too much when she was just being authentically herself (but on like 15 monster energy drinks lol) made me love her even more
That scene where Cassi is talking to Mr G and then she scares them on the window: 😍😍😍
And then we have B E N
ohmygooooooodddnnneeesss did I love the living daylights outta this kiiiiiid!!!!!!
He's so happy!!!! He's so full of life! He's also soooo authentically himself! I just couldn't handle with how happy he made meee!!! Even if on book terms he's the one that's "best off" in the group, he fits in so well! He's perfect. They're all perfect. They're all perfect for each other! Together!
I loved them all.
We're told this story is about Cassi discovering who she is through her nationality and her figuring out how to show people that she is in fact Puerto Rican when everything about her screams opposite.
....but really it's so much more. Its Aaron's life story about his tree towns. It's about Jac and her struggle in a way about how she's adapting being the daughter of divorced parents. To Ben's zest for life. To Diana's current struggle with life.
All these things thrown together (plus others) make for such a beautiful story to read.
I'm so glad I randomly found this one on page ones Instagram. I'm so glad that cover caught my attention because if being honest with y'all, that's the reason I bought this book. I read the synopsis but it was the gorgeous cover that sold me.
I'm really glad to have read this one.
I'm glad it's a part of my life and I'm glad I own it.
I'm glad this book exists to show you that it's okay to deal with your depression and that you shouldn't hide it, there are people who want to help you, that you should be proud of your ethnicity no matter what others say, that it shows the value of love and friendship in such a loving way.
This book was just an all around hit for me.
anyway, jump over for spoilers.
SPOILERS
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SPOILERS
Cassi is struggling with the fact that she doesn't look Puerto Rican. A stem of doubt planted by her sister. And the fact that her grandmother calls her fantasma (ghost) meaning she is super white while her sister has all the traces of being Puerto Rican isn't really helping either.
Daniella is dealing with the aftermath of seeing her grandpa lose himself to dementia. I'm pretty sure there's more to that but that is what I've taken from it at the moment. she might be depressed over other things but what i interpreted was that that was what triggered it.
Jac is always rebelling because her parents split and her father has now started dating Leslie. She thinks the more trouble she is, the less attention her dad will pay to Leslie. She thinks she can break them apart by rebelling over and over again. (this isnt the first person her dad dates but she is the only one thats stuck around. turns out Leslie is a therapist....not that that has anything to do with anything but it comes through in the end....)
Ben is just the happiest kid in all of the land.
Aaron is new in town.
He says that his father has them moving from tree town to tree town.
He meets Cassi in mathletes where they plays 2 truths, 1 lie. Cassi states her 3 things and one of the truths is that she's Puerto Rican. Aaron thinks that ones a lie and it upsets her so to ask for her forgiveness, he tells her that he will tell her a story from each tree town. (there's 5)
He does.
But the point is....is that his mother walked out on him and his father. She left a note saying that she needed to be free and wasnt meant for this kinda life so she wanted to go live in the tree towns.
Aarons father has been moving them around with the hopes of running into her but like one of the kids say "you cant find what doesn't want to be found." so this is the last place that they end up moving to.
But the point is....is that his mother walked out on him and his father. She left a note saying that she needed to be free and wasnt meant for this kinda life so she wanted to go live in the tree towns.
Aarons father has been moving them around with the hopes of running into her but like one of the kids say "you cant find what doesn't want to be found." so this is the last place that they end up moving to.
at the core of this story, you have Cassi trying to find ways to prove her ethnicity BUT she's also trying to help bring back Daniella.
its not until Daniella has a breakdown (that of course is recorded and posted online) that she finally gets the help she needs. it just so happens that this outburst takes place the same day that Cassi has her mathletes meet to qualify for state finals.
while at the meet, they get a break so Cassi goes to her phone to see where her family is since she cant seem to find them when she sees she has all these messages telling her to stay off social media. so of course she logs on and sees whats happening; she ditches the mathletes (which eek! because she was like the main person). she calls her uncle, they take her home and eventually Daniella starts therapy at the advice of Leslie.
theres obvs a lot of other stuff i left out but thats the gist of it.
LOVED THIS READ!!!!
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