Well written with interesting characters. Loved the writing style. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Good delve into a child's view of blended families👨‍👩‍👧

I thought the plot and the way the author told everything from the nine year old's point of view were totally attuned to what a middle grade child would find most appealing. This book deals with serious issues: past child abuse, the isolation from friends children went through during the pandemic, the complexities of growing blended families and a child's vivid imagination. Isla is so filled with fears of what living with a new stepmother will bring and she has legitimate concerns due to problems with a previous stepmom. The author did a great job of nuancing the family issues and validating the child's feelings.

My only issues were that the book starts too abruptly, as if it's missing an introductory chapter, and the Spanish that occasionally crops in is never explained. I don't believe this child's story is unique to the Spanish-speaking community.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This book succeeds in addressing some very thorny issues with gentleness and ease. Please check the trigger warnings to see what to watch out for.

Isla is a young girl who has been through a lot. Without having been able to properly process what has happened to her, she is left with memories and emotions that are sometimes difficult to handle.

When she comes to live with her father and his new wife for 6 months, Isla is expecting (and planning!) the worst from and for her Evil Stepmother. And she is certainly not planning to make things any easier for her...

What Isla finds waiting for her is something quite different from her expectations. Because sometimes, when life throws you a curve ball, it can be the best kind of surprise.

This is a sensitive and touching exploration of one young girl's experience, but it can be felt for and understood by others who may have had very different experiences. For children of the appropriate age, this book provides the opportunity for a wonderful exercise in empathy.

Given some of the topics covered in this book , I was a little concerned about reading this with all of my grandchildren (we usually group read 6- 15) but I though maybe I could edit out any unsuitable passages. I like to read more challenging book as a way of starting difficult conversations with the children and give them an opportunity to talk about problems or worries. This did start a number of conversations naturally and I did not need to edit at all. The tale of Isla and her family and friends is handled in a beautifully sensitively child centred way. One of my grandaughters said the Isla's thoughts and worries were ' sort of how she felt sometimes', and all of the children had great empathy for Isla. A challenging but ultimately important and satisfying book to read with children.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review my first book. This book reminded me a lot of Becoming Naomi Leon, one of my favorite elementary level books. I appreciated the opening, meant for adults to read, with a preview of the content. That being said, the story was told in an honest, completely age appropriate manner, in the main character’s point of view. While the alarming trend of attempting to ban books continues in the United States, this book is a fantastic reminder of the power that books have, a child will read this story and feel seen, heard, and hopefully feel some peace.