The Summary

It wasn't until Milly Kaufman met Pablo, a new student at her high school, that she realized she was just a regular American adolescent living in Vermont. Milly is forced to confront her identity as an adopted kid from Pablo's home nation by his unique accent, peculiar sense of fashion, and deep interest in her. As their connection develops, Milly makes the brave decision to travel to her birthplace and learns along the way that the tale of her origin is entwined with the tale of a nation overcoming a dark past.

My Review

The utterly endearing story of a child who was adopted and raised in the US and who faces her reluctance and concerns regarding her unknown origins. Sadly, I didn't particularly like this book.

The stress that many adoptees feel when they learn about their birth families and the affects that has on their adopted family is really very well addressed in this book. However, when Millie, our MC, went to the distant country, the story seemed to lose its momentum. I thought it lagged and felt forced.

Since the novel is ultimately about identity, I thought it removed an important aspect of the main character's sense of self. I believe the author may have opted to keep Millie's true origins a secret in order to make the story more universal and symbolic of the several nations that are ruled by dictatorships. Furthermore, I didn't really notice the historical connection as a reader.

The characters were decent enough. Along with the main plot, the book also has a sweet love story that I thought was engaging and that fit in wonderfully with the character personalities. The writing is beautifully written, showcasing a beautiful example of familial and cultural discovery. The book, in my opinion, did a good job.

Overall, I wouldn't say this book is as awful as I could have imagined it to be, but I'm not the target demographic, and I believe many readers will enjoy it more than I do. What you prefer is up to you.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.