Being the middle child has its ups and downs.
But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—
Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.
And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.
Book Review:
I read this book in two days because I was so invested in the story. I wanted to know when Grace would heal, emotionally and be able to forgive herself for giving Peach up for adoption. I wanted to know if she would meet her biological mother and how that would help her move forward and possibly have a relationship with Peach. I wanted Maya to find her place. She seemed to lost. I wanted Joaquin to finally be adopted, to finally be able to open up and be comfortable and know that having others love him would not hurt him or them every time. The first night that I was reading the book, I was only about 100 pages in and forced myself to put the book down because it was already 11pm and I had over 300 pages to go. The next night, I turned the TV off, said goodnight to my dad, and read for a solid three hours in order to finish. I was so happy.
The book made me feel for every person who has been adopted and wanted to find their biological family but never could. I became even more interested in helping those who get lost in the foster care system. I loved this story. The character that I resonated with the most was Grace. I never experienced teen pregnancy. I've been raised by my biological parents and have a slew of siblings, unlike Grace. However, Grace and I both deal with things in similar manners. I could tell based on how she gave up Peach, how she immediately slid into the big sister role for Maya, how she reacted to meeting her older brother, and how persistent she was in finding her biological mother. I felt like I would have reacted and made the same decisions that she did. Maya was more rebellious and Joaquin was too scared of caring too much.
I loved the dynamic that was built between Grace, Joaquin, and Maya. I loved how their families didn't let their children's needs to connect with one another make them feel like they were less than, instead the families just grew.
I was also very glad that Benway depicted the difficulties of alcoholism and the foster care system. Maya and her sister are hiding their mothers empty wine bottles, dumping out the rest of the alcohol, and going about their lives while she remains passed out in her room. Benway also depicts the troubles that many children have when their alcoholic parent goes to rehab. That person is no longer in their face 24/7, they no longer have to hide their alcohol, etc. That time give the child time to feel anger, resentment, and eventual forgiveness, hopefully. Maya felt all of that and it was an interesting dynamic to read. Also, Benway depicts the struggles that so many people face while they are being bounced around in the foster care system. Joaquin was in 18 homes in 17 years. He was bounced from family to family. He experienced failed adoptions, abuse at the hands of foster parents, etc. What Joaquin went through strongly resembles what others experience and how the foster care system really needs to be changed.
Pages: 389 Rate: 5/5
Favorite Quote:
“The older she got, the more human her parents seemed, and that was one of the scariest things in the world. She missed being little, when they were the all-knowing gods of her world, but at the same time, seeing them as human made it easier to see herself that way, too.”
