This Side of Home by Renée Watson

This Side of Home is the story of Maya Younger and her community. New shops have been opening up on their street and people that have been living in homes for years are suddenly having to move because of rising costs.

While Nikki, Maya’s twin sister, embraces the new neighbors and cool shops, Maya isn’t so open to the changes. And with a new principal mouthing on and on about “diversity,” Maya’s having trouble understanding how to handle all the new things in her life. Including new love.

I want to begin my review by saying representation matters and talking about these tough issues matter, too. Being colorblind is not the solution to the problems we’re facing.

It felt amazing reading a story with a main character that I truly connected to. I’m so used to reading about characters who are different from me in appearance, outlook, and personality. This was certainly not one of those situations.

This Side of Home is one of the few books I’ve read where I’ve gotten an instant connection to the main character. It is also a story where I could understand every single character in what they stood for. I could relate them all to people in my own life, both past and present.

I laughed, I cried, I danced up and down with joy while my mom looked at me like I was crazy. This is a story that will give you all the feels. It’s a must read for everyone, especially girls like me who just want to be represented.

This guest review was contributed by Educated Negra. An up and coming book blogger, she loves getting books from diverse points of view into the public eye. On her blog, you’ll be able to find book reviews and the occasional poem.