This is a solid contemporary YA that does the work of representing Puerto Rican teens in the Bronx while delivering a classic coming-of-age story about class, identity, and family. Margot starts out pretty insufferable—materialistic, ashamed of her roots, willing to lie and steal to climb the social ladder—but that's the point. Her summer working at her family's grocery store becomes the crucible for real growth.

Rivera doesn't make it easy or neat. Margot has to confront her own internalized racism and classism, the ways she's bought into the idea that her Bronx neighborhood and hardworking parents are somehow 'less than' her wealthy prep school friends. The family dynamics are messy and real, and the romantic subplot with Moises (the neighborhood guy who sees through her BS) is predictable but effective.

It's not breaking new ground structurally—you can see the arc coming from a mile away—but the cultural specificity and honest treatment of class tension make it worthwhile. If your teen is looking for a book that deals with identity and belonging without being preachy, this delivers.