An unusual perspective; gentrification from the point of view of a teen in a stable family watching her neighborhood shift with the influx of money. The teen characters and a few adults in their lives talk about race, influence, power, economic & social pressures.

This book could appeal to a wide age-range, but is very simply written, with the language & social scenarios aimed at 13- to 15-year-olds. The love-interest is the thread that will most interest young readers, I believe. But the description of the politics and didactic goals of the various family members, teachers, and friends were fascinating to me, and could be of interest to some young readers.

Maya, the main character, has a twin (Nikki) who has similarities & differences in their personalities and reactions. Both of them establish close relationships with the white siblings who move in to the house their best friend had to vacate when the landlord sold it to make a profit.

I really enjoyed this story of twin sisters and their like-a-sister friend.

This Side of Home follows Maya, Essence, and Nikki through their senior year of high school, as their neighborhood transforms. Gentrification has brought some things they love - like some safer walks home and fun places to shop - and some things they hate - like high rents, the devaluation of their neighborhood's history, and new school administrators who possibly mean well but get it wrong. The girls are also growing up, and that means becoming themselves as individuals and seeking their own individual adult goals.

Some of Watson's writing in this book is so beautiful, poetic. The girls and many of the other characters are deep and real, expressing themselves in nuanced ways on some really difficult topics. There were places where I wanted to write down how some of these kids talked with and tried to understand one another. Reading this together with teens you love could open up some interesting and important conversations. It's also just a really good read.

More like 3.5 stars.

This is the third novel I’ve read from Ms. Renee Watson, and I really enjoy her young adult fiction. What I like most is that her books are set in Portland, Oregon. Not a lot of “black” books are set in that city and/or state that I know of, so it’s great to learn about a place I’ve never been to before. I loved that this incorporated Portland's black history as this issue of black neighborhoods are being gentrified. Great read!

*I received a copy of this book via NetGalley to review. All opinions below are completely mine.*

While I thought this book was a quick read and got through it pretty quickly, I wasn't that thrilled with it. It wasn't even anything wrong with the book itself, it just isn't the type of book that I would normally pick out to read.

Sisters Maya and Nikki are from a neighborhood that has always been a little run down, but now a lot of new businesses are moving into town and fixing things up a bit, making the neighborhood into an "up and coming" one. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but Maya thinks it is, as it starts to draw in more white families as it drives away other families who can't afford to keep living in the area. Nikki, on the other hand, feels like it is a good step for the neighborhood and has no problem with all of the new changes.

This leads to tensions between the sisters, and they grow farther apart until they are able to understand one another's perspectives and appreciate both the good and the bad of each of their opinions.

Yet another incredible Watson title. I loved reading this and I would absolutely love if more people picked up a copy soon, because this deserves all the hype

I thought it was a really good book; it was very inspirational.

This is the second YA novel by Renée Watson I've read, and both are absolutely outstanding. (The first was Piecing Me Together.)