It took me a while to figure out why I loved this novel so much. Was it the funny, smart, and realistic teenagers going through the most important day of their lives so far? Was it the mysterious hand of fate that winds its way through the novel? Was it the timely poignancy of reading a novel about two immigrants, one legal, one undocumented, and what it means to belong--or not--to America? Or was it just the beautiful writing and sharp observation of Nicola Yoon? Ultimately it was everything together, rolled into one magical work of fiction.