sometimes i’m like mmmm maybe i’ve outgrown YA, but books like these show me i can find books i enjoy out there! i didn’t play soccer, but i appreciate this as a girl who grew up playing sports. i think mendez does a great job of highlighting layers of argentinian culture, from fùtbol to the rising feminist movement to the shackles of domestic abuse and violence and trying to make it out of the barrio. i liked the combination of realistic outcomes but still daring to dream big and reach the reader’s imagination with achieving your dreams. i’m down to read whatever the author puts out in the future; she’s solidified a follower in me. now i just want to read books like this! will be seeking more fiction about girls playing sports, a genre i didn’t realize would touch me so closely :)