What I liked: The complexity of Nala's relationships - her cousin, her mother, herself - they were layered, they were challenged, and they weren't wrapped up in bows at the end.

What I struggled with: The conflict. The lies that Nala tells are pretty deep and take a long time to come to the surface (much, much longer than I was comfortable with). And at the end, I don't really know what I was supposed to take away from this - I liked the emphasis on self-love, but it kind of didn't feel like that was addressed within the main conflict (the lies told).

Spoiler

I really thought Nala would end up doing the photo legacy project - the residents seemed so into it!! - and I was so so disappointed when that didn't happen. And I didn't really feel any emotional impact with the project that Nala ends up doing. Idk, that ending just felt disappointing, because I really loved the time that Nala spent with the older folks.

What I loved: The creation of Blue, the pages of lyrics, the callback at the end.

I did enjoy the writing of this book, Nala and her family, but I found the source of conflict (Nala not fitting in with the activist group) to be painful, and the lies just felt like a Big Deal for me!! It's one thing to lie to someone you have a conversation or two with, but

Spoiler

the fact that they were dating just made it too much, and the ending felt like it glossed over that.

3.5/5 stars. I think.