The Victoria in My Head

I really enjoyed this one a lot! I’m giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Thanks to Miss Print’s ARC Adoption Program for providing me a copy in exchange for a honest review. Books that focus on music are definitely my jam, and this one is no exception. I’m pretty sure some people might have problems relating with the main character, but I loved her. Maybe because I feel like we were almost the same back when I was her age, except I didn’t have the kind of friends she did. The group of people in this book were excellent overall! I loved Strand (I’d definitely fangirl over him), Annie, Krina, Matty, and even Victoria’s parents (Gloria and Jorge). This book made me laugh some, and even made me emotional at certain parts; I love when books can do both! The ending was really good, and made me hopeful for this group and what’s to come. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that the last several chapters were some of my favorite. Like my heart couldn’t handle the cuteness, and wanted to burst with joy. I can’t wait to see what else this debut author comes out with! I recommend this book for all YA contemporary lovers. Go read this one people! It made me feel like a teenager all over again. This isn’t really relevant to my feels, but there are song titles for each of the chapters, and it made me want to go listen to each of them (56 in total). I think it would be really cool to listen to the songs as you’re reading the chapters, if noise doesn’t distract you. One last thing: I love Victoria’s playlists; I’m kind of jealous that she can do that so easily!

I LOVED this book!!! It’s a funny, fast-paced read that features a diverse cast of characters. Victoria and her Cuban-American family are SO relatable and lovable. I also loved Victoria’s friends! Annie and the bandmates are amazing. I wish I could be friends with them! Oh, and the hate-to-love sexual tension between Victoria and Strand is absolutely perfect. The Latinx representation was definitely there, expertly weaved throughout the book without using stereotypes. I particularly loved the quince rehearsals and actual quince towards the end— we’ve all danced in a prima’s quince at some point in our lives! Victoria’s parents were very involved in her life, which is great to see. They obviously cared deeply for Victoria, but they also inadvertently put a lot of pressure on her to achieve The American Dream and attend an Ivy League college. I thought this aspect was handled really well— as the daughter of immigrant parents, I related to this SO. HARD. The pressure of making your parents’ sacrifice worth it can be overwhelming at times, and Janelle portrayed this PERFECTLY. Even though the Latinx elements were definitely there, I also just really liked that this book featured a Latina main character without being a book “about the issues.” It was kind of like Jane the Virgin in that way. Yes, Victoria is Latina, but that’s not the main topic of the book. She is a normal high school student, going through normal high school things. Watching Victoria grow throughout the book as she experience so many “firsts” is really important for young readers to see. This is the book I needed in high school! As a teen, I never found any books that featured someone like me— I’m so happy that this book is in the world! I can’t wait to read other books by Janelle Milanes.