In alternating chapters, narrators André Santana and Stacy Gonzalez depict the lives of two Mexican American teens, Danna and Raul, who find first love amid family struggles. The production offers a fascinating variation in point of view: Periodically one narrator slips effortlessly and dynamically into the narration of the other. Santana depicts Raul's sadness and worry after his mother's incarceration, release, and descent into depression; the relief he finds in music; and his joy at Danna's admiration of his work. Gonzalez portrays Danna's despair over her grandfather's dementia and her mother's constant criticisms and body shaming. The beauty of the teens' new love provides them with tenderness and acceptance. Both narrators capture the audiobook's free-verse form, sensory details, and cultural references.
(Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668621295
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Despite the novel’s weaker qualities, Araya captures the emotion and turmoil in Plath's youthful voice.
This audiobook, told in verse, explores Sylvia Plath's formative years. Some of the narrative effect may be lost in the audio format, but Jennifer Jill Araya navigates the text well. Delivered with a consistently forceful pace, Araya's Plath has a childlike quality that seems appropriate for this period in her life. Araya ably shifts among supporting characters' voices with effectively subtle changes. The audiobook format highlights how repetitive the narrative can be—Plath rails against 1950s societal expectations of women and writhes within the confines of her own self-doubt again and again—without really exploring Plath's writing or creative process.
Despite the novel’s weaker qualities, Araya captures the emotion and turmoil in Plath's youthful voice. (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 17 mins
DD ISBN: 9798895641415
Publisher: Oasis Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
A voice that turns verse into lived experience, lingering long after the final line.
Author Sawyerr delivers a raw, intimate performance that captures a teenager’s guarded bravado and quiet vulnerability. She inhabits Truth with striking authenticity, balancing sharp, rhythmic slam poetry with softer, uncertain inner reflections. Sawyerr’s vocal shifts—sounding sometimes defiant, sometimes aching—give dimension to a young woman navigating family tension, fractured friendships, and an unplanned pregnancy. The format, free verse mixed with journal entries, poetry prompts, and text messages, feels especially suited to audio, allowing Sawyerr’s cadence and timing to heighten emotional impact. Refreshingly, the story moves quickly beyond Truth’s decision to have an abortion, captivating listeners with an honest, immediate portrait of her evolving sense of self.
A voice that turns verse into lived experience, lingering long after the final line. (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798899744747
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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