Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capo Crucet

"When Lizet-the daughter of Cuban immigrants and the first in her family to graduate from high school-secretly applies and is accepted to an ultra-elite college, her parents are furious at her decision to leave Miami. Just weeks before she's set to start school, her parents divorce and her father sells her childhood home, leaving Lizet, her mother, and Leidy-Lizet's older sister, a brand-new single mom-without a steady income and scrambling for a place to live...Pulled between life at college and the needs of those she loves, Lizet is faced with difficult decisions that will change her life --

3.5 stars. The character development in this book felt a bit lackluster, and some characters did things that made absolutely no sense, while others were fleshed out strangely.

Lizet Ramirez is the daughter of Cuban parents who came to the US as teen refugees. She upsets her family in Miami, FL by getting admitted to an elite college in New York state and insisting on going. The book is about her struggle to find the right course for herself between honoring her commitments to her family and following her own interests in studying biology and finding a life outside the Miami community where she grew up.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The author, Jennine Capo Crucet, does a good job of showing how complicated it can be to find one's own way when the demands of community and family are so strong, and how little understanding there is in the mainstream for people in Lizet's position. Lizet's actions in the story feel exasperating at times, especially when you can see that her defensiveness is costing her friendship and opportunities. At the same time, though, you can see all the forces exerting pressure on her and understand her defensiveness.

I found Lizet's story interesting, but the supporting characters (especially her family) felt underdeveloped and disappointing. I liked the message here, but felt like the story could have focused more on Lizet's successes and struggles rather than the stuff going on around her, a lot of which seemed to go in circles.