THIRTY TALKS WEIRD LOVE

Author Alessandra Narvez Varela narrates her debut, a teen novel in verse set in 1990s Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Young teen Anamaría struggles with academic drive, maintaining friendships, and her growing awareness of dangers in her beloved city, where femicide is rampant. When an odd woman called Thirty claims to be Anamaría's older self, she's understandably skeptical. Narvez Varela gives a passionate performance, and her forceful delivery style captures Anamaría's teen angst. At first, sibilant sounds are distracting to the listener, though as the story continues, they are less noticeable. However, characters lack differentiation, which is particularly confusing during Thirty and Anamaría' conversations. While the audiobook contains many phrases in Spanish, nonspeakers can understand them through contextual clues. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]