First published 2021
Fabiola Toussaint steps off the plane in Detroit expecting to start a new life with her mother after leaving Port-au-Prince. Instead, U.S. immigration officials detain her mother, and Fabiola finds herself alone at the intersection of American Street and Joy Road. She moves in with her three American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess, who seem nothing like the family she imagined. The west side of Detroit feels harsh and unfamiliar. At her new school, Fabiola struggles to fit in while navigating an unexpected romance. Just as she begins to understand this strange world, someone approaches her with a dangerous offer. Fabiola realizes that achieving her American dream might require sacrificing everything she values. Standing at the crossroads of an impossible decision, she must choose what price she will pay for freedom.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Detroit, Port-au-Prince
Period: 21st-century
437 pages · Paperback · Thorndike Striving Reader
Content warnings: anxiety, depression