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Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
"I’m Cristal Escobedo, twenty-two years old and a former wild child who favors tequila far too much. But that all changed when life happened, and I ended up being responsible for my younger brothers. To top it all off, I think I’m falling in love with my best friend — dammit," is the gist of 3volve by Josefina Gutierrez. I liked the use of Spanish. I think having that extra layer of dimension really rounded out the story and gave Cristal's character a nice, well-rounded feeling. I didn't love the use of the glossary though (because I wasn't sure how to get back to my page on the story). I think it would have been nice if the words were slightly explained within the text, like giving the reader context clues. For example, I think the reader could guess what "cajon" meant if there was a little description after. That way the reader feels like they are still part of the story, but learning and experiencing the story at the same time.
I liked the sweet romance of this story as well. Despite everything that is going wrong in Cristal's life, she never gave up. Her spunk showed through and I wanted her to have the love she deserved. Dealing with falling in love with a best friend is always tricky, and I think a lot of young people will appreciate the references on how to navigate this slippery slope. It was sweet how Cristal's brothers showed up in the book and I enjoyed their characters as well. I especially liked how they helped Cristal and Charlie connect in the end, and how the whole family seemed to evolve from such loss.
