When Reason Breaks by Cindy L Rodriguez

I'm sorry it took me so long to read When Reason Breaks. I must have checked out from the library multiple times before now when I actually read it. I wish I read it soon. It was a fantastic read but more than I was ever expecting.

Emily and Elizabeth are both in high school and are both struggling. Elizabeth's a little more outspoken so people see her as the problem child. Emily is quieter but still hurting. At the beginning both girls don't really know one another. But a class project about Emily Dickinson draws the two girls together and they realize they aren't that dissimilar. Friends, family, school puts pressure on Emily and Elizabeth. They both really see each other especially when they feel no one else sees them.

Rodriguez really wrote two very beautiful characters. Emily holds all her pain in. At the beginning of the book, it's starting to show. Sleeplessness, withdrawing from friends and activities she enjoyed. Elizabeth has been living with the pain longer. Elizabeth is starting to lash out-punching lockers, talking back to teachers. Rodriguez really explores depression and how it affects these two girls. I really loved Emily and Elizabeth. I did tear up at the end because watching them grow was so moving.

I was pleasantly surprised that Emily and Elizabeth were Latina and the book was set in a mostly Latino area. I enjoyed the Spanish sprinkled through the book.

I can't wait to read Rodriguez next book. When Reason Breaks would be a great read for older teens and up. A fantastic one for book clubs too. Plenty to discuss. Others who shared their thoughts on When Reason Breaks: Rich In Color, Disability In KidLit, and What Sarah Read.