In this novel, Julia is trying to recover from the unexpected death of her older sister while her parents are trying to deal with burying their daughter, Olga. Julia is suspicious of Olga's life or lack thereof after her death. This suspicion leads Julia to discover the secrets of her family and impact her approach to adulthood.

At the beginning of the novel, Julia is at her sister's funeral. It is at that funeral, the reader learns that Olga was her mother's favorite child. This is because Olga was the perfect Mexican daughter, who not only helped her mother cook and clean but also confided to her mother. However, Julia finds her mother not necessarily overbearing but overly obsessive which increases after Ogla's death. Throughout the novel, Julia is dreaming about the day she will head to college, being able to get away from her strict mother and indifferent father. Enter a boy and a crazy twist.

For a Mexican reader, you resonate with Julia feeling suffocated by an overzealous mother telling you how you act or who you are is not typical of a "good" daughter. There is also the assumption of a culture that you and your culture are the same, for example, when Julia is forced to make tortillas and her mother comments on how she doesn't know how to properly heat up or roll out tortillas which somehow equivalates to her not being equipped to handle adult life. The fight between the mother, that clings to tradition and the "rebellious" daughter is a hard read. It is hard not to feel the fear of Julia's mother given that Julia is young. But also siding with Julia as she struggles with her new reality.

Certain parts of the book, are hard to read. However, it is a great book that follows a young girl through her journey of trying to discover herself while also discovering the truth about the people who raised her.