Kirkus
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After Melisa Flores’ mom gets engaged to Roxy Romero’s dad, the girls team up to stop their upcoming wedding. The Miami classmates, rising Latine seventh graders, are total opposites who can’t stand each other: Meli is a reserved artist raised with strict rules, while Roxy is a popular jock with a more relaxed home life. Their younger brothers, Benji and Ben, grow close, but the girls vow never to become stepsisters. Forced to live together unhappily in a fixer-upper, the girls concoct their Disaster Plan to break up their parents and get their old lives back. Together they engineer fights, sabotage the home renovations, and exacerbate Meli’s Mami’s and Roxy’s Dad’s clashing parenting styles. However, the more successful their plan becomes, the more they question what they actually want. Maybe they can be more than just good partners in crime—even the friend the other needs? This co-authored story alternates between Meli’s and Roxy’s perspectives, showcasing their distinct voices and points of view. Weaving tried-and-true tropes with fresh scenarios and characterization, Acevedo and Sylvester deftly navigate the complicated aspects of family, chronic illness (Meli has scoliosis), changing relationships, and growing up, handling it all with heart and humor. Silly hijinks and earned moments of real emotional resonance round out this accessible middle-grade read. A sincere and appealing representation of the highs and lows of blending a family.(Fiction. 8-12) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.