An action packed and emotional journey, this is one book I will for sure be recommending to all the teens. It reminded me a little of the movie A Far Off Place, which I adored as a teen.

This book is a little out of my genre of YA simply because of the subject matter. While interesting, the writing was sometimes a little too mature for my taste. I understand that this book was told from the perspective of teenagers, but the narrative didn't always catch my attention and I found myself skimming some of the pages.

The story is about four Mexican teenagers who are fleeing the scene of a gruesome massacre in which all of their immediate family members die. The kids have no idea what to do with themselves so they run. They find themselves at he home of Sr. Ortiz who helps them get ready to cross the border.

While Pato, Arbo, and Gladys don't seem to know much about crossing, Marcos does. Marcos is a tough character to read. It's obvious he wants to be the tough guy but you can also tell that he's scared. He wants to be in charge, only he makes terrible decisions and nearly gets them all killed multiple times.

In addition to struggling through the desert and trying to stay alive, Pato and Arbo find out something about their father's that makes their grief even worse. It's a heartbreaking story.

While I enjoyed reading about the crossing of the border and was glad to have some insight of what happens to people trying to find a better life, it felt like a lot of the story was repetitive. The same mistakes were being made and the same things kept happening.

I would have loved to have seen a little into the future of the characters and their life after. Still a good informational read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcefire for the ARC.

This was an interesting read. I, personally, haven't seen another book with this kind of premise so I was intrigued by the summary. I've heard about the struggles of people crossing the border but I got a better understanding of it in this fictional setting.
President Trump's wall seems more of a waste of money, time and resources, after reading just a little about the grueling journey these people already have to go through.

The characters were all likable. I wasn't always happy with some of their decisions but I was able to sympathize with them. I would definitely recommend this book!

The Border is a hard hitting, gritty read that grabs your attention by starting with a hugely distressing multiple shooting and doesn't let up interest wise until the very last page. A group of four teenagers, orphaned by the shooting, are forced to flee Mexico to escape from the most powerful gang, La Frontera (the border). The urgency and adrenaline filled panic they feel is conveyed very well and their extreme thirst whilst in the desert was vividly described. The accidental shooting of one of them that leads to a tragic outcome is heartbreaking but the ending, although in keeping with the bleakness of the rest of the story, is at least hopeful.

This superb YA novel about 4 teenagers orphaned in a massive drug massacre in a Mexican border town will have your heart in your throat and tears in your eyes.

After their entire families have been murdered, the young people realize they are not safe and set out on the arduous journey across the Sonoran desert, hoping to illegally, but safely, cross the border into Arizona, where an unknown future, but one certainly better than the past they have fled, awaits them. Living in Arizona, I know only too well what border crossers, who are not crazed drug mules or criminals, but simply living, breathing, human beings, face as they make their way across an open desert, filled with rattlesnakes, both human and reptile, brutal, blazing sun with hardly any shade, and even less water and food, undertake when they make the choice to seek a better life. That four young adults would undertake such a journey, most of it on their own, is mind boggling. But I guess that one can conquer more obstacles than one could ever imagine in the quest to save one's own life.

I could not put this book down. While clearly written with the young adult reader as the intended audience, the characters, main and subsidiary, are so multidimensional that the adult reader can easily overlook the style of a book written for a younger audience.

This is a must read. Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Fast paced and action packed. This book draws attention to very real conditions for people living just south of the US Mexico border.

Pato, Arbo, and siblings Marcos and Gladys are the only survivors of a local Mexican gang's attack. They are now on the run from a local Mexican gang and their only hope of survival is crossing into the United States. With no time to cross legally or find a guide, the group attempts to cross on their. The border is a harsh desert, where they attempt the impossible task of avoiding immigration for either side, the gang, and staying hydrated/safe against the elements.

I found the characters interesting. Their journey was compelling, though grueling and gritty.

I was able to read this book thanks to Netgalley.
Many years ago, when I was pregnant with my first baby, I had the opportunity to go on a trip with several of my students to Tijuana, Mexico. There we saw the border, and met with people who were preparing to cross - many not for the first time. That trip really opened my eyes. In many ways the book "The Border" had the same effect on me. The book centers around 4 teens who flee across the border into the Sonoran Desert to escape the narcos who killed their families. In the author's note, Schafer says that "The beginning of empathy is realizing that everyone has a story". This is a poignant, painful story, but it's an incredibly important story -- especially for those of us lucky to be born on this side of the border.

he border between Mexico and the US is something I know next to nothing about. I have little to no knowledge of what life is like for those that live on the Mexican border, the drug gangs, or what life is like for Mexicans, and this book really opened my eyes. A week-long trek across a harrowing desert, fleeing gunmen who’ve put a price on their heads, and and trying to survive in the searing heat is something I can barely conceive. But Schafer does an excellent job of putting the reader in the desert with these scared kids.
Gladys and Marcos and Pato and Arbo are two mismatched pairs who don’t even really like each other, but are thrown together by unfortunate (understatement) circumstance and forced to work together, or risk that none of them will survive.
Tense, taut, high-stakes, and always sympathetic, the contrast between these kids fleeing death and destruction and the casual holidaymakers they meet from the US is stark in highlighting the difference a few hundred kilometres of birthplace can make to your life.

The Border was an excellent book – I could practically feel the heat of the desert emanating from it, and I was entirely caught up in Pato, Arbo, Glady, and Marcos’s struggle to survive. Not knowing who to trust (trusting nobody) and struggling across the desert in search of a better world, I was utterly captivated by this chilling (ironically) and still somewhat heart-warming pilgrimage.

It was a quick read with a lot of action and very accessible characters. Great for reluctant readers, and exposes students to a human element of the drug problem in Mexico. Some details either got resolved too easily or were glossed over, but that is to be expected in a short novel.

First thoughts as I finished: Wow. This was a situation unlike any I had read about or heard about in intimate detail. And as many other reviewers have commented, it's timely considering all the talk in the news about immigration, illegals and the need for a wall between the US and Mexico.

I'm personally Canadian so my exposure/experience to immigration is generally limited to legit immigration and refugees. The experiences these four teenagers deal with as a result of a gangland attack at a birthday party is horrific. I sped through much of this book as the action built but there were also moments of humor and happiness, where the characters remembered good times/happier moments from their past, moments they could cling to in tougher times. The constant fear and stress made my own heart race at times.

While I knew all four probably wouldn't come out of this unscathed I was disappointed about who the author chose to eliminate. It felt like the easy choice.

I really enjoyed the characters and how different they were. Each brought their own specific strengths and weaknesses that made the journey that much more challenging. And I really enjoyed the naivety of all the characters about living in the US and what it meant to just cross the border. Their knowledge and expectations were a little heartbreaking considering the horrible events they would have to live through JUST to make it.

Great story overall and a fantastic read.

Thanks so much for inviting me to reviews this title. It does not sound like something I would currently enjoy, so I have decided not to read and review it!

Tense, fast paced, and a healthy dose of 'I can't believe the author did (thing) to (character)!' I wasn't sure what to expect from this title, but I'm glad I tried it. It's not a part of the world that I know very much about, so it was nice to read this and learn a little. I'd love a sequel, but I don't suppose that's likely.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this title.

After reading this book I understand a lot more now why so many people run away to other countries - after all, I'd want to run away too if I was in the same situation. It's definitely opened to my eyes to the world. I connected with all the characters and even learnt to really like Marcos - I see that he's not a bad guy, just perhaps... misunderstood. I read this book in a few days, which is really good for me, as sometimes it can take me weeks! It just goes to show how much the story hooked me. I can't really find any faults with the book at all; the only reason I gave it four stars and not five is because I didn't cry. As silly as that sounds, I am an emotional person and cry very easily and that certain scene towards the end just didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped.

Hi, I was auto-approved for this but it is not my usual read so unlikely to. Thanks though!

I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

THE BORDER is an action-packed, fast-paced adventure where our heroes go across, well, the border. It's a fast read, too! It flows, and it's very entertaining. Although some of the events seem far-fetched, the sad truth is it happens. And it isn't pretty. I grew in Mexico and, believe me, the story feels authentic--kuddos to Steve Schafer for that.

In summary, THE BORDER is a fast-read thriller that feels authentic.

This book is beyond incredible. It takes you where we have never been. It is a non-stop read. I could not put it down. If I had 2 minutes I read pages. it takes you into the heart of the Troubles on the Mexican Border. It will make you sick, make you sad, make you happy and most of all it will make you understand. Such a wonderfully written book

This isn't the type of book I normally read, but I'm glad I did. It's exciting, fast paced, heart breaking in spots. I'll keep it on my Kindle for cold winter days, as it definitely made me feel the heat! The characters were very real to me and I felt for them as they did their best to escape.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I'll look forward to it coming into stock.

A powerful story of 4 teens fleeing violence in Mexico. I don't want to give any details away, but the teens, 2 are cousins and best friends and two are brother/sister, are left with an impossible situation. They begin the journey to the city of Ajo in the US in order to stay alive. But they quickly find that the journey alone may kill them and the situation they are fleeing isn't letting go easily. 

I found this a powerful narrative and a true to life account of the dangers immigrants face. While not all flee due to the extreme situation outlined here, all flee in search of opportunities and a better life. This is an excellent book for a teen group to read and discuss topics of family and immigrants. Highly recommended.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.

This was a tough book to read. The violence was astounding. The story is basically that a family is hit by a drug cartel and most of them are killed. A few of the teenagers survive and know they have to flee the country. They do not have the money to pay a guide or coyote and try to make it on their own. I know this is a work of fiction, but it does make you wonder how close to the true state of affairs in Mexico this really is.