This book was so cute. If I had to sum my feelings up in a short paragraph I would say that it was one of the best emotional relatable roller coasters that I’ve ever read.

First things first – Diversity. Its rare that you’d see a book of this age range with an actual diverse range of people. Normally it follows a middle class white set of characters, which can always get boring. But with this book, I was able to notice that the author actually put effort into having a diverse and unique set of characters. Characters like Lan, Kiki, Dr Pavlica, Mr Kapur, and Aisha were prime examples of this. Even though they weren’t main characters, this is quite the deal. This book was not only diverse in race but in sexuality as well, including everyone from the spectrum of the world.

The beginning of the book was beautiful. It gave warning to the reader that it was going to be sorrowful. And it was, but it had a tint of humor that lightened up the grief everyone was going through. The style of the book (January to January – each chapter in a month) was a very unique like the rest of the book and helped the reader understand that the emotions the characters were going through lasted a while. Unlike other books, where the format of the book made the emotions feel like they happened in such a short time.

Sofia’s character structure is very well written. She’s 14 and at the age where she needs her mom the most. She goes through so much while dealing with the grief of her dead mother. Sofia’s mother’s death left such a dent in her family and they all struggled in moving on. Her honesty, innocence, and naivety are all examples of her youth. She’s flexible and understanding and slowly adapts better to changes over time, a sign of her slowly growing up and becoming who she is.

Overall though, the plot of Speed of Life was not predictable or wild. I could understand where the book was going pretty early on. But it was an emotional, diverse, funny, cute coming of age story. It didn’t have one theme, which could make it relatable girls growing up. A cute read, and I loved it!

This book will be on our library shelf this year and I will be recommending it to my middle school readers who want realistic fiction with problems they can identify with in their own lives. The universal themes of loss, adolescent angst, and becoming comfortable with your own identity will appeal to many of my readers.

I'm going to purchase a copy of this room for my classroom library, even though it did not really work for me. It seems like a good exploration on how grief affects the protagonists, but the characters and some of their relationships were not as developed as I hoped.

This book had everything! Humor, real life situations, family! This was considered young adult, but I would say middle grade! Cute book! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Not sure if this could be considered YA, it's more like middle grade 5th-7th. This touches on a lot of real life situations that kids can relate to. It's difficult for adults to write for kids at young ages because of what they go through. Adults think they know, because they've been there, but it's not always the case.

Anyway, this was tactfully done, it didn't "go" anywhere, but it was simply a book about life. You can't really judge that because it varies from person to person, but I was simply quite pleased with this story and how it was written. It reminded me a lot of the Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor in a way, and I truly liked that. It's hard to find real life stories that fit today's kids because even though kids are kids regardless of the years, little cultural aspects change and impact kids, so I highly recommend this one. Again, not everyone's cup, but definitely more positives than negatives.

I received a digital copy of this YA novel from NetGalley in exchange for this review. 14-year-old Sofia is having a difficult time letting go of the pain she’s experiencing from the sudden death of her mother. Her gynecologist father is doing the best he can to help her, but he’s grieving the loss as well. This book takes us month by month through a year in her life. Her dad starts a relationship with a surprising figure and this leads to big changes in Sofia’s life: new family, new school, and budding romance.

There’s a lot for middle grade students to enjoy. And this might be a terrific book to share with young readers who are experiencing grief in their own lives. However, while the book is aimed at kids ages 10 and up, there are some mature themes and language involving teenagers’ changing bodies, sex, and pregnancy that would be more appropriate for high school readers. Definitely consider the maturity and sensitivities of your readers.

A rambling view of a year in the life of a girl trying to survive the death of her mother and the pain of her father dating again. It was nice that the main character is latina and bilingual, smart and honest about her feelings (at least to herself), but the story seemed to go on forever. Not in a boring way, but there was a lot of issues covered. Some kids will like it, some will get bored, but I think it's worth a try.

'Speed of Life' is a very moving YA novel about 14 year old Sofia who suddenly lost her beloved mum. Sofia feels sad most of the time, she thinks that her life has ended together with her mum's. She doesn't see any hope for feeling better until she finds some answers in Dear Kate - a columnist in a magazine for teens. What happens next is a turn around of events nobody has ever expected and Sofia is given new life, new home, new school and even new family. It's a very well-written book for all the sensitive types.

Sofia lost her mother several months ago when a brain aneurysm took her life. She hasn't been able to move on, and it is starting to affect most of the relationships in her life. Stuck and unable to figure out how to get past this terrible event, she decides to look for help in an unlikely place: Dear Kate. She starts writing to the advice columnist for Fifteen Magazine, Dear Kate, and finally starts to figure some things out. Things change, however, when Sofia's father starts to move on by dating the person behind Dear Kae. Can Sofia still trust her, or is her one confidant now off limits?

Speed of Life was a very touching book full of many funny, heartfelt moments. Sofia's growth and change throughout the book will resonate with many young people, especially young girls. The advice Dear Kate gives not only applies to Sofia, but will apply to many young people reading the book.

If I have one criticism of this book, it would be that the pacing seems to be a little off. There were parts where the book seemed to drag a little, and not much was happening. It seems like the story could have used a good editor, as about a third of the book could have been cut out to streamline the story and keep it more focused. Despite that, it was a very enjoyable book with some great messages. If you're looking for a good read, or have a young adult that may be looking for some guidance, pick up this book!

A very good book. I especially like that the story doesn't end prematurely, like so many others of this type do, but continues a bit into the "happily ever after", which isn't unrealistically picture perfect.

We can be travelling along in life, with not a thought to the future and never really appreciating and living in each moment. In an instant that life we were living can be changed drastically. It could be a car accident, a broken bone, an old secret coming to light and even a death in the family. All of a sudden, the direction we were taking is completely altered and we are expected to somehow move on because no matter what life keeps going regardless of how we feel.

Sofia is a young girl (teenager) who suddenly loses her Mother and unfortunately was the person to find her Mother dead. In that one moment, life as she knew it was over. She was lost, stuck in her grief with no idea on how to get out of it. The little things that used to be so important weren’t so important anymore. Everything reminded her of her Mother which instead of filling her with joy filled her with pain. I think we can all relate to this, it took me almost two years to be able to look at my Grandfather’s room without crying. You constantly expect that person to be there, to make a joke or to jump up and say hello.

We follow Sofia as she struggles through her grief and navigating important milestones in school – including boys. She has no one to go to talk to this anymore – she most definitely could not talk to her Dad. But then to make it worse, her Dad begins to change and has somehow managed to smile again. Sofia turns to her best friend’s columnist for help but ends up getting more than she bargained for again.

Speed of Life is beautifully written, I could not put this book down and finished it in one night. I wanted to reach out and hold Sofia and let her know it does get better. Pain never disappears but it becomes easier to carry. That we need to look for our loved ones in the small moments (maybe a rainbow, a butterfly, their favourite song and so on). It is a story of hope, faith and recovery of a young girl. It is a perfect book for both young adults and adults alike that stands as a reminder that life doesn’t wait for anyone. No matter how broken, hurt and in pain we are – life keeps moving on. It is how we decide to move with it that makes or breaks us.

Very cute, funny, heartwarming and sweet. Compare to Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy.