I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Beatriz as a protagonist. She grows throughout the story and rediscovering dance transforms her. I liked how the author put an emphasis on her identity as an Afro Latina.

Her relationship with Nasser was really sweet and it felt genuine. The two are really different characters but they both genuinely saw the best in each other and helped the other achieve their goals. They really brought the best out of the other.

The writing in the book is really beautiful and evocative. I really enjoyed reading the scenes where Beatriz dances. The author really knows how to evoke emotion in the reader and Beatriz's passion for dance really hops off the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's 1984, and Beatriz is a 15-year-old gang leader in Newark, NJ. A tragedy on the day of her quinceañera has reset her thinking on a few things, including her passion: dance. Enter a smart, sensitive boy, who comes from the wrong Caribbean island to hang out with Puerto Rican Beatriz and her friends.

This was such a beautiful book. I loved the diversity and the correctness of its representation. There was no white washing, just blatant realism of minority cultures, gang culture and life in general. I especially liked the fact that the characters weren't black and white but shades of grey. No one is perfect and it was shown perfectly in the book.


But what my favourite part of the book was how perfectly it gives us a glimpse as to why children become part of gangs, why they start drug dealing and why you can't always judge and the fact that they themselves might feel trapped in the gang they call their own and how difficult it is to get out.


I honestly believe that this book should be read more and have a better reach. For people looking for more diversity, this book is for you.

Netgalley gave me this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Beatriz is an entertaining protagonist, who grows and matures throughout the story. Rediscovering dancing transforms her. Her relationship with Nasser was sweet. Despite their differences, they see the best in each other. Many side characters, like Amy and Mr. Martin, were three dimensional despite small roles.
Only Julicza and Maricela are underdeveloped, despite being Beatriz’s close friends. Readers learn little about their lives.
Many descriptions were lovely and evocative. I especially enjoyed reading the scenes where Beatriz danced. My only issue with the writing style is the filter words cluttering the narrative. They weaken otherwise strong sentences.

Becoming Beatriz is a companion novel to Like Vanessa, which I haven’t read.
However, I never felt confused or lost. The author’s notes at the end of the novel are interesting. Tami Charles based aspects of the story off her life.

Overall, Becoming Beatriz is an emotional, entertaining, and romantic read.

Beatriz is an Afro Latina teenage girl who is reeling after the death of her brother due to gang violence in the 80's . She meets Nasser, a new student at her school from Haiti and discovers she has more in common with him than she thought. Beatriz loves to dance and is obsessed with the TV Show Fame. When open auditions for the show come to her town she is torn between her love for dance and her loyalty to her gang.

I really enjoyed how this book delved into Beatriz's identity as an Afro Latina. I think its great representation of the colorism that exists within Latinx communities and how people are made to "choose" one side or the other. Many of Beatriz's friends would ignore her African heritage and refer to her solely as Latina. Nasser challenged Beatriz's own understanding of her identity and helped her realize that they were more similar than she previously thought.

I think the pacing of this novel could be cleaned up. Some spots had a lot more of telling rather than showing. Throughout the book, the reader is told that the relationship between Beatriz and her brother was special. His death occurs in the early pages of the book, but we aren't really shown any of Beatriz's grieving process and instead we are thrown into her high school world.

Ultimately, Beatriz's world is surrounded in poverty, pain, and passion. I think Tami Charles does a great job at creating a world where all these things live in a constant state of pressure against each other.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On Beatriz’s 15th birthday, she’s dancing, preparing for her quinceanera, when the shots start. In one quick moment, her life changes when her brother, the leader of a fictional gang, is killed by a rival gang in a revenge killing.

The story then picks up a few months later as Beatriz begins her freshmen year of high school. She initially views high school as unnecessary and just as a place to continue pushing the drug products that her gang is selling.

However, what she doesn’t expect is Nasser, a high school junior who encourages her to start dancing again.

But Beatriz is torn between her life in the gang and her life outside of it. Can both exist? Must she choose? And if so, how can she can get out of this gang?

Becoming Beatriz acts a companion novel to the upper middle grade Like Vanesssa. While some characters reappear, this does act as a stand alone as well. In this novel, we get a very serious look at some of the darker sides of Newark in 1984. While this is fictional, it is rooted heavily in historical facts. Throughout this novel, we never see the author preaching at us about the impact of gangs on communities; her story speaks for itself.

And what a story it is. It’s definitely one worth checking out.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book but as soon as I started it I loved every minute, when I was younger I danced so reading about dance is always enjoyable, I love the main character and her support system around her ✨

Thoroughly enjoyed Tami Charles’ second book and how it tied into Like Vanessa. This was an engaging story of family, bravery, and friendship. It would pair nicely with Lilliam Rivera’s Dealing in Dream as part of an exploration of how girls in gangs are treated in YA literature.

This book was a great YA novel that was fresh and unique compared to the stereotypes of the genre. I loved how diverse all of the characters were, and how different cultures were portrayed, which gave the book a sense of realism. All of the character's and story lines were realistic, and it was really easy to imagine myself in the shoes of any one of the characters. The plot was well developed and kept me turning the pages. I completely recommend this book for anyone?

I’ve been having a hard time lately with books not being able to hold my attention. Luckily this was not a problem for “Becoming Beatriz”
This story explores a young woman navigating the gang life that supports her family while trying to pursue her dreams of dancing and it does it well. I hate reading a story of someone trying to better their life but they can never seem to catch a break. Throughout the story, I could tell that Beatriz did have truly loyal support systems which was refreshing.

I have never been a dancer but I’ve always been fascinated with shows and movies that show that life. ‘Fame’ and the incomparable Debbie Allen serve as a beautifully nostalgic thread throughout this story. If today’s readers don’t know who Ms. Allen is I hope this story spurs them to learn more.


Five stars because I was interested throughout, it talks about Fame, and I didn’t think the protagonist was put through unnecessary hardship.

<b>Gracias a [author:Tami Charles|14775736] y al editor por proporcionar un ARC a cambio de una reseña sincera y es un honor leer esta historia. Esto no afecta en mis opiniones de forma alguna.</b>

<img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tW0vfsy3wX4/XGsqva08LgI/AAAAAAAADe8/0i56vo8pjQ42bLqIvDmRhCBlYuaigzwLwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/ficha2.jpg" width="200" height="50" alt="description"/>

Beatriz sueña con una vida dedicada a bailar, hasta que la tragedia del día de su quinceañera lo cambia todo. Hasta su decimoquinto cumpleaños, lo más importante para Beatriz Méndez en el mundo era su sueño de convertirse en bailarina profesional y conseguir que ella y su familia se alejaran de la vida de pandilla que definía sus días: eso y conocer a su ídolo de baile Debbie Allen en el set de su programa de televisión favorito, Fame. Pero después de la última batalla en una guerra constante deja a su hermano líder de la pandilla, Junito, muerto y su madre afligida, Beatriz tiene un nuevo conjunto de prioridades. ¿Cómo se supone que debe sentir el ritmo cuando su familia necesita huir, cuando su madre no puede lavarse los dientes y cuando lo último que puede recordar de su antiguo yo es bailar con su hermano, seguido de correr y disparos? Cuando la clase de cerebritos le recuerda a Beatriz su amor por la pista de baile, sus sueños desterrados vuelven a colarse. Ahora la única pregunta es: ¿la pandilla la dejará ir? Ambientada en Nueva Jersey en 1984, la historia de Beatriz es atemporal en la navegación de un adolescente por el romance, la cultura de pandillas y el difícil pasado de su propia familia.


<img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b6T6ee9cJVA/XGswTBAve4I/AAAAAAAADfI/AjPb6_kjqA0Sgq7Lbksx-wo5wDnSDGQDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/op2.jpg" width="200" height="50" alt="description"/>

¡Este libro fue tan diferente de cualquier otro libro juvenil que haya leído antes! Es fácil de decir por la sinopsis que la protagonista y su vida familiar son muy poco ortodoxos, lo cual fue interesante. El libro está ambientado en 1984, Nueva Jersey, lo que lo hace aún más único todavía.

Esta historia es el claro ejemplo de que algunas personas sufren por circunstancias de nacimiento y que suelen interferir en sus ambiciones y sueños. También, la protagonista está rodeada de tragedias: la muerte de su hermano es un ejemplo de ello y esto afecta gravemente a sus planes de futuro. La novela es trágica y real. No suelo leer las notas de autor, pero me alegro de haberlo hecho en esta ocasión. Menciona que quiere complicar la visión que tiene la gente sobre la diversidad, y vaya si lo hace.

Volviendo a la historia, Beatriz tiene los sueños y aspiraciones de cualquier chica de quince años. A pesar de estar escrito originalmente en inglés, hay mucho español a lo largo del libro, lo suficientemente simple como para cualquier angloparlante pueda entenderlo.

Había romance, sí, pero tan poco que encajaba a la perfección con la actitud de los protagonistas. Me decepciona un poco ver que la muerte de su hermano afectó tan poco a la protagonista, que cualquiera diría que no eran muy cercanos. Me hubiera gustado ver más detallada todo lo previo a la escena trágica de su hermano. Beatriz piensa que es su culpa, pero no da motivos por los que piensa eso y el lector se queda un poco con la duda de saber realmente qué pasó.

Me ha encantado aprender sobre el mundo de la danza, porque a no ser que estés inmerso en ese mundo, apenas sabes lo que pasa.

Este libro me ha gustado porque la autora se ha implicado de tal forma que hace que quieras conectar y empatizar con la protagonista.

El libro no estará disponible hasta septiembre de 2019, y le agradezco a la autora y al editor que me hayan prestado un archivo para dar mi opinión personal.

Calificación: ★★★

A very interesting story that was not able to sustain my attention for the totality of the narrative. An admirable attempt.

Heartbreaking ~ Truthful ~ Hopeful
tl; dr: Young black Puerto Rican girl deals with the stress of poverty, gangs, and violence.

This story is not true but certainly rings true. Many young people suffer for no reason other than the circumstances of their birth. Beatriz is living by her wits with the help of her brother until tragedy strikes. Sadly, her family's tragedy is all too common in her Puerto Rican community. This historical story, set in the late 20th century, shows how violence is often a symptom and a cause of the cycle of poverty. This story is no glossed over feel good. The story is complicated and real. I rarely read the author's notes, but was glad to have read this one. The author mentions that she wanted to complicate people's ideas about diversity. She certainly does that in this book.

3.5

Thanks to NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions and thoughts.
This book was so refreshingly different from any other YA book I’ve ever read! You could probably tell from the synopsis that the main character and her family life is very unorthodox, which was interesting. The book is also set in 1984 New Jersey which makes it even more unique.
The book starts out with a lot of action which sucked me in and was a great way to introduce a character’s life that is filled with fear and violence. Tami Charles’ writing was spot on for a YA book, capturing the attitude and thoughts of a fifteen year old perfectly. Beatriz is both black and Puerto Rican, and I admired the diversity displayed by the characters. Lots of Spanish is sprinkled throughout the book, most of it simple enough that I understood what was being said, but even if I didn’t I would have still known what has going on. I also appreciated that there was only a little bit of romance, but it wasn’t super cheesy because that wouldn’t have made sense for the main characters personality.
There were some parts of the book that I would have liked to be elaborated a bit more. We don’t see much of Beatriz’s grieving process, nor do we really see it at all. I would think that the death of a brother would effect someone much more than Beatriz seemed to be. I also would have liked to have seen flashbacks to what was happening right before her brothers death. We know she was dancing with him and she believes it’s “her fault”, but it’s not clear exactly why she thinks it’s her fault.
I loved reading about a girl that is passionate about dance because I’ve never really known much about competitive dancing. Also, the college I go to was mentioned in the book which is always exciting! Overall, I was very impressed with this book and how Tami Charles made me care about and connect with Breatriz, despite her life being very different from mine.