Rey exemplifies the narcos that control his small Guatemalan town. When Pulga and Chico witness Rey’s gang executing the owner of a small shop, Rey threatens the brothers into coming to work for him. When Pequena catches Rey’s eye, he rapes her and demands that she become his girlfriend. After Pequena gives birth to Rey’s son and Rey insists that she must come and live with him, all three friends decide their only hope is to run north together.

Though they are met with some kindness along the way, their travels, especially on La Bestia, the train running through Mexico, are harrowing and the hope that each of them has been clinging to starts to slip away. Told in alternating chapters by Pulga and Pequena, don’t miss this necessary look at what impels migration and how migrants are met at our southern border. EARC from NetGalley.

Absolutely brilliant. This book took hold of me from the first page and never let go. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time because the author delivered this stunner. I felt as if I was on this journey right next to the characters. I felt as if I was running along side the train hoping I could make it aboard in time. I could have sworn I was packed in the crowded vans and buses just hoping I wouldn't be stopped and forced to go home. Many times I thought I was coughing up dirt and getting dizzy from thirst. This was all around engrossing and masterfully written.

I cannot think of one thing I did not like about this story. It is a serious book but a necessary book. There are topics included that most people either don't want to discuss or acknowledge, but that doesn't make them any less real or relevant. I wish I had something like this to read when I was younger, but I am over the moon that it is out now so younger readers can get their hands on it. I do hope it leads to more research and more conversations.

This book was hard to read. It was painful to read the story of these three teenagers trying to make their way to the United States, knowing that this story is real for so many people trying to find a better life every day. But it is also so important and incredibly well written. The writing is stark and straightforward, adding to the gritty realism of the story. Anyone who wonders why people flee their homes to the U.S., despite knowing that the journey can be deadly and that even if they make it they may be sent home, should read this book.

There is graphic content in this book; I suggest reading content warnings before starting. While this is a YA books, I would strongly suggest it for adults as well.

For those who don't understand the risk that immigrants from Latin American countries endure to try to cross the border into America, and why they would put themselves through such trauma, this is the book that needs to be placed into their hands with a command to read it NOW. Not only are the events described harrowing just to read about, the reader can feel the chapped lips and numb, cramped hands of the characters as they ride on the top of the train; can smell the stench of body odor and fear; can hear the anxious and anguished voices calling out to loved ones to take just one more step or run faster than their weary legs can carry them; can taste the grit of dirt and dust carried by the hot air screaming around them from La Bestia's body; and can see in their minds so many possible outcomes, some with very little hope. There is hope here, but it is mixed with a strong, healthy dose of reality. Warning, there is a lot of language in this book as well as some very violent scenes, but anyone wanting to read a story that doesn't sugarcoat the traumatic events these poor souls go through, including the mental strain it puts on them to make this journey and leave loved ones behind, will be forever changed by the experience.

A thought-provoking powerful novel telling of the real life altering and harrowing journeys that migrants take every day trying to find a safe place to live. Hard working people who are just trying to get away from their previous life, from unsafe places, searching for a life of freedom and certainty in the United States just like all of those before them. Just like the colonizers from Europe, they are just trying to start anew.



This novel follow Pulga, Chico, and Pequena and their personal reasons for leaving Guatemala city, one running from the up and coming narcos and the other fleeing from the same person’s abuse and sexual assault. We follow them on their dangerous and true journey but as the author says, no two stories are the same and yet these stories still hold true.



There are children still on the border sitting in cages, there are people risking their lives every day at a chance to live here in the United States and they are welcome to what? Cages, no food, constant harassment, and potential death? No, this is not the way the US was created. Ellis Island took in many many people from all over the world without the need for cages(completely fudged up peoples names though), and this is what we have come to.



This novel is a must read for everyone. It puts the real life stories of those looking to change their life into perspective. There are children being left in cages, separated from their parents. And for what? Disgusting. This book is a wonderful truth life tale that shows the real death, the real truths that these poor people experience. Here in the United States were are blessed to be citizens already, to have been born here. You cannot become a citizen unless you’ve lived here for 5+ years and that’s only just to APPLY to become a citizen. How are people supposed to do theis if they are kept in cages? Killed on their way?



No, we must change. For people like Pulga, for woman suffering like Pequena and their sexual abuse, for Chico. For the real people these names symbolize, for all those that have lost their lives.

Why this book may not be for you: This is a YA contemporary about a very difficult subject. The plot is simple, and with that I don't mean to say that any of the character's motivations are simple or that any of this journey is simple, but rather that we follow a very stripped down story in a linear fashion. Our three main characters need to run, and they do. The beginning felt a bit on the slow side to me, relying overmuch on repetition to establish our characters, their circumstances and their motivation. In comparison, the second half of the book is almost frenetic.

It is a very heavy story. Content warnings for gun violence, death of a parent, rape, sexual assault, an "on screen" death of a child, dismemberment, and additional violence against children.

Why I loved this book: First, I should clarify that while I am Latina, I am not from Guatemala or Mexico, so this should not be considered an own voices review.

This is one of those "ripped from the headlines" sorts of books, giving names and faces to what are too often are just soundbites and 10-second-clips in the US. From migrant caravans to kids in cages to build the wall-- I feel like it's easy to consider these as a whole, as concepts, and to remove the real people at the heart of these issues. This is fiction, but through a well written story, Torres Sanchez invites us to humanize and give attention to what isn't fiction for so many migrants.

Torres Sanchez does an excellent job balancing her portrayals of Guatemala, Mexico and the US. Puerto Barrios has family and love and delicious food. It has people helping each other, mothers being more progressive than their mothers, women adopting children and welcoming them into their families. It has children who play and dream and enjoy sodas. It also has violence of the sort that means that a premature death is all but guaranteed for our three main characters. We are able to understand why they need to leave, but also the pain of all they leave behind. Likewise, their journey through Mexico is dangerous-- life and limb in literal peril. We see the additional violence of those who take advantage of migrants, and worse, those who kidnap, inflict additional violence or kill them. At the same time, we see the shelters, scattered throughout the train line, willing to take in and house those who desperately need it. And of course, Pequena, Pulga and Chico are headed towards the US, where they have placed all of their hopes and dreams, where there can be opportunity for them. And when Pulga gets to the border, he's thrown in a cage. It's written with the complexity it deserves.

Torres Sanchez also does a good job getting us invested in the characters, not only because of their immediate danger, but through the love they have for their families and for each other. Through these three different characters, their varying degrees of softness, their distinct personalities, we get to ask the question of what would it take to survive three times.

This book made me incredibly curious to learn more about La Bestia and those coming from central America to seek asylum in the US. I've got a bunch of additional non-fiction resources on hold from the library. I love when a book makes me think deeply about a subject and invites me to continue to do more research.

Overall, an emotional work I will not soon or easily forget and one I couldn't put down. I read this in one single sitting.

Told through the perspective of three Guatemalan teenagers, We Are Not From Here is a story about hope, perseverance and strength. These three teenagers have to leave Guatemala suddenly, and try to make it to the US on top of the infamous La Bestia. Pequeña was a standout character for me and the elements of magical realism throughout her POV were especially poignant. The scenes in Guatemala were filled with bittersweetness — it felt as if the characters were already missing their home even though, at that point, they had not left.

However, I am not a Guatemalan reviewer, so I’ll include some words from my old college roomie who is an ownvoices reviewer for this novel:

This book hit hard for so many reasons. It had so many references to mi Guate. from talking about Rio Dulce to my favorite Guatemalan meal, pollo con crema. Never have I had that happen, where I get that many accurate non stereotypical references. I got so excited with them I sent pictures with the references circled to my mom. Then there were all the references to the dangerous parts that I know about too. The reasons people flee and risk their lives.

"We are so small, Pulga," she said to me. "This world wants us to be small. Forever. We don't matter to this world." ⁣⁣
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We Are Not Here is a ripped-from-the-headlines novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border.⁣⁣
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Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña have no false illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Though their families--both biological and found--create a warm community for them, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the three teens know they have no choice but to run: for the border, for the hope of freedom, and for their very lives.⁣⁣
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⁣⁣
Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico with their eyes on the U.S. border, they follow the route of La Bestia, a system of trains that promise the hope of freedom--if they are lucky enough to survive the harrowing journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and the desperation that courses through their very veins, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know that there's no turning back, dangerous though the road ahead might be.⁣⁣
----⁣⁣
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This novel grips you right from the beginning. You feel the desperation, the urgency of their lives, and you are instantly connected to the characters. This is a must-read book. ⁣⁣

I wasn’t expecting such a beautifully written, raw, realistic book. “We Are Not From Here” documents the struggles of young refugees, which is a topic that I think should be brought more to attention. As a young white woman who has always lived in America, seeing the struggles that these teenagers, albeit fictional, face tugged on my heart.
The writing didn’t slack on the details. I felt like I really understood the pain of the characters. I want to find more books like this in YA.
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

I've only ever thought of the U.S. as my home. My parents are from Mexico and El Salvador but my mom came here when she was a toddler. My dad remembers El Salvador as he came here when he was older. I read books like this one not only to learn but also to reflect and really think about the privilege that I have being born in the U.S., having parents who speak English, and having parents who became U.S. citizens when I was a kid. I do not know the experience of migrants from any country, I know my parents experience and even that I find limited. The only way for me to learn more is through listening to others and it is important that I stop and listen.

Overall Thoughts: I really enjoy how Pulga, Pequena, and Chico are keeping secrets from each other and their family. What i liked about their secrets is that the same person is at the root of these secrets and all of their problems. Something else that I like about this book is the pacing and how long these days seem. I think that as you read you get a sense of how long this time feels for the characters as they live these things.

I think that it is important that this book shows the reality of immigration and the many challenges that come with it. It was important to see three different scenarios as to what can happen throughout that journey and they included the addition of Pequena being female and what that meant for her. I don't want to spoil the ending but I felt that so much of that is impactful and important to think about when we hear stories of immigration. I thought it was important that it also relayed the reasons why people were fleeing their countries and what kept them moving forward.

Part One: This book starts off with introducing you to the three main characters of this story. It does this by going back and forth between Pulga and Pequena's point of view. In this portion of the book you find out a little about each character's circumstances and why they need to leave their home town.

I really like how this book slowly introduces you to the characters and builds their back story. I like that you get to see the relationships that they have with each other and with people they are leaving behind.

Part Two:This part tells the majority of these kids story as they go from Guatemala to Mexico. This tells of the people they encounter and the things they do for a chance to get to the United States. Through this section you see more about each character and learn their fears about staying or leaving the place they live in.

I kept reading about La Bestia in this book and never really looked into it until I asked my mom about it. She searched it on Google and then spoke to me about a news segment she saw I n which this train was covered. I thought it was important to look into this and see what the reality is for people trying to migrate into the United States.

I have heard both my mom and dad's story of how they got to the United States and they have very different stories from each other. Fascinating and interesting aren't the right words but I do think it is important to see the differences in ways immigrants come to the United States. I thought it was good to reflect and think about my privilege in being born in the U.S and never having to really fear being sent to a place where my life was in danger.

I really like how each scene is described and how you can feel the characters emotion coming through each word. I like how you are still learning about the ties they have to the place they are trying to escape.

Part Three: This is where the tears begin and everything gets even more emotional if that's even possible. I don't want to include too many details as that would make this spoilery.

I enjoy how you get to see each scene play out as these kids get further in their journey to the U.S. I thought it was good to see the reality of these trips and how dangerous it can get for everyone. There were moments in which I stopped to take everything in and to read real people's immigration stories as I had not done that in the past.

Part Four: I think its important that we see this kids never being allowed to grieve. There is no time for them to mourn anything they leave behind and this shows the dangers if they were to give themselves that space. I think it was important to note all of Pulga's contradicting feelings and the blame he places on himself. I thought it was important to give him the space to mourn his loses in the privacy of his thoughts and how that showed him becoming a different person to those around him, especially Pequena.

I also like how you can feel their pain through each moment in this section of the book. I thought it was important that each minute seemed to drag on just as their days were going on forever.

This book was impactful, emotional, and all together incredible. It's a book that I think everyone should read. It reminded me a lot of American Dirt, but a book written by an #OwnVoice author. It really focused on heartbreak, hardships, and survival. I cannot stop thinking about it, and I cannot stop recommending it. Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for this ARC.

“There are parts of this trip you can’t figure out. There are stretches of it you can’t plan for. There are parts of it that you travel only on hope.”

CW: violence, mentions of blood, rape, death (family, background characters, friends), mentions of pregnancy and child birth, people in cages

Damn, y’all. This book BROKE me. Being a child of immigrants, this subject hits so close to home and I knew I would shed tears at some point but honestly, I didn’t realize the extent of how much it would effect me. I had only listened to about 10 chapters and I had already teared up a few times.

The friendship between Pulga, Chico and Pequeña were so real and heartfelt and especially the brotherhood relationship between Pulga and Chico had me so emotional. Every time I was reminded that they were only 17 was truly so heartbreaking- yes, this is a book but there are so many people that are currently living through situations like this. Situations that force them to leave their homes, their family, the only life they’ve ever known just to continue living. And even then, they are not guaranteed to survive the journey.

This is a story that needs to be heard but make no mistake, it’s a hard one to hear. Have your tissues ready and if you need a break while reading, please do so.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC and thank you to Libro.fm for the audiobook

The author of We Are Not From Here said she wrote this book from the heart and I very much felt that reading it. I think anyone who reads it will be able to feel just how much heart went into this book.

I cried but I also felt joy for the characters. They are the kind of characters that you immediately root for as they go through so much but still manage to push forward. They are a shining light in a world of darkness. I loved them and by the end of the book they felt like my family.

Everyone should read this book, it should be required reading. It is deeply moving and so timely.

“We did it.
We are not those in the distance who have stopped running and have to wait for the next train. We are not those back in our neighborhoods, waking up to another day and another and another and whatever threat has climbed in through our windows, whispered our horrible fate into our ears.
We are each luchadores.
We are fighters.
We are those who dared to try against impossible odds."

Lots of heart strings pulled. Lots of feelings felt. A great novel about resilience, from a couple Guatemalan teenagers.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Best For: 14 and up, contemporary fans.
# of Pages: 326
Clean Read: There's language and violence. In context tho.
Worth a Check Out: Yes. If you were intrigued with <i>American Dream</i> then check this one out.

Thanks for the Arc @PenguinTeen

This book is intense. Pulga, Pequeña, and Chico live in fear in a small town in Central America that is controlled by the cartels. They have no hope for a prosperous or peaceful future unless they leave to escape the terror. They endure extreme hardships on their arduous journey north, traveling on La Bestia, and risking their lives both physically and emotionally. This is a story of strength, courage, resilience, and hope.

A book as searingly honest as it is important, bringing light to characters and experiences rarely featured in YA literature.

The characters, plot, and prose all weave together expertly in the hands of Sanchez, who shows herself to be a masterful storyteller.

This is the beautiful type of book that allows a reader to expand their understanding of the human experience. A true testament to the good of humanity and the amazing ability of the human spirit to survive, even in the face of oppression and evil.

Recommended for readers of all ages.

Oh my heart... broken after reading this book.

Although this is a journey that many take, in this story, the characters are central and not the journey. I found myself comparing this to American Dirt (which full disclosure, I did like) and seeing how Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña felt far more human and tangible than Lydia and Luca, partly because we see a much more sizable portion of their lives before they begin their journey, and partly because they feel more distinct and authentic characters with unique struggles and motivations and lives.

It’s absolutely beautifully and hauntingly written, passages bringing tears to my eyes with their heart wrenching and unflinchingly stark portrayal of what life is like for many children in Central America. Pequeña’s chapters in particular just spoke to me on a level that a narrator hasn’t in a very long time. I also appreciated the more organic way she was able to fold in Spanish words throughout the story.

In short, compared to similar stories, I just found this to be more authentic, more specific, and more human.

I literally devoured this book!!! It was one of the most real, raw and important books I’ve read. The story of Pulga, Pequeña and Chico was a hard one to follow, my heart felt so much for them. As heartbreaking as it was, it’s an eye opener to the reality that many immigrants face in their journey to a better future. If you have ever wondered why families and kids leave their homes and everything they know for an opportunity to live, please read this book. It’s based on current events and will definitely give you a better understanding of the cruelties immigrants not only face in their journey to America, but the horrors they face in their hometowns as well. I loved this book and it’s one that will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you so much Penguin Teen for the ARC!! I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Thank you Penguin Teen, Libro.fm and Dreamscape Media for the free early audio and netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I listened to the ALC the other day and really enjoyed this beautiful, heartbreaking journey that three teens take, from the only home they’ve ever known in Guatemala, to the US border.

I’ve seen and heard about all kinds of ways that immigrants try to cross the border undetected. But when I think of people trying to get into the US, I just think about them being in Mexico, on the border. I never thought about how they got to the border. This book really opened my eyes to the journey that some attempt from countries even further south. I never would have imagined people hitching rides on trains!

My main complaint about the audio version was that the same narrator read both Pulga and Pequeña’s sections. I would have liked a male narrator to read Pulga’s chapters to make it easier to keep track of who’s thoughts I was listening to.

This story had just enough tragedy that it made it seem very realistic. I imagine it’s the kind of journey that takes place every day and sometimes the outcome is more fortunate and sometimes it’s much more disastrous.

Overall a very informative and emotional read perfect for adults and young adults alike.

I DEVORED this audiobook...I could not stop listening to it! With a story similar to American Dirt, We Are Not From Here follows three teenagers who are fleeing their home in Guatamala for a more hopeful life in the United States.

As I listened, I was once again reminded of the sacrifices and desparation so many immigrants must feel - to put their lives in danger and to leave everything they love behind - for a chance at a better life. Many of them know they will not survive the journey, but the alternative of staying home amongst the violence and uncertainty is worse.

I loved reading this story through the eyes of teenagers. They leave home in the middle of the night, not telling their mothers. I couldn't imagine waking in the morning to empty beds, with nothing but a letter of explanation. And in my grief of now knowing if or when I'll see my kid again, knowing that their absense may be for the best.

Once again, this was an eye-opening book to the plight of many people in Central America. It's a story that puts the hope America offers them in perspective for me - a person who has been lucky enough to take those things for granted every single day of my life. These books are important because they allow people like me to gain insight into an issue I have no experience with, and teaches me so I can continue to learn to do and be better.