When the people we love die we carry a piece of them with us always but for another the guilt of being the survivor keeps her from truly living, from dancing, from being part of this world. That all changes when she meets Sani and they set out across the country to save each other. They create music and dance together so they can both become who they are meant to be. I am not sure what is more beautiful in this book: the stories about creation told by indigenous people, the actual poems themselves that tell this story or the hoodoo Moth believes in. I was not prepared for this books to affect me as it did, the language and the story wove together to help me find my own family guides who I have lost and begin to think about the space I take up in the world. A truly magical book.

Moth has lost her whole family in a car accident, and now she has to figure out a way to move on. She meets Sani, who is also searching for his best way to truly be himself.

This novel in verse is beautiful and quiet, but how it deals with mourning, connection with the past, and grief will connect with many YA readers.

This book is incredible! It is written in verse and explore many relevant and engaging themes. It includes both Black and Native culture. It tells the story of Moth who loses her entire family in a car crash and is now making herself small and taking up the least amount of space that she can because she blames herself for the death of her family and Sani a boy who befriends her, has an abusive stepfather and is depressed. They come together and learn more about each other and themselves. It has a surprise ending and keeps the reader engaged throughout the entire book. I high recommended it for 8th graders and up.

#NetGalley #Me
I thank NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review :)
All I have to say is this....everyone pick this book up when releases.
You absolutely will not be disappointed 🙌🏼

Me (Moth) is an amazing debut novel that left me completely stunned. Some of the highlights of the story for me

*I loved seeing the similarities between Hoodoo and Native American (specifically Navajo) beliefs
* A twist that shook me to my core and solidified this as a 5 star read
*Mention of my fave Icarus
*Beautiful verse that explores depression and survivor’s guilt
*Road trip

I would recommend this one for anyone that loves verse and ghosts and fate.

Me (Moth) is an incredible novel in verse by Amber McBride. Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to shout all of the details of this book and talk about it with everyone I know, but I also don’t because readers need to experience the story for themselves as it plays out so incredibly well. Basically though, read this book!

Moth is a teen who is grieving her family. Sani is a Navajo boy searching for his way. The two cross paths and how it unfolds is just magical and haunting.

This book is unique and important. I do want to note that there is quite a bit of Indigenous content throughout, but the author points out in their author’s note that Native family members helped her with this content and it read as authentically researched and respectful.

This is a must-read novel in verse that will hold crossover appeal for teens and adults!

Content Warnings: Death [by car accident], Grief, Difficult/Toxic Family Relationships

I enjoyed reading this book and thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I absolutely love reading it.

5 stars

Beautiful haunting story about loss, grief and what comes after. Everyone reacts differently to death, and it seems to hit kids the hardest when it's unexpected. But there is still solidary in that. There are others like Moth, and it's a beautiful connection they make with Sani. There are roots that connect us all, even if we don't see it.

Also I am a SUCKER for the road trip trope.

The cover captures but the words entice you. This YA novel in verse was full of beautifully written words engulfing the reader into the world of Moth, a young teenager, dealing with the after effects of her life after a horrific car accident. She comes to befriend a strange, young boy and the feelings and relationship that evolves is breathtaking. I am enamored with this book!

A beautiful, haunting debut! I felt like the book took root in me with its earthy language and ghostly poetry.

Many times I reread lines to listen to the rhythm of them, how gorgeous they sounded, how the beat of Moth's mind matched her movement and love of dance. With two main characters who express themselves through art - dance for Moth and music for Sani - McBride had no small task to make the writing as lyrical and languid as possible. A standing ovation to her on the intensity she kept throughout the book, the shock of the twist, and the whisper she left behind.

Just listen to these beauties:

"So even though my name is strange
I have to live with it.
It has been with my nerves for far too long;
my name is a thick wilderness
of angelica root around me,
crafted for my spirt."

and...

"I leave out the food, an offering for the ancestors.
I hope they sit and eat.
At this point I'll even take
the company of the heated hands of hell."

I want to read every book by Amber McBride; this woman can write!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one was a real pleasure.

wow. this book in-verse was absolutely beautiful!! the main character, Moth, is such a unique person, and I loved reading from her perspective!! the character dynamics in this novel were brilliant, and the ending was INCREDIBLE!!!! 4.5/5 stars!!!

I actually loved the concept of this book and the ending threw me for a loop. It was difficult for me to switch from reading narrative to poetry to theater script randomly, and therefore I feel it might be a little too advanced for my students to read at their level (3-5). However, I will be recommending it to my advanced readers as a challenge, especially to the style of writing this was.

17 year old Moth is the sole survivor of a car crash that killed her entire family. Sani has been torn from his Navajo community when his mom remarried. They meet in Virginia and connect because of their loneliness, isolation, music and because the ancestors are important to both of them. They go on a road trip when her aunt abandons her and his stepfather beats him one too many times. As they travel, telling stories and learning to take up space they wonder what’s allowed for them. It is transformative. This is a tough yet sensitive read. Do not expect a tidy romantic ending. Moth and Sani’s personal anguish is anchored by history weaving Hoodoo and Navajo traditions into their experiences along with historical events. A good pick for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson’s Monday’s Not Coming.

YA: written in verse. Moth lost her family in a car accident. She feels lost, alone, and unworthy until she meets Sani, who also seems lost. He needs a friend as much as she does. They end up beginning a journey across the country -- hoping to find themselves and leave the pain behind. Beautifully written.

"But there is only so much prayer & if god takes sacrifices, only so much blood to offer. That day there was only enough prayer & blood for one of us to walk out."

Moth centers on a young woman who is navigating her trauma after losing her mother, father, and brother in an accident. While she is/used to be a gifted dancer, with dreams of attending Juilliard, after the crash she has held herself back.

"Therapist: You can't live too hard, Moth.... Less living won't bring them back, Moth."

This is a truth that Moth is circling around, while trying to form a connection with a boy she meets, Sani, who the other kids at school call "wolf boy". Sani is also learning more about his mental illness, and how to communicate with his family, so he and Moth decide to take a trip together. The author uses the form of verse effectively, this book is highly emotion-driven, so lots of dialogue, inner thoughts, which will not appeal to everyone. As a high school teacher, I would recommend this book for the classroom, or even to teach excerpts as part of a unit on verse/poetry. I think some students will find a worthwhile connection with Moth and Sani...it's a beautifully written story.

"My friend, I know I ask too much, but if your son can help her home, she'll teach him how to live."

First off, I've never read a book written in verse so I was curious about Me (Moth) from jump. After reading it, I know which every single book was written in verse. THIS BOOK IS MAGNIFICENT. I cried the entire time. Amber's words crawled under my skin and made a home in my heart. Moth is the most relatable character, and so sad but strong. Her character growth is careful, just like Amber's prose. She lives her life carefully because of an accident that left her alone. She is observant, beautiful, queer, and Black. I think I love that most of all. I love that she isn't stereotypical and that she sees the world much like I do. I would follow Moth everywhere. This book broke my heart and put it back together again and isn't that what a good book should do?

I don't read a lot of novels in verse, but this one was beautiful, emotional, and profound. A story of love, grief, and forgiveness, author Amber McBride did not pull any punches with this book. You'll immediately be pulled in by the characters, and be enraptured with the language. Atmospheric, poetic, and stunning. Fans of Elizabeth Acevedo will want to pick this up and get lost in it.

I was so caught up in this story right away. The poetry was so powerful and the story was heart breaking and blew me away with that ending. I cannot wait to recommend and share this book with everyone. The writing was beautiful, I felt so much for the two characters that were just so well done and I loved the way the story was told. You will not regret picking this book up. I learned so much and saw so much sadness through Moth’s perspective and also Sani’s. I will be picking this book up when it comes out just so I can tab and annotate because I loved it so much. Also did I mention that ending?!?!

5 HUGE stars to this amazing book! The writing was so beautiful and profound. Every verse pulls at your heartstrings and has you longing for a life you don't know. This book breaks you down in the best way and will leave a big imprint on your soul.

Truly the best book I've read in 2021 so far!

~Thank you to Netgallay and the publisher for sending me an arc copy. All opinions are my own~

A deeply spiritual debut YA novel about identity, first love, grieving, and self-discovery that is likely to captivate and have a positive and memorable impact on any reader.