The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen

The quick cut: Three best friends find themselves separated for the summer, but depend on each other for support.

A real review:

True friends support you no matter where you are, especially when you're doing something you love or believe in. For Jia, Ariel, and Everett, this means trying to stay in contact as they end up separated for the summer for the first time in ten years.

Jia, Ariel, and Everett have been inseparable since seven years old, but now at seventeen, they're being separated for the summer. Ariel is going to a prestigious STEM scholarship opportunity in San Francisco while Everett is participating in a theater production in Ohio. Jia is staying home and supporting the family business. Can these three succeed apart? Or will they find themselves alone and failing instead?

This story took quite a while to truly grow on me, but once it did I will admit I loved it. These three girls while seemingly very similar have their own unique struggles and conflicts. Seeing how their different approaches change the result only makes you further connect with one in particular. For me, that character was definitely Everett.

Everett is an aspiring Broadway star who finds herself discriminated at when staring in a theater production in Ohio. Discrimination comes in an unfortunate number of forms and seeing her navigate that at such a young age is devastating. She handles it with grace though!

Ariel is smart and gets an amazing STEM scholarship in San Francisco. Her heart though is in Korea, where her sister died. She takes a very literal journey to get answers for the questions in her life.

Finally, Jia stays home to support the family restaurant. Nothing comes easy though and unexpected issues cause stress and trauma that put her family on the brink. She learns how important it can be to be stable, but also take care of yourself.

A fun trio of friends who require a little warming up to get into the story.

My rating: 3.75 out of 5