LULU AND MILAGRO'S SEARCH FOR CLARITY

Sisters set off on a college tour in search of answers to their uncertain futures.

Peruvian American Milagro Zavala and her younger sister, Lulu, couldn’t be any more different, and it shows—especially in their life goals. Milagro is desperate not to die a virgin; Lulu dreams of attending Stanford’s summer program. But their Mami stands in the way: She wants Milagro to behave like a respectable young lady, and she makes Lulu promise to stay in Baltimore for college, believing that leaving home will ruin her. After all, the girls’ older sister, Clara, has changed dramatically since leaving for the University of Iowa. When Lulu and Milagro embark on the same college road trip, a joint effort organized by St. Agnes, their Catholic girls’ school, and St. Anthony, the nearby all-boys school, they must find out whether their dreams are possible—and talking to Clara in person seems like the key. This novel digs deep into the twists and turns of sisterhood, and the girls’ voices are delightfully distinct and humorous. Lulu calls one of Milagro’s make-out partners a “cologne-wearing parasite”; Milagro gleefully tells readers that her first sexual encounter “will be me, him, and my soul slowly departing to hell.” The bilingual Zavala sisters are steeped in their culture, and the rest of the cast is culturally diverse as well.

Readers will feel like these deeply real, funny, and ambitious sisters are their own close friends.