Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman | Blog tour

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: March 21, 2023

Synopsis:

From the author of the award-winning debut novel INDIVISIBLE comes an affecting, timely, and thought-provoking story about going after your dreams, making tough choices, and learning that change gives as much as it takes.

Every morning, sixteen-year-old Sol wakes up at the break of dawn in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, and makes the trip across the border to go to school in the United States. Though the commute is exhausting, this is the best way to achieve her dream of becoming the first person in her family to go to college.

When her family’s restaurant starts struggling, Sol must find a part-time job in San Diego to help her dad put food on the table and pay the bills. But her complicated school and work schedules on the US side of the border mean moving in with her best friend and leaving her family behind.

With her life divided by an international border, Sol must come to terms with the loneliness she hides, the pressure she feels to succeed for her family, and the fact that the future she once dreamt of is starting to seem unattainable. Mostly, she’ll have to grapple with a secret she’s kept even from herself: that maybe she’s relieved to have escaped her difficult home life, and a part of her may never want to return.

Content Warning: Immigration, class differences, discrimination, separation from family by international border

My Review:

‘Brighter Than The Sun’ by Daniel Aleman is a heartwarming story about a teenage girl Sol who struggles to keep her family in one piece after her mom dies.

Sol is from Mexico, and she has to cross the border every day to go to school in San Diego. I am not a fan of a long commute, so even thinking of going this far for school, waking up so early in the morning and feeling exhausted even before the day starts made me wonder how she did this every day.

When Sol’s family restaurant was not doing any good, she made it her responsibility to help her family in any way possible. Already she had so much on her plate, and now she had to work a part-time job to provide essential necessities for her family and to keep the restaurant running. The pressure and stress she had been going through were expressed well on every page.

Sol’s relationship with her younger brother Diego was so pure and heartwarming. I loved how she helped and supported him in whatever he did. At a young age(Sol is 16), she acted like a mother figure to him. She made herself look stronger whenever she was with him. I just loved how much she cared and constantly worried about him.

Sol’s grandmother supported her and gave her advice whenever she needed it. There are times when things are not good between her and her elder brother Luis, but still, they both care for each other deep inside.

I sometimes felt her father didn’t give her the appreciation she deserved. I understand he had been going through a lot too. Juggling between restaurant and family necessities is not easy, but still, I wished he acknowledged her struggles too.

Sol’s friend Ari and her mother Nancy have a unique place in my heart. They supported her, and Nancy saw her as her child. They let her stay in their house when Sol got the part-time job because she couldn’t attend school, work part-time and cross the border back and forth every day.

An immense appreciation for the author because the writing style felt so connected that I literally felt the burden that Sol has been carrying. She was so packed, and she barely found time to breathe. I am mature enough to know that life is not sunshine and a rainbow to everyone, and I can see this book is a powerful example of that.

Despite all the struggles, pain and burdens, I am glad Sol was surrounded by good-hearted people. Other than her family, Ari and Nancy Sol felt comfortable and happy when she was with Nick, her working companion who turned into much more than a friend to her. Every relationship in this book was so beautifully done.

The ending was a good one and so realistic. It was like when you reach the light at the end of the tunnel; you are happy because you have overcome the darkness, and now you have the confidence to move towards your destination because the light is not the destination; it is just the hope you need to move forward. The ending was like that light which Sol and her family needed the most.

This book was painful and beautiful at the same time. I am glad I got the opportunity to read this book. Recommended to all of you with all my heart.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with the arc of this book.

Click here for Tour schedule to see more reviews.

Book links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

Mood Board:

About the author:

Daniel Aleman is the award-winning author of Indivisible. He was born and raised in Mexico City. A graduate of McGill University, he is passionate about books, coffee, and dogs.

After spending time in Montreal and the New York City area, he now lives in Toronto, where he is on a never-ending search for the best tacos in the city.