Fabiola Toussant and her mother leave Haiti to start a new life in Detroit with her aunt and cousins. When her mother is detained by U.S. Immigration Fabiola must rely on her loud American cousins to help her navigate this new world.
Fabiola and her mother had dreamed of finding une belle vie, a good life, and the corner of American and Joy Streets on Detroit’s West side. In many ways Detroit is nothing like Haiti. The weather, food, the customs are all different. However, the dangerous, gritty side of life in Detroit is similar to that of Port-au-Prince and Fabiola’s cousins are caught up in it. When an opportunity to help her mother is presented to her, Fabiola must make a tough decision. Is she willing to pay the high cost of the American Dream?
I am about half way through the audio version of this book and I am hooked. I love the juxtaposition of traditional Haitian Vodou beliefs and rituals with a contemporary American setting. This story is very much character driven and the characters are fantastic!
You might also like Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older and In Darkness by Nick Lake.
Happy Reading!
~Megan
YA? Why Not? 
I’ve never been one for audiobooks, but a few of my friends have had really great experiences with them recently, so I think I might just have to bite the bullet and give them a go.
I loved Shadowshaper and this one is also on my TBR. It sounds really interesting to me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I’m glad to read good things about this book since it is on my to read list for this year.