Hi again! It feels good to finally get back to talking about my favorite books I read this year. What I’ve found while doing this series is these books may not be the ones I’ve rated the highest, or enjoyed the most, but rather are the ones I’ve resonated the most with and am able to form coherent thoughts about. As always, here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.
I’m so happy to talk about This Train is Being Held by Ismée Williams as my favorite book that I read in May. I read some pretty good books that month – including The Extraordinaries by T.J. Klune, which I have a review up for, Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell, which is a sci-fi retelling of Les Miserables, and Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigalow, which is an adorable middle grade about drumming, summer camp, and figuring out feelings. But This Train is Being Held holds a special place in my heart, because it was the book I reviewed to apply to be a Reading Representative for Once Upon a Bookclub, a book subscription service that includes a new release and several gifts to open while you’re reading. The company was looking for representatives to read upcoming releases to help decide which book to include every month, and I was actually chosen! That means I’ll be reviewing a ton of arcs that I’ve read early from NetGallety in the future, just something to look forward to. So this book is now associated with that happy memory in my mind, plus it was a really great read, so let me talk about it!
Alex and Isa come from very different parts of New York City. Alex is a Domican-American who’s on par to make it to baseball’s big leagues but wants to be a poet, and is scared to tell his father. Isa is a dancer who dreams of becoming a pro, but her mother is against it, never failing to crush those dreams and push her to pursue medicine. The two meet on the downtown 1 train, in an extremely chance encounter, but maybe fate has brought them together for a reason. Maybe fate knows what they need most, and that’s each other.
I don’t really want to go into so much detail like I typically do with the synopsis, because I truly believe the impact of this book is best when going in blind. Now, from the cover and simple description, I was under the impression that this would be a light and fluffy contemporary novel. I mean, the cover is gorgeous. And while it does have its fair share of cute moments, particularly regarding Isa and Alex’s blossoming romance, there is so much more depth to it. Isa and Alex are complex characters dealing with a variety of issues in their personal lives, all while trying to simply get through high school in New York City and figure their lives out. Isa feels like she needs to put on a brave face to keep her family from falling apart. Alex deals with familial and societal expectations trying to dictate his every move. The two of them lean on each other and learn from what the other has to offer, and it was really beautiful to read. This book also tackles topics of mental health (two characters suffer from bipolar disorder, and while I cannot speak firmly on whether the representation is done well since it is not my experience, it was nice to see it discussed), gang violence, especially between different Hispanic factions in NYC, police brutality, and racism. Some of the writing may not appeal to everyone, as many of the Spanish phrases used are not always translated, a lot of dance terminology is mentioned, and the setting includes the New York City subway system which can be confusing, but it was such a breath of fresh air for this Puerto-Rican American living in New York with prior dance history to enjoy.
This Train is Being Held was released on February 11th, 2020. I finished the book in May, and I believe that I will still be looking back on it for many months, maybe even years, to come. Ismée Williams has developed incredible, three-dimensional characters that I will cherish alway, and written a story that will stay in my heart. Please, if you’re looking for a young adult contemporary novel written for those who are trying to find their place in this ever-changing world, I highly recommend picking up this book.
Places to find This Train is Being Held:
Amazon
Goodreads
Ismée Williams’ website
ABRAMS
Thoughts About Things 