Thank you @gallerybooks and @ for this free arc 💖.

✨What it is about:

Grace O’ Connell, a daring dancer must take her twin brother’s place as a riveter high atop the in-progress Empire State Building to save her family from ruin. ✨

💭My thoughts:

This is by far my favorite book of the year so far, and I have been reading some good ones! This was such a fantastic debut by Gemma Tizzard! I was captivated right from the prologue, and she kept my attention all through the story. WOW. I was glued to the pages, and I felt in my bones how Grace and her family navigated all their hardships, and how the Great Depression took its toll on them and New York City. Grace and her twin brother Patrick, having lost their father in a work accident, had to carry the load to keep themselves, as well as their sick sister Connie and their mother afloat. After Patrick suffers an accident at his job site, just after Grace lost her own job, they panic and come to the conclusion that the only way to get through this, is having Grace take her brother’s place at his job site until his body healed. Having no experience, and knowing the dangers of his job, Grace is terrified but decides to go for it. We get to see her whole journey, all their struggles, as well as their journey into becoming and accomplishing more than they thought they ever could. 

I really loved the characters, and how well they all supported the story and each other. I loved the way the author captured their situation, as well as what was going on at that time, and how much it affected the people. This story truly shows the meaning and importance of family, friendship, respect, and sticking together, as well highlighting how big the sacrifices we make for those we love can be. This was so compelling, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend you pick this up.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:

🏗️Strong MFC

🏗️Twin shenanigans 

🏗️1930s and Great Depression

🏗️New York settings

🏗️Irish-American representation

🏗️Fascinating reads

⚠️CW: Death of a parent (off the page), death at a job site(on the page), sexism.