One of my favorite YA of the year? Very much so possible. This is a story of grief but also it’s a story of acceptance and exploration and family and so much more.

We follow Leigh as she’s grappling with the fact that her mother has taken her own life and who’s essence has manifested into a big, red bird. Typically, I wouldn’t be into that, but the way the story os told and how descriptive the scenes are really pulls you in. Leigh grew up never knowing her mother’s family since her mother moved away from Taiwan permanently when they wouldn’t approve of her relationship with her white boyfriend/husband. What follows the death of Leigh’s mother is her finally meeting the family she never knew, working through her relationship with her father, and learning about her mother in a way she was never allowed to before.

The storytelling in this is phenomenal. Leigh is an artist and every feeling is described extensively in color. We get the story told in three different ways (present timeline, Leigh’s flashbacks to her previous years in high school, and the memories of others while she’s in Taiwan with her grandparents). I absolutely adored this I would recommend everyone to pick this up!