Eighteen Roses

April 29, 2024
Seventeen-year-old half white, half Filipino Lucia Elenemaria Cruz is grateful that her 18th birthday isn’t going to be a traditional debut. It clashes with her casual style, the complexities of planning such a thing make her anxious, and after falling out with her only friend, it’s not like she’d have anyone to invite. When, during her cousin’s debutante ball, Lucia learns that her mother has secretly started planning one for Lucia, she’s furious yet skeptical. Lucia is constantly comparing herself to her more affluent relatives, and her Filipino mother works two jobs. With little money to pay for the event, how will it even happen? Things change when Lucia learns that her beloved grandmother will be arriving from the Philippines for her debut. Lonely and unsure of herself, Lucia joins her school’s comedy club, hoping that writing stand-up material will help her express herself over this period of rapid change. Rogers (I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom) attentively depicts issues surrounding race, gender, parental responsibility, divorce, and self-esteem via Lucia’s numerous relationships, particularly with her mother. Lucia’s stand-up comedy seeds humor throughout this cathartic read. Ages 15–up. Agent: Serene Hakim, Ayesha Pande Literary.

Starred review from May 15, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Lucia Cruz has spent years keeping almost everyone at arm's length after the triple whammy of her parents' divorce, her mother's reliance on her in raising Lucia's sister, and the distance she feels from her mom's family in California and back in the Philippines. A trip to her cousin's debut ends in disaster due to her massive falling-out with her best and only friend, Esm�, and the unintended reveal that Lucia's mom has been planning a debut for her behind her back, which, according to Filipino tradition, will require her to assemble a group of 18 friends she doesn't have. Lucia winds up in a stand-up comedy club, finding communities she can call on when it really counts. Rogers' (I'd Rather Burn than Bloom, 2023) lush, vivid storytelling brings Albuquerque alive, and readers will feel deeply for Lucia's struggle with the terrible ordeal of knowing and being known. Astute readers may notice how Lucia and both of her parents seem to be neurodivergent-coded; she especially has significant sensory challenges with clothing, while her mom is constantly disorganized, and her dad is an incredibly rigid thinker. In this way, Rogers situates Lucia as she tries to merge her Filipino and American heritages and attempts to honor who she is when everyone expects different things from her. This should absolutely not be missed.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 15, 2024
A Filipina American teen in Albuquerque uses humor to navigate life's challenges. Lucia Cruz loves old movies and baggy clothes and doesn't care about her appearance. Although she's turning 18 soon, she wants nothing to do with the Filipino tradition of glitzy, glamorous debutante balls. She'd need 18 friends for a special choreographed dance, but she has only one, Esm� Mares. That is, until Esm� decides they've been stagnating and should branch out socially. Then Lucia discovers that her divorced mother has invited everyone in the family--including her lola in the Philippines--to a debut that she's secretly planning. Although she's initially outraged, Lucia desperately wants to see Lola. Realizing how much it means to Mom, who's working two jobs, she ends up trying to plan a perfect debut on a tight budget. Desperate to somehow find 17 friends (in addition to her younger sister) for the ceremony, she joins the stand-up comedy club at school. She's always loved making Esm� laugh, but now Lucia's sense of humor might lead to more connections and help her with self-reflection. Rogers' sophomore novel features rich, deep representation of Filipino experience in the U.S. as well as strong character development, as it follows a loner who finds connections one small, imperfect step at a time. Through her journey of opening up and embracing vulnerability, Lucia, whose father is white, navigates the pressures of complicated family dynamics and community expectations. Beautiful, relatable, and full of emotion. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2024
Seventeen-year-old Lucia Cruz loves the consistency of her daily routine. During a trip to San Diego for her cousin's debut -- a traditional Filipino coming-of-age party in which Luz has no interest -- her world is turned on its head. Her best friend, Esme, reveals her discontent with their customary patterns, and Luz finds out that her mom has been planning her debut, complete with an Eighteen Roses ceremony, behind her back. She returns home to contend with the possibility of trying new things, connecting with classmates besides Esme, and cobbling together an extravagant birthday celebration. Throughout Luz's last year of high school, Rogers sheds light on the overwhelming nature of self-discovery as well as the messiness of conflict between friends and of complicated families (Luz and her younger sister begrudgingly split their time between their Filipina mom and white dad, who is remarried to a younger, now-pregnant Filipina woman). Many of the protagonist's critical observations are based on fear and anxiety and, as it turns out, can be transformed into humor. Despite feeling abandoned by Esme, Luz manages to develop connections with classmates through a stand-up comedy club. And with the power of TikTok, she puts together a unique Eighteen Roses ceremony that fits her personality and style. While she often feels powerless, Luz's courage allows her to build unexpected connections, self-confidence, and community. Gabi Kim Huesca

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Seventeen-year-old Lucia Cruz loves the consistency of her daily routine. During a trip to San Diego for her cousin's debut -- a traditional Filipino coming-of-age party in which Luz has no interest -- her world is turned on its head. Her best friend, Esme, reveals her discontent with their customary patterns, and Luz finds out that her mom has been planning her debut, complete with an Eighteen Roses ceremony, behind her back. She returns home to contend with the possibility of trying new things, connecting with classmates besides Esme, and cobbling together an extravagant birthday celebration. Throughout Luz's last year of high school, Rogers sheds light on the overwhelming nature of self-discovery as well as the messiness of conflict between friends and of complicated families (Luz and her younger sister begrudgingly split their time between their Filipina mom and white dad, who is remarried to a younger, now-pregnant Filipina woman). Many of the protagonist's critical observations are based on fear and anxiety and, as it turns out, can be transformed into humor. Despite feeling abandoned by Esme, Luz manages to develop connections with classmates through a stand-up comedy club. And with the power of TikTok, she puts together a unique Eighteen Roses ceremony that fits her personality and style. While she often feels powerless, Luz's courage allows her to build unexpected connections, self-confidence, and community.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)