Well written, narrated by Teodoro Avila, struggling with his classwork at Puget High School (set in Seattle area of Washington!) and missing his brother Manny, who's serving in Iraq, and worried about his family's financial difficulties. But "T" has good friends in his sister Xochitl & Caleb, fellow Puget High classmate & gaming buddy. And T decides to enroll in the AVID program at his school, very uncertain he can do the work to raise his grades. Nevertheless, he dreams of being accepted at Univ of Washington, where he runs into a childhood friend, Wendy Martinez. She's there for a campus visit, and returns to Vancouver WA, but a flirtatious dialogue via texts begins and turns into a slow burning romance. The author employs realistic dialogue, & heartbreaking scenes with his brother Manny, when he returns from Iraq with full blown PTSD & wreaks havoc/distress in the entire family's day to day life.
T gets scooped up by his sister for a "ride" in her vintage 1961 Rambler & instead of bringing him back home, they take a visit to his grandmother Abita's place in Yakima, and then head down to Oregon to see their great uncle and T gets to see Wendy again. One thing leads to another and T finds himself traveling all the way to Delano, CA for a cousin's funeral and then a disasterous effort in the aged car to reach Uncle Tio Ed's in New Mexico - Lots of twists and turns occur:
some melodramatic scenes, T's plans changed to be w/his sister and Manny, his brother, instead of returning home to SeaTac with his parents, & gradually, real help for his brother's mental health - real roller coaster of a senior year for T. Some plot developments seemed a bit unrealistic but the heartfelt tone and wonderful Latinx cultural details make this a good YA read. ( )

I loved T (Teodora) for trying so hard and being such a good kid. I like how he totally turned around in academics with the help of his best friend, Caleb. They went from being Halo junkies to students ready for college. Wonderful sibling support between T and his sister, Xochitl, and brother, Manny. Good insights into PTSD from combat and the veterans support network. I liked being familiar with the setting in the Pacific Northwest and New Mexico. The teen angst and kissing got to be a bit too much, but it was sweet, and seemed quite realistic. ( )

Teodoro's life is going nowhere. He's living in a crappy rental place with his family who seem to be crumbling just as much as the house. But when the family finds out Manny, the brother who has been serving in the military, is coming home they try to be their best selves to get their family back on track. Teodoro has just realized that he wants his life to go somewhere. He gets a job to pay for a tutor to help get into college. When Manny gets back it is tough and Teodoro realizes to meet his goals, he might have to distance himself. When his sister X tricks him into a road trip, his summer plans go out the window. But it just might manage to save them all and make them all better. ( )

Teodoro "T" looks forward to his brother Manny's return from Iraq but soon discovers that something is very different with him. T is changing too as he discovers new romantic feelings for Wendy, an old family friend. His sister Xochitl hustles the brothers into her old car and they head south to Tio Ed's where trouble ensues. At turns tense, funny, dramatic and romantic, this is an uncompromising look at post traumatic stress syndrome and its impact upon a Latino family. ( )