I really wanted more depth to this one, to know more about the three friends beyond each one’s most prominent personality trait and dig into the emotional stuff, the loss of Mariana’s mother and maybe see more of the relationship with her dad.

I also didn’t love how easily the business comes together, they’re given a food truck, able to quickly transform it into a salon, there’s no mention of the financial side of things, no mention of licenses or permits or whatever you’d need for that or for the experimental dye. I get that this is a graphic novel for kids, the salon was probably meant to just have a fantasy/aspirational quality, but I guess my sensibilities skew a little more down to earth than that, for me, it would have been easier to buy into the girls covertly setting up shop during lunch hour in their school bathroom, that would have seemed a little more lemonade stand relatable as far as kid businesses go, plus it could have added an urgency to the plot with the girls trying not to get caught by the school staff.

The art is cute and colorful and the salon helped some of the customers come into their own, so that was good, I just overall thought this could have done so much more with the characters and the concept. ( )

On the whole, a cute, fun book with overwhelmingly positive themes -- being true to yourself, making new friends, listening and helping people out, moving slowly through grief and a new home. The art is great, the characters are sweet, the messages are all about learning confidence, working through anxiety and taking care of each other. I do feel like it's heavy on the wish fulfillment, rather than the reality (who gives middle schoolers an RV to start a salon on a moment's notice? How does the stalk of corn haircut even work?), and I also feel like it skates past most of the heavy subjects, or implies things happening in the art that aren't articulated. It misses a lot of heart and impact of longer books like Smile, but it's a pretty happy book. ( )

Mariana lost her mother two years ago. Her and her father have moved from California to someplace new to be with her family. Mariana is shy and has never had to move. Her teachers are constantly telling her to put your phone down live in the here and now. It’s only once she decides to live within her current life instead of her past life, that she makes new friends. Turns out they have similar interests: hair care. Together the group of friends create their own mini salon in an old trailer, create a non-toxic, all-natural hair dye, and cut some fantastic if not a little crazy, hairstyles. This book is all about family and friends and intended for middle grade. It does a lovely job of showing that everybody has issues or problems and sometimes you fight but you make up and make things better. This was a quick and fun read that any kid, middle grade or elementary is sure to enjoy. ( )