Dream Things True.

☆☆☆☆☆

dream things true.

marie marquardt.

PublisherSt. Martin's Griffin.

Publication Date:September 1,2015

Genre:YA Contemporary Romance

Format|Pages:Hardcover|352

 Source:Goodreads|Library

A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story in which a wealthy Southern boy falls in love with an undocumented Mexican girl and together they face perils in their hostile Georgia town.



Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission.



What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

 ☂

A touching, beautifully written love story.



When I first picked up the novel I didn’t know what to expect from it. The first time that I had come across the novel what had captured my attention first were the cover and the title. The cover of DREAM THINGS TRUE is filled with so many colors especially the title itself, and way that couple are standing and holding each other as if they don’t want to let go. As a reader you can’t help but wonder what is happening there, if there is a reason that they holding onto each other so tightly. You can’t help but be curious what is happening and what is going to happen. Title, I was curious about it from moment that I picked up the book, I wondered if there is a reason for the title, the meaning behind it. DREAM THINGS TRUE is unlike any title I came across before, it’s unique. Once I started reading the novel, the title of the book made sense. It fit perfectly. With what happened and what Evan, Alma and her family went through in the novel. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking.



If what Alma and Evan had not true love, then I don’t know what is. From moment that two of them met when he jumped into the car, I could tell that there was something there, even though Alma wouldn’t admit it at first. Their love, their relationship was unlike a typical teenage relationship that you read about. It was tough considering that she was an illegal immigrant and her dad was pretty strict, Alma didn’t have it easy. There few times that I found myself wondering that if her father would even let them date, but then he came to liking to Evan. I could tell how much the two of them loved each other; just way they were with each other, especially Evan. He considered all options including asking her to marry him, if it meant that she could stay in country with him. He went all way with Mexico at the end. How could that not be love? The two of them went through so much in this book. To me it did feel like a Romeo and Juliet, with a twist. I do hope that both of them find their happily ever after.



What I loved about this novel was fact that it dealt with Illegal immigrants, the process and what happens if caught. It’s a tough subject that will fill you with lot emotions, especially when it starts happening to Alma’s family. Just as you start to fall in love with them , they get discovered and in process of getting deported it. That’s when the emotions got the best for me. From that moment on I was on edge of my seat wondering what’s going to happen next. I loved how much Evan tried to help; he even attempted to bail out her father and brother out of jail. A story about love, family and sacrifices. An emotional roller coaster that you won’t be able to get out of your mind. A 2015 must read debut.