Review: The Education of Margot Sanchez By Lilliam Rivera

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

Publishing Date: February 21, 2017
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304
Young Adult Contemporary

The Premise from the Publisher: "Things/People Margot Hates:
Mami, for destroying her social life, Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal,. Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal, The supermarket and Everyone else. After “borrowing” her father’s credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts. With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal… Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal" (SS).

My overall thoughts and review: I have a small confession: when I first requested this as an arc to read, I have to admit that what drew me in first was not the premise but the cover. Goodness, the cover is stunning. The artwork is so beautiful. Anyways, onto the review, the premise of the book also intrigued me because I love friendship and family dynamics in a book. I love reading romance books, but I need there to be a good substantial amount of world building and other dynamics at play. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to Margot AKA "La Princesa" (what her family calls her), who has to spend the summer working off the money she spent on her father's credit card at their family grocery store 'Sanchez & Son Supermarket.' This poses as a problem because Margot had plans to hang out in the Hamptons with her friends Serena and Camille. She had finally gotten them to 'accept' her and they are also the ones who encouraged her to "borrow" her father's credit card, but now she was stuck daily at the grocery store working, away from all the fun and away from her chances with a guy named Nick. Margot thinks that she will spend the summer having it easy at the supermarket, but little does she know what her father has in store for her. They have her lifting boxes, cleaning up aisles and even working the deli counter at some point. It is in front of her parent's supermarket that she meets Moises, a boy who is attempting to get signatures for a cause, but her family warns her about because of his dark past. The moments when Margot spoke about Serena and Camille really empathized with me and the whole desire of wanting to be accepted. I also liked that the story touched on Margot's previous friendship: Elizabeth. Margot was a different person around Elizabeth and you see how Elizabeth still attempts to have a friendship with Margot. I really liked seeing how all of that unfolded. I wasn't too blown away with the romance that occurs in the text, it seemed quite straight forward, but I will say, I appreciated seeing the vulnerability in Moises and Nick. I will say, my favorite part of the book was that Margot gets an 'education' on family. How families aren't perfect and sometimes, they'll disappoint you and do things that don't seem right, simply out of love for you. I loved what a big role Margot's parents and brother, Junior, played in the book. Overall, I think this was a great read about accepting who you are, friendships, and family.

My rating of the book: ✮✮✮✮ (4/5 stars)

Available for purchase at:
Chapters/Indigo, Kobo Books, Amazon and Book Depository (Free Worldwide Shipping)

Disclaimer: An advanced reader's copy of the book was provided by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions of the book are my own.