“Speed of Life,”written by Carol Weston, is a stand-alone novel that handles topics of death and adjusting to new surroundings and relationships. Spoilers ahead.
I really liked all the Spanish culture and phrases present in this book. Since Sofia Wolfe, the main character, is Spanish, she uses lots of Spanish phrases like “nos vemos” and “amigo/amiga.” There are lots of Spanish dishes like “gazpacho” and “tortilla.” I enjoyed being immersed in the Spanish culture and learning a little more about it anytime I read “Speed Of Life.”
Sofia’s grieving process was very natural and heartbreaking to read. Her mother was a wonderful person and a caring mother, so seeing how she died was depressingly sad. I love how the book takes place over a full year and is divided into sections based on months to emphasize how much this has affected Sofia and how she’s changed.
Sofia’s relationship with Sam was so cute because of their dynamic and how their personalities mixed. Sam’s friendliness towards Sofia made me love anytime they were together. I love how realistically Sam adjusted to a new relationship and how he slowly became a part of the family. His personality was electrifying and made me want to know more about him.
Gregg’s new relationship with Katie was a healthy relationship and was finally able to make him happy after the loss of his wife. I like how Sofia had to adjust to this new relationship and how Gregg didn’t change negatively or try and ignore his daughter. He continued to be a caring father and that made Sofia’s relationship with her dad very touching.
Alexa was a realistic teenager, even if she was a stereotypically mean sister. Alexa was rude to Sofia and I feel like Sofia should’ve stood up for herself. I also didn’t like when Katie ignored her daughter’s actions and decided that she was perfect. However, I liked how she slowly warmed up to Sofia and how they formed a sisterly bond. I usually don’t like the typical “mean sister,” but I warmed up to her and enjoyed her personality.
Kiki was a great supporting role to Sofia because of how much she cared about her friend. They had a great bond and I loved the interactions and conversations because they were so realistic. Kiki was always there for Sofia when she was sad or needed something and vice versa. I loved Kiki a lot, but I wish I knew more about the other side characters, especially Gracie, Sofia’s new friend.
I really liked how the book was split into months, but I don’t understand why there had to be two parts. I feel like it was unnecessary and distracted a little bit from the reading experience. However, they were no glaring grammar mistakes that bothered me, which I appreciated.
Overall, I would rate Speed Of Life a four and a half out of five, as it is a fresh take on loss and blooming relationships that made me heartbroken, yet hopeful for the character’s future.
