Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (review)

Sia's mother was deported to Mexico, and it's presumed she died during an attempt to cross the desert to return to her daughter and husband. Sia aches from her loss, but she also has an incredible best friend, a loving dad, and, in a surprise to herself, a new boyfriend to add joy to her life. The new relationships are not without strife as both friend and boyfriend have been keeping a secret from Sia, but it is through the fighting and rebuilding of trust that the depth of their bonds are fully realized. Taking center stage over everything, however, is the impressively fluid twist from an exploration of grief and love to a zippy sci-fi novel about alien abductions, cloning, and shadowy government organizations. Oh, and there's a healthy dose of ghosts and magical realism as well, just to top off the genre-bending extravagance here. The characters are diverse in smooth, well-integrated ways, the desert setting is divine and so richly described as to become almost a character in itself, and Sia is a complex and memorable protagonist who draws on all of the best parts of herself and her loved ones to grow, adapt, and overcome her losses.