Eighteen Roses

Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship

Lucia Cruz is forced to cobble together a debutante court of eighteen friends—when she barely has one—in this funny and touching YA novel about family, community, and how far we'll go to protect ourselves from the world.

Lucia Cruz is turning eighteen this year. She should be having a debut, but she is not the debutante type. Everything about a traditional Filipino debut feels wrong for her. Besides, custom dictates that eighteen friends attend her her debut, and Lucia only has one friend—Esmé.

But Esmé wants something different out of her senior year. And, on top of that, Lucia's mom has planned a debutante ball for her birthday behind her back. She'll be forced to cobble together a court before her beloved lola arrives from the Philippines.

How far will Lucia stray from her comfort zone in order to appease her family—while staying true to herself? Packed with humor and heart, this is an unforgettable novel by a powerful voice in YA fiction.