A review by mbenzz
Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

5.0

I can't give this book enough praise. I absolutely loved it. It was so sad, and so real, that you would have to be a monster not to feel sorry for these kids.

Natasha and Antonio are a young high school couple in Harlem who are separated when Antonio is sent to prison for the murder of his father. The book consists of letters back and forth between the two over a span of 9 years. I was rooting for them both throughout the whole book and loved seeing how much Natasha grew up and came into her own as the book progressed.

I made it through the whole story, then the last page made me cry. These two went through so much together and shared so much of themselves, that I was a little surprised at how it ended. But even though it wasn't what I expected, I loved the ending just the same. I can't recommend this book enough, and I'm going to send it off to my best friend to read. I'm really looking forward to the next book Ms. Buckhanon publishes. She really has a great talent.