I AM IN LOVE WITH JENNY TORRES SANCHEZ. That is just a damn fact. She's an incredible author, and it's a shame that she isn't widely known. Hopefully this novel, which is now published by Penguin Random House, will receive a little bit more attention (fingers crossed!). She writes teenagers and emotions so honestly and accurately. And I've been not-so-patiently waiting for three years to hear word about her next novel, so I'm basically flailing as I type this. She is wonderful and this plot sounds wonderful and I'm just dying. DEATH BY IMPATIENCE.

From the backyards of suburban Florida to the parched desert of New Mexico, Because of the Sun explores the complexity of family, the saving grace of friendship, and the healing that can begin when the truth is brought to light.

Dani Falls learned to tolerate her existence in suburban Florida with her brash and seemingly unloving mother by embracing the philosophy Why care? It will only hurt. So when her mother is killed in a sudden and violent manner, Dani goes into an even deeper protection mode, total numbness. It’s the only way she can go on.

But when Dani chooses The Stranger by Albert Camus as summer reading for school, it feels like fate. The main character’s alienation after his mother’s death mirrors her own. Dani’s life is thrown into further turmoil when she is sent to New Mexico to live with an aunt she never knew she had. The awkwardness between them is palpable. To escape, Dani takes long walks in the merciless heat. One day, she meets Paulo, who understands how much Dani is hurting. Although she is hesitant at first, a mutual trust and affection develop between Dani and Paulo, and Dani begins to heal. And as she and her aunt begin to connect, Dani learns about her mother’s past. Forgiving isn’t easy, but maybe it’s the only way to move forward.