Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

I listened to the majority of this book but ended up reading the last two chapters because I was too impatient. I suggest listening to it if you are unfamiliar with the accent and words (as I was). With the right pronunciation, the experience was much better than I expected.
This is a story with a lot (and I mean a LOT) of things written into the narrative. Our lead protagonist is a girl who has a very mixed background, lives in Argentina, has a troubled home life but lives and breathes football. She is battling insecurities, falling in love and making sure that her goals stay crystal clear. Every character introduced has multiple facets, and it was easier for Camila to forgive (some of) them than it was for me to overlook their past behaviours. The narrative begins as it ends with a football game. We get to know her friends and family quite early on, and some of them grow while others do not. Most scenes are laced with tension, and the ending came as a relief.

I was shown a window into a whole new culture and the mixed backgrounds of the people who call the land their home. It was quite fascinating, to say the least. The only reason it was not a five star read for me was that I was overwhelmed with the troubles Camila had to face. I know that is not much of a statement given that there are always non-fictional people living through such situations, but it was just hard for me to completely ‘enjoy’. Finally, I recommend this to anyone who loves a coming of age arc through adversity. Especially recommend it to late teens, since they might get the angst and cheer for Camila more than I did.