School Library Journal Review
| Gr 8 Up--Jaelyn Coleman, 16, lives and breathes roller skating. WestSide Roll, her local rink, brings together the local Black Indianapolis community and allows her to skate her troubles and worries away, especially when her best friend Noelle is getting more and more distant. She even meets a cute boy, Trey, who asks her to teach him how to skate and while she tries not to fall for his charm, Jae ultimately agrees. Everything is rolling along, until they get the news that just like the rest of the neighborhood that has fallen to gentrification, WestSide Roll is closing. With only so many days left, Jae tackles her emotions about this place of so much community and culture disappearing as well as her feelings towards Trey, her changing friendship with Noelle, and her previously absent father now wanting to be in her life. This debut novel in verse by Vinson is a coming-of-age story with a budding romance that also highlights the consequences of gentrification, the importance of community, and issues surrounding trust, change, and new friendships. Readers see through the eyes and emotions of Jaelyn, but each character is vivid and full of life. The characters leap off the page and make readers feel immersed in the story. VERDICT With the vivid verse, realistic characters, and the soul that comes from this book, it is recommended for all libraries, especially for those where novels in verse are popular.--Kylie Woodmansee |
Booklist Review
| WestSide Roll is the skating rink that brings 16-year-old Jaelyn and the Black Indianapolis community together under neon lights. When the gentrification of Jaelyn's neighborhood leads to the closing of WestSide Roll, she is forced to confront some of the issues going on in her life. Jaelyn's parents have divorced after her mother's miscarriage, and her absentee father is trying to reconnect. Her best friend, Noelle, is spending more time with her new dance-team friends than her, and the new boy, Trey, is showing interest in her that she is not sure she should entertain. Told in verse, Vinson's debut unfolds palpably to the rhythm of skates sliding on the rink, keeping time with tracks of soul. Trey is a sweet boy who is dealing with his own trust issues as he and Jaelyn begin their romance. A coming-of-age story filled with romance that will have readers wanting to seek out their own local skating rinks. Recommended for all middle-grade and young adult collections. |
Kirkus Review
| Jaelyn is a 16-year-old skater whose life changes dramatically in one brief summer. Jae is dealing with shifts in several of her relationships: There's strain and distance between her and her best friend, Noelle, difficulties with learning to trust her dad after he's repeatedly disappointed her, and the blooming of romance with the cute new boy, Trey. Other life changes unfold in the landscape around Jae as her Indianapolis community becomes another target for developers who come in and try to "push us out, / price everything just / outside / of our reach, / our possibility." When she learns that her local rink, WestSide Roll, will close to make way for a brewery, Jae is overwhelmed by the grief of losing the space that allows her the most freedom to be herself, a bold Black girl. She decides to see what she can do to recapture that spirit for herself and others. Using verse, Vinson provides concise, lyrical insights into the trials of painful transitions for multiple generations held together by disappearing community havens. The book's flow and plot are smooth and easy to follow. However, Jae's interpersonal conflicts are unevenly developed, leaving readers unmoored thanks to some rushed resolutions. Roll to the beat of summer love and loss in this heartfelt debut.(Verse fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. |
