Carolina Ixta’s debut novel, Shut Up, This is Serious is a stunningly emotional exploration of friendship, breaking generational cycles, and chosen family. This novel is full of warmth and realness as Ixta guides her characters through heartbreak, mental health challenges, and life complexities.

Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants to be normal. She wants love or a boyfriend or to lose her virginity. Any will do. Growing up in East Oakland, Belén knows her life is anything but normal. Her father left her family out of the blue about a year ago, throwing her mother, her sister, and herself into survival mode. She is struggling in school and, as a result, may not be able to graduate. Her best friend, Leti, just found out she’s pregnant. Leti is super-Catholic and a huge nerd. Leti’s boyfriend is Black, which is a problem because Leti hasn’t told her racist parents that she’s pregnant. That’s not going to be an easy conversation. Life is more than a little complicated.

With everything happening around her, Belén constantly feels like something is weighing her down, so she spends her days searching for distractions. One night at a party, she meets an older guy whom she feels an instant attraction. Soon Belén is spending more and more time with him while cutting more and more classes. Eventually her feelings catch up with her. What is she doing with her life? Her classmates are getting ready for college, while Leti is juggling her college preparations with her pregnancy. What is Belén going to do with her future?

Interested in this book? Shut Up, This is Serious is the June See YA Book Club pick. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch.

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

June 3 – Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta

July 1 – Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

August 5 – Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

September 2 – The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

October 7 – Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

November 4 – Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

December 2 – Tumble by Celia C. Perez