Mexico City, 1988: Long before iTunes or MP3s, you said "I love you" with a mixtape. Meche, awkward and fifteen, has two equally unhip friends – Sebastian and Daniela – and a whole lot of vinyl records to keep her company. When she discovers how to cast spells using music, the future looks brighter for the trio. The three friends will piece together their broken families, change their status as non-entities, and maybe even find love... Mexico City, 2009: Two decades after abandoning the metropolis, Meche returns for her estranged father's funeral. It's hard enough to cope with her family, but then she runs into Sebastian, reviving memories from her childhood she thought she buried a long time ago. What really happened back then? What precipitated the bitter falling out with her father? Is there any magic left?

NUBClub found this novel decent, but nothing earthshaking. While there was a higher and lower range of options about the book, all of us were pretty much on the same page. The storyworld of the novel was quite strong, with a great setting exploring the street life of the Mexican teens and a really nice take on magic as something spawned from records and deep musical appreciation. The idea that you would hunt down an album to cast a love song was very compelling to us. Also, the relationships between the characters were believable. Meche and Sebastian's budding relationship while pursuing other crushes was compelling, as were the petty acts of selfishness and revenge the characters engage in to get their shortsighted goals. The main issue was that while the storyworld was pretty good, the plot didn't deliver anywhere near as effectively. There were just a lot of pat and kind of cheap moves in the story. Making the grandmother take the hit for Sebastian seemed like a convenient trick to make Meche suffer but not have to lose a main character. The twist we Meche's dad was underwhelming, and the conclusion felt weak. Wasn't this a story about magic and how you wield power? Shouldn't there be more of that in the conclusion, even if it's a rejection of that power, rather than just the hand off o sneakers? We felt like Meche lost her fire at the end, and the book too conveniently wanted the true love to win. So overall, it's a good book with a solid setting and a nice take on teenage magic, but we wish the plot had more bite and (forgive the pun) a bit more signal.