Short but spunky, Cornelia has yet to find her leading man. Hopelessly romantic and a lover of classic film, Cornelia goes about her daily life contentedly even though her friends and family wish she would show more ambition. That is, until a well dressed man walks into the café and makes Cornelia wonder if she's finally found her Cary Grant.

Clare is a fifth grade girl who lives with her adoring blonde bombshell mother. When her mother starts to seem more distracted and less motherly, Clare doesn't know who to turn to. Her father lives far away and doesn't seem to care when she finally calls him out of desperation. With no one to confide in, Clare goes about the business of making everything seem normal as she relies on herself to get by.

I have not read a book this real and rich in a long time. The characters easily become like long time friends, as their ideas, dreams, and fears are eloquently and realistically revealed. Marisa de los Santos reveals her poetic ability in such incredible and visual passages as this: "...we filled five minutes with kisses so delicate, so intimate and gentle that, afterward, I walked up the stairs to my apartment, carrying the moment carefully as though it were a glass globe full of butterflies."

This is not just a story of vivid and compelling characters, it is a work of art. I savored every page utterly entranced in the world of Cornelia and Clare. This is definitely one of those books that is so good you hate for it to end even though you're desperate to see how everything turns out.

This is Marisa de los Santos' first book and I am anxious to see where her career will take her. With a strong debut like this I predict a ready-made success story for her. Excellent!