This Is the Year

Praise

“With young people increasingly despondent over deteriorating environmental conditions, This Is the Year offers a pure gust of hope in an increasingly fractured and warming world. It is at once a cautionary futuristic tale and a balm for despairing hearts. Muñoz’s tremendous poetic talent, relatable characters, and the unique premise of a space program for immigrant teens make this debut one you don’t want to miss. This Is the Year is essential reading for anyone struggling to believe their small actions can make a meaningful difference in the climate emergency.” —Nora Shalaway Carpenter, award-winning author of The Edge of Anything

“Gloria Munoz has created a beautifully crafted debut novel unlike any out there. Told in stunning prose and poetry, this dystopian tale of grief set in a crumbling city introduces us to a compelling young heroine found in a Latina goth named Julieta. This Is the Year will linger in your thoughts way after the last page is read.” —Lilliam Rivera, award-winning author of Never Look Back

“Packed with lyrical prose and moving poetry, This Is the Year deftly explores grieving the people and places we once called home. This unflinching tale of loss also sparkles with the joys of first love, the beauty of friendship, and the resilience in our communities. Muñoz leaves readers with a soaring hopefulness that lingers long after the final page is turned.” —Jessica Parra, author of Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success and The Quince Project.

“Hauntingly beautiful and profoundly moving, This Is the Year reminds us that even in the face of unimaginable loss, there is always a glimmer of hope. A story that will stay with you long after the last page.” —K. X. Song, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Ends with Fire.

“Muñoz’s debut is a skilled novel that balances the grief of losing a sibling against the backdrop of an Earth that is slowly dying. Muñoz asks the main character, Juli, and the reader, will we continue as we are, lost in a future that was promised and not delivered? Or will we fight to live in this world? Told in a mix of prose and verse, This is the Year is an authentic exploration of depression with a powerful message of unabashed hope.” —Mia García, author of The Resolutions and Even If the Sky Falls