Dealing in Dreams

Lilliam Rivera

Mar 2019 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

“A novel exploration of societal roles, gender, and equality.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this “daring and dramatic” (Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling) dystopian novel about sisterhood and the cruel choices people are forced to make in order to survive.

At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets.

Sixteen-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That role brings with it violent throwdowns and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but Nala quickly grows weary of her questionable lifestyle. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. To make it to the Mega Towers, Nalah must prove her loyalty to the city’s benevolent founder and cross the border in a search of the mysterious gang the Ashé Riders. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles crews and her own doubts but the closer she gets to her goal the more she loses sight of everything—and everyone—she cares about.

Nalah must choose whether or not she’s willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants. Can she discover that home is not where you live but whom you chose to protect before she loses the family she’s created for good?

Ratings and reviews

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Why did I wait so long to read this one?! This was unlike any other dystopian I've ever read. In Maga City, girl gangs rule the streets. Women rule the world, actually. Chief Rocka and her LMC crew are looking to get into the towers. In the towers, they live like royalty - unlike the abandoned train station they live in now. They just have to beat one more crew in a throwdown, then everything they've ever wanted is theirs. I loved the mix of Spanish. It was seemlessly written in, and written in a way you understood what was going on. I had no troubles as a non-Spanish speaker. The characters were likable, flaws and all. You were rooting for the LMC. There is room for a sequel, I hope we get it!

About the author

Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning writer and author of numerous young adult novels, including The Education of Margot Sanchez, We Light Up the Sky, Never Look Back, and Dealing In Dreams. She is also author of the middle grade Goldie Vance books. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Elle, to name a few. Lilliam lives in Los Angeles. Visit her at LilliamRivera.com.