This Place is Still Beautiful

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Two sisters. A shocking racist incident. The summer that will change both of their lives forever.

Annalie and Margaret are sisters who agree on only one thing: that they have nothing in common.

Annalie is seventeen: sweet, content, and looking forward to a summer of flirting with the most popular boy in school.

Margaret is nineteen: ambitious, a warrior for social justice, and desperate to forget her ex-boyfriend in New York City.

When their family is the victim of a racial attack, Annalie tries to pretend it never happened - but Margaret wants to fight back. Suddenly their relationship - and all the ones around them - are hanging by a thread. And then a crushing secret threatens to tear them apart forever . . .

A beautiful and powerful story about family, identity and the secrets we keep, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, and Adam Silvera.

© XiXi Tian 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

  • Tender and lovely, This Place is Still Beautiful tells the story of a family forced to face their town – and each other – in the wake of a crime that can’t be ignored. XiXi Tian is an exciting new voice in YA, and this moving debut is not to be missed.

    Nina LaCour, author of We Are Okay and Watch Over Me

  • Tian excavates the awkward, ugly truths we avoid, and exposes them with raw emotional honesty and grace. This book made me feel seen in a way that very few books ever have. I found myself nodding and saying, ‘Yes, that’s so true!’ over and over again.

    Misa Sugiura, author of This Time Will Be Different

  • This assured YA debut interweaves uncompromising truths about prejudice, identity and belonging with sweet, heady romance and a nuanced depiction of sisterhood.

    Guardian, best new children's books

  • About much more than just racism toward Chinese Americans, this novel deftly tackles the precarious moments surrounding the end of high school and the beginning of college when romantic and familial relationships are complicated, changing, and all-consuming. Quiet yet powerful, complex, and grounded in the reality that nothing will ever be completely resolved.

    Kirkus, Starred Review

  • An impressive first novel

    Booklist

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