Review: Dani Capello: Shadows of Men by M.S. Izbicki

 Dani Capello finds herself in a bit of trouble which results in her aunt shipping her off to an all-girls Catholic boarding school. At first, she hates it, but she soon makes friends and begins enjoying a typical high school experience. She grows incredibly close with a girl named Emma, a bookish girl with a soft heart. The two become inseparable with Emma often spending the night in Dani's room to avoid bothering her roommate after their late-night adventures. As the book continues, Dani reads more and more newspapers detailing the dangerous mob activity happening close to her home to people involved in her uncle's business. The closer she and Emma become, the more dangerous her family's actions seem to Dani.

I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely consider it a coming-of-age story. Dani is a fascinating character, the quiet brooding type, and pairs really well with Emma, the caring type. I like the exploration of girls' friendship during high school, especially through the lens of being at an all-girls school. The girls get along pretty well despite their differing personalities and circumstances. I enjoyed the exploration of sexuality in this book especially the discussion of the difficulties of coming out to friends and family even in the 21st century. I appreciated that despite the worry about other people finding out, Dani accepted her sexuality pretty easily. I think that is a very refreshing perspective as opposed to characters being uncomfortable with who they are. Although, Dani definitely shows some discomfort. I enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Dani and Emma and think that Dani really needed Emma to open herself up to other people. I think the writing is well done. The dialogue is realistic for the character's age range. The mob aspect is interesting, especially through the lens of a character that is not directly involved in the mob.

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I enjoyed reading it and found it very interesting and engaging. I think readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories and sapphic stories would really enjoy this book. I will say that readers should be aware of content warnings. The book has gun violence, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abortion, homophobia, sexual assault, implied pedophilia, and more. I think that the content of each of these issues is handled well though and does not go overboard.