Once Upon a Family Tree

Once Upon A Family Tree is a raw, gritty and dramatic look at one family's eventful life in the Big Apple. The storyline truly grabs you from page one and takes you on a whirlwind rollercoaster ride.Hi, My name is Yolara Burkett. I am only 18 years old and until a moment ago the only concern I had was how I was going to afford college. Now it seems all hell has broken loose. My Dad's wife Olive, and daughter Egypt, just found out that he has another family, which includes me. They're just jealous because I'm the Love Child. My Dad, Meshach Burkett, is a bus driver and he met my Mom, Caridad Flores, when she was a teenager. Well she was almost grown, as she was a high school senior when they met. It was lust... oh I mean love...at first sight and a couple of years later I was born. Dad having two families seemed to work fine, until Mom decided she wanted to be the only woman in my father's life. Since my Dad wouldn't leave his wife, several years ago, my Mom decided to leave him. She proceeded to have a one-night stand with a teenager by the name of Kaliq and now today they have a set of 5-year-old twins. In the meantime, Dad's marriage has disintegrated and he's decided that he wants to get back with my mom. Mom ain't hearing it 'cause her girlfriend Rue is trying to brush up on her. And then there's me.... I think I like my mama's babies daddy, Kaliq. After all at age 23 he's closer in age to me than he ever was to her and she doesn't really want him. I wonder if she would get jealous if I decide to let him talk to me. Wow, with all this family drama going on-and this ain't even half of it---what's a girl to do?Once Upon a Family Tree is an entertaining and intriguing novel from newcomer Michelle DeLeon. The storyline is filled with much drama and "twisted" plot turns and events. The storyline moves quickly and is an easy read. I liked how the author bridged the worlds of the young adults with the older adults; this gave the book a mature feel so that those over age 30 will also enjoy this book. At times, some of the scenes might appear a little farfetched and over the top, however, this added to the originality and uniqueness of this book and showed the author's ability to think outside of the box. One pet peeve I had was that some of the details regarding very common topics were lacking and as such the topics didn't appear to be researched very well (i.e. bi-annual pap smears, renter's insurance). With this aside, overall, I really liked this book and recommend it to those who enjoy storylines with much drama and truly colorful characters.Reviewed by Yasmin

Ms De Leon characters are so real and alive! By the end of the story, they have become folks you know and want to stay in touch with. You will feel as if you're right there and can have your own discussion. Be prepared not to put this one down. You'll just have to know how it all turns out.

I am a romance writer and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Ms. De Leon takes a chaotic situation and makes you say 'yeah, that could happen'. You come to care about her characters and root for their survival as a family. I look forward to her next novel!