
Shut Up, This Is Serious
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Frankie Corzo
-
By:
-
Carolina Ixta
About this listen
WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ YA AUTHOR AWARD
* A Morris Award Finalist * Parade Best Young Adult Books of All Time * Indie Next List Pick *
An unforgettable YA debut about two Latina teens growing up in East Oakland as they discover that the world is brimming with messy complexities, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Erika L. Sánchez.
Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have a boyfriend or at least just lose her virginity. But nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. And Leti, her super-Catholic, nerdy-ass best friend, is pregnant—by the boyfriend she hasn’t told her parents about, because he’s Black, and her parents are racist.
Things are hella complicated.
Weighed by a depression she can’t seem to shake, Belén helps Leti, hangs out with an older guy, and cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Leti is becoming a mother. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?
From debut author Carolina Ixta comes a fierce, intimate examination of friendship, chosen family, and the generational cycles we must break to become our truest selves.
©2024 Carolina Ixta (P)2024 HarperCollins PublishersPeople who viewed this also viewed...
-
Compound Fracture
- By: Andrew Joseph White
- Narrated by: Dani Martineck
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him. The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement.
-
-
impeccable
- By J. Cicero on 09-18-24
-
Everything We Never Had
- By: Randy Ribay
- Narrated by: JB Tadena, Ramón de Ocampo, Manny Jacinto, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of the National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing comes an emotionally charged, moving novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught father-son relationships.
-
-
Stirring literary YA for the post-pandemic world
- By Amazon Customer on 09-05-24
By: Randy Ribay
-
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . .
- A LOVE Story
- By: Jason Reynolds
- Narrated by: Guy Lockard
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner: Aria. Dressed in sweats, a t-shirt, hair in a ponytail. Aria. Way more than fine. Twenty-four weeks ago: Neon’s dad insists on talking to him about tenderness and intimacy. Neon and Aria are definitely in love, and while they haven’t taken that next big step…yet, they’ve starting talking about…that.
-
-
Fresh and Refreshing
- By Z. White on 12-04-24
By: Jason Reynolds
-
Road Home
- By: Rex Ogle
- Narrated by: Ramón De Ocampo
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One hot summer afternoon, Rex Ogle’s sexuality is found out and his father gives him an ultimatum: you can be gay, or you can live here, but not both—and you have twenty-four hours to decide. Rex desperately hopes for a reprieve that doesn’t come, and the following day, he leaves. With no place to go, he drives to New Orleans, where he has the phone number of a man he met briefly and kissed once.
-
-
Wonderful Author
- By Rebecca on 01-31-25
By: Rex Ogle
-
Not Like Other Girls
- By: Meredith Adamo
- Narrated by: Georgina Sadler, Meredith Adamo
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jo-Lynn Kirby ‘s former best friend—pretty, nice Maddie Price—comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it's some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked—and since everyone decided she deserved it. There’s no way Maddie would actually come to her for help. But then Maddie is gone. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie’s disappearance, she’s left to wonder who she’s really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.
-
-
Not like other books
- By TreadsNY on 05-19-24
By: Meredith Adamo
-
Lola
- By: Karla Arenas Valenti
- Narrated by: Daisy Guevara
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Lola has always been touched by magic. In her Mexico City home, built around a towering tree, she is accustomed to enchanted blooms that change with the seasons, a sandbox that spits out mysterious treasures, and mischievous chaneques that scuttle about unseen by all but her. Magic has always been a part of her life, but now she must embrace the extraordinary as never before. Ever since The Thing That Happened, Lola's brother Alex has been sick. As his condition worsens, something begins eating away at the tree, causing its leaves and blossoms to crumble like ash.
-
Compound Fracture
- By: Andrew Joseph White
- Narrated by: Dani Martineck
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him. The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement.
-
-
impeccable
- By J. Cicero on 09-18-24
-
Everything We Never Had
- By: Randy Ribay
- Narrated by: JB Tadena, Ramón de Ocampo, Manny Jacinto, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of the National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing comes an emotionally charged, moving novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught father-son relationships.
-
-
Stirring literary YA for the post-pandemic world
- By Amazon Customer on 09-05-24
By: Randy Ribay
-
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . .
- A LOVE Story
- By: Jason Reynolds
- Narrated by: Guy Lockard
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-four months ago: Neon gets chased by a dog all around the parking lot of a church. Not his finest moment. And definitely one he would have loved to forget if it weren’t for the dog’s owner: Aria. Dressed in sweats, a t-shirt, hair in a ponytail. Aria. Way more than fine. Twenty-four weeks ago: Neon’s dad insists on talking to him about tenderness and intimacy. Neon and Aria are definitely in love, and while they haven’t taken that next big step…yet, they’ve starting talking about…that.
-
-
Fresh and Refreshing
- By Z. White on 12-04-24
By: Jason Reynolds
-
Road Home
- By: Rex Ogle
- Narrated by: Ramón De Ocampo
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One hot summer afternoon, Rex Ogle’s sexuality is found out and his father gives him an ultimatum: you can be gay, or you can live here, but not both—and you have twenty-four hours to decide. Rex desperately hopes for a reprieve that doesn’t come, and the following day, he leaves. With no place to go, he drives to New Orleans, where he has the phone number of a man he met briefly and kissed once.
-
-
Wonderful Author
- By Rebecca on 01-31-25
By: Rex Ogle
-
Not Like Other Girls
- By: Meredith Adamo
- Narrated by: Georgina Sadler, Meredith Adamo
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jo-Lynn Kirby ‘s former best friend—pretty, nice Maddie Price—comes to her claiming to be in trouble, Jo assumes it's some kind of joke. After all, Jo has been an outcast ever since her nude photos were leaked—and since everyone decided she deserved it. There’s no way Maddie would actually come to her for help. But then Maddie is gone. As Jo digs deeper into Maddie’s disappearance, she’s left to wonder who she’s really searching for: Maddie, or the girl she used to be.
-
-
Not like other books
- By TreadsNY on 05-19-24
By: Meredith Adamo
-
Lola
- By: Karla Arenas Valenti
- Narrated by: Daisy Guevara
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten-year-old Lola has always been touched by magic. In her Mexico City home, built around a towering tree, she is accustomed to enchanted blooms that change with the seasons, a sandbox that spits out mysterious treasures, and mischievous chaneques that scuttle about unseen by all but her. Magic has always been a part of her life, but now she must embrace the extraordinary as never before. Ever since The Thing That Happened, Lola's brother Alex has been sick. As his condition worsens, something begins eating away at the tree, causing its leaves and blossoms to crumble like ash.
-
Chronically Dolores
- By: Maya Van Wagenen
- Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal, Maya Van Wagenen
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dolores Mendoza is not thriving. She was recently diagnosed with a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. The painful disease isn’t life-threatening, but it is threatening to ruin her life. Just when things seem hopeless, Dolores meets someone poised to change her fate. Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones is glamorous, autistic, and homeschooled against her will by her overprotective mother. After a rocky start, the girls form a tentative partnership
By: Maya Van Wagenen
-
The Enigma Girls
- How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
- By: Candace Fleming
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"You are to report to Station X at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, in four days time....That is all you need to know." This was the terse telegram hundreds of young women throughout the British Isles received in the spring of 1941, as World War II raged. As they arrived at Station X, a sprawling mansion in a state of disrepair surrounded by Spartan-looking huts with little chimneys coughing out thick smoke—these young people had no idea what kind of work they were stepping into. Who had recommended them? Why had they been chosen? Most would never learn all the answers to these questions.
-
-
The Enigma Girls
- By Angela L on 03-15-25
By: Candace Fleming
-
The Wrong Way Home
- By: Kate O'Shaughnessy
- Narrated by: Caitlin Kinnunen
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fern’s lived at the Ranch, an off-the-grid, sustainable community in upstate New York, since she was six. The work is hard, but Fern admires the Ranch's leader, Dr. Ben. So when Fern’s mother sneaks them away in the middle of the night and says Dr. Ben is dangerous, Fern doesn't believe it. She wants desperately to go back, but her mom just keeps driving. Suddenly thrust into the treacherous, toxic, outside world, Fern thinks only about how to get home again.
-
-
Great story!
- By Loribz on 03-08-25
-
One Big Open Sky
- By: Lesa Cline-Ransome
- Narrated by: Crystal Clarke, Janina Edwards, Emana Rachelle
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family needs: an opportunity to claim the independence they’ve strived for over generations on their very own plot of land. But Thomas’ hopes—and mouth—are bigger than his ability to follow through. With few supplies and even less money, the only thing that feels certain is danger.
-
Wild Dreamers
- By: Margarita Engle
- Narrated by: Zac Aleman, Andre Bellido, Alejandra Reynoso
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ana and her mother have been living out of their car ever since her militant father became one of the FBI’s most wanted. Leandro has struggled with debilitating anxiety since his family fled Cuba on a perilous raft. One moonlit night, in a wilderness park in California, Ana and Leandro meet. Their connection is instant—a shared radiance that feels both scientific and magical. Then they discover they are not alone: a huge mountain lion stalks through the trees, one of many wild animals whose habitat has been threatened by humans.
-
-
Complexity of Growing up as a Dreamer
- By Jeanie Lemon on 07-02-24
By: Margarita Engle
-
Bright Red Fruit
- By: Safia Elhillo
- Narrated by: Safia Elhillo
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet—until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye of an older, charismatic poet named Horus. For the first time, Samira feels wanted. But soon she’s keeping a bigger secret than ever before—one that that could prove her reputation and jeopardize her place in her community.
-
-
The details
- By Tonayah Ellis on 03-02-25
By: Safia Elhillo
-
Plan A
- By: Deb Caletti
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sixteen-year-old girl’s road trip across the country to get an abortion becomes a transformative journey of vulnerability, strength, and above all, choice. From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World, this is both an achingly tender love story and a bold, badly needed battle cry about bodily autonomy and the experiences that connect us.
-
-
Required reading
- By Kindle Customer on 10-07-23
By: Deb Caletti
-
Accountable
- The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed
- By: Dashka Slater
- Narrated by: Ariel Blake
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a high school student started a private Instagram account that used racist and sexist memes to make his friends laugh, he thought of it as “edgy” humor. Over time, the edge got sharper. Then a few other kids found out about the account. Pretty soon, everyone knew. Ultimately no one in the small town of Albany, California, was safe from the repercussions of the account’s discovery. Not the girls targeted by the posts. Not the boy who created the account. Not the group of kids who followed it. Not the adults—educators and parents—whose attempts to fix things too often made them worse.
-
-
Important story for young readers
- By Christopher Gutierrez on 11-15-24
By: Dashka Slater
-
A Face for Picasso
- By: Ariel Henley
- Narrated by: Ariel Henley
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At only eight months old, identical twin sisters Ariel and Zan Henley were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome — a rare condition where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. They were the first twins known to survive it. Growing up, Ariel and her sister endured numerous medical procedures to keep them alive. Doctors expanded the twins’ skulls and broke bones to make room for their growing organs. After each surgery, the sisters felt like strangers to each other, unable to recognize themselves in the mirror.
-
-
Fantastic
- By Anna McCall on 03-25-24
By: Ariel Henley
-
Aisle Nine
- By: Ian X. Cho
- Narrated by: Jacob McNatt
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since the world filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons started popping out on the reg, Jasper’s life has gotten worse and worse. A teenage nobody with no friends or family, he is plagued by the life he can’t remember and the person he’s sure he’s supposed to be. Jasper spends his days working as a checkout clerk at the Here for You discount mart, where a hell portal in aisle nine means danger every shift. But at least here he can be near the girl he’s crushing on—Kyle Kuan, a junior member of the monster-fighting Vanguard.
By: Ian X. Cho
-
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
- By: Tony Keith Jr.
- Narrated by: Tony Keith Jr.
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tony dreams about life after high school, where his poetic voice can find freedom on the stage and page. But the Boogeyman has been following Tony since he was six years old. First, the Boogeyman was after his Blackness, but Tony has learned It knows more than that: Tony wants to be the first in his family to attend college, but there’s no path to follow. He also has feelings for boys, desires that don’t align with the script he thinks is set for him and his girlfriend, Blu.
-
-
Outstanding Book Written Poem-Style
- By Amazon Customer on 03-28-24
By: Tony Keith Jr.
-
The Deep Dark
- By: Molly Knox Ostertag
- Narrated by: Eva Reign, Elena Rey, Annette Amelia Oliveira, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there's her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out—like it did once before.
What listeners say about Shut Up, This Is Serious
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LouLou
- 11-30-24
Thought Provoking. This is art!!!! Brava!
This wasn't what I expected. But so what? The book was very very good. I have so many thoughts about the entire piece. Here's my main takeaway: Fathers are so very important to the development and happiness of their children. If that sounds preachy to you let me assure you that this book was not preachy at all - it just showed how children (and mothers) struggle when their fathers don't step up to their role as a loving, responsible parent.
The writing was spectacular and the narrator was the very best choice for this book. I've never been to this part of California but I really felt as if I were there...seeing, feeling, smelling...truly present in the moment with the writing. The narrator handled the "Spanglish" and other Spanish words interspersed throughout masterfully. She must be a native speaker for sure. With that said, adding the language and the culture really resonated and made it even more real. If you are a native Spanish speaker even if you aren't of Mexican decent, you'll "get it" at an even deeper level. But if you aren't Latino please don't be put off, you don't have to be Latin to understand and grow to love the characters.
This is one of those rare books that really stays with you. It's one I won't just forget. Absolute "Brava" to the author and narrator. THIS...this is ART. I'll be looking for more books from each.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KAT-AQ
- 10-10-24
Don’t let the title fool you
I really really liked the story! It’s high school girls BUT their stories are real. I identified with these girls and their families, their troubles. The author really captured a Mexican household, their cultures. The narrator was also pleased to listen to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nicole Robinson
- 03-19-24
A painfully real story
I loved this book. It is a story that is happy at times, sad at times, but always real.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ellie
- 01-12-24
A novel for the Bay
Being in my late 20’s, what I loved about this book was how much it brought me back to a period in my life I don’t think about too often. The author did an amazing job of bringing the characters to life, and I often had the thought of “Oh yeah, I totally remember feeling that way in high school.” I also really enjoyed the setting of Oakland. Being from the Bay Area, it was fun to visually be taken back down the streets that are so familiar, or to have a moment of recognition for locations like the donut shop where you can also get Chinese food in Fruitvale. I think anyone familiar with the area will enjoy this read for the setting alone and the story of challenging family dynamics only adds to the relatability. Looking forward to reading more from Ixta.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carolina
- 01-13-24
The author is a master storyteller
It made me think about myself when I was 17, I was frustrated for the character but also frustrated for my younger self, I wish she could read this. Brought me back to a time I think alot of people can relate to.
My favorite quote “blood is only thicker than water until you’re drowning in it.”
Congrats on a beautiful debut
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 02-08-24
LOVED!
Throughly enjoyed the story of Belen and Leti’s friendship. Belen’s family isn’t something common like having a mother who’s a college educated graduate and how that is seen as problematic in a marriage. Great insight to that world
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 02-14-24
Absolutely loved this book!
As someone who grew up in the Bay, this book made me homesick in the best ways. Not only with the descriptions of Oakland/Fruitvale, but also with the familiarity of each character. I feel like I grew up with Belén and Leti too! I’m so moved by the heart of this story and loved witnessing it all unfold.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!