Mari, Erica, Selena, and Gracie could’ve never imagined their lives without each other.

Growing up in southern California in their large Mexican-American family meant spending every holiday together at their Welita’s house, sharing secrets, and learning family traditions to last a lifetime. But when Mari’s parents get a divorce, their perfect childhood unravels.

Fifteen years after their last summer together, the cousins Garcia are on the precipice of major life changes. Mari finds herself in a big, beautiful house, married to a handsome husband, but with nothing distinct that she feels she can call her own. Erica got dumped, and her new boss might hate her. The undervalued Selena is spinning her wheels at a marketing agency. And Gracie is a Catholic school teacher who suddenly finds herself head-over-heels for a childhood crush.

Now in their late twenties, the realities of life begin to strike quickly. When their beloved family matriarch dies, the Garcia family comes together to grieve their loss. Emotions boil over during an intense clash between Erica and Mari, shaking the cousins to the core. Through the revelation of family secrets, the taking of chances, and the realization of love, the cousins learn that their family has their backs, no matter what.

Told in alternating perspectives in brief, descriptive chapters, Big Chicas Don’t Cry is a celebration of a loud, loving, eavesdropping Mexican-American family on the morning of Christmas Eve, gathered around the dining room table, assembling tamales and sharing chisme about everyone and everything. Annette Chavez Macias’s characters learn to make difficult decisions and fight for self-acceptance. The characters know what it’s like growing up in a Mexican-American family where Spanish fluency is not equal across generations. Appearing Latina to Anglo counterparts and fulfilling that diversity checkbox, but facing fellow Latinos and not feeling “Mexican” enough. (The iconic words of Edward James Olmos’s Abraham Quintanilla rang in one’s ears, “It’s exhausting!”)

This coming-of-age story loaded with twists, turns, heartstopping moments, and love in all its forms will have readers itching to see the Garcia girls onscreen.