Estela, Undrowning, Rene PenaGovea
Estela, Undrowning, Rene PenaGovea
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Estela, Undrowning

Author: René Peña-Govea

Narrator: Victoria Villareal

Unabridged: 9 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/03/2026

Synopsis

In her raw and resonant debut novel, René Peña-Govea seamlessly interweaves prose and poetry to uplift the power of language, the courage to fight injustice, and the complex beauty of finding your people—perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X and Carolina Ixta’s Shut Up, This is Serious. Estela Morales is one of the only Latinas who tested into San Francisco’s most exclusive public high school. In her senior year, Estela just wants to keep her head down, eke out a passing grade from her racist Spanish teacher, and get into her dream college. But after placing second in the Latiné Heritage Poetry Contest behind a non-Latino student, Estela is thrust into citywide debates about merit, identity, and diversity.Things only get messier when her family is threatened with eviction. As Estela’s friends organize against bigotry and her landlady increases the pressure, Estela is suffocating and finds release only in poetry and in a breathless new romance. When tensions finally reach their breaking point, Estela must find a way to undrown the community she loves—and herself. 

About René Peña-Govea

René Peña-Govea is a Chicana writer, musician, and educator who was born and raised in San Francisco and still lives there with her family. She published her first poem and released her first album at age fifteen. Since then, she has been named an inaugural Bay Beats musician, a YBCA-100 Honoree, a Las Musas Hermana, a Brown-Handler Resident, and a Creative-in-Residence at the Ruby. René performs music with three generations of La Familia Peña-Govea and as René y Familia. Estela, Undrowning is her first novel. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Misty on August 15, 2025

4.25 stars. Give me all of the latine (x,o) coming-of-age stories forever. Growing up, these types of books weren't mainstream and it makes my heart so happy that there are more options now. Estela was a character that I didn't love at first but the more I read, the more I recognized that she was a k......more

Goodreads review by Israt on August 01, 2025

For fans of YA books like, “The Education of Margo Sanchez” and “The Fire on High,” but with a west coast setting. Estela is a high school senior at the prestigious public school, Robert Frost High School. Not only is Estela “Steli” high-achieving and hyper-focused on getting into college, she’s a t......more

Goodreads review by Aurora on February 20, 2026

A NEW PERSONAL FAVE. A poetically written YA with a lot of important themes. This book hit me in my feels so hard. Estela tested into one of the most exclusives high schools in her area. She wants to keep her head down and focus on getting into her dream college. Sure there are some questionable peo......more

Goodreads review by Athena on January 23, 2026

Wow. Strong & beautiful depiction of young adults being in the California school system. Listened on Audio, and automatically impressed with the narrator’s ability to capture the author’s switch between characters en español, in english, and in awkward-american-accented-spanish depending on circumst......more

Goodreads review by Ana on March 27, 2026

A coming-of-age story centered on a young Chicana student balancing everyday life with the weight of systemic racism. Estela’s story matters! It highlights struggles that deserve to be seen and acknowledged. The author did an incredible job creating characters that feel real, layered, and full of he......more

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