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astoriareader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
- Olga & Pedro (“Pierto”) Acevedo are siblings, who were born & raised in Brooklyn. Olga is a wedding planner for rich folks, and Pierto is a Congressman. They are in their 40s.
- Both siblings are smart, savvy, educated, and Puerto Rican.
- Their father died when they were young, and their mother abandoned them prior to their dad’s death. Their mother is an estranged radical, who is fighting for the liberation of Puerto Rico.
- When Hurricane Maria hits, many issues come up for the siblings.
- I wanted to like this novel, as it nice to see Puerto Rican representation in literature, but this fell flat for me. Although, clearly, I am an outlier with the rave reviews.
- There were too many plots going on at once.
- The writing style felt very juvenile, YA to me.
- I didn’t find the two main characters very likable. I also didn’t like how the author portrayed them.
- I didn’t find being closeted in NYC in 2017 to be very believable.
- Some of the characters felt like caricatures & not realistic.
- I appreciated a lot of points made about colonization & Puerto Rico, but I felt the author wasn’t clear where she actually landed. The “radical” group of revolutionaries are vilified throughout the book, and government intervention is equally criticized. It makes it unclear what route people should support.
Graphic: Abandonment and Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Abortion
ashwaar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing and Colonisation
ferboss2023's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Suicide, Outing, and Classism
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Abortion, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
imds's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Abortion
franklola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
crystalleighwrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Suicide, and Outing
Minor: Abortion and Outing
katharina90's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
At its core I think this is a story about living with and healing from various traumatic experiences. The author weaves so many important topics into this novel but still manages to keep it fairly light and entertaining.
The characters are 3-dimensional and complex familial and romantic relationships are portrayed well. Somehow I still wasn't super invested though.
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Abortion