Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Olga Dies Dreaming

Lately, I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of books about secrets. This one does that in a particularly gut-wrenching way. The way that Gonzalez let’s the reader sit with information, then draw their own conclusions about the characters motivations invited a more interactive experience for me. Gosh I really do love flawed characters.

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.75

My only issue was I didn’t like how anarchism was portrayed. I thought it was fantastic overall, though

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stephmcoakley's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense medium-paced

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

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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

olga dies dreaming - tho not w/o faults - is a book that will stay w/ me as a result of its deep understanding of the main characters and nuanced exploration of puerto rican identity and struggle, both of which come tgt to create an emotional and rich story.

the characters are imbued w/ depth, and w/ olga and prieto, we learn more and more abt them the further into the novel, and the core of the story is them coming to important realization abt themselves, which is hard but ultimately satisfying. surprisingly, i also like olga and matteo's relationship, and enjoy how it veers from my initial expectation.

the setting plays a crucial part in this novel, and both a brooklyn and puerto rico that are rarely portrayed in the mainstream help breathe a lot of life unti the story. the sense of community that persists in both gentrifying brooklyn and struggling puerto rico are uplifting too. another i rly applaud gonzalez for is the portrayal of how the rich and powerful encroach into politics, how a small few can wield so much influence as a result of corruption, so easily holding hostage a whole nation in its hands. the book's depiction of revolution and fight for the better good are thought-provoking as well, and i do hope the 2025 PR shown in this book will become a reality sooner than later.

while the story caps off on a satisfying note, there's still a few loose - or antithetical - ends. the resolution of preito's struggle w/ the selby brothers seems too easy for me; their downfall is only mentioned in broad strokes and i wonder why they didnt make use of bonilla to leak the preito's pics or info on blanca. at times it seems like important stuff happens off-pg, and this is an example. nevertheless, this is a rich, full-bodied book thats thought-provoking, relevant and emotionally impactful.

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taratearex's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

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

Title: Olga Dies Dreaming
Author: Xóchitl González
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 4, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Layered • Messy • Dynamic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Brooklyn, 2017

Olga is a successful wedding planner for Manhattan's elite, despite employing some questionable business practices. Her brother, Prieto, is a Congressman representing their gentrifying Latinx neighborhood, and with many secrets of his own.

Despite alluring public lives, the effects of their mother's sudden departure to advance a militant political cause twenty-seven years earlier continues to impact their lives in so many ways. In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico's history, they will come to understand their Puerto Rican heritage and challenge everything they know and feel when their mother comes barreling back into their lives.

Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption, familial strife and the very notion of the American dream--all while asking what it really means to weather a storm.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Olga Dies Dreaming fell into my hands while I was attempting to complete an A-Z author challenge this year. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this complex and layered debut novel, which combines romance, political strife, and family drama.

From the beautifully written first chapter, I instantly knew the propulsive writing style was going to grip me and take me on a messy ride into family dynamics with these flawed and fully developed characters. Not only was I transported into the novel, but I came away having learned about Puerto Rican history. There is no denying that the writing is the heart of this book weaving together a complex multigeneration history of both family and country. It demonstrates how childhood trauma continues to wreck havoc on personal development when our emotions aren't processed.

And while I enjoyed my time with this book, the ending was a little too tidy, especially considering how messy the plot was. It was an ending that felt unrealistic and a little rushed, which definitely took away from the whole experience.

Olga Dies Dreaming unpacks a lot, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by this beautiful debut novel. If you're looking for a lighthearted millennial story, this isn't the book for you. As a reader you must be ready to get messy with Olga and her brother. I cannot wait to see what Xóchitl González has on the horizon.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the family saga
• readers look for a LGBTQIA+ Story
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"You must remember, mijo, even people who were once your sails can become your anchors."

"It’s dangerous at your young age to be surrounded by people who don’t value who you are. Who don’t understand you. A child can become lost."

"Women are born with barometers in our belly that make us more sensitive to the climate around us and because we're so often on the lowers rung of any ladder, we're naturally inclined to look out for the least among us."

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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