Reviews

Desperada by Sofia Mostaghimi

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dnllbchr's review against another edition

4.0

eat pray love’s younger grief-stricken, sexually liberated sibling.

(got to meet sofia at a writer’s event and asked her what it felt like to release her debut. she signed my book with something she knew i needed to hear)

kiki_charlatan's review against another edition

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No thank you

celltheory's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was incredible and blew me away. It took me a while to get into it and I had no idea what to expect, but Mostaghimi’s writing is beautiful and haunting. She created an entire world of characters that felt believable and real. It follows Kora who is struggling after the loss of her younger sister who drowned when they were on a family vacation. She quits her job and goes to Iceland on a whim, then begins traveling. Desperado feels extremely internal and tightly follows Kora’s point of view. I found her delightful as a main character, which feels odd to say in a book that deals with such heavy topics. She might come across as unlikeable to some, but I appreciated being inside of her head. She was complicated and messy and lost, but she was interesting, genuine, and forgiving. I was fond of multiple side characters - Zo, Kat, and Carly especially. I thought the structure of the book, split through each place Kora visits, worked really well. The pacing was steady and Kora’s journey of avoiding her grief, dealing with it, and accepting it was beautiful. I was surprised by how much I liked the ending and would definitely recommend it.

reallyintoreading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

theoceanrose's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

It's not the worst book I've ever read, but I did not have a good time. This is not a happy book. There is no joy.

Content Warnings

bookalorian's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was just ok for me. One of those books that is pretty unmemoriable once you are finished. Nothing wrong with it per se, just a little lifeless. Some real talented writing but it just seemed to hit this pace and never changed. Real shame, I really wanted to love this one.