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sprigplantar's review against another edition
5.0
a rollercoaster of emotions.
throughout the book, i wasn't too sure how to rate this book since i originally didn't like corazon. but the ending was truly perfect. i love that it doesn't tie up everything in a tight knit and leaves it in a pretty open ending. the characterization of each character felt so personal and i truly loved the development for both corazon and jun.
i have never felt more seen in a book until now. either by ethnicity or trauma, it felt so deeply personal to me. i don't think i could forget it.
throughout the book, i wasn't too sure how to rate this book since i originally didn't like corazon. but the ending was truly perfect. i love that it doesn't tie up everything in a tight knit and leaves it in a pretty open ending. the characterization of each character felt so personal and i truly loved the development for both corazon and jun.
i have never felt more seen in a book until now. either by ethnicity or trauma, it felt so deeply personal to me. i don't think i could forget it.
bookishsapphicshay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
dellareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Really beautifully written. The audiobook was gorgeously performed.
smo13's review against another edition
5.0
Filipino and queer and music and family and friends. Taking place in California and the Philippines, what a journey for Corazón. Beautifully written and relatable!
saidtheraina's review against another edition
5.0
Pro take:
Cory has always felt like an outsider, especially at the Catholic high school she attends on a scholarship. This year, she’s started to develop romantic feelings for Ms. Holden, her history teacher. Then, tragedy strikes her family. One thing leads to another, and Cory is sent to the Philippines to stay with the half-brother she’s never met in person. Fantauzzo’s ownvoices story describes the experience of feeling in between cultures. Her Filapina roots lead to exclusion at her school, and when she gets to the Philippines, people refer to her as a FilAm. Her emerging sexual identity is not embraced in either culture. Coping with the unfolding events back home while also dealing with culture shock is overwhelming. It’s also authentic and real. Fantauzzo describes real places in the Philippines in beautiful prose. Highly recommended for high school and public libraries.
More:
- It took me way too long to put together that Cory was short for Corazon, hence the title.
- It's very much from Cory's perspective, such that I never felt like I fully understood where Ms. Holden, in particular, was coming from or thinking.
- I really appreciated the relationship with the cousin, and the contrast of experiences that gave the story.
- I had so much fun searching up pictures of the various locations mentioned in this book!
- I found it interesting how major a role music played in the lives of many of the side characters, in contrast to Cory's attachment to it.
- I appreciated the representation of FB stalking.
- I appreciated the depiction of watching a major medical issue unfold without knowing how it's going to "end." How stressful that is, how long-term scary it is.
- As someone who is currently (in 2021!) semi-estranged from my parents because my partner is a woman, I FELT parts of this book. And I wished that situation had been clarified a bit more before the book ended. Although leaving it not totally resolved does feel authentic to my experience. In any case, ouch.
- Extra star for the Filipina intersectional representation.
- Just realized I never mention where Cory lives prior to being sent to the Philippines. It's California. Sheesh, my biases are showing.
Cory has always felt like an outsider, especially at the Catholic high school she attends on a scholarship. This year, she’s started to develop romantic feelings for Ms. Holden, her history teacher. Then, tragedy strikes her family. One thing leads to another, and Cory is sent to the Philippines to stay with the half-brother she’s never met in person. Fantauzzo’s ownvoices story describes the experience of feeling in between cultures. Her Filapina roots lead to exclusion at her school, and when she gets to the Philippines, people refer to her as a FilAm. Her emerging sexual identity is not embraced in either culture. Coping with the unfolding events back home while also dealing with culture shock is overwhelming. It’s also authentic and real. Fantauzzo describes real places in the Philippines in beautiful prose. Highly recommended for high school and public libraries.
More:
- It took me way too long to put together that Cory was short for Corazon, hence the title.
- It's very much from Cory's perspective, such that I never felt like I fully understood where Ms. Holden, in particular, was coming from or thinking.
- I really appreciated the relationship with the cousin, and the contrast of experiences that gave the story.
- I had so much fun searching up pictures of the various locations mentioned in this book!
- I found it interesting how major a role music played in the lives of many of the side characters, in contrast to Cory's attachment to it.
- I appreciated the representation of FB stalking.
- I appreciated the depiction of watching a major medical issue unfold without knowing how it's going to "end." How stressful that is, how long-term scary it is.
- As someone who is currently (in 2021!) semi-estranged from my parents because my partner is a woman, I FELT parts of this book. And I wished that situation had been clarified a bit more before the book ended. Although leaving it not totally resolved does feel authentic to my experience. In any case, ouch.
- Extra star for the Filipina intersectional representation.
- Just realized I never mention where Cory lives prior to being sent to the Philippines. It's California. Sheesh, my biases are showing.
julie_responsibly's review against another edition
4.0
It's like three stars (I can't deal with depressed, friendless teens during pandemic times) until she gets to the Philippines a third of the way through and then it's absolutely a five star book. I get it that we have to see growth, but do we really have to start at rock bottom? I haven't come across a lot of Filipino American YA, so this was a great find.
peachykeenebooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
purpleviolin91's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Some parts of this were really good. But some parts were a bit dry. I did enjoy reading about another country and its culture (though this is fiction so can’t verify the accuracy).
krakow54's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
lil_bokchoy's review against another edition
5.0
this is the queer Filipinx YA lit i needed when i was a kid