kcarney86's review
- 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
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
mari1532's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Synopsis: This is a story of a family. Shifting between perspectives this story follows the four women of the Ramirez family, Dolores the matriarch, Jessica the oldest, Ruthy the missing child, and Nina the baby. The focus of the story is Dolores, Jessica, and Nina as they continue to grapple with the fallout of Ruthy going missing decades earlier and intermixed in present-day narratives are Ruthy's memories about the last day she was seen by her family. With no answers, each of the women has questions and unresolved feelings about what happened to Ruthy. However, when Jessica sees a woman on her TV that might be Ruthy all of the questions and unspoken conflicts within the family come to a head.
Thoughts: This book was so freaking good. Each of the characters was well-rounded and funny with a distinct personality, but you can clearly see how Jessica, Ruthy, and Nina were raised by Dolores. Jimenez's writing is so beautiful and captivating. Jimenez was able to make me as a reader feel what her characters were feeling in any specific scene while also giving them room to realize that there might be some unlikable aspects of the character's behaviour in that particular moment. The use of humour was also perfect particularly the scenes in the bar.
Spoiler
I also appreciated that the ending provided a resolution rather than just leaving things open-endedHighly recommend!
Minor: Sexual violence
Spoiler
murder is mentionedthereadertay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence
dixiecarroll's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
larcadip's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Minor: Cancer and Dementia
seyermk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i enjoyed reading this, and finished it within a day (which goes to show how intense it was)! still, though, it was sometimes hard to remember that each Ramirez woman was distinct and individual in their voices, they sometimes flowed together and got muddled. I also felt that some topics uncovered from their past were revealed, then never mentioned or processed ever again. regardless, the ending hits you right in the gut, and you find yourself mirroring the feelings of especially Dolores and Jessica as you process Ruthy’s story.
this is definitely a debut worth reading, and it comes out this tuesday! thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this.
Graphic: Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Bullying, Grief, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Death, and Murder
saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A more accurate title for What Happened To Ruthy Ramirez would be Who's Ruthy Ramirez as the book is less focused on the mystery and more on Ruthy and the women in her family as characters. This focus helped with the main theme of how often Black and brown girls go missing. Despite the dark subject matter, the book goes down easy thanks to the snarky humor throughout. However, the characters felt too distant and unremarkable, the prose and plot got boring because of the use of minute details and mundane scenes, and the story needed more narrative tension (the sisters were oddly unmotivated to figure out what was going on with Ruthy/Ruby until towards the end).
Graphic: Grief, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Racism, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia