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clarissarh's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Unclear what the book is trying to say about gentrification. The book’s understanding of divorce feels outdated by about 40 years and the characters, who are meant to be successful and ambitious women, are prone to self-victimization and not in an interesting way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage
mariakureads's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I had this book on my TBR for a while and when I saw that it was the library summer book club pick, well I figured this would be a good time to read it but I just finished it and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
It was a weird mish-mosh of different themes, from gentrification, loss, reproductive rights and even climate change, all around and centering within the Alvarado family which if I'm meant to find meaning in those themes in regards to the family, I'm at a loss. I feel like a lot was said and yet it was just words leading nowhere for a lot of the book until the last quarter for me.
I found a lack of love and empathy within this family. All selfish, especially the daughters that came across as entitled and so much so that they couldn't take care of their own lives, much less their marriages, and yet had the gall to say what they said and act how they did towards their parents which baffled me. Not once or twice but repeatedly through my listen. That selfishness is also the catalyst for lot of what happens to them and their individual downfalls. I won't say that they all figure it out, which is a nice nod to real life, but by the end of the book they're at least a bit more united then when I first met them but it was too late for me to care for them.
I will give the author her credit, she accurately described the gentrification of L.A as I have seen it time and time again, all over this city and the loss of so much history that defines the neighborhoods and cities I love, I was angered all over again about it. It's a true loss, regardless of what new shiny building or home has replaced what once was there, that history can't be replaced, just lost.
It was a weird mish-mosh of different themes, from gentrification, loss, reproductive rights and even climate change, all around and centering within the Alvarado family which if I'm meant to find meaning in those themes in regards to the family, I'm at a loss. I feel like a lot was said and yet it was just words leading nowhere for a lot of the book until the last quarter for me.
I found a lack of love and empathy within this family. All selfish, especially the daughters that came across as entitled and so much so that they couldn't take care of their own lives, much less their marriages, and yet had the gall to say what they said and act how they did towards their parents which baffled me. Not once or twice but repeatedly through my listen. That selfishness is also the catalyst for lot of what happens to them and their individual downfalls. I won't say that they all figure it out, which is a nice nod to real life, but by the end of the book they're at least a bit more united then when I first met them but it was too late for me to care for them.
I will give the author her credit, she accurately described the gentrification of L.A as I have seen it time and time again, all over this city and the loss of so much history that defines the neighborhoods and cities I love, I was angered all over again about it. It's a true loss, regardless of what new shiny building or home has replaced what once was there, that history can't be replaced, just lost.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death and Death
andreatypesbraille's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Rape
micaelamariem's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book had a somewhat interesting premise: a family drama inspired by telenovelas. But it failed to deliver. The majority of it was, well, boring. The characters were unlikable. I personally didn’t like the way “chapters” were divided, making it impossible to find good places to pause. Weather is supposed to be an extended metaphor about the health of the family but, by the middle of the book, I was ready to throw it down every time they were talking of the weather and the drought because it was SO boring. I also hated the way the point of view skipped around, making it hard to find who was talking, which was quite annoying. I don’t know if I’m too young to appreciate this, or family dramas aren’t my thing, or this truly was not a great book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
redhothabanero's review
emotional
reflective
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
2.5
I listened to the audiobook so a couple of my gripes about this book stem from there. The narrator had a jarring way of pronouncing some words like Os-kar and yacaranda that I didn't like. Also, how many times can we insert keloid scar and Happy Crunch Almond Orchard into one book? Also, the character planning the menu to their niece's funeral on the way to the hospital where they were very much alive was weird. There were some redeeming threads in there but they got trampled by the over the top drama that happened to everyone at the same time. This was a telenovela but it felt like they crammed an entire season into a mini series. These people never got a moment to breathe in between all the drama.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Medical content
Minor: Medical trauma
mollywill's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
erinp423's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
3.25 Stars for LA Weather.
This book started off really strong for me, I was immediately drawn into the Alvarado family and the near-drowning incident in the first chapter (not a spoiler) - which acts as the ignition point for a lot of strife for each individual of the family and the family as a whole. Throughout the book each chapter is narrated by a different character, giving insight into their individual stories, ambitions, and motivations. Most notably, the patriarch of the family has a deep secret that he needs to expose to his family to help explain his recent obsession with the draught in LA, but he has been holding onto it and its causing marital issues and pushing his wife away.
It is definitely a character-driven story and even has a bit of an elevated telenovela feel, without feeling cheesy - aside from perhaps the multiple divorces in the last quarter of the book. The characters were all generally likable and the story generally enjoyable, but it wasn't a book I couldn't put down or felt super compelled to pick back up. By the last 25% of the book, I kept feeling like it should end, but it just kept on going.
I did like how it gave some cultural insight into life as a Mexican-American family through the eyes of three different generations. The Alvarado family feels representative of the ways families are changing with differing backgrounds, religions, members, and ways of handling the chaos life can bring.
L.A. Weather would be a good beach read and will make your family feel extremely average by comparison to the Alvarado family. It likely won't change your life and you won't be compelled to think about the book after you've finished it.
This book started off really strong for me, I was immediately drawn into the Alvarado family and the near-drowning incident in the first chapter (not a spoiler) - which acts as the ignition point for a lot of strife for each individual of the family and the family as a whole. Throughout the book each chapter is narrated by a different character, giving insight into their individual stories, ambitions, and motivations. Most notably, the patriarch of the family has a deep secret that he needs to expose to his family to help explain his recent obsession with the draught in LA, but he has been holding onto it and its causing marital issues and pushing his wife away.
It is definitely a character-driven story and even has a bit of an elevated telenovela feel, without feeling cheesy - aside from perhaps the multiple divorces in the last quarter of the book. The characters were all generally likable and the story generally enjoyable, but it wasn't a book I couldn't put down or felt super compelled to pick back up. By the last 25% of the book, I kept feeling like it should end, but it just kept on going.
I did like how it gave some cultural insight into life as a Mexican-American family through the eyes of three different generations. The Alvarado family feels representative of the ways families are changing with differing backgrounds, religions, members, and ways of handling the chaos life can bring.
L.A. Weather would be a good beach read and will make your family feel extremely average by comparison to the Alvarado family. It likely won't change your life and you won't be compelled to think about the book after you've finished it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy
amcghig's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
annabeavo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
LA Weather recounts a year in the life of the Alvarados, a wealthy Jewish/Catholic Mexican American family living in - you guessed it - Los Angeles. It’s a year full of family drama beginning with the near drowning of three year old twins. There’s also marital challenges, divorces, infertility, health battles, secrets, pregnancy, a figuring out of gender identity, money woes, and so much more. All this takes place against a backdrop of climate change which was challenging the family in ways most of them did not even realise.
The characters were all deeply flawed and I struggled to find anything redeemable about many of them. They way they ignored worrying behaviour changes in a couple of family members had me me screaming at them through the pages. However, at their core they were a family that loved each other and when they chips were down they had each other’s backs.
We could see climate change impacting the family in several ways and I loved when they all became aware of its impact and started brainstorming and working on things that they could do to make a positive difference and less their impact on the earth. This was done in a fairly understated way that felt true to the story and the characters rather than in an over-the-top preachy fashion.
The melodrama of this book kept me entertained and it did touch on several other issues besides climate change. However, I doubt it will leave a lasting impression on me. It hit me more as short term entertainment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship