sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
Find my original review on my blog: https://wp.me/p8jcuj-21j
Elena must conform to her mother's unrealistic rules, or she must death with her mother's wrath. Unlike her older brother, Elena is expected to cook, clean, and be a proper lady. She is not allowed to go out with friends or do anything that might even look like impropriety. Elena looks forward to the summers, when the rich Callahan family returns and she can get a break from her mother by babysitting the Callahan children. This summer is different because Elena has met a guy. While he may not be the best and not who you would consider to be her type, Elena begins to use the Callahans as an excuse more and more. Elena's older brother Joaquin worries about his sister, but he would never call her out because he doesn't want to alert their abusive and alcoholic mother. Joaquin doesn't want to be a part of the drama or abuse, instead he wants to start his adult life far away. Joaquin wants to find their long lost father and build connections with other parts of his family. This summer is one of tension and change, will the family be able to make it through the summer unscathed.
There was alot of story in this novel, though not alot of action. Elena, Joaquin, and their mother sift through their personal histories as a way to understand what their futures are going to be. While the narrative provides the mother's perspective, I never found myself connecting with her or rooting for her. She started pretty awful and stayed that way. The mother did have a challenging life, since she was sent from her home in Cuba to live with strangers in America. Instead of rising in the face of adversity, she twisted and became something nasty. Elena seemed to (almost) follow the same path and process. By the end of the book, I think the only person I really cared for or wanted to see in the future was Joaquin. I think this was a dense emotional story that some readers will respond to, but it was a challenge for me to read.
Elena must conform to her mother's unrealistic rules, or she must death with her mother's wrath. Unlike her older brother, Elena is expected to cook, clean, and be a proper lady. She is not allowed to go out with friends or do anything that might even look like impropriety. Elena looks forward to the summers, when the rich Callahan family returns and she can get a break from her mother by babysitting the Callahan children. This summer is different because Elena has met a guy. While he may not be the best and not who you would consider to be her type, Elena begins to use the Callahans as an excuse more and more. Elena's older brother Joaquin worries about his sister, but he would never call her out because he doesn't want to alert their abusive and alcoholic mother. Joaquin doesn't want to be a part of the drama or abuse, instead he wants to start his adult life far away. Joaquin wants to find their long lost father and build connections with other parts of his family. This summer is one of tension and change, will the family be able to make it through the summer unscathed.
There was alot of story in this novel, though not alot of action. Elena, Joaquin, and their mother sift through their personal histories as a way to understand what their futures are going to be. While the narrative provides the mother's perspective, I never found myself connecting with her or rooting for her. She started pretty awful and stayed that way. The mother did have a challenging life, since she was sent from her home in Cuba to live with strangers in America. Instead of rising in the face of adversity, she twisted and became something nasty. Elena seemed to (almost) follow the same path and process. By the end of the book, I think the only person I really cared for or wanted to see in the future was Joaquin. I think this was a dense emotional story that some readers will respond to, but it was a challenge for me to read.
lilybreanne's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookworm123456789's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.25
missprint_'s review against another edition
3.0
I mostly wanted to try this because I was such a big fan of Moxie. This is a book in a very different vein and so, unsurprisingly perhaps, it didn't work nearly as well for me.
dipali17's review against another edition
3.0
** A copy of The Liars of Mariposa Island was provided by the publisher and Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review **
The Liars of Mariposa Island is a dark and intense look at Elena and Joaquin's lives, with flashbacks to their mother's teenage years as a Cuban refugee in the U.S. Mathieu weaves a layered and insightful look at the cost of lies, the burden of truth and the weight of family.
The Liars of Mariposa Island is a dark and intense look at Elena and Joaquin's lives, with flashbacks to their mother's teenage years as a Cuban refugee in the U.S. Mathieu weaves a layered and insightful look at the cost of lies, the burden of truth and the weight of family.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
I was really enjoying this book and I was going to rate it 4 stars but I was a little let down by the ending! It’s so frustrating when that happens! I would still recommend it though. Jennifer Mathieu is a great writer.
jucebar's review against another edition
4.0
Un libro, sobre una historia familiar llena de mentiras, acerca de las mentiras que nos decimos para sentirnos bien, o aquellas mentiras que decidimos creer.
4 estrellas por recodarme que debo cambiar ciertas cosas en mi.
La historia, la verdad es muy sencilla, solo una revelación me sorprendió, lo demás era lo que esperaba, o me imaginaba que sucedería.
4 estrellas por recodarme que debo cambiar ciertas cosas en mi.
La historia, la verdad es muy sencilla, solo una revelación me sorprendió, lo demás era lo que esperaba, o me imaginaba que sucedería.
pwbalto's review against another edition
4.0
Very well-written, with Jennifer Mathieu's typically awesome and fully-fleshed characters. The Gulf Coast setting presses right down on you, and the feelings behind each character's secrets elevate this novel beyond your typical YA summer island fare. Also, I kept waiting for somebody to get raped, and they didn't, so I'd like to right off the bat say thank you to Jennifer Mathieu.
Diving a little deeper, this is the third book in a row I've read that was inspired by the real experiences of a member of the author's family, and I have to say I am not sure how I feel about this one. Ok the mother in this book is a minor monster, an alcoholic narcissist pining for her lost princessy childhood in Havana, ripped from her by Castro and his rebels. According to the author's note, this woman's experience as a Pedro Pan child refugee is inspired by those of Mathieu's mother and aunts.
So I'm a little weirded out that the author cannot muster up a drop of sympathy for her. In a way I'm impressed - just because someone went through a tough time, that doesn't automatically confer grace upon them. And there are narcissists everywhere, so I'm sure there were a couple among the Cuban refugee children, just as there were probably a couple piano prodigies and people with eidetic memory. And frankly this is an impression I have heard from friends in Miami - that many Cubans who fled Castro retain a magnificent chip on their shoulder and can be pretty snotty to just about everyone else.
But I don't like generalizations, and it seems to me strange that Cuban-descended Mathieu would paint this picture. So, like I said, not sure how I feel about this one.
Diving a little deeper, this is the third book in a row I've read that was inspired by the real experiences of a member of the author's family, and I have to say I am not sure how I feel about this one. Ok the mother in this book is a minor monster, an alcoholic narcissist pining for her lost princessy childhood in Havana, ripped from her by Castro and his rebels. According to the author's note, this woman's experience as a Pedro Pan child refugee is inspired by those of Mathieu's mother and aunts.
So I'm a little weirded out that the author cannot muster up a drop of sympathy for her. In a way I'm impressed - just because someone went through a tough time, that doesn't automatically confer grace upon them. And there are narcissists everywhere, so I'm sure there were a couple among the Cuban refugee children, just as there were probably a couple piano prodigies and people with eidetic memory. And frankly this is an impression I have heard from friends in Miami - that many Cubans who fled Castro retain a magnificent chip on their shoulder and can be pretty snotty to just about everyone else.
But I don't like generalizations, and it seems to me strange that Cuban-descended Mathieu would paint this picture. So, like I said, not sure how I feel about this one.
oncemorewithreading's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Jennifer Mathieu book and I absolutely loved it! It was well written with real characters. Elena was a trapped young girl who wanted to be able to live her life but couldn’t because of her over-bearing mother Caridad, who is still living with the trauma from her childhood of living in Cuba. Her brother Joaquin has the freedom to come and goes as he wants but still struggles with balancing work, relationships and trying to help Elena escape his mother’s abusive behaviour.
This book is told from each of their perspectives with Caridad’s focusing on her past. Most of it is told from Elena’s POV with the final third being from Joaquin’s. I really enjoy multi-perspective books and this one was perfect. It allowed you to learn more about each character and watch their development.
However I do feel like the ending could have been better and is the main reason that this book doesn’t get a five star review. Whilst I was happy for Joaquin, I felt like Elena honestly deserved a better ending. I don’t know if that’s because I felt myself being more attached to Elena but I wanted a happy ending for her.
This book is a lot darker that I thought it would be and there are a lot of triggers in this book so please be aware of this before picking this book up!
This was my first Jennifer Mathieu book and I absolutely loved it! It was well written with real characters. Elena was a trapped young girl who wanted to be able to live her life but couldn’t because of her over-bearing mother Caridad, who is still living with the trauma from her childhood of living in Cuba. Her brother Joaquin has the freedom to come and goes as he wants but still struggles with balancing work, relationships and trying to help Elena escape his mother’s abusive behaviour.
This book is told from each of their perspectives with Caridad’s focusing on her past. Most of it is told from Elena’s POV with the final third being from Joaquin’s. I really enjoy multi-perspective books and this one was perfect. It allowed you to learn more about each character and watch their development.
However I do feel like the ending could have been better and is the main reason that this book doesn’t get a five star review. Whilst I was happy for Joaquin, I felt like Elena honestly deserved a better ending. I don’t know if that’s because I felt myself being more attached to Elena but I wanted a happy ending for her.
This book is a lot darker that I thought it would be and there are a lot of triggers in this book so please be aware of this before picking this book up!
zinelib's review against another edition
4.0
Caridad/Carrie, a Cuban-American mother and her two teenage children, Joaquin and Elena, live on an island off Texas (did you know that was a thing--it is!). The first half of the novel is narrated by 16-year-old Elena and the second by recent high school grad Joaquin with a few Caridad chapters interspersed.
The liars reveal takes a while, and when it does, it's a bummer for the women of the family. I need to take a little time with this because I'm a Jennifer Mathieu fan, but this book rubs me the wrong way. I'd love to hear what others think.
The liars reveal takes a while, and when it does, it's a bummer for the women of the family. I need to take a little time with this because I'm a Jennifer Mathieu fan, but this book rubs me the wrong way. I'd love to hear what others think.