lilmxguillotine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this, maybe I’m biased because I grew up in the 80s, but there you go, I loved it. Loved the representation and diversity, Beatriz is such a strong character, so relatable and I was rooting for her from the start to the end , an emotional read full of tough issues, well worth the read. Rewarding and inspiring
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
x_chrissieb_reads_x's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
“One day I’ll sing a song for you, Beatriz Ayita Mendez.”
Have you ever finished a book and sat there, staring at the wall, shocked by the beauty of the story? When I read the last page of Becoming Beatriz, I did just that. The words, the eye-opening situations, and mostly the beautiful characters kept replaying in my mind.
My words will not do Becoming Beatriz justice, the least I can do is convince you to read it xx
There is so much I love about this story Tami Charles created, I don’t know where to start. The diversity of the characters, the spanish that was intertwined with the paragraphs, the love of family, and how tough, but beautiful, the path of finding yourself is.
Beatriz, our main character, has an amazing character development throughout the novel. She starts off struggling to accept her identity, lives by the rules of others, is consumed by grief and doesn’t work on the life that she wants. The raw emotion and beauty in this part of the story was incredibly written, my heart would ache when I read the words that conveyed Beatriz’s emotions.
“They say when you see a wishmaker flower, you’re supposed to make a wish and blow…’
Throughout the novel, the author creates these magnificent moments between the characters of Becoming Beatriz, it made the story wholesome and purely breath-taking. I related to Beatriz so much, some of her troubles resonated with mine, and I will never forget that xx
Becoming Beatriz shows that life is difficult, but it gets better even when it doesn’t seem like it.
There’s so much I want to explain and fan-girl about, but like I said, my words won’t do this justice. Tami Charles has a great writing skill, she brought so many important situations into her novel, and it opened my eyes to things that I never paid attention to.
Ah!
Absolutely breathtaking xx
Rating: 5/5 ✨
TW: gang activity, death, physical altercations, mentions of drugs, etc
Have you ever finished a book and sat there, staring at the wall, shocked by the beauty of the story? When I read the last page of Becoming Beatriz, I did just that. The words, the eye-opening situations, and mostly the beautiful characters kept replaying in my mind.
My words will not do Becoming Beatriz justice, the least I can do is convince you to read it xx
There is so much I love about this story Tami Charles created, I don’t know where to start. The diversity of the characters, the spanish that was intertwined with the paragraphs, the love of family, and how tough, but beautiful, the path of finding yourself is.
Beatriz, our main character, has an amazing character development throughout the novel. She starts off struggling to accept her identity, lives by the rules of others, is consumed by grief and doesn’t work on the life that she wants. The raw emotion and beauty in this part of the story was incredibly written, my heart would ache when I read the words that conveyed Beatriz’s emotions.
“They say when you see a wishmaker flower, you’re supposed to make a wish and blow…’
Throughout the novel, the author creates these magnificent moments between the characters of Becoming Beatriz, it made the story wholesome and purely breath-taking. I related to Beatriz so much, some of her troubles resonated with mine, and I will never forget that xx
Becoming Beatriz shows that life is difficult, but it gets better even when it doesn’t seem like it.
There’s so much I want to explain and fan-girl about, but like I said, my words won’t do this justice. Tami Charles has a great writing skill, she brought so many important situations into her novel, and it opened my eyes to things that I never paid attention to.
Ah!
Absolutely breathtaking xx
Rating: 5/5 ✨
TW: gang activity, death, physical altercations, mentions of drugs, etc
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Drug use, Grief, and Gun violence
jaane's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really good read! Worth checking out. Review coming soon
joanna_ruth_h's review against another edition
1.0
Yikes. Maybe it could have had a good plot, through all the gang violence and drugs, but unfortunately I had to stop a quarter of the way through, because it just got too intense. Maybe other people can read through all the awful stuff, but this book was way too intense for me.
emilydittmar's review against another edition
3.0
There was more street than romance in this novel; I thought I would get more of a love story. It was hard for me to identify with what was happening since it is so far out of my experience, but it was a good window into the worlds of others.
hsquared's review against another edition
3.0
Before Glee, American audiences tuned in to watch another group of singing and dancing high school students—the cast of Fame led by their formidable dance teacher, played by Debbie Allen. Beatriz was a devoted fan, watching the series every week with her mami. When she hears they’ll be running auditions for the show in New Jersey, she longs to go. She used to take dance lessons—used to be pretty good too—but there’s no time for that now. She’s a Diabla, and after the death of her brother, she’s expected to step into the role of leader of this Puerto Rican gang, especially with the rival Haitian gang threatening to take over their territory. But then she meets Nasser, a new student at school, a Haitian student who also happens to love Fame, and now she’s questioning who she is and what’s possible. Charles has created a vibrant, complex, character who is trying to remain true to herself and her family. Several detailed author’s notes provide helpful information about the time period and influences on the story. Though Beatriz was first introduced in Like Vanessa, readers won’t need to have read that one to enjoy this one. Give to aspiring dancers and fans of urban fiction.
wecallthewind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
midnightsdeluxe's review against another edition
3.0
Gracias a [a:Tami Charles|14775736|Tami Charles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489706624p2/14775736.jpg] y al editor por proporcionar un ARC a cambio de una reseña sincera y es un honor leer esta historia. Esto no afecta en mis opiniones de forma alguna.
Beatriz sueña con una vida dedicada a bailar, hasta que la tragedia del día de su quinceañera lo cambia todo. Hasta su decimoquinto cumpleaños, lo más importante para Beatriz Méndez en el mundo era su sueño de convertirse en bailarina profesional y conseguir que ella y su familia se alejaran de la vida de pandilla que definía sus días: eso y conocer a su ídolo de baile Debbie Allen en el set de su programa de televisión favorito, Fame. Pero después de la última batalla en una guerra constante deja a su hermano líder de la pandilla, Junito, muerto y su madre afligida, Beatriz tiene un nuevo conjunto de prioridades. ¿Cómo se supone que debe sentir el ritmo cuando su familia necesita huir, cuando su madre no puede lavarse los dientes y cuando lo último que puede recordar de su antiguo yo es bailar con su hermano, seguido de correr y disparos? Cuando la clase de cerebritos le recuerda a Beatriz su amor por la pista de baile, sus sueños desterrados vuelven a colarse. Ahora la única pregunta es: ¿la pandilla la dejará ir? Ambientada en Nueva Jersey en 1984, la historia de Beatriz es atemporal en la navegación de un adolescente por el romance, la cultura de pandillas y el difícil pasado de su propia familia.
¡Este libro fue tan diferente de cualquier otro libro juvenil que haya leído antes! Es fácil de decir por la sinopsis que la protagonista y su vida familiar son muy poco ortodoxos, lo cual fue interesante. El libro está ambientado en 1984, Nueva Jersey, lo que lo hace aún más único todavía.
Esta historia es el claro ejemplo de que algunas personas sufren por circunstancias de nacimiento y que suelen interferir en sus ambiciones y sueños. También, la protagonista está rodeada de tragedias: la muerte de su hermano es un ejemplo de ello y esto afecta gravemente a sus planes de futuro. La novela es trágica y real. No suelo leer las notas de autor, pero me alegro de haberlo hecho en esta ocasión. Menciona que quiere complicar la visión que tiene la gente sobre la diversidad, y vaya si lo hace.
Volviendo a la historia, Beatriz tiene los sueños y aspiraciones de cualquier chica de quince años. A pesar de estar escrito originalmente en inglés, hay mucho español a lo largo del libro, lo suficientemente simple como para cualquier angloparlante pueda entenderlo.
Había romance, sí, pero tan poco que encajaba a la perfección con la actitud de los protagonistas. Me decepciona un poco ver que la muerte de su hermano afectó tan poco a la protagonista, que cualquiera diría que no eran muy cercanos. Me hubiera gustado ver más detallada todo lo previo a la escena trágica de su hermano. Beatriz piensa que es su culpa, pero no da motivos por los que piensa eso y el lector se queda un poco con la duda de saber realmente qué pasó.
Me ha encantado aprender sobre el mundo de la danza, porque a no ser que estés inmerso en ese mundo, apenas sabes lo que pasa.
Este libro me ha gustado porque la autora se ha implicado de tal forma que hace que quieras conectar y empatizar con la protagonista.
El libro no estará disponible hasta septiembre de 2019, y le agradezco a la autora y al editor que me hayan prestado un archivo para dar mi opinión personal.
Calificación: ★★★
Beatriz sueña con una vida dedicada a bailar, hasta que la tragedia del día de su quinceañera lo cambia todo. Hasta su decimoquinto cumpleaños, lo más importante para Beatriz Méndez en el mundo era su sueño de convertirse en bailarina profesional y conseguir que ella y su familia se alejaran de la vida de pandilla que definía sus días: eso y conocer a su ídolo de baile Debbie Allen en el set de su programa de televisión favorito, Fame. Pero después de la última batalla en una guerra constante deja a su hermano líder de la pandilla, Junito, muerto y su madre afligida, Beatriz tiene un nuevo conjunto de prioridades. ¿Cómo se supone que debe sentir el ritmo cuando su familia necesita huir, cuando su madre no puede lavarse los dientes y cuando lo último que puede recordar de su antiguo yo es bailar con su hermano, seguido de correr y disparos? Cuando la clase de cerebritos le recuerda a Beatriz su amor por la pista de baile, sus sueños desterrados vuelven a colarse. Ahora la única pregunta es: ¿la pandilla la dejará ir? Ambientada en Nueva Jersey en 1984, la historia de Beatriz es atemporal en la navegación de un adolescente por el romance, la cultura de pandillas y el difícil pasado de su propia familia.
¡Este libro fue tan diferente de cualquier otro libro juvenil que haya leído antes! Es fácil de decir por la sinopsis que la protagonista y su vida familiar son muy poco ortodoxos, lo cual fue interesante. El libro está ambientado en 1984, Nueva Jersey, lo que lo hace aún más único todavía.
Esta historia es el claro ejemplo de que algunas personas sufren por circunstancias de nacimiento y que suelen interferir en sus ambiciones y sueños. También, la protagonista está rodeada de tragedias: la muerte de su hermano es un ejemplo de ello y esto afecta gravemente a sus planes de futuro. La novela es trágica y real. No suelo leer las notas de autor, pero me alegro de haberlo hecho en esta ocasión. Menciona que quiere complicar la visión que tiene la gente sobre la diversidad, y vaya si lo hace.
Volviendo a la historia, Beatriz tiene los sueños y aspiraciones de cualquier chica de quince años. A pesar de estar escrito originalmente en inglés, hay mucho español a lo largo del libro, lo suficientemente simple como para cualquier angloparlante pueda entenderlo.
Había romance, sí, pero tan poco que encajaba a la perfección con la actitud de los protagonistas. Me decepciona un poco ver que la muerte de su hermano afectó tan poco a la protagonista, que cualquiera diría que no eran muy cercanos. Me hubiera gustado ver más detallada todo lo previo a la escena trágica de su hermano. Beatriz piensa que es su culpa, pero no da motivos por los que piensa eso y el lector se queda un poco con la duda de saber realmente qué pasó.
Me ha encantado aprender sobre el mundo de la danza, porque a no ser que estés inmerso en ese mundo, apenas sabes lo que pasa.
Este libro me ha gustado porque la autora se ha implicado de tal forma que hace que quieras conectar y empatizar con la protagonista.
El libro no estará disponible hasta septiembre de 2019, y le agradezco a la autora y al editor que me hayan prestado un archivo para dar mi opinión personal.
Calificación: ★★★
bookishlesbian's review against another edition
3.0
*I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this, it was a refreshing YA book which is always nice. I loved the diversity in this book and how different cultures were portrayed.
I think Beatriz is a great protagonist, you really could place yourself in her shoes and understand why she did the things she did. I also really liked Nasser and the way his relationship with Beatriz evolved. I think something I didn't like was that it felt very much as if the book told us a lot of things but didn't actually show them to us, which is something I always have an issue with. And because this book is quite short, it felt like some things were a bit too rushed.
Overall it was a good read and unique in a way that I think lots of people will enjoy this and should give this a read.
I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this, it was a refreshing YA book which is always nice. I loved the diversity in this book and how different cultures were portrayed.
I think Beatriz is a great protagonist, you really could place yourself in her shoes and understand why she did the things she did. I also really liked Nasser and the way his relationship with Beatriz evolved. I think something I didn't like was that it felt very much as if the book told us a lot of things but didn't actually show them to us, which is something I always have an issue with. And because this book is quite short, it felt like some things were a bit too rushed.
Overall it was a good read and unique in a way that I think lots of people will enjoy this and should give this a read.