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laurenisallbooked's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Gonzalez's writing is funny and sharp. The way she conveyed the indominable presence of Olga's mother and dominance of her voice, when the woman herself isn't really in the book, was so powerful. The parallel between Olga's mother and a literal hurricane!! Touching down briefly and leaving a path of destruction that will take years, and support from many others, to repair.
It was beautiful how each character had a relationship where we watched their healing, in stark contrast to the relationships where we watched them suffer harm. My only gripe is that I wish the narrative had been a little tighter; the end felt rushed relative to the rest of the novel.
He offered the words to her, loaded as they were with meaning. And she accepted what he said with gentle care. Fear and affection bubbled warm in her chest. ... She wanted to tell him that she was honored that it was her. That she understood pain like that. That, for her, instead of filling her house, she had slowly stripped herself bare, until there was nothing. But she was too out of the practice of loving, in that moment, to say those things.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Rape
streberkatze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Racism, Death of parent, Outing, and Abandonment
Moderate: Rape and Colonisation
Minor: Religious bigotry and Pregnancy
bloo_0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
jennipea382's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Outing, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
valareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Abandonment
sha's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Abortion, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
steenhalloween's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Outing, and Abandonment
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
It didn’t affect my rating though because overall this was such a beautiful exploration of family dynamics and expectations! I didn’t want to put the book down and it’s an extraordinary debut novel, so I can’t wait to read Gonzalez’s next book.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Death of parent
sierraclimbs's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
This book just reinforces my identity of enjoying mundane books. When I say that, it doesn’t mean this story doesn’t have a lot of intrigue and/or value. In contrary, I think this is an incredibly important life perspective for people to read from. What I mean by mundane is that there is nothing “fantastical” or “surprising”. It’s just people living life full of struggle, love, heartbreak, happiness & all of life’s other complexities.
This story tells the story of a Puerto Rican American family growing up with split identity & the struggle that comes with that.
It’s very raw & real, but also funny & lighthearted at times.
So glad it was picked for my book club because I hadn’t heard of it before then.
10/10 recommend
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Outing
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
sachachi's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Rape and War
Minor: Sexual violence