mattyvreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
I don’t think I liked this book… I’m still thinking about it though.
Here are some things that I think that the author does quite well:
> Has a meaningful and nuanced dialogue about parental neglect, emotional abuse, and exploitation, in an otherwise less-than-subtle story.
> Centers gay people and women.
> Was genuinely exciting in parts.
> Has moments of emotionality and tenderness.
> Has a beautiful book cover. The best I’ve seen all year.
Okay, that’s about it.
Honestly, once I suspended disbelief, I enjoyed a lot of the story, particularly the middle third which was really successful for me. The characters themselves are very intriguing, and the plot kept me guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it. Other times, it was a chore to turn the page.
Here are things about the book I don’t care for:
> The dialogue and actions of the characters is ultra-stylized and over-the-top. That style didn’t really click for me.
> I found all the characters vaguely annoying. All of them.
> Some of the talking points in the book felt entirely unfinished, unearned, or even sometimes, disrespectful. (Many made contextual sense! These moments were really successful: a thorough discussion of closeted homosexuality and the pressures of a Catholic upbringing. Emotional abuse and neglect. The problematicism of white social justice warriors. Colorism. A denouncement of “elevating” foreign food. Talking about the lack of mainland aid from America in the wake of Hurricane Irma and Maria. That was all fascinating and so successful.) The talking points which felt unearned or disrespectful: random invocation of unrelated national tragedies and genocide. A quick and unresolved discussion of sexual assault. Seemingly, a few misguided jabs at the leftist youth of America?
The author would sometimes make actual critique, but I often wondered what point the author was trying to make, or if there was a point with those latter topics. Mostly it felt that the author was almost saying something, and then chose not to. Saying a lot, but saying nothing —
Olga briefly mentions that she refuses to think about the incident as it would “make her a victim.” As if people who are survivors of sexual assault are somehow inferior? Or just the way that they respond to it makes them somehow inferior? Hmm… It’s a deeply troubling sentiment.
When she reveals this news to her boyfriend, the author had the chance to say something in that moment. Instead he responds with some unimpressive remark, and then proceeds to scold her about other elements of their relationship! And that’s the last we hear of it!! Like….? I just don’t get it.
And one could make the argument that sometimes people don’t know what to say, and maybe this is the realistic response for that character, but the rest of the book doesn’t have realistic dialogue! Why should we just settle for this right before the “happily ever after”?
Oh also, at one point, the protagonist randomly sh!ts on sex workers, and there’s another part where her niece corrects her brother to say “queer” instead of “gay”. Those moments gave me slight pause. It does center a gay character, but the text oozed heterosexuality in a way that was confusing and disinteresting to me.
Overall, I liked parts of the book, but would probably not read it again.
Here are some things that I think that the author does quite well:
> Has a meaningful and nuanced dialogue about parental neglect, emotional abuse, and exploitation, in an otherwise less-than-subtle story.
> Centers gay people and women.
> Was genuinely exciting in parts.
> Has moments of emotionality and tenderness.
> Has a beautiful book cover. The best I’ve seen all year.
Okay, that’s about it.
Honestly, once I suspended disbelief, I enjoyed a lot of the story, particularly the middle third which was really successful for me. The characters themselves are very intriguing, and the plot kept me guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it. Other times, it was a chore to turn the page.
Here are things about the book I don’t care for:
> The dialogue and actions of the characters is ultra-stylized and over-the-top. That style didn’t really click for me.
> I found all the characters vaguely annoying. All of them.
> Some of the talking points in the book felt entirely unfinished, unearned, or even sometimes, disrespectful. (Many made contextual sense! These moments were really successful: a thorough discussion of closeted homosexuality and the pressures of a Catholic upbringing. Emotional abuse and neglect. The problematicism of white social justice warriors. Colorism. A denouncement of “elevating” foreign food. Talking about the lack of mainland aid from America in the wake of Hurricane Irma and Maria. That was all fascinating and so successful.) The talking points which felt unearned or disrespectful: random invocation of unrelated national tragedies and genocide. A quick and unresolved discussion of sexual assault. Seemingly, a few misguided jabs at the leftist youth of America?
The author would sometimes make actual critique, but I often wondered what point the author was trying to make, or if there was a point with those latter topics. Mostly it felt that the author was almost saying something, and then chose not to. Saying a lot, but saying nothing —
Spoiler
In the latter third of the book, Olga is sexually assaulted by an ex. This scene, and its subsequent fallout, was not handled with particular care by the author. First of all, the assault is from the POV of the assailant, which is particularly disturbing. I question why the author decided to frame the scene in that way. The aftermath is also troubling.Olga briefly mentions that she refuses to think about the incident as it would “make her a victim.” As if people who are survivors of sexual assault are somehow inferior? Or just the way that they respond to it makes them somehow inferior? Hmm… It’s a deeply troubling sentiment.
When she reveals this news to her boyfriend, the author had the chance to say something in that moment. Instead he responds with some unimpressive remark, and then proceeds to scold her about other elements of their relationship! And that’s the last we hear of it!! Like….? I just don’t get it.
And one could make the argument that sometimes people don’t know what to say, and maybe this is the realistic response for that character, but the rest of the book doesn’t have realistic dialogue! Why should we just settle for this right before the “happily ever after”?
Oh also, at one point, the protagonist randomly sh!ts on sex workers, and there’s another part where her niece corrects her brother to say “queer” instead of “gay”. Those moments gave me slight pause. It does center a gay character, but the text oozed heterosexuality in a way that was confusing and disinteresting to me.
Overall, I liked parts of the book, but would probably not read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Outing
ssamdaly's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Outing
teatunesandtales's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, War, Death of parent, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Xenophobia, Outing, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, and Addiction
jesstaurant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Drug abuse, and Rape
ferboss2023's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Racism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Classism, Suicide, Rape, Outing, and Homophobia
alainajreads'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
I found myself going back and forth on my rating, based on factors of how well it was executed, how connected I felt to the characters, and my own enjoyment of it. This book attempted to tackle a lot and it already had so many important themes packed into it, from gentrification and capitalism, colonialism, family and parental abandonment, HIV/AIDS, sexual assault, Hurricane Maria and the US government’s mishandling of the disaster, and Latino identity. The genre jumped between a family drama, a political thriller, and a romance.
I will say that Olga Dies Dreaming was very well-written, and Gonzalez’s writing style caught my attention from the first chapter. I was really drawn into Olga and Prieto’s story and the complexity of their characters and the relationship between the siblings, their absent mother, and the rest of their family. I enjoyed Olga’s relationship with Matteo and learning to let herself trust after her abandonment issues and develop as a character (and call out the 45th President live on TV- we love to see it!) was satisfying. It was refreshing to read about a 40 year old protagonist finding love.
But the last part of the book did feel rushed, with so many plot points wrapped into the last third of the book, and after seeing other reviews I agree with the sentiment that while Xochitl Gonzalez was ambitious in trying to cover so much background and Puerto Rican history in under 400 pages, the risk might not have paid off and left an incomplete narrative. However, I did listen to the audiobook and the narrators did a good job telling the story from different perspectives (with one scene toward the end was very hard to listen to). Olga Dies Dreaming attempted to cover a lot of ground, to varying degrees of success, in an overall impactful read.
I will say that Olga Dies Dreaming was very well-written, and Gonzalez’s writing style caught my attention from the first chapter. I was really drawn into Olga and Prieto’s story and the complexity of their characters and the relationship between the siblings, their absent mother, and the rest of their family. I enjoyed Olga’s relationship with Matteo and learning to let herself trust after her abandonment issues and develop as a character (and call out the 45th President live on TV- we love to see it!) was satisfying. It was refreshing to read about a 40 year old protagonist finding love.
But the last part of the book did feel rushed, with so many plot points wrapped into the last third of the book, and after seeing other reviews I agree with the sentiment that while Xochitl Gonzalez was ambitious in trying to cover so much background and Puerto Rican history in under 400 pages, the risk might not have paid off and left an incomplete narrative. However, I did listen to the audiobook and the narrators did a good job telling the story from different perspectives (with one scene toward the end was very hard to listen to). Olga Dies Dreaming attempted to cover a lot of ground, to varying degrees of success, in an overall impactful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
Minor: Colonisation, Homophobia, and Outing
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
olga dies dreaming - tho not w/o faults - is a book that will stay w/ me as a result of its deep understanding of the main characters and nuanced exploration of puerto rican identity and struggle, both of which come tgt to create an emotional and rich story.
the characters are imbued w/ depth, and w/ olga and prieto, we learn more and more abt them the further into the novel, and the core of the story is them coming to important realization abt themselves, which is hard but ultimately satisfying. surprisingly, i also like olga and matteo's relationship, and enjoy how it veers from my initial expectation.
the setting plays a crucial part in this novel, and both a brooklyn and puerto rico that are rarely portrayed in the mainstream help breathe a lot of life unti the story. the sense of community that persists in both gentrifying brooklyn and struggling puerto rico are uplifting too. another i rly applaud gonzalez for is the portrayal of how the rich and powerful encroach into politics, how a small few can wield so much influence as a result of corruption, so easily holding hostage a whole nation in its hands. the book's depiction of revolution and fight for the better good are thought-provoking as well, and i do hope the 2025 PR shown in this book will become a reality sooner than later.
while the story caps off on a satisfying note, there's still a few loose - or antithetical - ends. the resolution of preito's struggle w/ the selby brothers seems too easy for me; their downfall is only mentioned in broad strokes and i wonder why they didnt make use of bonilla to leak the preito's pics or info on blanca. at times it seems like important stuff happens off-pg, and this is an example. nevertheless, this is a rich, full-bodied book thats thought-provoking, relevant and emotionally impactful.
the characters are imbued w/ depth, and w/ olga and prieto, we learn more and more abt them the further into the novel, and the core of the story is them coming to important realization abt themselves, which is hard but ultimately satisfying. surprisingly, i also like olga and matteo's relationship, and enjoy how it veers from my initial expectation.
the setting plays a crucial part in this novel, and both a brooklyn and puerto rico that are rarely portrayed in the mainstream help breathe a lot of life unti the story. the sense of community that persists in both gentrifying brooklyn and struggling puerto rico are uplifting too. another i rly applaud gonzalez for is the portrayal of how the rich and powerful encroach into politics, how a small few can wield so much influence as a result of corruption, so easily holding hostage a whole nation in its hands. the book's depiction of revolution and fight for the better good are thought-provoking as well, and i do hope the 2025 PR shown in this book will become a reality sooner than later.
while the story caps off on a satisfying note, there's still a few loose - or antithetical - ends. the resolution of preito's struggle w/ the selby brothers seems too easy for me; their downfall is only mentioned in broad strokes and i wonder why they didnt make use of bonilla to leak the preito's pics or info on blanca. at times it seems like important stuff happens off-pg, and this is an example. nevertheless, this is a rich, full-bodied book thats thought-provoking, relevant and emotionally impactful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Outing, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Chronic illness
Minor: Death and Death of parent
thatgirlcrystal'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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Addiction, Classism, Abandonment, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Rape, Racism, Suicide, and Outing
Minor: Abortion and Outing
mikarala's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
So, this book doesn't really have a plot.
Or, okay, there's a shade of one, but really, it doesn't take shape until after the 3/4 mark, and up until that point it's basically a character study with seemingly never-ending set-up. The actual climax of the story (admittedly it's actually more of an anti-climax) is well-foreshadowed and fits in with all of the elements that came before it, but if I'm being honest, I think the pacing of this novel is whack and sometime around the middle of the story I was really wondering where the hell things were going and kind of had to push through it.
However, I do have a really high opinion of this novel overall because I think it handles some really fascinating messages and themes in an incredibly sensitive and complex way. Basically, this novel tells the story of Olga and Prieto, siblings in their early 40's who are still struggling with the ramifications of their mother abandoning them when they were teenagers in order to support la revolucion. Rejecting their mother's radicalism, both of them work within the confines of the White liberal agenda, something that neither are fully satisfied with, as it obviously isn't that concerned with serving their Brown community or their Puerto Rican heritage. Both of them also still want to please the mother, who writes them letters encouraging more radical attitudes and guilting them for their failures to live up to her anarchist legacy.
I really enjoyed how layered this message was. Olga and Prieto both feel slightly empty and aimless as they try to work within systems that are built to limit them as minorities. However, it also sharply criticizes their mother's narcissistic martyr syndrome, who believes that she's saving the world even as she's manipulating her own children into serving her own personal agenda. I really liked that the author seemed to land somewhere in between, with the message that true change comes from community action and pressure against the establishment, not one radical's violent personal agenda.
Overall, fantastic characterization, and an incredibly vibrant portrait of New York's Puerto Rican community, which really jumps off the page. I didn't like the decision to make Dick a POV character,, even though those chapters don't actually make him sympathetic or likable. I definitely recommend, with the caveat that this is more of a character study than a true narrative.
Or, okay, there's a shade of one, but really, it doesn't take shape until after the 3/4 mark, and up until that point it's basically a character study with seemingly never-ending set-up. The actual climax of the story (admittedly it's actually more of an anti-climax) is well-foreshadowed and fits in with all of the elements that came before it, but if I'm being honest, I think the pacing of this novel is whack and sometime around the middle of the story I was really wondering where the hell things were going and kind of had to push through it.
However, I do have a really high opinion of this novel overall because I think it handles some really fascinating messages and themes in an incredibly sensitive and complex way. Basically, this novel tells the story of Olga and Prieto, siblings in their early 40's who are still struggling with the ramifications of their mother abandoning them when they were teenagers in order to support la revolucion. Rejecting their mother's radicalism, both of them work within the confines of the White liberal agenda, something that neither are fully satisfied with, as it obviously isn't that concerned with serving their Brown community or their Puerto Rican heritage. Both of them also still want to please the mother, who writes them letters encouraging more radical attitudes and guilting them for their failures to live up to her anarchist legacy.
I really enjoyed how layered this message was. Olga and Prieto both feel slightly empty and aimless as they try to work within systems that are built to limit them as minorities. However, it also sharply criticizes their mother's narcissistic martyr syndrome, who believes that she's saving the world even as she's manipulating her own children into serving her own personal agenda. I really liked that the author seemed to land somewhere in between, with the message that true change comes from community action and pressure against the establishment, not one radical's violent personal agenda.
Overall, fantastic characterization, and an incredibly vibrant portrait of New York's Puerto Rican community, which really jumps off the page. I didn't like the decision to make Dick a POV character,
Spoiler
considering what he does to Olga
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Outing, Rape, Homophobia, and Death of parent
kiramke's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Excellent story. Complex characters that are sympathetic and aggravating in a real way. It's nice to see someone address the messed up way Puerto Rico is treated, and in a realistic context. Despite myself I was super invested in the family dynamic, horrified and frustrated and invested.
The ending, as well, is a bit too pat, not that these characters don't deserve some resolution, but it feels like a very different grade of writing.
Spoiler
My two complaints are that this should come with a trigger warning for a rape scene that in my view wasn't necessary, and dealt with rather perfunctorily. The stakes were enough without throwing that in to raise them; we see that too much as it is.The ending, as well, is a bit too pat, not that these characters don't deserve some resolution, but it feels like a very different grade of writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Outing
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Drug use