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yourbookishbff's review against another edition
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? No
3.5
What I loved: beautiful exploration of the complex feelings of growing up in a small town and whether or not you have to leave to find yourself, nuanced examination of Mexican-American history in the Midwest and the challenges in building generational wealth for marginalized folks, excellent reflection on the trauma of children who "parent" younger siblings due to familial circumstances and the resulting life-long impacts of these experiences.
What I strongly disliked: the intimacy and how it seemed to distract from emotional development rather than contribute to it, the mystery twists at the end that felt overdone, and the use of hygienic language during a discussion of STI status (MMC says he's "clean" for her).
I will also note the storyline involving the FMC's autistic son occasionally used language that needed a sensitivity check with an autistic reader (description of him as high functioning vs having low support needs, etc).
Overall, this just felt uneven, and while I loved Lopez's return to Freedom, I struggled with the romance between our MCs.
What I strongly disliked: the intimacy and how it seemed to distract from emotional development rather than contribute to it, the mystery twists at the end that felt overdone, and the use of hygienic language during a discussion of STI status (MMC says he's "clean" for her).
I will also note the storyline involving the FMC's autistic son occasionally used language that needed a sensitivity check with an autistic reader (description of him as high functioning vs having low support needs, etc).
Overall, this just felt uneven, and while I loved Lopez's return to Freedom, I struggled with the romance between our MCs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy
evelync's review against another edition
4.0
Gillian has always worked so hard to be perfect and to have a perfect life. So when she finds herself coming back home to Freedom, Kansas, divorced, penniless, and with no magic, she feels like she has utterly failed in every aspect of her life. In order to break her curse Gillian is determined to get good at being bad; so when she runs into Nicky Mendoza, her childhood friend and first lover, she knows he is just the person she needs to help her. But he is also dealing with a curse of his own.
Y’all Gillian’s journey in this book brought me to tears! As the oldest daughter of the oldest daughter’s oldest daughter, Gillian has always felt a heavy sense of responsibility to fix things and to be the strong one. So when her life falls apart she thinks she has to fix things on her own. When she finally confides in her family we see a weight being lifted from her shoulders that allows her to start forgiving herself and to learn to trust others and accept their help.
Angelina truly does a beautiful job creating a series rich with history, Mexican folklore, and brujeria! And I love seeing Milagro Street as it continues to come alive again!
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the arc.
cw: infidelity, misogyny, narcissistic ex who is verbally, emotionally and financially abusive, addiction, death by overdose, grief, racism, ableism, attack by an animal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Ableism, Infidelity, Racism, and Grief
sarah_thebooknerd's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.5
4.5 ⭐️
2 🌶️
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.
Angelina has a way of making you just want more immediately. I love her writing style and vivid ways I feel like I’m there and watching it play out.
Small town America has been whitewashed so much through our media and I love seeing Angelina showcase that there is so much of small town America that was build and surrounding around other cultures. I would love for us to honor the history and culture of an area and bring it back and honor that like Angelina shows vs pushing it out.
I loved the couple and build to them. The tension and longing was strong. I think what would have made this a 5 ⭐️ is more from Nicky. I think his character backstory and ARC needed a little more flushing out and it would have been perfect.
Overall though still such an amazing story and one that i will definitely add to my shelves when it comes out and I cannot wait for book 3!
CW: sexual content, addiction/ alcoholism, death of a family member, grief, attack by an animal, toxic relationship, ableism, gaslighting and narcissistic abuse
2 🌶️
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.
Angelina has a way of making you just want more immediately. I love her writing style and vivid ways I feel like I’m there and watching it play out.
Small town America has been whitewashed so much through our media and I love seeing Angelina showcase that there is so much of small town America that was build and surrounding around other cultures. I would love for us to honor the history and culture of an area and bring it back and honor that like Angelina shows vs pushing it out.
I loved the couple and build to them. The tension and longing was strong. I think what would have made this a 5 ⭐️ is more from Nicky. I think his character backstory and ARC needed a little more flushing out and it would have been perfect.
Overall though still such an amazing story and one that i will definitely add to my shelves when it comes out and I cannot wait for book 3!
CW: sexual content, addiction/ alcoholism, death of a family member, grief, attack by an animal, toxic relationship, ableism, gaslighting and narcissistic abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexual content, and Addiction
Moderate: Ableism and Racism
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