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lovetlr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Addiction
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
madhav_makes's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.75
Full Moon Over Freedom was a lovely dip back into a universe I already thoroughly enjoyed with Miracle on Milagro Street. I loved seeing Gillian get fleshed out more as a character, and her and Nicky’s chemistry and connection was steamy and satisfying. There’s something magical about two people meeting again later in life and re-connecting, and I couldn’t help but root for Gillian and Nicky right from the get go. Besides that literary magic, there was a good bit of magic happening otherwise as well! The book dealt with a good bit of trauma for its characters (trigger warnings for addiction and emotional abuse), but seeing their healing and growth was emotional and heart-warming. No one is “fixed” by the end- which was refreshing in its own right and highlighted how much of grief and healing is a continuous process. I also loved the seemingly effortless way that Angelina M. Lopez wove in and explained Mexican-American culture, history, and lived experiences with racism in America. This is the kind of book that tells a story that’s not told often enough, and it leaves a lot for the reader to feel and think about.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction and Emotional abuse
rmlknisely's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Drug use and Racism
yvonnedelacruz's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcoholism
sydapel's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
I find Angelica Lopez's integration of contemporary themes with Mexican spiritual/magical beliefs to be wonderfully compelling, and something that no one is really doing in the romance space. It's utilized so well in Nicky and Gillians story, and yet there's also room made for excellent character development and some HOT scenes as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Xenophobia, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
emma_ekb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-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
i liked this one even better than “after hours”! it was so fun to follow the same characters. i found gillian super compelling and related to her a lot as a fellow eldest daughter/overachiever/people pleaser. the inclusion of brujería was so well done and interesting and there were a few twist that had me GAGGED!!! love my midwest brujas for real. also loved that this centered around a single mom, featured a kid with autism and dealt with issues of addiction
my two main critiques:
- some of the language used in the more spicy scenes gave me the ick (“mommy c*nt” EWWWWW)
- another rush for them to be engaged at the end
my two main critiques:
- some of the language used in the more spicy scenes gave me the ick (“mommy c*nt” EWWWWW)
- another rush for them to be engaged at the end
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Addiction
sailormar's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
Beautifully written, a cast of characters to love, shake your head at, then love again, the hard fought personal growth, and the sexy steamy hot chemistry between the main characters - WOW. bonus points if you like healing family wounds, witchcraft/brujeria, and ghosts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Racism
carriewnettles's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Domestic abuse
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