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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-arc. These are my own opinions.
This book came into my life at the perfect time. Although I haven't had the exact same experiences as Xiomara, this novel made me feel incredibly seen. As a Latina who also loves and works in theatre, it meant the world to see us represented in that field. Despite how it may seem, we do exist (and even thrive!) in these industries. Even moreso, as a native New Yorker, this book was so specifically NYC that I found myself nodding along with Xiomara when she made her complaints or gave her love to this city. This is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time.
The novel takes a little bit to get going, but once it does it's impossible to put down. You won't always agree with Xiomara's choices, but that makes her all the more real. It forces you to examine your own ideas about who deserves love, what success means, and how we show up for ourselves. The exploration of grief was done incredibly well, and with a lot of care. I'm so impressed that this is Natalie Guerrero's debut, and I can't wait to see what she does next.
This book came into my life at the perfect time. Although I haven't had the exact same experiences as Xiomara, this novel made me feel incredibly seen. As a Latina who also loves and works in theatre, it meant the world to see us represented in that field. Despite how it may seem, we do exist (and even thrive!) in these industries. Even moreso, as a native New Yorker, this book was so specifically NYC that I found myself nodding along with Xiomara when she made her complaints or gave her love to this city. This is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time.
The novel takes a little bit to get going, but once it does it's impossible to put down. You won't always agree with Xiomara's choices, but that makes her all the more real. It forces you to examine your own ideas about who deserves love, what success means, and how we show up for ourselves. The exploration of grief was done incredibly well, and with a lot of care. I'm so impressed that this is Natalie Guerrero's debut, and I can't wait to see what she does next.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
A grieving Broadway star has to hit rock bottom incthr industry before soaring to new heights.
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 8 hours
🎤: Rae De Vine
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Format: Singular POV
I enjoyed this audiobook. I loved the voice and tempo of the narrator. The narration was clear and concise. I never had to adjust my speed. The narrator was fantastic at making the FMC shine!
Themes:
🎵: Grief
🎵: Family relationships
🎵: Explores sexuality and various forms of love
Representation:
🎤: Strong female lead
🎤: Afro-Latina FMC Dominican
🎤: Conversational Spanish
Tropes:
💗: Broadway star
💗: Woman succeeding in a man's world
🥵: Spice: 🌶️
Potential Triggers: domestic violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
Xiomara is dealing with the immense grief of losing her sister any way she knows how. Unfortunately, this means, jumping from man-to-man, self-destructive behavior and the eventual demise of her Broadway career. After witnessing the ugly side of the industry, the Xiomara decides that she's going to start living for herself, setting boundaries and moving forward in life.
General Thoughts:
Talk about a messy protagonist and an even messier plot line. But in the absolute best way possible. We watch Xiomara make bad decision after regretful decision and all the while wishing we could save her from herself. Watching Xiomara deal with immense grief amid the decline of her personal and family life is absolutely devastating in so many ways. But you also can't help but love her spunk and tenacity, and it makes her so easy to root for. Even though you basically just wish the entire book that she would just get a small break.
Xiomara was a relatable and layered character. She felt realistic and relatable in almost every way. She really was not just the center of the story but a showstopper as well. Watching her grow and developed throughout the book was extremely compelling and endearing.
This book did have some hard to read areas that I would suggest getting trigger warnings for. We do have to watch Xiomara hit rock bottom within the Broadway industry by putting her trust in the wrong people and making some decisions that absolutely were not in her best interest. This was done very well and felt very organic and added depth to the plot line. It definitely got the reader emotionally invested.
The only criticism I have during my read was I felt like things were resolved a little too simply between her and her mother. But this was a minor annoyance that was probably just personal to my reading and I don't feel affected the overall novel too deeply.
I would definitely read more by this author in the future. Her character work is immaculate.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through the Penguin Random House Audiobook Influencer Program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I read this book. But I fell in love with the perfectly imperfect main character, Xiomara, with her powerhouse voice and two left feet. I ached for those bad decisions she made, I felt her rage at unfair events, and was thankful for those who supported her despite her poor choices. Xiomara has a lot of story to tell, and I really enjoyed following along. At about 85%, I was a happy content reader. After that, the remainder of the book felt like someone told the author everything needs to be tied up prettily and nicely. (You know I don't like that.) But maybe the book was just too short to stop at 85%? It certainly felt like a longer, more expansively book than the page count implies!
Thanks to Random House One World for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to Random House One World for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.