Reviews with content warning for Violence - Dreaming of You

Melissa’s definitely such a talented writer. There are lines that made my jaw fall open. I think my own problem was that I’m not entirely used to informal and formal poetry mixed together like this, the form.

The plot of the novel also in the middle threw me off a bit. Because it wasn’t as ‘Selena central’ as I thought it could have been. Which I guess is the point. There are also parts with the You turning into a fish and all of that, that felt out of place for me. I almost wish it was one theme or the other (love and identity) as sometimes they didn’t mesh too well or felt out of place with one another (mostly some You bits). Some parts fell a bit short in comparison to the highs of the book.

I lost the momentum by here and it seemed I wasn’t as excited to finish it as I was to start it.
But it was an enjoyable and unique read, nonetheless.

Content Warnings

whentheresteeth's review

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

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? It's complicated

4.75

I loved this book, though I knew I would. Melissa Lozada Oliva's poetry has always held a special place in my heart and this book now does too. I'll be forever grateful to her for teaching me about Selena and about girlhood and about poetry. Highly recommend!

Content Warnings

literategirl's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I’ve never read, as she put it, a novel in verse before. I never thought I was much of a poetry person but I follow Melissa on twitter and when I saw she had written a book I knew I had to read it. I felt seen and understood by her and I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed poetry quite this much before. There’s a certain depth of understanding that I know I didn’t quite have, not being the target demographic for the book, but that didn’t bother me while reading it. Instead, it was a window into another person’s experience. There were a few points where it felt disjointed, but over all I really loved it. In part because I love things written in a stream of consciousness style and in part because I love reading books that are by, about, and for women.

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