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careinthelibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Abandonment, Death, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Torture, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Chronic illness, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Bullying, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Minor: Infidelity and Deportation
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo ❤️🔥
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
❤️🔥 The plot: When Hero de Vera arrives in America, disowned by her parents and still recovering from two years imprisoned by police in the Philippines, she feels like she's already lived many lifetimes. Living in America with her Uncle Pol, his wife Paz, and their daughter Roni brings her a new family, a new job, new potential for love. Can she reconcile this new life with the home and the memories she's left behind?
I bought this after seeing @hannahdotmay rave about it and, like so much that Hannah brings into my life, it was beautiful.
It's rare that I read a book where the characters feel so real and loveable even when they're not "likeable". Paz is the queen of this: The novel opens with a section in second person about her upbringing, which at first I thought a bit strange as it then veers hard into third person for Hero's story. But this section sets the scene so perfectly for the rest of the book and allows you to understand the complexity of her character as she operates in the background of the main story, to see her softness even when she's being harsh to Hero or Roni.
As well as delivering complex characters, the writing here was beautiful. There were a million moments where I had to put the book down for a moment to appreciate what I'd just read.
Overall, I was amazed by how much love was packed into this book, its deep appreciation for the different ways in which love can be shown, and how painful it can be sometimes, to let yourself feel and to give to other people.
❤️🔥 Read it if you love stories about families that aren't just about parents and children, scenes focusing on food and meals as sites of connection, wlw stories, and romantic storylines within larger novels.
🚫 Check TWs before reading and avoid if you're looking for a more quote-unquote "heartwarming" read as this is definitely more on the bittersweet end of moving storytelling.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
❤️🔥 The plot: When Hero de Vera arrives in America, disowned by her parents and still recovering from two years imprisoned by police in the Philippines, she feels like she's already lived many lifetimes. Living in America with her Uncle Pol, his wife Paz, and their daughter Roni brings her a new family, a new job, new potential for love. Can she reconcile this new life with the home and the memories she's left behind?
I bought this after seeing @hannahdotmay rave about it and, like so much that Hannah brings into my life, it was beautiful.
It's rare that I read a book where the characters feel so real and loveable even when they're not "likeable". Paz is the queen of this: The novel opens with a section in second person about her upbringing, which at first I thought a bit strange as it then veers hard into third person for Hero's story. But this section sets the scene so perfectly for the rest of the book and allows you to understand the complexity of her character as she operates in the background of the main story, to see her softness even when she's being harsh to Hero or Roni.
As well as delivering complex characters, the writing here was beautiful. There were a million moments where I had to put the book down for a moment to appreciate what I'd just read.
Overall, I was amazed by how much love was packed into this book, its deep appreciation for the different ways in which love can be shown, and how painful it can be sometimes, to let yourself feel and to give to other people.
❤️🔥 Read it if you love stories about families that aren't just about parents and children, scenes focusing on food and meals as sites of connection, wlw stories, and romantic storylines within larger novels.
🚫 Check TWs before reading and avoid if you're looking for a more quote-unquote "heartwarming" read as this is definitely more on the bittersweet end of moving storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Medical content, Vomit, Torture, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Racial slurs
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