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brookeworm18's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sittingprettystyle's review against another edition
4.0
What a great debut novel. The book was funny, satirical, and poignant, speaking about our society's love with trauma porn, tokenism, and the plight of the "underserved, poor" communities without doing anything to actually help them. I loved how Javi's story was truly that of a villain MMC. He is a proverbial Icarus, flying too close to the sun. He is not someone you want to root for, consistently making poor choices for the sake of notoriety, yet you want to find out how he fell from grace. That itself made the story compelling. It poses the question of who, truly, sees themselves as victims.
randomrules's review against another edition
4.0
As a former journalist, I was crawling out of my skin during all fact-check points
marireads3_3's review against another edition
4.0
a solid 3.75, definitely a really entertaining read (the audio book narrator Anthony Rey Perez was great so recommend as a listen too). It definitely brought about a lot of discomfort and questions, especially as a recent grad who experienced a college environment just like the one depicted here. Sometimes I wasn’t really sure who the satire was targeted at. A lot of valid critiques where the answers felt gray, so is life with these situations now that we’re stepping back. I will say the emotional resonance drops off after the childhood parts, it does reflects the events of the story (javi learning to game the system of victimhood) but I wanted to feel a little bit more of something emotionally for someone
expatpanda's review against another edition
5.0
Victim by Andrew Boryga is a wild ride through the life of Javier Perez, a young Puerto Rican man from the Bronx who discovers that the path to literary fame is paved with a little embellishment (or a lot, depending on how you look at it). Think of it as The Great Gatsby meets The Wolf of Wall Street, but instead of green lights and stock market shenanigans, we have a college student crafting sob stories that tug at the heartstrings of well-meaning liberals.
Javi’s journey begins in a neighborhood where witnessing your father’s murder is just another Tuesday. After this traumatic event, he learns that being a “victim” has its perks—like skipping class to visit the school nurse. Ah, the sweet smell of exploitation! Thanks to a well-meaning guidance counselor who clearly took “encourage your students” a bit too literally, Javi realizes he can turn his life into a narrative that sells. Who knew trauma could be so marketable?
As Javi navigates his way through elite academia, he discovers that the secret to success lies in crafting “authentic” narratives that are about as real as unicorns. With phrases like “critical race theory” rolling off his tongue, he becomes the poster child for emotional manipulation—writing articles that make readers feel good about their empathy while completely fabricating his experiences. It’s like he’s playing a game of “how much can I stretch the truth before someone calls me out?” Spoiler alert: he stretches it a lot.
Boryga’s writing is sharp and witty, poking fun at the absurdity of social justice culture while also delivering poignant commentary on identity and authenticity. Javi’s escapades lead him to love, betrayal, and some seriously questionable moral choices. You can’t help but root for him even as you shake your head at his antics—because let’s face it, we’ve all wanted to be someone else at some point.
While Victim is undeniably entertaining, it also raises some heavy questions about truth and representation in storytelling. Is Javi a hero or just another hustler? The answer may depend on how much you enjoy your fiction with a side of sarcasm.
I’d give Victim 5 stars for its clever satire and engaging narrative. It’s a book that makes you laugh while simultaneously making you question your own life choices—like that time you thought about writing your memoir but realized your most exciting story was about getting stuck in an elevator. So grab this book if you’re in the mood for some deliciously dark humour wrapped in social commentary; just don’t expect any actual victims—only one very crafty storyteller.
Javi’s journey begins in a neighborhood where witnessing your father’s murder is just another Tuesday. After this traumatic event, he learns that being a “victim” has its perks—like skipping class to visit the school nurse. Ah, the sweet smell of exploitation! Thanks to a well-meaning guidance counselor who clearly took “encourage your students” a bit too literally, Javi realizes he can turn his life into a narrative that sells. Who knew trauma could be so marketable?
As Javi navigates his way through elite academia, he discovers that the secret to success lies in crafting “authentic” narratives that are about as real as unicorns. With phrases like “critical race theory” rolling off his tongue, he becomes the poster child for emotional manipulation—writing articles that make readers feel good about their empathy while completely fabricating his experiences. It’s like he’s playing a game of “how much can I stretch the truth before someone calls me out?” Spoiler alert: he stretches it a lot.
Boryga’s writing is sharp and witty, poking fun at the absurdity of social justice culture while also delivering poignant commentary on identity and authenticity. Javi’s escapades lead him to love, betrayal, and some seriously questionable moral choices. You can’t help but root for him even as you shake your head at his antics—because let’s face it, we’ve all wanted to be someone else at some point.
While Victim is undeniably entertaining, it also raises some heavy questions about truth and representation in storytelling. Is Javi a hero or just another hustler? The answer may depend on how much you enjoy your fiction with a side of sarcasm.
I’d give Victim 5 stars for its clever satire and engaging narrative. It’s a book that makes you laugh while simultaneously making you question your own life choices—like that time you thought about writing your memoir but realized your most exciting story was about getting stuck in an elevator. So grab this book if you’re in the mood for some deliciously dark humour wrapped in social commentary; just don’t expect any actual victims—only one very crafty storyteller.
katecookk4's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow. I am speechless. This was SUCH an interesting read. It touched on such important topics like racism, gentrification, victim complexes, etc. but in such a new perspective, that I never could have imagined. It’s not easy to write a book about these topics without sounding preachy or overly political let alone make it Satirical. But having Javi’s perspective as a semi-unreliable narrator really brought this novel to life and kept it interesting. It’s a work of fiction that really embodies reality. Where do you draw the line between taking advantage of opportunities and manipulation of those around you? I think there are several examples of this that readers can really resonate with. Fabricating events to sound interesting, stretching your college applications to tug at the heart strings of a committee of strangers, little half-truth-stories that you tell over and over just to add a bit of dramatics, until you realize that you can’t recall what details were true or not. This novel was like something I’ve never read before and I really do recommend it.
andrea2428's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
carmenloveslibros's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kainphil's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5