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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- 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
Wow, this blew me away!
In 1965, 15-year-old Ana is married off (they fake her age to be 19 instead on official papers) to Juan (double her age!!!!!) and moves to the United States (New York), leaving her family, friends and only life she has ever known in the Dominican Republic. Her mom hopes that Ana will be able to find a job and send money back home, eventually having enough money and connections to bring the rest of her family to NYC. It is a grim transition and Ana is incredibly isolated, lonely and scared to be on her own with her new husband.
As Ana navigates Juan’s infidelity, his anger, and an apartment that leaves her wanting, she begins to realize that a life with Juan is not all her mom talked it up to be. When Juan leaves Ana to go back to the DR for a bit, she begins leaning into her independence, learning English, and taking initiative to do things on her own, like dance and go to the beach! She also spends a lot of time with Juan’s brother Cesar, who had convinced her to stay in the states after she had tried escaping back home. Ana finds herself and her voice and learns about deception, betrayal and how dire consequences can be when you put your faith in the wrong people.
Ana’s journey is so traumatic; I can only imagine. To think of myself or anyone at 15 years old navigating what Ana was forced into is devastating. And yet, Ana keeps it moving! I was so incredibly proud of her at the end of this novel, and while I’m deeply sorry she had to endure everything she did, I admire her growth, perseverance, courage, and honesty. She eventually refuses to accept being a passenger in her life and takes on the driver’s seat, which felt impossible at the beginning of her journey. I will absolutely read more from Angie Cruz in the future, and the audiobook narration was excellent as well!
See content warnings below (some are more graphic than others, but they all hit very hard. Characters display a lot of anti-Blackness, misogyny & even use the word “retarded”) & take care while reading.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Cursing, Blood, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Medical content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Ableism, Deportation, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Miscarriage, Violence, Vomit, War, Excrement, and Xenophobia
100_pages_hr's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely loved the historical value this book held. The insight into life in both the Dominican Republic at the time and life in NYC. Both places had a lot of challenges, but especially the DR during the reign of the dictator, Trujillo. It was interesting to me to read how she thought life would be in America versus how it turned out to be.
It was really hard to read about her life once she moved to NYC knowing that it was based on a true story. She was so young and she went through so much. I felt so bad for her. I did really like the parts about her learning English though since I am an ENL teacher.
In the beginning of the book I really loved it. Towards the middle and end not so much. It was a hard read. Please check content warnings.
I got a lot of Julia Alvarez vibes at the beginning and now really want to reread two of my favorites by her because I loved those so much more (In the Time of the Butterflies and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents).
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
sofiaxaguilar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship