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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
What’s important is he had never engaged with me.. He had better boundaries than you, the writer who apparently befriended all his female fans. I wonder who I would have been if you had tossed my letter in the trash can, if you had let me be.
Thank you to Libro FM for the ALC! The narrator, Marisa Blake, did a wonderful job, and since the novel is posited as a long email/letter to Mateo from the main character Tatum told in second-person POV, it really just felt like Tatum was talking to me. It was so easy to listen to, and I finished it in one day!
To be frank, this novel pissed me the fuck off and this is exactly what I mean when I say "Every man is just some guy." Mateo is just another dusty, crusty dude who profits off of the emotional labor of femmes everywhere. He's the worst kind of villain, because people like him are so common - selfish, abusive, and gaslighting everyone around him. Fuck him!
Tatum is living in Chile with her partner Vera, working at a museum, and finally feels free from the decade she spent in New York City pining after Puerto Rican author Mateo Domínguez. A reporter from the U.S. calls her to ask about her relationship with Mateo, and she recalls the way he manipulated and gaslit her for years. I had to remind myself that this is essentially a long, final letter to him telling him how much her eyes have opened up and how big her world has gotten since he's no longer clouding it. If I ever received a letter like that, I would need at least 30 business days minimum to recover from the way Tatum rips him to shreds.
The final few pages, where Tatum uncovers what finally prompted her to say goodbye to this selfish man were wild. They made me see red. I was furious for Tatum. The lack of credit and acknowledgement would feel like the rug was pulled out from under you! All of her emotional labor erased, as he profited off of her. I was so glad that this was basically a way for her to say her peace and know that he would reap what he sowed.
I would absolutely read another book by Ursula Villarreal-Moura!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
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