Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Twice a Quinceañera

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Twice a Quinceañera by Yamile Saied Méndez

3 reviews

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

2.25

Finished reading: July 17th 2023

“She was tired of being strong. She just didn't know how not to show this fake face anymore.”

I confess that I was a tad worried to add Twice A Quinceañera after seeing it had quite a low rating on Goodreads, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt... I did very much enjoy my time with one of her other stories Furia after all, and I do love a focus on Latin American culture. Also, who knew just how difficult it would be to find an author with my initials (YM) for the POPSUGAR challenge?! Anyhow, I went in with lowered expectations just in case, but sadly I do understand why Twice A Quinceañera doesn't have a higher rating now. The premise itself is without doubt very promising, and I still love the idea behind this story with the main character using the planned wedding to host her own double quinceañera and celebrate herself instead. I also can't deny that I loved the incorporation of Latin American culture as well as some Spanish phrases. BUT. I don't think the execution in general worked for me. The story uses a dual POV structure, switching between Nadia and Marcos (although Nadia seems the main focus). That's not a bad thing, but somehow I found it quite hard to connect to especially Nadia, and her behavior was beyond frustrating at points. There was also an overload of secondary characters, some only mentioned briefly only to fade into the background, and this really distracted from the plot. Sure, I get that the author wanted to portray the inner workings of a typical big Latin American family gathering, but still... I was also very displeased with the romance itself. It just all felt too much like a combination of insta-love and the worst pining ever; neither character giving in to their (very obvious) feelings. And then I'm not even talking about the 'twist' near the end that made me want to throw my kindle against the wall and run away screaming. Honestly, if I hadn't made it almost to the end by then, I would have stopped reading there and then. There is just something about the plot, behavior and characters that is rather bland despite their Latin flavor, and some of the changes in behavior were also quite abrupt and not credible at all. Sadly, Twice A Quinceañera ended up living to that rating after all... I should have known.

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meganpbennett's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

First off, Twice a Quinceañera is not a romance novel. It's a relationship fiction novel, so while there is a romantic relationship between the two leads, the focus of the novel is Nadia growing as a character and her relationships with other characters, not her growing relationship with Marco. That's an important distinction to make, as strict romance readers will find that the book needs more interaction between the leads and less of the family interactions, while relationship fiction readers will find that the book needs less romance and more interaction between the family members.

On that note, the book is an inspiring story about Nadia, as she learns who she is and what's important to her in her life. Is it the slimy cheating fiance she's supposed to marry in a month? Is it her job at a law firm? Is it keeping her family happy, even if it means marrying the above fiance (who she's already dumped)? Is it Marco, a former fling?

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dolores_madil's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.25

I want to start off by saying I enjoyed this book and felt it had a great representation of many things, not just the Latinx community. This book talked about the immigration story in a different way by relating how families from Latin America don’t just come to the United States but to other third-world countries. Nadia had family who lived in England and Australia and the narrator did an excellent job with the accents. The male and female voices were pleasant to hear and switched well between Spanish and English.
Now I loved the idea of how they used the double Quinceanera as a way for Hispanic women to re-present themselves to the world and their families as strong independent women. How they should be celebrated for all the accomplishments they have done so far and all they are ready to do looking forward. The author was also not shy about letting us see how stressful and difficult it can be coming from a minority family who pushes you to become more successful and that you need to just keep going without letting up. Even if they have your best interest at heart it can become overwhelming and negative.
My biggest non-spoiler complete is that I wish they had advertised in the synopsis that this was a sweet romance as I went in expecting more sexy times at a minimum. The lack of sexy times did not hurt the book I just would have liked to know so I would have had better expectations.
I will also have a video coming out soon on my YouTube channel with more in-depth details and feelings.

– Spoilers–

Now my only other complete is that I don’t think the falling apart that is in every romance was not realistic and had faults. Earlier in the book, she talked about how the walls in the apartment were thin so I feel like she should have been able to hear them fighting right outside the door. Also, I know her phone died because she dropped it into the bathtub but she had a very real thought about being worried for his safety so whether he had run out on her or not she would have realistically reached out to him even if he did not answer her because he was hurting. Also, the break between them should have been longer so that when she went to the party she would have regained the confidence she had on that night so she would not have been dwelling on him during the party and it would have been more of a happy moment when he showed up instead of her pining for him.

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