Reviews

Set in Trinidad, this novel follows the Palacios family who fled their home country of Venezuela via an illegal route, using a guy with a boat and forgoing residency permits. The family is trying to maintain a low profile while finding their way in their new home; many of them have found decent jobs similar to the ones they left behind. I was expecting a little more details about Trinidad itself, but the fact the family was trying to remain hidden may have factored into the lack of details.

The narrator, aspiring writer Yola, discovers that her dearly departed Aunt Celia was in debt to a local criminal called Ugly, who expects the family to make good on it. In addition to learning about the debt, Yola finds writings from Aunt Celia that spark her imagination and give her new insights to her family's background.

Ugly tasks his right-hand man, Román, with keeping tabs on the family and ensuring Aunt Celia's debt is repaid. The sooner, the better. But, when sparks fly between Yola and Román, it is clear that an already complicated situation is going to get even more complicated.

While the themes in the book are serious, the novel is chockfull of irreverent humor from start to finish. The family finds itself in increasingly outlandish scenarios as Ugly's patience wears thin. Some of these are over-the-top, but feel right for the zany, madcap tone of the book. Some readers may be put off by the expletives that are peppered throughout (to include being used in chapter titles) and possibly some of the steamy scenes, so be forewarned on both counts. One question I had as I was reading was whether Yola would have referred to herself and her family as "illegal;" this was done so many times that I found it distracting. The author's note at the end didn't use that term (she refers to Venezuelans in similar circumstances in Trinidad as refugees), so perhaps Yola's use of this terminology can be chalked up to her personality.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster (37 Ink) and the Goodreads Giveaways program for the opportunity to read this debut novel!

stefansi73's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

3.75

nicjohnston's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I utterly adored this book. There lies at the heart of it a serious tale of exploitation and refugees but it is told as a comedic and incredible tale in the year of the Palacio clan, mainly focusing on daughter Yola but weaving in a lovable and diverse wider family. It’s rare that I laugh out loud at a book but did frequently at this gem. A little reminiscent of the superb My Sister The Serial Killer in terms of dark humour, I would highly recommend it.

With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in consideration of an honest review. Reviews will be added to outlets closer to publication.

deckleeditproof's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective tense 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

4.25

Content Warnings

evanipatel's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

“we were rattling with nerves and resentment in our own cage, thank you very much, that we’d hauled ass all the way to Trinidad just to fall victim to Ugly, yet another megalomaniacal prick. But we stayed mum—because no matter what we were going through, at least we could buy Panadol for our stress migraines and toilet paper for our anxiety-induced diarrhea and groceries for our comfort eating. Maybe the grass here was greener, just fertilized with an equally pungent brand of horseshit.”

See after reading this my first thought was yes! What an awesome story about family relationships with very real struggles. However, despite my lackluster 3 star rating, my thoughts were pretty scattered on One year of ugly. The first half of the book was pretty slow and I found myself a little bored, but the second half finally got me much more excited about the story as the stakes got higher and higher for the Palacio family.

Besides the writing which I believe is wonderful with its humorous tone, my biggest problem was that I just couldn’t connect with the story and mostly the main character until I was more than halfway through the book. On an objective scale this book could be a solid 4 star read for many people and maybe this much quarantine just kept me from being as immersed as I would have liked to have been.

For me, I wasn’t very interested in Yola and Román’s romance either. There wasn’t much more to it for me other than another forbidden type romance between a not-so-bad boy and the female protagonist.

It was great reading other parts where the novel really shines about an immigrant’s story outside of the US which is more unique than many other books. Mackenzie creates such emotional moments between the various families that stay with the Palacios and the fear they have performing jobs for Ugly while keeping a collected front.

Overall Mackenzie’s writing kept me going with plenty of genuinely funny scenes throughout, but One Year Of Ugly failed to sell me as the compelling, drama-filled forbidden romance it tried to be.

Thanks so much to 37 Ink, Simon and Schuster, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

notinjersey's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I found One Year of Ugly to be more literary in style and slower than I prefer. This story is about a family who escapes Venezuela to Trinidad and becomes entrenched with a local crime lord who forces them into illegal activities to repay him for helping them escape. I would say this book is worth reading for the cultural aspects of it, as well as for the variety of relationships depicted. I’m sad to say I didn’t love it, because I think it was well written and an interesting story.

More...