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notinjersey's review against another edition
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.
outer_books's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a fun read, despite the annoying childish Yola, holy moly. This is a medium paced read and it centers around the situation that immigrants from Venezuela had to go through and lose when they had to run away from the rule of Maduro. It's really sad but the author gave it humor, even if I laughed at a 3 or 5 lines.
The reason why I didn't give it a full 5 is because of the writing style. This is a debut novel so I understand that it won't be a smooth type writing but the long, I don't know what to call it, puns or negative talks you link to a show or actor to make it more funny, breaks the immersion as well as it drags some of the situation.
Though it was much more tolerable when listening to the audiobook. I am happy to get this book and try something outside of my comfort zone.
The reason why I didn't give it a full 5 is because of the writing style. This is a debut novel so I understand that it won't be a smooth type writing but the long, I don't know what to call it, puns or negative talks you link to a show or actor to make it more funny, breaks the immersion as well as it drags some of the situation.
Though it was much more tolerable when listening to the audiobook. I am happy to get this book and try something outside of my comfort zone.
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the very real issue of illegal Venezulan refugees hiding out in Trinidad at the mercy of criminal smugglers, this book injects heavy dosages of family comedy ala [a:Marian Keyes|6104|Marian Keyes|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] style with chick-lit romance, even throwing in hilarious yet higly unrealistic Hollywood worthy gangster action film narrative for the last act, with a slightly lazy anti-climactic opened ended resolution. Some may bemoan that the end product somewhat trivialises the topic which the author sought to bring awareness, but since we have indeed taken notice of it albeit in the whimsical manner of having a frolicking good time, to quote directly from it, "what's the worse that could happen" then?
francinesisterreads's review against another edition
2.0
I don't read romance (I should say no longer read, as I read tons of it as a teen/young adult). so would have never chosen to read this, but it was selected by my book club. I love my club, and have read a few things I wouldn't normally because I enjoy our discussions, so I gritted my teeth and went for it.
It has confirmed to me that modern RomComs are not my thing, but that aside this book is incredibly problematic.
On reading that this was a story of illegal Venezuelan immigrants living in Trinidad, I immediately looked up the author. I'm a huge proponent of OWN voices, so I was dismayed to find out that Caroline Mackenzie is a white Trinidadian. She works as a translator, and has worked with Venezuelan migrants, but this in my opinion does not qualify one to write convincingly about a community one is not a part of.
Unfortunately my fears were borne out as the book is filled with ridiculous stereotypes, not just about Venezuelans, but just about every sector of society written about. All the characters were caricatures without any depth or growth. The "romance" was a reach at best, and the ending was laughable. Many of the situations that moved the plot along were so contrived that I was "steupseing" throughout the entire thing.
The author has said that she wrote the book to show another side of the Venezuelan immigrant situation, as there was lots of bigotry and prejudice from Trinidadians, but I am unclear how she thinks this story would endear the migrants to anyone as this family had a better lifestyle than many Trinidadians can afford. I am very curious to find out how the book was received by both Venezuelans and Trinidadians alike, as the author also did not do any justice to her home island, which is a place I have lived, and remember very fondly. In fact I am convinced that this book was not written for Caribbean people. which deeply disappointed me.
To add insult to injury, there was also a large amount of what I called "literary name dropping" as the story was filled with references to literature which did nothing to enhance the narrative. It felt like we were being shown just how much the author knew. The prose is filled with an over abundance of metaphors, and cliches, and it felt like she put everything she thought of in the book. I couldn't help but wish that she had held some back for future work, and tried to hone just a few of her best bits to be sharper.
The wit and humour reminded me of those funny hyperbolic blog posts, which I do enjoy, but have no desire to read an entire book's worth of. I found that her humourous approach to the story trivialised the very people she was seemingly trying to help. and only brushed the surface of the many things she tried to address.
I think there is a definite need for a book that addresses the situation of the Venezuelan immigrants in Trinidad. and that treats the topic with empathy, concern, and critical thought. This book is not it.
It has confirmed to me that modern RomComs are not my thing, but that aside this book is incredibly problematic.
On reading that this was a story of illegal Venezuelan immigrants living in Trinidad, I immediately looked up the author. I'm a huge proponent of OWN voices, so I was dismayed to find out that Caroline Mackenzie is a white Trinidadian. She works as a translator, and has worked with Venezuelan migrants, but this in my opinion does not qualify one to write convincingly about a community one is not a part of.
Unfortunately my fears were borne out as the book is filled with ridiculous stereotypes, not just about Venezuelans, but just about every sector of society written about. All the characters were caricatures without any depth or growth. The "romance" was a reach at best, and the ending was laughable. Many of the situations that moved the plot along were so contrived that I was "steupseing" throughout the entire thing.
The author has said that she wrote the book to show another side of the Venezuelan immigrant situation, as there was lots of bigotry and prejudice from Trinidadians, but I am unclear how she thinks this story would endear the migrants to anyone as this family had a better lifestyle than many Trinidadians can afford. I am very curious to find out how the book was received by both Venezuelans and Trinidadians alike, as the author also did not do any justice to her home island, which is a place I have lived, and remember very fondly. In fact I am convinced that this book was not written for Caribbean people. which deeply disappointed me.
To add insult to injury, there was also a large amount of what I called "literary name dropping" as the story was filled with references to literature which did nothing to enhance the narrative. It felt like we were being shown just how much the author knew. The prose is filled with an over abundance of metaphors, and cliches, and it felt like she put everything she thought of in the book. I couldn't help but wish that she had held some back for future work, and tried to hone just a few of her best bits to be sharper.
The wit and humour reminded me of those funny hyperbolic blog posts, which I do enjoy, but have no desire to read an entire book's worth of. I found that her humourous approach to the story trivialised the very people she was seemingly trying to help. and only brushed the surface of the many things she tried to address.
I think there is a definite need for a book that addresses the situation of the Venezuelan immigrants in Trinidad. and that treats the topic with empathy, concern, and critical thought. This book is not it.
annagoldberg's review against another edition
1.0
This book really did not do it for me. I could not get past the ableism, transphobia, and hyper sexualization of Latinx women. I should probably have guessed based off the Marina Semple comparison that I wouldn’t like this, but I really couldn’t recommend this one.
mrskendallreads's review against another edition
3.0
I did a cursory search of Trinidadian authors to confirm what I suspected: One Year of Ugly is the first book I've read by a native Trinidadian; however, I do not believe this is an #ownvoices book. I didn't pick the best book to represent a country, but so be it. I'll start with my brief synopsis of the book because, as of right now, my chief complaint is with the marketing. In short, the marketing ruined this book for me.
After Yola Palacio and her family flee Venezuela for Trinidad, she thinks the worst is over. Sure, she and her family are now unauthorized immigrants, but they have a new life and can make it work. That is until Aunt Celia dies and Ugly, the crime boss Aunt Celia secretly owes, comes to collect. Now the Palacio family is active, if unwilling, participants in a crime ring and Yola, well, she can't stay away from Román, Ugly's right-hand man.
One Year of Ugly is promoted as a dark romantic comedy. If you are a fan of dark themes like I am, please scrub dark from your expectations. Lemony Snicket is darker than One Year of Ugly. The only reason this book is dark is that we root for unauthorized immigrants and an illicit romance. The book is funny throughout, with Mackenzie using the sardonic voices of Yola and her beloved deceased aunt to make safe commentary on Venezuelan politics.
Publishers describe Mackenzie as a mix of Junot Díaz and Maria Semple but, again, don't believe the hype. I was an enormous fan of Junot Díaz before the allegations and the comparison doesn't hold up to review. Like Semple, Mackenzie is a beach read. Anyone who reads One Year of Ugly expecting more than Where Did You Go, Bernadette will be disappointed. I would not have been able to finish this book if I held to the expectation that I would read a woman's answer to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Did I like it? I gave it three stars, and if you've been here a while, you know that is nothing new for me. I rarely give books more than three stars, and I stand by my unmerciful rating system! If I give every book is 4 and 5 stars, there are no great books. If everything is fantastic, nothing is fantastic.
If you like romantic comedies, you will like this book.
If you loathe discussions of controversial politics, you will like this book.
If you love Netflix, you will love this book because they already acquired the rights. And here, oddly, is what redeemed the book for me. A Netflix production might be what we need to make this romantic comedy truly dark beyond the superficial gloss-over of a complicated subject and a few bad words. I looked forward to seeing how the Palacio family fleshes out.
After Yola Palacio and her family flee Venezuela for Trinidad, she thinks the worst is over. Sure, she and her family are now unauthorized immigrants, but they have a new life and can make it work. That is until Aunt Celia dies and Ugly, the crime boss Aunt Celia secretly owes, comes to collect. Now the Palacio family is active, if unwilling, participants in a crime ring and Yola, well, she can't stay away from Román, Ugly's right-hand man.
One Year of Ugly is promoted as a dark romantic comedy. If you are a fan of dark themes like I am, please scrub dark from your expectations. Lemony Snicket is darker than One Year of Ugly. The only reason this book is dark is that we root for unauthorized immigrants and an illicit romance. The book is funny throughout, with Mackenzie using the sardonic voices of Yola and her beloved deceased aunt to make safe commentary on Venezuelan politics.
Publishers describe Mackenzie as a mix of Junot Díaz and Maria Semple but, again, don't believe the hype. I was an enormous fan of Junot Díaz before the allegations and the comparison doesn't hold up to review. Like Semple, Mackenzie is a beach read. Anyone who reads One Year of Ugly expecting more than Where Did You Go, Bernadette will be disappointed. I would not have been able to finish this book if I held to the expectation that I would read a woman's answer to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Did I like it? I gave it three stars, and if you've been here a while, you know that is nothing new for me. I rarely give books more than three stars, and I stand by my unmerciful rating system! If I give every book is 4 and 5 stars, there are no great books. If everything is fantastic, nothing is fantastic.
If you like romantic comedies, you will like this book.
If you loathe discussions of controversial politics, you will like this book.
If you love Netflix, you will love this book because they already acquired the rights. And here, oddly, is what redeemed the book for me. A Netflix production might be what we need to make this romantic comedy truly dark beyond the superficial gloss-over of a complicated subject and a few bad words. I looked forward to seeing how the Palacio family fleshes out.
marlak91's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book. I won it through a Goodreads giveaway and all the reviews that talked about it being hilarious despite a dark situation we’re a little confusing. How could you make light of immigration, organized crime, blackmailing families? But after reading this I don’t think “making light” is at all what Caroline Mackenzie was doing. It was more of what real life thoughts might be had in these situations of someone just trying to make the best of terrible circumstances.
This book was a fun read. I couldn’t put it down. The fist person voice of Yoko was entertaining and profound at the same time and the lusty romance with Roman was a lot of fun. There were times the plot even felt a little Breaking Bad-esque. The characters were all very visceral. I really felt like I knew the Palacios family.
I would like to know a little more about how Caroline Mackenzie researched for the book seeing as how she is not a Venezuelan immigrant herself. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about the immigrant situation in Trinidad to know if this book is accurate in telling the story of immigrants or if their were liberties taken.
I’m looking forward to reading more from Caroline Mackenzie in the future!
This book was a fun read. I couldn’t put it down. The fist person voice of Yoko was entertaining and profound at the same time and the lusty romance with Roman was a lot of fun. There were times the plot even felt a little Breaking Bad-esque. The characters were all very visceral. I really felt like I knew the Palacios family.
I would like to know a little more about how Caroline Mackenzie researched for the book seeing as how she is not a Venezuelan immigrant herself. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about the immigrant situation in Trinidad to know if this book is accurate in telling the story of immigrants or if their were liberties taken.
I’m looking forward to reading more from Caroline Mackenzie in the future!
sandra1447's review against another edition
2.0
I went into this book not knowing about the refugee crisis caused by the turmoil in Venezuela. While I enjoyed reading about the culture and whatnot, this book was not very memorable. The main character's story was not that interesting. I preferred the aunt's part of the story. There were a lot of characters of which I did not particularly care for or relate to. While it was a decent read, it falls into my beach books category.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending this book to me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending this book to me.
windy_witch's review against another edition
4.0
A dark comedy about immigration issues for the Palacio family after they settle into their new lives in Trinidad.
They become embroiled in the criminal underworld of feared gangster Ugly following the poor actions of the dead aunt. They have to live a year under Ugly’s rules and follow everything he tells them to do, sometimes endangering their lives.
They become embroiled in the criminal underworld of feared gangster Ugly following the poor actions of the dead aunt. They have to live a year under Ugly’s rules and follow everything he tells them to do, sometimes endangering their lives.