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lilaccoconut's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It was an easy read. I blew through it to be honest. There were parts that I enjoyed, especially regarding Kavya and her Indian heritage -- though she was generally unlikeable to me, she felt very genuine. In fact, her mother, Uma's, journey was the most compelling for me. The author's exploration of motherhood from different angles was enlightening for me, a childless by choice woman.
The Soli side frustrated me. Her story was (or would be) more moving, but it fell flat. Randomly placed Spanish words for no apparent reason other than to lend "authenticity" but not really (plus simple, infuriating mistakes in Spanish), glossing over important details toward the end, neglecting her in the middle,not to mention the n instances of rape this poor girl endured. Not that it doesn't happen, not that I even mind witnessing rapes in novels, but it felt like a cheap plot device here . I could tell the author did a lot of research about the systemic problems that affect migrants, but something about Soli's character and the book's representation of Mexican culture felt... empty. Curated. Like an over-simplified museum exhibition.
The other major issue I had was how heavy-handed everything was. If I'm honest, I'm picky about my books. The language in this one was too flowery for my taste from the beginning, and way too explanatory. As in, the author had a message she wanted to get across and she didn't want readers to misunderstand it, so she spelled it out. Multiple times. With quippy, cliché lines. It felt like I was being looked down on. I want authors to trust readers!
However, if you like that, and if you like all the loose ends to be resolved by the end of a novel, give it a shot. You might like it more than I did ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The Soli side frustrated me. Her story was (or would be) more moving, but it fell flat. Randomly placed Spanish words for no apparent reason other than to lend "authenticity" but not really (plus simple, infuriating mistakes in Spanish), glossing over important details toward the end, neglecting her in the middle,
The other major issue I had was how heavy-handed everything was. If I'm honest, I'm picky about my books. The language in this one was too flowery for my taste from the beginning, and way too explanatory. As in, the author had a message she wanted to get across and she didn't want readers to misunderstand it, so she spelled it out. Multiple times. With quippy, cliché lines. It felt like I was being looked down on. I want authors to trust readers!
However, if you like that, and if you like all the loose ends to be resolved by the end of a novel, give it a shot. You might like it more than I did ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Deportation, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
rowancdewit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
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? No
3.75
The last few chapters are why this book is not getting rated higher than 3 stars. I wanted to rate this higher. I wanted to rate this four stars. But... I just can't. I was sure this was a four star read, for about 3/4 of the book. But, truly the last portion of the book just left me so disappointed. If you're considering reading this book, here are my thoughts:
The good:
It's raw. It's gritty. It's real. I could not put it down. I needed to know more about these characters and their story. The book makes you feel things. You get attached to these characters, and with two intertwined stories that are so different, you aren't even left knowing who you should root for. You read this book and you just feel things, deeply, for both women. Man, it just feels real. It feels like diary entries, it feels like a memoir, it feels like sitting down with a cup of coffee and each person involved and hearing them recount the details of their haunted past. That's why it hurt so bad to see an ending that I felt was such a disservice to the story and characters Sekaran built. I think just a chapter more, just a little more closure and redemption to both story lines could have been given to beautifully end this deep, raw story.
The ugly:
- In the beginning, Sekaran I feel balances the evil, dirty, gritty themes tastefully. She has a way of writing about things that are dark that leave you feeling the pain of it, yet without going into extreme detail. But, as the book goes on, things just get looser and sloppier. I won't lie, I have a hard time reading about triggering topics that have to do with sexual assault or abuse, and towards the end, I felt as thought I had to skim and skip through a good bit. I know that she writes from realities and the subject matter Sekaran chose for the story is not rainbow and butterflies, but it caught me off guard how it seemed that Sekaran choose to write about these things sensitively in the beginning of the book, and then less and less and less as the story goes on. It just felt like she wanted the pain and shock factor to be heightened for this beaten down character, but it just made me feel disconnected from her writing and her characters.
- The ending!!!!!!!!!! Felt!!!!!! So!!!!!!!!! Rushed!!!!!!!!! There is a HUGE dramatic plunge in the story, and it happens in THE LAST LIKE TEN PAGES! WITH NO REAL CONCLUSION!!!!! I mean, I get it. Again, Sekaran is writing on subject matter than is not the cleanest in real life (fostering/adoption, immigration, etc.) nor is it ever typically black and white, but STILL. This is still a BOOK, a STORY, a NOVEL that has been written so beautifully and so raw and real, and then the ending is just.... so flat. No real closure, no real redemption, or conclusion to the characters.
Those are my thoughts. I feel as though others may read this book and not be bothered with the things I was bothered by, I truly can easily see this just being a my taste vs. yours if you disagree with my review, because yes, this book is so beautiful written, in my opinion, but the negatives truly were all I'm left with remembering, over the beautiful story that Sekaran wrote.
The good:
It's raw. It's gritty. It's real. I could not put it down. I needed to know more about these characters and their story. The book makes you feel things. You get attached to these characters, and with two intertwined stories that are so different, you aren't even left knowing who you should root for. You read this book and you just feel things, deeply, for both women. Man, it just feels real. It feels like diary entries, it feels like a memoir, it feels like sitting down with a cup of coffee and each person involved and hearing them recount the details of their haunted past. That's why it hurt so bad to see an ending that I felt was such a disservice to the story and characters Sekaran built. I think just a chapter more, just a little more closure and redemption to both story lines could have been given to beautifully end this deep, raw story.
The ugly:
- In the beginning, Sekaran I feel balances the evil, dirty, gritty themes tastefully. She has a way of writing about things that are dark that leave you feeling the pain of it, yet without going into extreme detail. But, as the book goes on, things just get looser and sloppier. I won't lie, I have a hard time reading about triggering topics that have to do with sexual assault or abuse, and towards the end, I felt as thought I had to skim and skip through a good bit. I know that she writes from realities and the subject matter Sekaran chose for the story is not rainbow and butterflies, but it caught me off guard how it seemed that Sekaran choose to write about these things sensitively in the beginning of the book, and then less and less and less as the story goes on. It just felt like she wanted the pain and shock factor to be heightened for this beaten down character, but it just made me feel disconnected from her writing and her characters.
- The ending!!!!!!!!!! Felt!!!!!! So!!!!!!!!! Rushed!!!!!!!!! There is a HUGE dramatic plunge in the story, and it happens in THE LAST LIKE TEN PAGES! WITH NO REAL CONCLUSION!!!!! I mean, I get it. Again, Sekaran is writing on subject matter than is not the cleanest in real life (fostering/adoption, immigration, etc.) nor is it ever typically black and white, but STILL. This is still a BOOK, a STORY, a NOVEL that has been written so beautifully and so raw and real, and then the ending is just.... so flat. No real closure, no real redemption, or conclusion to the characters.
Those are my thoughts. I feel as though others may read this book and not be bothered with the things I was bothered by, I truly can easily see this just being a my taste vs. yours if you disagree with my review, because yes, this book is so beautiful written, in my opinion, but the negatives truly were all I'm left with remembering, over the beautiful story that Sekaran wrote.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
trupiper's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The blurb on the front of the book says it’s a page turner. But more often than not I found myself setting the book down. Upset and in deep rumination about the events unfolding. About the emotional connection I was gaining with these characters. I felt they were becoming part of my story, too. It’s a story of motherhood—complicated, loving, and messy. It’s a story of people. It’s a story of hope. But most importantly, it’s a story of heartache and pain. A story of love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racism, and Classism
skudiklier's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh my god this book was amazing. Heartbreaking, and terrible, and complicated, but so so amazing. I'd recommend it to anyone. It was devastating and beautiful and I don't have better words to describe it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Car accident, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Islamophobia, Slavery, and Stalking
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