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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
One sentence summary: A successful Nuyorican event planner and her equally accomplished congressman brother face multiple dilemmas in their lives, including the mother who abandoned them.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Became annoyed with the grievances against gentrification in the neighborhood by the protagonist Olga only for her to earn her living by catering to the same elite who are in part responsible for the situation, including her Congressman brother. I wish there was more focus on the Puerto Rican community and Olga place within it instead of centering her dalliances with white elites.
3.75-4.0 stars
Impressive for a debut novel. Great character development with engaging, flawed characters. While some readers disliked the letters from Blanca interspersed throughout the novel, I felt like it helped you understand certain relationships better. This book discussed much about past and recent Puerto Rican history, something I admittedly know very little about. I had to stop and Google items throughout my reading. Other reviewers who do know a lot about the history or lived through it first-hand seem to have a negative opinion about this book. In my ignorance, I thought it was fairly well done. I do think that perhaps the book tried to tackle too many issues and maybe could have been a bit more focused. The ending was wrapped up a bit too quickly for me. Overall, I enjoyed the complexity of both the story and the characters.
Trigger warnings: AIDS, drug abuse, rape (mostly happens off page), suicide.
Impressive for a debut novel. Great character development with engaging, flawed characters. While some readers disliked the letters from Blanca interspersed throughout the novel, I felt like it helped you understand certain relationships better. This book discussed much about past and recent Puerto Rican history, something I admittedly know very little about. I had to stop and Google items throughout my reading. Other reviewers who do know a lot about the history or lived through it first-hand seem to have a negative opinion about this book. In my ignorance, I thought it was fairly well done. I do think that perhaps the book tried to tackle too many issues and maybe could have been a bit more focused. The ending was wrapped up a bit too quickly for me. Overall, I enjoyed the complexity of both the story and the characters.
Trigger warnings: AIDS, drug abuse, rape (mostly happens off page), suicide.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this story, it was unexpected and very fun. The writing was a bit on the nose at times but it still had impact.
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
This book had several themes weaved throughout and it was really good storytelling that made it all work. The story of Olga and her family relationships was gripping and complicated. her mom abandoned her and her brother Prieto when they were teenagers and their father died a few years later. The grandmother is a fabulous character and we see how she navigates the difficult task of continuing to raise them without their parents. It was a compelling read although sometimes slowed down by the history of Puerto Rico. If you have time to digest this, it is really interesting and important, but definitely changes the rhythm of the book. Overall I loved seeing the growth of Prieto and Olga and how they help each other move past their challenging childhood. They make a LOT of mistakes, but somehow manage to figure things out together.
This book has such great reviews so I wanted to love it but almost 4 hours into the audiobook and nothing is happening. I feel like I'm still trying to understand the main characters. It was putting me in a bit of a slump and I feel relieved to DNF it.