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bootsmom3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Outing, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Homophobia, Abortion, and Deportation
avvai's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
sdupont's review against another edition
I had heard so many good things about this book but unfortunately I didn’t have the same response. Perhaps if I kept reading the story would’ve fallen into place more. I just felt that by page 89 there should’ve been a solid plot line occurring. What I found what that this book really would’ve benefitted from editing. There was a lot of detail about Olga’s business, there also seemed to be some plot around her romantic/sexual relationships, her congressman brother appeared to maybe have his own storyline, and then there was her activist parents particularly her mother. I think this book tried to do too much at once and it prevented the plot from being clear and evident to the reader.
Also, as a side note I don’t understand what purpose Jan’s death served. As someone who works in the field of HIV care, I was saddened to see a character who was set in 2017 commit suicide after seroconverting. This was jarring at the beginning of the book. Maybe this would be unpacked later and discussed with nuance but it would be nice to move past the narrative of HIV being a death sentence (with medication people can live long and relatively healthy lives).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Suicide, and Death of parent
kristinallard's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death, Abortion, Death of parent, and Abandonment
gracescanlon's review
challenging
emotional
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? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Classism
kathleencoughlin's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Colonisation
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Mass/school shootings, and Abortion
kdailyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Classism
Minor: Infertility, Racial slurs, Abortion, and Pregnancy
just_one_more_paige's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Between the eye-catching cover (those colors!) and the ALC I got access to through Libro.fm, I picked up this new release really quickly! Not my normal MO, so cheers to me. Haha. And it was a lucky choice, because this was a page-turner of entertainment and big ideas from start to finish.
Olga and her brother, Prieto, are born-and-raised Brooklynites, and pretty big names around the area now, as Prieto is a popular congressman representing their neighborhood and Olga is a well-known wedding planner for NYC financial elite. Although on the surface, they seem to have everything together, as always, there are cracks beneath the surface. Prieto is hiding a pretty big secret that puts him in a compromising position as far as voting to actually support his constituents and protecting them against gentrifying influence. Olga is struggling to find her own romantic footing, despite it being her job to make others' big relationship dreams come true...though there's a chance that the guy she just met, Matteo, could help her find her own happiness. And both Olga and Prieto are struggling to come to terms with the fact that, when they were still children, their mother, Blanca, left them to be raised by other family members (and a father struggling with addiction) to travel the world leading and supporting militant revolutionary causes. Having stayed in touch only through letters since then, the siblings both face final choices regarding their relationship with her as the dire situation in their homeland of Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria leads to some new knowledge about their mothers projects, plans, and the roles she wants her children to play.
This novel is primarily narrated by Olga, with occasional cameos from Prieto, Dick (one of Olga's lovers, that she met through her wedding planning business), and some of the letters Blanca wrote to her children over the years. Overall, it was really authentic writing, the kind that brings each of the characters' separate voices and personalities into life in a way that sparks with energy and personality. There was so much energy in these pages and I loved it. This was, as I said, in part because of the writing. But also, these characters are just straight real. Focusing on Olga and Prieto, because we get the most about them, they are just so genuine in their interactions with other people, their internal thoughts and processes, their strengths and goals, their flaws and questionable decisions, their fears and efforts to please their mother (despite everything). Like, they were so real. Similarly, Matteo and Dick, and even Blanca, have those nuances of character that make them feel real (for one, their "good" outweighs the negatives, for two of them, the deep opposite of that - cw here for sexual assault - but in all cases, tangible in their humanity). That's what made this cush a compelling, page-turning read, for me.
Past that, there was a lot going on in these pages, plot-wise. Gonzalez managed to pair some lighter themes (family drama, romance, etc.) with some much heavier themes (imperialism, gentrification, psychological trauma) in a way that felt balanced just right. I loved Matteo and the way he and Olga interacted. The complex dynamics of big, loud families was on full display in the best way. And I was especially into Olga and Prieto as siblings - I do love a well-written sibling relationship. Plus, the high society settings and wedding planning pieces (as well as everything that happened with Igor and the Russian mob) was just super entertaining. At the same time, there was a fascinating look at the potential harms of dogmatic social activism from an angle one doesn’t normally see: the children of the parents who disappear into the work (and react in different ways in trying to live up to that set standard). And wow, over time, as we see how Blanca communicated with Olga and Prieto over the years, this really morphed into something quite ugly (CW for parental abandonment/psychological trauma/manipulation); the fine line between efforts towards an important/necessary cause and taking things too far is examined in a way I've not seen much of before. Along those same fine lines, Gonzalez takes on an exploration of legality and morals, looking at how people react when the rich/powerful take advantage by influencing policies that support their interests vs how it's perceived when those with less social-financial capital take action in the ways available to them. As examples, Olga fleecing her clients, the Russian mob details, Reggie and Blanca's decisions/action, Matteo’s local real estate reinvestments, the "development" lobbying from Dick and the Selby brothers, present a number of perspectives on a fascinating continuum.
Finally, there is so much in these pages about Puerto Rico, the way love for the country and a hope for a better future for it can take so many different forms/routes. There's also a dive into the history of colonialism/imperialism, and revolutionaries, in the country, and the way it's led it to a completely untenable (for the people) position today. Gonzalez highlights and calls out the hypocrisy of PR being a part of the US in a way that benefits the powerful, yet not enough to warrant real support for people who need it (thrown into stark relief by Hurricane Maria disaster "relief" ). And phew, the little bit of speculative fiction at the end, a sooth-saying about what the future could be if we continue to show how little we value the lives and livelihoods of the PR people, is a warning that should be noted for real. Overall, this aspect of the story (along with one side plot issue related to Prieto's personal life, that added some depth to his character and story that I really appreciated) got quite intense by the end, with some serious tension-build, and though it all wrapped up with a general hopeful vibe, I was definitely clenching my teeth there for a few chapters.
I was totally engrossed in this novel from start to finish (and the cast-narration of the audiobook was spot on). Though I felt like there were maybe a few loose ends narratively, the major aspects were all wrapped up. Olga’s voice and embodiment were fantastic and I really enjoyed the unique mix of romance, girl-in-the-big-city, social justice realistic fiction, romance, and drama/thriller, and the fresh start vibe we were left with at the end. If you are looking for a quality entertainment read with a bit of depth, this book is it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Death of parent
courtneycanread's review
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
This book was such a great reflection on identity. The identity that our parents have for us before we’re even born and as we grow and then accepting our true identity even when we realize that we might not live up to the dreams they had for us but instead we choose to honor ourselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Rape
missrosymaplemoth's review
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Rape, Violence, and Outing