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starlily's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Colonisation, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Abortion, and Drug use
klingcooper's review
- 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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Violence
drbookishbiologist's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Suicide, Rape, Abortion, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Drug use
emilyjmasters's review
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug use
khaleesimod93's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is as emotionally charged as they come. I love Olga and her brother, Prieto. They are both such complex characters who are so alike and yet so different. Olga is the one I truly connected with. She is so successful, well they both are, yet there is something missing. It shows that you can have everything and still not be fully satisfied. There were so many themes tackled in the story. It made for a complex and sometimes overwhelming reading experience. Regardless of the complexities, I truly enjoyed the book. I felt how angry and hurt and frustrated Olga was. Pietro pulled at the heart strings just as much. Their struggles as people jumped off the page. But not only their individual struggles, but the racism and stereotypes perpetrated by society because of their culture. It hurt, but it's so accurate. My only issue with the book was the back and forth between time frames and characters. It made it really hard to keep up with the story. But, I did get used to it. I just wish it hadn't been such a struggle.
Moderate: Suicide and Drug use
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
katiejohns's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Rape, Grief, Drug use, War, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Abortion, Violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Death of parent
ssamdaly's review
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Outing
teatunesandtales's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Homophobia, War, Death of parent, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Xenophobia, Outing, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, and Addiction
astoriareader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
- Olga & Pedro (“Pierto”) Acevedo are siblings, who were born & raised in Brooklyn. Olga is a wedding planner for rich folks, and Pierto is a Congressman. They are in their 40s.
- Both siblings are smart, savvy, educated, and Puerto Rican.
- Their father died when they were young, and their mother abandoned them prior to their dad’s death. Their mother is an estranged radical, who is fighting for the liberation of Puerto Rico.
- When Hurricane Maria hits, many issues come up for the siblings.
- I wanted to like this novel, as it nice to see Puerto Rican representation in literature, but this fell flat for me. Although, clearly, I am an outlier with the rave reviews.
- There were too many plots going on at once.
- The writing style felt very juvenile, YA to me.
- I didn’t find the two main characters very likable. I also didn’t like how the author portrayed them.
- I didn’t find being closeted in NYC in 2017 to be very believable.
- Some of the characters felt like caricatures & not realistic.
- I appreciated a lot of points made about colonization & Puerto Rico, but I felt the author wasn’t clear where she actually landed. The “radical” group of revolutionaries are vilified throughout the book, and government intervention is equally criticized. It makes it unclear what route people should support.
Graphic: Colonisation and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Drug use, and Classism
Minor: Abortion
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Xenophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Rape, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abortion, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Grief, Genocide, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, and Eating disorder