Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

28 reviews

formerbookclubpresident's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring 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

4.5

This book...*sigh* THIS BOOK. 

This book is great. I really enjoyed it, and really appreciated how the author captured the Nuyorican experience, and at parts even made me cry thinking about my own relationship to Puerto Rico as a mainlander. The struggle of not being enough for either country and culture but still carrying them both proudly could not be better described if she tried. The picture of gentrification that she paints is so real and vivid, and given the author's background you can tell this isn't fiction, she's writing from her own experience. 

While I really enjoyed the book, there are a few flaws that I find really hard to get over. Like some other reviewers have mentioned, Prieto 

contracting HIV

just felt cruel and unnecessary and didn't drive his character forward, and felt like a 

push to get him to come out when that could have been achieved a million different ways

. 

The chapter with

Dick SA'ing Olga also

  felt very unnecessary. There were a million ways Olga could've "failed" her mission with Dick and this was not needed. At. All. Also just 

casually mentioning how many times she's been SA'd in the past???

Triggering. 

Finally, Blanca. As a Puerto Rican person myself, the topic of Puerto Rican liberation (like all political topics) requires nuance. It is something that needs to be presented very carefully in order to make the case for liberation (which I felt like the author was for?? and then switched up at the end of the book???) Blanca's portrayal as a villain, who cares about nothing but Puerto Rican liberation hurts the cause for mainlanders/outsiders trying to understand it. It is now painted as some rebel group 

(and the bombing??? bffr)

. I wish that they had made Blanca questionable, and not outright a villain. It would've humanized her in a way that would make readers sympathize with her and not root against her. 

Lastly (and this is my own personal gripe) I wish the author had included a reading list at the end of the book. The novel touches upon so much Puerto Rican history that I would have loved to continue learning about, but because I got it from the library, I don't have the book to go back and look for references to find supplemental materials on. 

Overall, I really liked this book and can't wait to read what the other does next. Pa'lante!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Addiction, Abandonment, Classism, and Colonisation

Minor: Infertility

geekywoman14's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It's a good book for a family drama read with a bit of cultural and political history intertwined. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Rape, Drug use, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Infertility

javafenn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I want to start off by saying the narration is phenomenal! Especially Olga’s. There was so much growth for both Olga and her brother Prieto and the end left you satisfied. The whole book was a roller coaster of emotions and drama. It was great to see a perspective of New York from the eyes of Puerto Ricans. You get a feel for the culture and the familial ties they carry plus the racism and stigma they face as Americans to a foreign land that also happens to be American. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Infidelity, Misogyny, Colonisation, Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Racism, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Infertility, Homophobia, and Outing

bluberrybooks's review

emotional funny hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Death of parent and Emotional abuse

Minor: Abortion, Rape, Infertility, and Physical abuse

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Homophobia, Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicide, Alcohol, Violence, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Drug abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Infidelity, and Classism

Minor: Abortion, Infertility, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

marthaiselin's review

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Grief, Racism, Colonisation, Suicide, Sexism, Rape, and Mental illness

Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Infertility, and Alcoholism

ashleysbookthoughts's review

funny informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

When I started this book, I thought it was definitely going to be a five star read. I was immediately hooked by the scene setting and the relatable characters and surprised by how funny it was. Then, there was a part in the middle where it became a bit of a slog. There were almost too many characters, too many subplots and side stories, and too much clunky exposition. I was starting to wonder where the book could possibly be going. Gonzalez pulled it all together in the end, resulting in a solid debut. 

I ended up with a book that I’m glad I read and a new author to watch, but not a new favorite book. I think some editing to streamline the narrative and help work in the (necessary) background info regarding Puerto Rican history in a way that felt more organic could have taken this from good to great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia and Rape

Minor: Infertility

nrogers_1030's review

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Colonisation, Suicide, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Addiction, and Terminal illness

Minor: Infertility, Slavery, and Abortion

beckyjaa's review

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Colonisation, Death of parent, Outing, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Homophobia, and Grief

Minor: Abortion and Infertility

gem114's review

emotional 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

5.0

I got this book from the library to read with a group on Bookstagram, and I almost returned it without even cracking the spine. I just didn't get around to it. Ultimately, I decided to binge it the night before our book club discussion, library fine be damned, and I am so glad I did. I will say that I spent a lot of the book frustrated with one character or another and some of it downright outraged. 

I loved Olga, flaws and all, and  (most of) her family. Despite my frustration and outrage, I still wanted to give the book a hug when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation

Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Addiction, and Alcohol

Minor: Abortion, Suicide, Infertility, Drug abuse, and Rape