Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Olga Dies Dreaming

While the book started out strong, I found the second half to be rushed and requiring a tad too much suspension of disbelief. I also had issues with the handling of the

sexual assault towards the end of the book

, and with the ending in general. I also felt that the

mother’s letters were particularly difficult to get through, and her cruelty started to get a little excessive

. Finally, I had problems with the author’s handling of Pietro’s queerness - the

injection of an HIV plot seemed unnecessary and also uninteresting. I think we can do better, representation wise

.

Overall I didn’t enjoy the book much, but I did enjoy learning about Puerto Rican culture.

Content Warnings

aly97's review

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emotional informative 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

4.25

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danmoore16's review

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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

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celinegaghadar's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

I really enjoyed the writing and characters in this book. I think the author did a good job of capturing the different characters’ voices while exploring intersecting and overlapping themes around identity, family and politics. There were aspects I thought were lazy or not given enough space. I think Olga’s character was likeable, relatable and well developed but there were parts that felt a bit stereotypical (ie she talks about not being able to cry for years since her father died which just lends to the ball buster iron woman stereotype). I thought the sexual assault was unnecessary as a plot point. I think this story was was also interesting in how it commented on parenting and how love shows up in different relationships. Overall really enjoyed!

Content Warnings

mgranera's review

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challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-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

Content Warnings

darc_k's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

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