Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

40 reviews

steffieras's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring tense fast-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

Moderate: Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, War, Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Sexual assault, Rape, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Death of parent

zxnaida's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I have been putting off writing this review for a while because I feel conflicted about my rating. Olga Dies Dreaming starts off strong, with chapters alternating POVs of two main characters, and letters from a secondary character also serving as another POV. The characters felt real and personable. I enjoyed how I went back and forth with really disliking some of the characters and yet still rooting for them. However, some plot points felt sort of just thrown in there with no relevance. This bugged me. With all these things considered, I would rate it a 4. However, there is a scene towards the end of the book that seemed very unnecessary, and it really threw me off, and I don’t feel like it’s a 4 anymore, it’s more of a 3.5 to me, I think. I plan to read Xochitl Gonzalez’s next book which is set to release this year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Grief, Homophobia, and Medical content

klingcooper's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Violence

bella_cavicchi's review

emotional funny 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

4.0

I began OLGA DIES DREAMING back in February and lost the opportunity to finish it when I had to return it to the library. On a flight home, I took the chance to complete it and I'm so glad I saw it through. It's an ambitious novel, and I'm not sure it hits every mark, but it has a lot of heart and that I applaud. That this is González' debut just has me excited to see what else she has up her sleeve (!).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Homophobia, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Cursing, War, Racism, Rape, and Infidelity

readbycarina's review

emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Rape, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Homophobia, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Pregnancy, Abortion, and Physical abuse

katiejohns's review

emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Rape, Grief, Drug use, War, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Abortion, Violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Death of parent

hadsbaker's review

dark emotional informative mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, Addiction, Grief, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Abortion

Discussion of HIV/AIDS and death from it

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

salemander's review

5.0

wowowow this shit made my fuckin heart hurt!!! love revolution but absolutely fuck anyone who thinks that hurting the people you love is the way to get it. a beautiful combination of community and culture and fighting for justice, this book was so inspiring and genuinely heartfelt. while there were some things that took me out of it the only thing that genuinely made me mad is that Dick doesn’t get murdered and his fucking dick cut off, which is the absolute bare minimum that fucker deserves. <3 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Addiction, Death, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Rape, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Racism

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

challenging informative 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? No

4.0

This novel covers many themes—gentrification, colonialism, familial relationships, politics, cultural and sexual identity, corruption, love. Gonzalez left nothing out of the spotlight.

Olga and Prieto are siblings. Both have quietly struggled with their mother’s abandoment decades ago to support Puerto Rican independence. Although they receive letters from her, they’re typically to ridicule them for partaking in the “American Dream” or to push them towards achieving her anarchist legacy. This novel portrays Olga and Prietos’ struggles to define themselves outside of their parents’ activism, abuse, societal expectations, and their own pasts. 

While dense with political information, this novel will pull you in a few different ways. At times, I felt simultaneously sympathetic and totally aggravated with the characters. It’s a smorgasbord of sub-plots, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Puerto Rican politics (or PR in general) isn’t a common theme I see in books, which means I need to diversify my bookshelves. I’m reminded of how little I know about Puerto Rico. Yet seeing a congressman of Puerto Rican descent be the only one expected to talk about PR issues was uncomfortably realistic making it a good read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Rape