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berrypatch's review
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
This book was absolutely incredible. Underscored by events in Puerto Rico and the deep sociological tension between a neglectful and manipulate mother and her pining children, Olga Dies Dreaming gives an impactful and informative insight into the impact of community, corruption of power, and pull between expectations and personal fulfillment. I cried many times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Addiction
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Outing, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Abortion, Rape, and Infertility
ani_raven's review
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Outing, and Colonisation
iris3271'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
Graphic: Colonisation and Rape
Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Outing, and Death of parent
mbedrosian's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Racism, Gaslighting, Outing, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Abortion and Addiction
mattyvreads's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I don’t think I liked this book… I’m still thinking about it though.
Here are some things that I think that the author does quite well:
> Has a meaningful and nuanced dialogue about parental neglect, emotional abuse, and exploitation, in an otherwise less-than-subtle story.
> Centers gay people and women.
> Was genuinely exciting in parts.
> Has moments of emotionality and tenderness.
> Has a beautiful book cover. The best I’ve seen all year.
Okay, that’s about it.
Honestly, once I suspended disbelief, I enjoyed a lot of the story, particularly the middle third which was really successful for me. The characters themselves are very intriguing, and the plot kept me guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it. Other times, it was a chore to turn the page.
Here are things about the book I don’t care for:
> The dialogue and actions of the characters is ultra-stylized and over-the-top. That style didn’t really click for me.
> I found all the characters vaguely annoying. All of them.
> Some of the talking points in the book felt entirely unfinished, unearned, or even sometimes, disrespectful. (Many made contextual sense! These moments were really successful: a thorough discussion of closeted homosexuality and the pressures of a Catholic upbringing. Emotional abuse and neglect. The problematicism of white social justice warriors. Colorism. A denouncement of “elevating” foreign food. Talking about the lack of mainland aid from America in the wake of Hurricane Irma and Maria. That was all fascinating and so successful.) The talking points which felt unearned or disrespectful: random invocation of unrelated national tragedies and genocide. A quick and unresolved discussion of sexual assault. Seemingly, a few misguided jabs at the leftist youth of America?
The author would sometimes make actual critique, but I often wondered what point the author was trying to make, or if there was a point with those latter topics. Mostly it felt that the author was almost saying something, and then chose not to. Saying a lot, but saying nothing —
In the latter third of the book, Olga is sexually assaulted by an ex. This scene, and its subsequent fallout, was not handled with particular care by the author. First of all, the assault is from the POV of the assailant, which is particularly disturbing. I question why the author decided to frame the scene in that way. The aftermath is also troubling.
Olga briefly mentions that she refuses to think about the incident as it would “make her a victim.” As if people who are survivors of sexual assault are somehow inferior? Or just the way that they respond to it makes them somehow inferior? Hmm… It’s a deeply troubling sentiment.
When she reveals this news to her boyfriend, the author had the chance to say something in that moment. Instead he responds with some unimpressive remark, and then proceeds to scold her about other elements of their relationship! And that’s the last we hear of it!! Like….? I just don’t get it.
And one could make the argument that sometimes people don’t know what to say, and maybe this is the realistic response for that character, but the rest of the book doesn’t have realistic dialogue! Why should we just settle for this right before the “happily ever after”?
Oh also, at one point, the protagonist randomly sh!ts on sex workers, and there’s another part where her niece corrects her brother to say “queer” instead of “gay”. Those moments gave me slight pause. It does center a gay character, but the text oozed heterosexuality in a way that was confusing and disinteresting to me.
Overall, I liked parts of the book, but would probably not read it again.
Here are some things that I think that the author does quite well:
> Has a meaningful and nuanced dialogue about parental neglect, emotional abuse, and exploitation, in an otherwise less-than-subtle story.
> Centers gay people and women.
> Was genuinely exciting in parts.
> Has moments of emotionality and tenderness.
> Has a beautiful book cover. The best I’ve seen all year.
Okay, that’s about it.
Honestly, once I suspended disbelief, I enjoyed a lot of the story, particularly the middle third which was really successful for me. The characters themselves are very intriguing, and the plot kept me guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it. Other times, it was a chore to turn the page.
Here are things about the book I don’t care for:
> The dialogue and actions of the characters is ultra-stylized and over-the-top. That style didn’t really click for me.
> I found all the characters vaguely annoying. All of them.
> Some of the talking points in the book felt entirely unfinished, unearned, or even sometimes, disrespectful. (Many made contextual sense! These moments were really successful: a thorough discussion of closeted homosexuality and the pressures of a Catholic upbringing. Emotional abuse and neglect. The problematicism of white social justice warriors. Colorism. A denouncement of “elevating” foreign food. Talking about the lack of mainland aid from America in the wake of Hurricane Irma and Maria. That was all fascinating and so successful.) The talking points which felt unearned or disrespectful: random invocation of unrelated national tragedies and genocide. A quick and unresolved discussion of sexual assault. Seemingly, a few misguided jabs at the leftist youth of America?
The author would sometimes make actual critique, but I often wondered what point the author was trying to make, or if there was a point with those latter topics. Mostly it felt that the author was almost saying something, and then chose not to. Saying a lot, but saying nothing —
Olga briefly mentions that she refuses to think about the incident as it would “make her a victim.” As if people who are survivors of sexual assault are somehow inferior? Or just the way that they respond to it makes them somehow inferior? Hmm… It’s a deeply troubling sentiment.
When she reveals this news to her boyfriend, the author had the chance to say something in that moment. Instead he responds with some unimpressive remark, and then proceeds to scold her about other elements of their relationship! And that’s the last we hear of it!! Like….? I just don’t get it.
And one could make the argument that sometimes people don’t know what to say, and maybe this is the realistic response for that character, but the rest of the book doesn’t have realistic dialogue! Why should we just settle for this right before the “happily ever after”?
Oh also, at one point, the protagonist randomly sh!ts on sex workers, and there’s another part where her niece corrects her brother to say “queer” instead of “gay”. Those moments gave me slight pause. It does center a gay character, but the text oozed heterosexuality in a way that was confusing and disinteresting to me.
Overall, I liked parts of the book, but would probably not read it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Outing
ssamdaly's review
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Outing
teatunesandtales's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, War, Death of parent, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Xenophobia, Outing, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, and Addiction
jesstaurant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Drug abuse, and Rape
ferboss2023's review
emotional
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Racism, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Classism, Suicide, Rape, Outing, and Homophobia
alainajreads'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
4.0
I found myself going back and forth on my rating, based on factors of how well it was executed, how connected I felt to the characters, and my own enjoyment of it. This book attempted to tackle a lot and it already had so many important themes packed into it, from gentrification and capitalism, colonialism, family and parental abandonment, HIV/AIDS, sexual assault, Hurricane Maria and the US government’s mishandling of the disaster, and Latino identity. The genre jumped between a family drama, a political thriller, and a romance.
I will say that Olga Dies Dreaming was very well-written, and Gonzalez’s writing style caught my attention from the first chapter. I was really drawn into Olga and Prieto’s story and the complexity of their characters and the relationship between the siblings, their absent mother, and the rest of their family. I enjoyed Olga’s relationship with Matteo and learning to let herself trust after her abandonment issues and develop as a character (and call out the 45th President live on TV- we love to see it!) was satisfying. It was refreshing to read about a 40 year old protagonist finding love.
The last part of the book did feel rushed, with so many plot points wrapped into the last third of the book, and after seeing other reviews I agree with the sentiment that while Xochitl Gonzalez was ambitious in trying to cover so much background and Puerto Rican history in under 400 pages, the risk might not have paid off and left an incomplete narrative. However, I did listen to the audiobook and the narrators did a good job telling the story from different perspectives (with one scene toward the end was very hard to listen to). Olga Dies Dreaming attempted to cover a lot of ground, to varying degrees of success, in an overall impactful read.
I will say that Olga Dies Dreaming was very well-written, and Gonzalez’s writing style caught my attention from the first chapter. I was really drawn into Olga and Prieto’s story and the complexity of their characters and the relationship between the siblings, their absent mother, and the rest of their family. I enjoyed Olga’s relationship with Matteo and learning to let herself trust after her abandonment issues and develop as a character (and call out the 45th President live on TV- we love to see it!) was satisfying. It was refreshing to read about a 40 year old protagonist finding love.
The last part of the book did feel rushed, with so many plot points wrapped into the last third of the book, and after seeing other reviews I agree with the sentiment that while Xochitl Gonzalez was ambitious in trying to cover so much background and Puerto Rican history in under 400 pages, the risk might not have paid off and left an incomplete narrative. However, I did listen to the audiobook and the narrators did a good job telling the story from different perspectives (with one scene toward the end was very hard to listen to). Olga Dies Dreaming attempted to cover a lot of ground, to varying degrees of success, in an overall impactful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Outing, Colonisation, and Homophobia