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100_pages_hr's review against another edition
inspiring
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
Absolutely amazing from viewpoint of second generation immigrant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Deportation
bookcaptivated's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Bullying, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Deportation
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation
kyarabereading's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Unfortunately, I did not like this novel as much as I thought I would.
It wasn't a totally painful read for these reasons:
It wasn't a totally painful read for these reasons:
- The book does a good job of explaining the sorts of issues people of color face by providing the reader with many realistic experiences.
- As a Latine, I’m so happy to see a Young Adult novel that represents many different Latine cultures.
- After reading books by authors who think all teenagers talk like walking thesauruses, it was cool to read a book about teenagers who act and talk like teenagers (though I will add the use of slang was a bit unnatural and cringy at times).
- It's a very fast-paced novel, which was helpful for me considering I'm getting back into regularly reading for fun after years of not doing so.
No matter how much I wanted to like this book, however, it was very boring to me. One thing that I love about books is the way that one can connect with the characters because they feel so real. When it comes to this novel, De Leon’s characters are so two-dimensional that I was left not really caring what happens to them. The characters and the sorts of issues they face didn’t draw me in as much as I thought they would. It seems like De Leon wrote this book simply to address the social issues each character faces while not bothering to give any of the characters the depth that would make them seem human. Also, the book reads more like a stream of consciousness, with Liliana going through her day almost as if writing in her diary, so it lacks scenes and dialogue for the most part. I wish that De Leon would have followed one of the basic rules of writing: Show, don’t tell. But De Leon’s general lack of interesting dialogue, concrete imagery, and moving scenes added to my already lack of interest in the novel. There were more problems I had with this book but to keep this short(ish), I'll only mention those.
This book does have some really good elements that made it worth reading and I really appreciate what De Leon was trying to do with this novel, but I don’t think it was executed to the best of its ability. The important message gets lost because I can’t get past the bad writing. I will probably not be rereading, honestly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Racism
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