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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Was good. Had some very important messages in it but I felt like at times the narrator sounded a lot younger than she was- like 12-13 as opposed to 18.
Empowering and funny. Will happily recommend to 8th and HSers
Man i got so much to say.
i was looking for a book that explores the latinx identity in the united states, that wasn't too on the nose or felt super forced.
if you're also looking for that, DO NOT PICK THIS UP!!!
honestly it just felt like this book was trying to check off all the boxes.
pregnant teen mexican? check
gay mexican w/ super unsupportive parents? check
machismo treatment of brother vs sister? check
drug addict dad? check
SA? check
and listen. i know these situations can be very real realities for people. trust me, i know it too well.
but damn it felt so forced. like when shows make the only latin character speak with random spanish words. something like "but john! you know my familia would never approve!! ay no!!" or something.
the protag/narrator is gabi. she is supposed to be a senior in HS but the way it is written you would think she was in middle school.
Gabi is a “gringa” mexican. She is described as lighter skinned, with curly hair and a bigger body.
The whole gringa thing particularly made me google the author. And it kinda seems like a bit of a self insert
I don't have a problem with that, every individual harbors their own unique perspective and I believe it is important to expand beyond your own. And who better to describe your own unique experience than yourself?
Still, it kinda annoyed me as a brown skinned mexican growing up around colorism lol.
the book is written with diary entries- that combined with the very simple writing led me to conclude that this book just was not for me...
i think this book is for grades 8-10 maybe? i am not in HS anymore so i felt a lot of cringe reading this.
but I thought, okay, so this isn't for me; perhaps it's for those who are struggling in a similar manner to those brought up in the book. they would want something like high school to look forward to, and put themselves in. I could possibly see a younger, 13-year-old me reading this with high school and college prospects.
Even with the heavy topics, i think the ages aligning with those of grades 8-10 are the target audience. kids go through heavy things too.
so okay then. fine. ill excuse the writing.
but the rest...
like i said, it felt like it was trying to check of ALLL the boxes. it was trying to be inclusive and diverse, but it just ended up being soooo stereotypical. I swear to god, gabi brought up her love of tacos and other popular mexican foods so often.
Instead of gabi feeling like a real, insecure, little mexican girl trying her best- the overbearing stereotypes on her (and every other character) made gabi feel more like a caricature.
it was confirmed in my head that the author was trying to check off every box when its not that these things cant happen, but that it was not hinted at all beforehand, and felt very thrown in there. just so distasteful.
It was really painful to read this. Out of respect for my friend's recommendation (reconsidering our friendship) I wanted to finish. I am just glad it is over.
Maybe I can save someone else from this ..
i was looking for a book that explores the latinx identity in the united states, that wasn't too on the nose or felt super forced.
if you're also looking for that, DO NOT PICK THIS UP!!!
honestly it just felt like this book was trying to check off all the boxes.
pregnant teen mexican? check
gay mexican w/ super unsupportive parents? check
machismo treatment of brother vs sister? check
drug addict dad? check
SA? check
and listen. i know these situations can be very real realities for people. trust me, i know it too well.
but damn it felt so forced. like when shows make the only latin character speak with random spanish words. something like "but john! you know my familia would never approve!! ay no!!" or something.
the protag/narrator is gabi. she is supposed to be a senior in HS but the way it is written you would think she was in middle school.
Gabi is a “gringa” mexican. She is described as lighter skinned, with curly hair and a bigger body.
The whole gringa thing particularly made me google the author. And it kinda seems like a bit of a self insert
I don't have a problem with that, every individual harbors their own unique perspective and I believe it is important to expand beyond your own. And who better to describe your own unique experience than yourself?
Still, it kinda annoyed me as a brown skinned mexican growing up around colorism lol.
the book is written with diary entries- that combined with the very simple writing led me to conclude that this book just was not for me...
i think this book is for grades 8-10 maybe? i am not in HS anymore so i felt a lot of cringe reading this.
but I thought, okay, so this isn't for me; perhaps it's for those who are struggling in a similar manner to those brought up in the book. they would want something like high school to look forward to, and put themselves in. I could possibly see a younger, 13-year-old me reading this with high school and college prospects.
Even with the heavy topics, i think the ages aligning with those of grades 8-10 are the target audience. kids go through heavy things too.
so okay then. fine. ill excuse the writing.
but the rest...
like i said, it felt like it was trying to check of ALLL the boxes. it was trying to be inclusive and diverse, but it just ended up being soooo stereotypical. I swear to god, gabi brought up her love of tacos and other popular mexican foods so often.
Instead of gabi feeling like a real, insecure, little mexican girl trying her best- the overbearing stereotypes on her (and every other character) made gabi feel more like a caricature.
it was confirmed in my head that the author was trying to check off every box when
Spoiler
candace revealed that she was raped.Spoiler
then gabi went and made it all about her. literally initiated a fight with the abuser...It was really painful to read this. Out of respect for my friend's recommendation (reconsidering our friendship) I wanted to finish. I am just glad it is over.
Maybe I can save someone else from this ..
The writing style spoiled this for me. I get diary style, but teen diary style may be too much for me. I appreciate the author's attempt to cover so many teen issues (she forgot STD's but otherwise seriously they are all in this book). I certainly think this book has an audience but unfortunately this one did not do it for me.
My book club made me read this one and I didn't expect to like it, mostly because the cover is hideous. (OK, shoot me, I'm shallow. I can't help judging books by their covers sometimes.) But Gabi turns out to be an honest, nicely written account of a gifted young Chicano girl's last year of high school, including some surprisingly touching original poems. (Usually I hate poetry in YA novels. But these were actually good poems and added dimension to the story and the character.) There are real problems in Gabi's world: her dad is a meth addict, one of her friends gets kicked out of his house when he comes out as gay, another friend gets pregnant; her little brother gets caught doing graffiti. Mostly she struggles with her place in the world, her sexuality, her weight, how to keep up her grades and still have a life. But it never feels like the author is throwing in problems just cover all the bases (which was how I felt about The Hate U Give). No, Gabi's life is chaotic because she lives in a poor community and is always straddling more than one world. Her strong, funny, impulsive voice keeps the story flowing and the reader turning the page.
Very strong language, sexual content, drugs, language
really good diary format for coming of age and making decisions about her first time having sex
This book definitely has an audience. It is filling a gap in our country's lack of diverse books. #WeNeedDiverseBooks
I love the fact that it is written in a diary format, this forces Gabi to reflect on things after the fact, thus making her more aware of her reality. I don't think this book would have worked in any other format. I feel as though it would have read like a YA tele-novella if the complicated issues were handled as they happened. A lot of the sincerity and authenticity of the voice would have been lost otherwise. Gabi is a flawed character and never tries to tell you that she's perfect or even striving to be perfect. She is who she is. You go girl.
I love the fact that it is written in a diary format, this forces Gabi to reflect on things after the fact, thus making her more aware of her reality. I don't think this book would have worked in any other format. I feel as though it would have read like a YA tele-novella if the complicated issues were handled as they happened. A lot of the sincerity and authenticity of the voice would have been lost otherwise. Gabi is a flawed character and never tries to tell you that she's perfect or even striving to be perfect. She is who she is. You go girl.