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makiya's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I found this book hard to keep up with because of the different points of view and different timelines. I feel like at times it made it so I lost sight of the purpose of me reading the book, finding out what happened to Ruthy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Child death, Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
delz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a layered social commentary. Living in poverty means limited access/choices in food, employment, and housing. This also means that if you fall under the description of POC and are poor and you disappear the police/press are either going to blame you or just not be bothered looking for you. Ruthy is the middle daughter in the Ramirez family. The family struggles. Both parents work and live paycheck to paycheck and the three girls are struggling students. In 1996 Ruthy was expected home no later than six, but when she doesn’t come home by seven Dolores loads her other two daughters into the car to look for her. Days turn into months, and months turn into years. The stress of the disappearance leaves dad dead and Dolores with an illness. Now it’s 2008 and Nina the youngest has just graduated college and can’t find a job. Jessica the oldest has had a baby and works in a hospital. One night Jessica’s insomnia has her watching a particularly nasty reality tv show when she sees someone she’s positive is Ruthy. Each chapter is from the pov of the three sisters and the mom. Their thoughts about Ruthy, their own lives and their feelings about each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Medical content, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Rape, Death of parent, Racism, Vomit, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
goldenjunegem's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Bullying
smagzisreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Kidnapping and Murder
dixiecarroll's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC! This was a fast read and while the material settles around a missing child and how this impacted her family, it was filled with light moments and funny situations. Some of the writing was a little strange (switching tenses within a single POV) and the ending took a major heavy turn, but otherwise this was well worth the read and was interesting. Felt like an episode of crime junkie - the unsatisfying depressing ones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
megansoetaert's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
i loved how well the author mixed humor & family trauma. it was so easy to picture the family dynamics & you felt like you were there with the characters. i loved ruthy’s chapters especially, but enjoyed how the author was able to make each character’s chapters unique. & the last chapter… i sobbed for about 10 mins after i finished 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Alcohol, Fatphobia, and Physical abuse
suhmown's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
3.75
3.75/5
This was a snapshot of the lives of three very different women from the same family and I felt so immersed in their feelings and emotions and moments. You hope with them— I thought I knew how it was going to end but with every ounce they believed, I believed with them.
That being said, I felt like the book lost itself in the middle
For a 200 page book, I wish every chapter had felt more intentional but there were a few right before their trip to Boston that dragged. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read an entire tome from Delores POV.
This was a snapshot of the lives of three very different women from the same family and I felt so immersed in their feelings and emotions and moments. You hope with them— I thought I knew how it was going to end but with every ounce they believed, I believed with them.
That being said, I felt like the book lost itself in the middle
For a 200 page book, I wish every chapter had felt more intentional but there were a few right before their trip to Boston that dragged. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read an entire tome from Delores POV.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
raphynette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Racism, and Child abuse
deidrelj's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was ready to move this book but it didn’t happen. The premise is promising but the delivery is bumbled. The narration by Ruthy’s family is colorful and entertaining but often not pulled together to follow the storyline. It felt like a short story with unnecessary filler and the afterword by the author revealed that to be the case exactly. This was almost a DNF for me and in hindsight, I think I would have preferred that, leaving the promise of the story unfinished rather than unsatisfactory.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Murder
oldandnewbooksmell's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Trigger Warnings: Discussion of rape and molestation, missing child(ren)
13-year-old Ruthie Ramirez disappeared without a trace from a bus stop after track practice in 1996. Her disappearance rocked the Ramirez family and they were never able to fully recover. Then, one night, twelve years later, older sister Jessica spots a splitting image of their sister on a reality TV show called Catfight, she even has the beauty mark under the left eye that is instantly recognizable.
In 2008, Ruthy’s mother, Dolores, still struggles with the loss, older sister Jessica now has a newborn baby and works at the hospital, and younger sister Nina, after four years away at college, is now back and living with their mom and is forced to work a job at the lingerie store at the mall.
After the sisters see the could-be-Ruthy, they hatch a plan to go down to where the show is filming to see if they can confirm who they think she is. When Dolores also sees the could-be-Ruthy herself, she insists on joining, and dragging along her best friend, Irene. The Ramirez women then set on a road trip that forces them to face their past and look towards the future, with or without the could-be-Ruthy.
This is both a heartwarming and a heartbreaking novel. The chapters jump around between the Ramirez women, including Ruthy back in 1996 on the day of her disappearance. By doing this, Jiménez is able to show you each of their thoughts and feelings, which really humanizes the whole thing and makes it feel authentic.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez was also a pretty quick read for me as well, the only reason it took me two days was because I started it later in the evening on the 19th. The writing style and language of this novel are smooth and easy flowing, regardless of whose POV the chapter was written in. This style also keeps the mystery of what really happened to Ruthy up until the very end - did she get taken or did she simply run away and refuse to talk to her family again?
I can easily see this book becoming a Book Club favorite in libraries as well as highly talked about once it’s released in a few weeks. Anyone who likes to read about a complicated family dynamic, especially based around women, will greatly enjoy this book.
*Thank you Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape