Reviews

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez

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sunfloweren's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 Stars

omstre1's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

I am still figuring out my feelings on this one. Not at all what I thought it would be. The plot kept me interested but a large portion of the book was just “no plot just vibes” with the characters. I merrily trotted a long and did not expect the gut punches that would spring out of nowhere. A unique read with an important message about brown girls everywhere.

notesonbookmarks's review against another edition

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4.25

I enjoyed this. Interested all the way though!

juanitamfm's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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

3.5

This book hopped around a lot and it kind of dragged in places. The good parts were where the author showed the personalities of Jessica, Nina and Dolores, but it didn’t get too deep and I really just wanted to read the beginning and the end to see what happened to Ruthy.

ajudeholbert87's review against another edition

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5.0

Hysterical, heartbreaking, relatable, tragic.

Claire Jimenez’s debut novel about a Puerto Rican family from Staten Island who has been searching for their missing sister, Ruthy, for over a decade. They discover that their sister may be on a dramatic reality TV show called “Catfight.” Ruthy’s sisters, Nina and Jessica, as well as their mother Delores and their mom’s friend Irene go on a road trip to the show’s set to find out: is this Ruthy? And if so, they were determined to bring her home.

As a native Staten Islander, Jimenez names real places on Staten Island, even down to the schools and bus lines, making Ruthy and the Ramirez family feel like a member of my own family. Jimenez makes the reader want to get in that car and find Ruthy with the family. The way Jimenez intertwines colonialism, racism, teen angst, humor, religion, Puerto Rican culture, New York City swagger, and wraps it up in a thrilling bow had me hooked.

Sure, there’s curse words laced all over the book, but family drama and devastation does not always include pretty language. Claire Jimenez kept it real in this book, and I look forward to what she will release next.