Scan barcode
alltoomell's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @ 50%
I can get past Maria’s little crush on Rocky’s Dad but Charlie reciprocating those feelings is not something I want to read
I can get past Maria’s little crush on Rocky’s Dad but Charlie reciprocating those feelings is not something I want to read
thaidyedmissy's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't care for any of the characters. The story line felt like it was all over the place.
booknightowl's review against another edition
2.0
This story takes place in New York and its about this girl named Maria who lives in Queens and travels to the upper east side to a private high school. This book deals with families, race, relationships, sex, and betrayal.
Trying to put into words of how I felt about this story...I didn't like it. I was highly disappointed. I felt like it jumped all over the place. I didnt like any of the characters. They were all messed up in there own little way. I'm glad this book wasn't that long otherwise I might have DNF'd it.
Trying to put into words of how I felt about this story...I didn't like it. I was highly disappointed. I felt like it jumped all over the place. I didnt like any of the characters. They were all messed up in there own little way. I'm glad this book wasn't that long otherwise I might have DNF'd it.
marasshelf's review against another edition
2.0
i can’t bring myself to dnf a book, but if i could, i probably would’ve quit 50 pages in. first of all, none of the characters are likable. i couldn’t sympathize for the main character at all, and don’t even get me STARTED on rocky - boy, did she make my blood boil. second of all, the book is supposed to tackle issues surrounding racism, class, and betrayal, but in terms of the racism aspect, it fell extremely flat. as for class, you can certainly tell the difference between maria, the main character, and rocky, her best friend(??); however, reading about a rich, entitled white girl throw her money around just to get herself into trouble in front of her less privileged latinx friend gets pretty boring after a while. finally, there was plenty of betrayal, and the betrayal in question is very unsettling, considering it involves a relationship between a 17 year-old girl and an adult man. overall, this book is all over the place, and while there were certain parts that left me wanting more, i would just avoid reading it all together.
aimeedarsreads's review against another edition
2.0
In They Could Have Named Her Anything, seventeen-year-old Maria Rosario, a denizen of Queens, makes a long journey to the Upper East Side each day where she attends Bell Seminary as a scholarship student. Although one of the only Latina students, she doesn’t fit in with the other girls in the Students of Color group, yet she sometimes leans into the stereotypes foist upon her, as she does in math class to bully her teacher into accepting it when she moved from her assigned seat in the front of the room to the back where she daydreamed about Andres, her boyfriend who called her a “corpse” after she lost her virginity to him.
That fateful move brought her into a collision course with Rachelle “Rocky” Albrecht, one of the wealthiest girls in a school full of rich students. Maria and Rocky gravitate towards each other, Maria envying Rocky’s wealth and privilege, Rocky jealous of Maria’s close family. Yet, the two also clash with secrets and misunderstandings. Although told primarily from Maria’s point of view, the book also has sections told from the points of view of Rocky, her dad, Charlie, and Maria’s father, Miguel.
Typically, this is a book I would like, given the diversity of the characters, the coming of age story, and the questions of identity and sexuality. However, They Could Have Named Her Anything wasn’t for me. One issue I had was that it didn’t seem to fall fully into the young adult or adult category and so was awkwardly straddling both. Another is that personally, I found the writing style choppy, as though I was in a bumper car or driving on a road full of potholes. It’s possible that this was done deliberately to reflect Maria’s circumstances or state of mind, but I found it detracted from my enjoyment of the book, so much so that at several points, I was tempted not to finish it.
That said, Jimenez did write some lovely passages, and I thought the idea of being hemmed in my one’s name—or liberated by it—interesting. I suspect that there would be readers who would really adore this book, but unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for providing an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
awesome514's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. I've had this book for quite some time, and I've tried to get in to it several times, but I just couldn't connect.
shgmclicious's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Toxic relationship
whatsbeckyreading's review
1.0
Glad that this one was an Amazon Prime freebie. I was never really sure what it was about, and when the protag's best friend's dad began a relationship with the protag (a teenager) I was done.
omnombailey's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a good read, in that it evoked sentiments I haven't had lately with other books. It is by no means a comfortable read, though. Nor is every character likeable, especially by the end. But even with the characters I outright loathed, there was enough complexity to keep me invested, even if it was to see how the dumpster fire imploded in the end. As awful as most of the situations are in this book, there was something painfully genuine about everything.
The relies a bit too heavily on the characters, thus the plot is strung together oddly and really falls apart near the end. By then, you're already in too deep to back out, but it was unfortunate how the story's foundations barely hold together.
The relies a bit too heavily on the characters, thus the plot is strung together oddly and really falls apart near the end. By then, you're already in too deep to back out, but it was unfortunate how the story's foundations barely hold together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit and Self harm
The adult/minor relationship is a huge part of this story. While both sides say they're consenting to it, it's very evident that there's plenty of manipulation and dubious consent involved. It is not painted in a healthy light to make the reader uncomfortable.lucysgoodfellow's review
I DNFed this book because I can't bring myself to read any more of this.
Nothing makes sense and from the other reviews I read when trying to decide whether to continue with this book or not, its clear that there is a grown man that has a relationship with a minor in the book and that this 'relationship' is not really addressed. I'm not down for that.
The men were predatory, the women were catty. No character was the same from one chapter to the next (seriously the lack of consistency was breathtaking). Every relationship is unhealthy.
I won't be reading another book by this author.
I was sent this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nothing makes sense and from the other reviews I read when trying to decide whether to continue with this book or not, its clear that there is a grown man that has a relationship with a minor in the book and that this 'relationship' is not really addressed. I'm not down for that.
The men were predatory, the women were catty. No character was the same from one chapter to the next (seriously the lack of consistency was breathtaking). Every relationship is unhealthy.
I won't be reading another book by this author.
I was sent this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.