Reviews

The Girl, the Ring, and the Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez

sharpiemyshoe's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective fast-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? Yes

3.0

desirai's review

emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Content Warning: Grief, violence, death of a love one, domestic abuse, institutional racism, and homophobia.

This is a YA, LGBTQ, Afro-Latinx Contemporary story that follows three teenagers living in New Jersey and is told in alternating first person perspectives.

I really enjoyed this story and loved the way Spanish was incorporated into the book. Each character tackled a unique set of challenges but relied on the friendship and family in their small group.

I’d like to thank Hear Our Voices book tours and also Levine Quierido for sending me The Girl, The Ring and The Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez, which is described as a magical, hilarious and whip smart Outsiders for the modern day. This is my honest review.

For additional thoughts, check out my video review.

innabrownstudy's review

Had a lot going on mentally...

nlh2read's review

3.75

[I was provided an audiobook arc on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review]

The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat is YA magical realism book following three teenagers navigating the highs and lows of high school life. The book was very fun to read and I enjoyed the friendship between our three protagonists. Still, the excitement and freedom the kids got from these magical items made the book so fun and me smile! If the author ever choose to write a prequel story, I would eat it up! 

mixedreader's review

medium-paced

4.0

Happy to share this new YA novel — The Girl, The Ring, and The Baseball Bat by Camille Gomera-Tavarez — thanks to @hearourvoicestours ! This novel is an adventure told through three narrators: sisters Rosie and Caro, and new kid at school, Zeke. Moving through their day to day lives and teenage struggles, each of them encounter a talisman that will guide them through specific moments in their lives. The writer integrates this magical realism in a way that feels aligned with the characters voices, perspectives, and circumstances, and highlights how they see themselves through the eyes of others. I was particularly drawn to Rosie as a narrator— she struggled to feel seen, to make a mark socially and academically as she lives under the shadow of her sister. Her skepticism, curiosity and observant nature drove this book for me. The summary compares the novel to The Outsiders, and I can see it. I would recommend this book to late teen readers who want to feel immersed in story just beyond reality—to feel connected to characters and to dream about possibility.

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Sexism, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, and Violence

Minor: Transphobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity

lit_chicana's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The book was okay, mostly forgettable. I read it once & won't pick it up again. I started losing interest by the 65% mark. My favorite part of the book was Zeke and his story line. Caro and Rosie were not the most like-able characters. They didn't have much character growth by the end of the book, Caro in particular. The big lesson learned, the epiphany moment of the coming of age story fell flat for most of the characters. Honestly the most interesting character was the mom & we didn't get much of her story until the very end. While not my most enjoyable read it did have wonderful accurate representation & for those that complained about the amount of cursing in a YA book sorry to tell you guys teens really do talk like this!

thebookworm_queen's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Trigger Warning: Racism, Classism, Cursing, Alcohol, Homophobia, Sexual Harassment

 

Thank you to Hear Our Voices and Levine Querido for the free ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

As an audiobook: 4 stars

As an ebook: 3 stars

The best part of the book was its' audio version.

"TGTRATBB" is an outstanding audiobook. It features multiple voice actors who palpably put their souls into their words and create vivid personalities. Through the voice actors I found myself laughing and cheering on the Talisman crew. During pivotal moments of the book there were drum beats or a celestial piano that accompanied the chapters, it was a sweet surprise. Had the plot of the story been able to keep up with its audio performance this could have been a five star read.

 

Points are made, but...

Gomez-Tavarez created a great cast of characters ranging from Afro-Latinx representation to LGBTQIA+ community representation and set them on a canvas of a school that criminalizes its Brown and Black students. The plot was easy enough to follow: Rosie Rojas is a hard working student who is unable to make it into her dream school due to the lack of support from her school. They hold her accountable of an incident from her past and are also criminalizing her because of her race. Through new friendships and a magical jacket Rosie reconsiders her goals as well as the power structure of the school and of society.

 

Powerful points are made about the structures of public schools in underserved communities. About how young girls of color are over sexualized. How there is a lot of pressure placed on young adults, but very little guidance is provided by the adults who are paid to help them. It's a book that teens can relate to as they understand that feeling of uncertainty, but the overall digestibility is a 3 on a 5 point scale.

 

Three is a crowd.

The  story is powerful and encourages readers to think about complex things like racism, classism, and sexism. A lot of "isms". A young reader may be overwhelmed by these concepts due to the delivery of this content. Telling a story from three perspectives is fun, but also complex and it may have taken away from the overall quality of the story.

As I read, I became excited as a mystery developed. When Rosie finds out about her mothers secret past which leads her to her talisman. I thought: "Great, here we go! This is when it gets good." *Cue the confusion.* I am left wondering if the pace is going to pick up? Are the dots going to be connected?

Basically we are told about this problem, Rosie has the potential to fix it, but there's a detour. The characters Caro and Zeke still need to catch up and readers have to read their storyline. I was waiting for point A to connect to point B. Instead, I found myself going to A to A.a to A.b to A.c and so on.

The characters are well developed and are very lovable, but the story dragged and the resolution is rushed.

Key Take-Aways.

Positive:

• Well Developed Characters
• Wonderful Representation:
• Intergenerational Families
• Afro-Latinx
• LGBTQIA+
• Amazing Audio

Negative:

• Slow Pacing
• Unclear Resolution

If you like books like: "A Cuban Girls Guide to Tea and Tomorrow" by Laura Taylor Namey or "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi then I'd recommend "The Girl, The Ring, & the Baseball Bat" by Camille Gomera-Tavarez .

For a playlist head over to my blog for the link!
https://thebookwormqueen.com/book-tour-the-girl-the-ring-the-baseball-bat-by-camille-gomera-tavarez/2024/

thebookworm_queen's review

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

laurensbookvibes's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.0

This YA magical realism book about navigating high school, family, and trauma was a real treat! I simultaneously read the print and listened to the audiobook, and I really enjoyed the audio narration by Amanda Alcántara, Melania Luisa, and André Santana.

Our three main characters Rosie, Caro, and Zeke each discover magical talismans that end up helping them overcome obstacles that they each face. One has to face crushing systemic racism and injustice in school, one deals with difficult relationships and friendships and strong feelings and how to control them, and the last deals with loneliness, healing, identity and love. While I enjoyed the perspectives and stories of all three, I found Zeke to be my favorite. He brought a positive and fun energy to the group. 

Additionally, I loved all the representation in the book. There are strong Dominican characters represented as well as queer characters and I love finding this representation, especially in YA books.