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perpetualpages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
CWs: some mentions of sex acts; death and mentions of blood; references of animal death, gun violence, and suicide ideation
Melissa Lozada-Oliva is a poet first and foremost, and think that attention to lyricism and word choice is extremely prevalent in this debut verse-novel. That said, Dreaming of You is not your typical verse-novel where the story is highly narrative and then broken up into easily-digestible lines and chapters. There's a risk sometimes that verse-novels can come off as purple prose that's just been divided into lines. But Dreaming of You is non-linear, and erratic, and emotionally confrontational in a way that forces the reader to reckon with the fact that this is undeniably honest-to-god poetry on the page.
Let me zoom out a little bit and say that this is not the book to read if you don’t know anything about Selena. If this book is your first introduction to Selena—as a singer, as a person—then you’ve made mistake. This novel isn't focused on explaining her life, her career, her music, or her legacy. It just sort of assumes you know that as a starting point. I feel like this book is really *for* Latine readers in a very specific ways that non-Latine folks will never understand, because there’s so much collective trauma and also collective joy that we, as a community, have towards Selena, and I think that’s really what the story’s trying to unpack.
With that said, where the verse and where the commentary on Selena really excels is in how the poetry does such a great job of creating space for the reader to project their own thoughts, and feelings, and experiences. Again, the relationship that Latine communities—especially Chicane communities—have with Selena's music is (in some ways) universal, and I think the story allows the reader to tap into their own relationship with Selena while still following the unique narrative of the book. I think the idea of resurrection is also really compelling, because it speaks to how we as consumers are basically dragging Selena back from the dead with every new compilation album, TV adaptation, or documentary so that her artistry—and her trauma—can give meaning and purpose to our own lives.
The potential downside of this novel is that the poetry doesn't always feel connected. I think it would be fair to say that there are times when this feels more like a poetry collection rather than a cohesive story, which could leave some readers feeling stranded or confused. But depending on how you approach this verse-novel, that could also potentially be an upside. I also wasn't sure how much liberty the author was taking with the characterization of historical characters (like Selena herself and Yolanda), so I think that's also something worth reflecting on. With all of that in mind, I still found this verse-novel to be moving, powerful, and deeply cathartic in ways that I can't quiet put into words. But I'm very glad that I got a chance to read it and share space with this story.
Melissa Lozada-Oliva is a poet first and foremost, and think that attention to lyricism and word choice is extremely prevalent in this debut verse-novel. That said, Dreaming of You is not your typical verse-novel where the story is highly narrative and then broken up into easily-digestible lines and chapters. There's a risk sometimes that verse-novels can come off as purple prose that's just been divided into lines. But Dreaming of You is non-linear, and erratic, and emotionally confrontational in a way that forces the reader to reckon with the fact that this is undeniably honest-to-god poetry on the page.
Let me zoom out a little bit and say that this is not the book to read if you don’t know anything about Selena. If this book is your first introduction to Selena—as a singer, as a person—then you’ve made mistake. This novel isn't focused on explaining her life, her career, her music, or her legacy. It just sort of assumes you know that as a starting point. I feel like this book is really *for* Latine readers in a very specific ways that non-Latine folks will never understand, because there’s so much collective trauma and also collective joy that we, as a community, have towards Selena, and I think that’s really what the story’s trying to unpack.
With that said, where the verse and where the commentary on Selena really excels is in how the poetry does such a great job of creating space for the reader to project their own thoughts, and feelings, and experiences. Again, the relationship that Latine communities—especially Chicane communities—have with Selena's music is (in some ways) universal, and I think the story allows the reader to tap into their own relationship with Selena while still following the unique narrative of the book. I think the idea of resurrection is also really compelling, because it speaks to how we as consumers are basically dragging Selena back from the dead with every new compilation album, TV adaptation, or documentary so that her artistry—and her trauma—can give meaning and purpose to our own lives.
The potential downside of this novel is that the poetry doesn't always feel connected. I think it would be fair to say that there are times when this feels more like a poetry collection rather than a cohesive story, which could leave some readers feeling stranded or confused. But depending on how you approach this verse-novel, that could also potentially be an upside. I also wasn't sure how much liberty the author was taking with the characterization of historical characters (like Selena herself and Yolanda), so I think that's also something worth reflecting on. With all of that in mind, I still found this verse-novel to be moving, powerful, and deeply cathartic in ways that I can't quiet put into words. But I'm very glad that I got a chance to read it and share space with this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content
aliyyah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a weird book and lately I've been in a weird mood so I ended up vibing with this one a lot.
Dreaming of You is about a woman who ends up resurrecting Selena Quintanilla back from the dead.
I really enjoyed this story. This was the first book written in verse that I've ever read and I liked it very much! The concept was extremely unique. A lot of the themes of this novel also really spoke to me. Melissa struggles a lot with loneliness and I've been grappling with similar feelings these days as well. There were times when I found myself snorting and moments where certain lines of prose hit me a little too hard.
Honestly, this book was actually exactly what I needed to read today. It was wild and different and aching and I loved it more than I thought I would.
Thank you to to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Dreaming of You is about a woman who ends up resurrecting Selena Quintanilla back from the dead.
I really enjoyed this story. This was the first book written in verse that I've ever read and I liked it very much! The concept was extremely unique. A lot of the themes of this novel also really spoke to me. Melissa struggles a lot with loneliness and I've been grappling with similar feelings these days as well. There were times when I found myself snorting and moments where certain lines of prose hit me a little too hard.
Honestly, this book was actually exactly what I needed to read today. It was wild and different and aching and I loved it more than I thought I would.
Thank you to to Netgalley and the publishers for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
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