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craesreads's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This isn’t a book I’d generally pick up since I’m a romance girl but thought I’d give it a shot since it was gifted to me. It definitely ended up surprising me in the best way!
* If you’re Puerto Rican, an immigrant, grew up poor, or moved around a lot growing up, this book is for you! None of those options resonate with me &yet I loved this book. I think a major privilege of reading books is getting to experience things you never have or ever would. This book gave me that &taught me many things.
* First off I wanted to strangle Andrea &Pablo’s mother. How dare she take them away from the only place they know &treat them the way she did.
* Second, bless their father! He wasn’t perfect by any means but he truly loved those kids &tried his best to give them &the rest of the people around him, the life they deserved.
* Third, thank goodness for truly beautiful people, inside &out. Cecilia Martínez (Titi Machi), aunt Caridid, &cousin Socorro. Who knows where those 2 kids would be if it weren’t for those amazing humans being there for them!
* There were many challenges faced throughout the story. Things like language barriers, poverty, discrimination, assault, mental health issue, growing up earlier than planned &many more. I learned a lot through these things being represented.
* This book made me laugh, made me cry, angry, confused, disappointed, &even relieved. This wasn’t just a fiction story for me &I really hope you give it a chance! The audio was fantastic too so I would really recommend it either way.
Themes:
* LGBTQI+
* Toxic mother
* Coming of age
* Family difficulties
* Mental health representation
* If you’re Puerto Rican, an immigrant, grew up poor, or moved around a lot growing up, this book is for you! None of those options resonate with me &yet I loved this book. I think a major privilege of reading books is getting to experience things you never have or ever would. This book gave me that &taught me many things.
* First off I wanted to strangle Andrea &Pablo’s mother. How dare she take them away from the only place they know &treat them the way she did.
* Second, bless their father! He wasn’t perfect by any means but he truly loved those kids &tried his best to give them &the rest of the people around him, the life they deserved.
* Third, thank goodness for truly beautiful people, inside &out. Cecilia Martínez (Titi Machi), aunt Caridid, &cousin Socorro. Who knows where those 2 kids would be if it weren’t for those amazing humans being there for them!
* There were many challenges faced throughout the story. Things like language barriers, poverty, discrimination, assault, mental health issue, growing up earlier than planned &many more. I learned a lot through these things being represented.
* This book made me laugh, made me cry, angry, confused, disappointed, &even relieved. This wasn’t just a fiction story for me &I really hope you give it a chance! The audio was fantastic too so I would really recommend it either way.
Themes:
* LGBTQI+
* Toxic mother
* Coming of age
* Family difficulties
* Mental health representation
km_cajigas's review
emotional
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
kimmeyer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
melannrosenthal's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
bmv0220's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-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
3.0
marybird13's review
reflective
slow-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
3.25
kaylanoellesims's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookish_calirican's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I wrote out review on mobile and then the app froze, losing all my progress...hopefully I can remember what I wanted to share. xD
I saw many parallels between the novel and my family history, especially on my mother's side. The cultural attitudes of the time regarding race, gender, and mental illness were very familiar to things I've heard family members say. It felt true life and was honest about aspects of our culture that many folks want to look past or brush under the rug. It's truly something special when you read a novel that speaks to your experiences on multiple levels.
The mother's behavior was really upsetting, Machi and Socorro were the real MVP's and Pablo's arc showed that people can get back on their feet even when they make mistakes. As someone who loves reading super long multigenerational stories I would've loved getting deeper into the timeline of the characters, maybe see more of what Pablo went through. But overall I enjoyed the book a great deal.
I saw many parallels between the novel and my family history, especially on my mother's side. The cultural attitudes of the time regarding race, gender, and mental illness were very familiar to things I've heard family members say. It felt true life and was honest about aspects of our culture that many folks want to look past or brush under the rug. It's truly something special when you read a novel that speaks to your experiences on multiple levels.
The mother's behavior was really upsetting, Machi and Socorro were the real MVP's and Pablo's arc showed that people can get back on their feet even when they make mistakes. As someone who loves reading super long multigenerational stories I would've loved getting deeper into the timeline of the characters, maybe see more of what Pablo went through. But overall I enjoyed the book a great deal.