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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual violence, Violence, Car accident, Sexual harassment
3.5 stars
Okay I’ll say it. The main character, Julia, is an annoying brat. She hates everything and it might explain why her parents react so defensive towards her. She doesn’t have the best parents or easy life, but it doesn’t give her an excuse to act so surly all the time. If you don’t like reading books with unlikeable characters throughout books then definitely ignore this book. Grandma and the rest of the family from Mexico are amazing. They’re in the book only a chapter or two but they marked a change for Julia. Some heavy topics/trigger warnings like self-harm, emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, attempted suicide and death of a loved one are mentioned but not delved into like I hoped they would.
Okay I’ll say it. The main character, Julia, is an annoying brat. She hates everything and it might explain why her parents react so defensive towards her. She doesn’t have the best parents or easy life, but it doesn’t give her an excuse to act so surly all the time. If you don’t like reading books with unlikeable characters throughout books then definitely ignore this book. Grandma and the rest of the family from Mexico are amazing. They’re in the book only a chapter or two but they marked a change for Julia. Some heavy topics/trigger warnings like self-harm, emotional abuse, depression, anxiety, attempted suicide and death of a loved one are mentioned but not delved into like I hoped they would.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There is a lot I like about this novel and a lot I didn't like. I liked the overall story. It kept me interested the entire time. I didn't like most of the characters or how some of the more difficult topics were handled. And dont get me started on Olga's secret lover!!!! I hate him. This book was good but I wanted to love it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Sweet, intense, funny and also deeply emotional — like most teenagers. A glimpse for me into
Mexican culture and compassionate view of people who risk everything to cross the border.
Mexican culture and compassionate view of people who risk everything to cross the border.
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I Am Not The Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez follows 16-year-old Julia Reyes, a high school student growing up in a Mexican-American immigrant family. The book picks up right after her seemingly perfect sister, Olga’s, death. She begins finding secrets out about her sister and her family as a whole that throw her life into disarray. This novel explores themes of identity, mental health, generational conflict, and the tension between personal dreams and familial duty.
I think that this book is suitable for early high school because it has a Lexile number of 730, which is the level recommended for 3rd grade; however, the content of the book makes it more suitable for older readers. It has sections of the book that discuss suicide, self-harm, and sex that make it more appropriate for high schoolers; some of the other, less controversial aspects, like identity exploration, grief, and family pressure, make this developmentally accurate for high schoolers as well. I think because of the aforementioned reasons, a high schooler would relate to the main character and her story quite easily, as well as anyone who is a first or second generation immigrant, with all of the societal expectations that come with would also enjoy reading this book and seeing how Julia navigates those expectations. I could see this book being used as a literary circle book because it might just be too easy for some readers, but the content could evoke some good discussions.
I really enjoyed this book because it portrayed the main character as such a believable teenage character. At the beginning of the book, I kind of hated her because she was dealing with extreme grief and parental expectations, and like any teenager would, she acted out. About halfway through the book, I realized that that insufferableness was exactly why the book was so believable and lent quite well to Julia’s character arc. She has a really sarcastic, angry narration style that I enjoy from my protagonists in YA fiction. It also discussed Julia’s mental health crisis quite well. I do think, if I were to pick out a weakness, it is that I wanted more out of the “Olga’s secret” plot line. We do get a conclusion to it, but I just want it fleshed out a bit more. Speaking of conclusions, the ending was super rushed. It ends in only a couple of pages, but the rest of the story was well done enough that I don’t particularly care.
Look, I am not a perfect Mexican daughter, but neither was my mother nor her mother before her.
That means that while I've always been aware of the ideal girl many mexicans would like me to be, I've never felt that pressure directly myself. Not like Julia.
This book was really incredible in that way. It was a whole portrayal of Mexican culture, the good and bad. There was a beautiful mix of English and Spanish that felt right for the story. The characters were well written and well developed. I'm really grateful to read a book about Mexicans, not just vaguely hispanic or have hispanic side characters, but actually be about Mexicans.
This is the first book I've ever read about a purely Mexican girl and I wasn't disappointed.
I loved that this book touches on topics of mental health and lgbt, it's a well rounded book that made Julia's story feel real and whole. I liked the way the book went from Julia at 15 to her going to college. Grief and Finding Yourself is a long process and I'm glad the author showed a large period of that time.
Erika Sánchez contributes real representation and a new exciting perspective on a genre that really needed it. Her debut is an absolute smash, she wrote a really strong and important book, I'm so happy to have read it.
That means that while I've always been aware of the ideal girl many mexicans would like me to be, I've never felt that pressure directly myself. Not like Julia.
This book was really incredible in that way. It was a whole portrayal of Mexican culture, the good and bad. There was a beautiful mix of English and Spanish that felt right for the story. The characters were well written and well developed. I'm really grateful to read a book about Mexicans, not just vaguely hispanic or have hispanic side characters, but actually be about Mexicans.
This is the first book I've ever read about a purely Mexican girl and I wasn't disappointed.
I loved that this book touches on topics of mental health and lgbt, it's a well rounded book that made Julia's story feel real and whole. I liked the way the book went from Julia at 15 to her going to college. Grief and Finding Yourself is a long process and I'm glad the author showed a large period of that time.
Erika Sánchez contributes real representation and a new exciting perspective on a genre that really needed it. Her debut is an absolute smash, she wrote a really strong and important book, I'm so happy to have read it.
First, this book has frequent uses of the “f” word. I don’t care for that in books I read. That’s just my preference.
Now, this book was very different than I thought it would be, even after I started reading it. I don’t know that you ever really get a sense of “closure” with some of the plot points, but that’s ok, because it’s life. That’s what I liked about it-it didn’t try to sugarcoat the bad things. Sometimes it felt too real, but doesn’t your life feel like that at times?
There were parts that made me just sick inside, to think that there are many people who deal with some of these situations and are made to think it’s ok because that’s just what people do, and you don’t talk about it (Julia’s extended family in America). I realize this happens, and I hope that we can open up conversations so that it doesn’t have to.
All in all, I liked the book. Not an all-time favorite, but it was time well spent.
Now, this book was very different than I thought it would be, even after I started reading it. I don’t know that you ever really get a sense of “closure” with some of the plot points, but that’s ok, because it’s life. That’s what I liked about it-it didn’t try to sugarcoat the bad things. Sometimes it felt too real, but doesn’t your life feel like that at times?
There were parts that made me just sick inside, to think that there are many people who deal with some of these situations and are made to think it’s ok because that’s just what people do, and you don’t talk about it (Julia’s extended family in America). I realize this happens, and I hope that we can open up conversations so that it doesn’t have to.
All in all, I liked the book. Not an all-time favorite, but it was time well spent.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-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