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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, I don't think I've ever been so conflicted when rating/reviewing a book. There are so many perspectives that I understood but I can also see how both sides are wrong. However, I love that there was a level of hope for both Julia and Ama to bond together better. This book really hit home and something that a lot of BIPOC feel when it comes to their families, I can definitely feel a lot of what Julia went through. However, there are others that can feel a tremendous amount more of the pain that Julia went through. Death is definitely a recurring topic in this book and I think that was done purposely to the fact that the author probably wanted the reader to feel the same tension that was happening in the book.
Julia, I don't even know where to start with how her character was truly someone that I felt conflicted about because there were times when I was annoyed by her but then I remembered that she was a child and that she just lost her sister. Also, losing her sister was more than that because it becomes obvious that her sister, Olga, was who kept this family together and taking that away just brought in SO much tension. The relationship between Julia and Ama, mother in spanish, was something that I heavily related to, especially during my teen years. However, there were times where I felt that Julia wasn't trying to understand or compromise with her mom but then there were times that I felt the same about Ama and how she wouldn't understand or compromise with Julia.
Ama's character reminds me of Abuelita from Encanto because there's this feeling where you think they're the "villain" but in reality their characters are based off what they went through. Obviously, there are things that could've been better but not everyone is given that chance to grow in the way that's deemed correct since they simply don't know what is and isn't acceptable. They rely heavily on how they were raised and passing that down. However, by the end of the book, I feel that Ama is trying to do better for Julia but is still letting Julia know that she won't always understand which honestly is the best that you can ask for when Ama and Julia's relationship was really tense.
Overall, this book was truly an interesting read and something that I enjoyed reading, even if there were many times that I got annoyed, mad, or just feral because of how the characters were acting. I do think that I enjoyed the book since I enjoyed Julia trying to figure out what Olga was up to when she was alive. The mystery aspect wasn't something that I thought was a part of the book but it was something that I enjoyed reading. Also, the coming of age is definitely something that not everyone will relate to since it's very individualized based off of culture. I do think that there are many great things in this book and I highly recommend that people read it.
Trigger Warnings:
-Death
-Suicide/Self Harm
-Bad mother/daughter relationship
-Rape/Sexual Assault
-Microaggressions
Julia, I don't even know where to start with how her character was truly someone that I felt conflicted about because there were times when I was annoyed by her but then I remembered that she was a child and that she just lost her sister. Also, losing her sister was more than that because it becomes obvious that her sister, Olga, was who kept this family together and taking that away just brought in SO much tension. The relationship between Julia and Ama, mother in spanish, was something that I heavily related to, especially during my teen years. However, there were times where I felt that Julia wasn't trying to understand or compromise with her mom but then there were times that I felt the same about Ama and how she wouldn't understand or compromise with Julia.
Ama's character reminds me of Abuelita from Encanto because there's this feeling where you think they're the "villain" but in reality their characters are based off what they went through. Obviously, there are things that could've been better but not everyone is given that chance to grow in the way that's deemed correct since they simply don't know what is and isn't acceptable. They rely heavily on how they were raised and passing that down. However, by the end of the book, I feel that Ama is trying to do better for Julia but is still letting Julia know that she won't always understand which honestly is the best that you can ask for when Ama and Julia's relationship was really tense.
Overall, this book was truly an interesting read and something that I enjoyed reading, even if there were many times that I got annoyed, mad, or just feral because of how the characters were acting. I do think that I enjoyed the book since I enjoyed Julia trying to figure out what Olga was up to when she was alive. The mystery aspect wasn't something that I thought was a part of the book but it was something that I enjoyed reading. Also, the coming of age is definitely something that not everyone will relate to since it's very individualized based off of culture. I do think that there are many great things in this book and I highly recommend that people read it.
Trigger Warnings:
-Death
-Suicide/Self Harm
-Bad mother/daughter relationship
-Rape/Sexual Assault
-Microaggressions
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I totally expected something totally different....
2.5 ⭐️
It started out really badly, I hate the writing. She’s so pessimistic and thinks so harshly about everyone and everything, it gets annoying to read after a while. It made sense in the end though, her views of others and screaming matches with people made sense after we got to know that she has been dealing with mental health issues. I think I really liked the ending, it tied everything together really well and I’m probably being too harsh on her character because she reminds me of me sometimes. It def could have been written better tho!
It started out really badly, I hate the writing. She’s so pessimistic and thinks so harshly about everyone and everything, it gets annoying to read after a while. It made sense in the end though, her views of others and screaming matches with people made sense after we got to know that she has been dealing with mental health issues. I think I really liked the ending, it tied everything together really well and I’m probably being too harsh on her character because she reminds me of me sometimes. It def could have been written better tho!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
I wish I had read this when I was a teen/ young adult but I'm glad I read it now. Definitely written for younger audiences but still so relatable. I felt like I was reading descriptions of my parents, my feelings, my guilt growing up.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
emotional
reflective
medium-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:
No
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I know that my opinion is in the minority due to the many award nominations, reviews, and movie in the works for this book, but I honestly didn't care for this book at all. I was excited to read it, as it is a Project Lit book, the author profile is impressive, and with the high Latinx population at my school, I wanted to learn more about the culture. Unfortunately, I didn't learn anything about the culture. This book could have been about a teenage girl from any culture. I think the main problem is, the author has tried to do too many things; there are so many themes in this book that none of them shine through; I was so disappointed in the execution of all of them.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Here is all that the author attempted to tackle in this novel:
-death of a loved one
-suicide
-depression
-LGBTQ rights
-pregnancy scare
-body image
-racism
-poverty
-undocumented immigration
-rape
-mother/daughter relationships
-teenage sex/drinking/drugging
-college admissions process
-personal identity
-marital infidelity
-domestic abuse
-gang shooting
-eating disorders
Mixed into this is a trip to Mexico, a stay in a mental institution, and a Quinceanera. It was just way too much to do any one theme well. Yes, some of these themes can be put together in one book, but choose a handful, not over a dozen, and give each topic the attention it deserves instead of making them all seem like an afterthought.
When the book opens, we find out that Julia's (the main character) sister Olga has died, and Julia feels that something is amiss about this. She is determined to find out the truth behind Olga's seemingly perfect life. That's where I thought this book was going: while discovering the secrets of Olga's life, Julia would come to understand her own identity. Julia does some half-hearted searching and calls a couple of Olga's friends, then nothing else really happens in that theme until almost the very end. In the meantime, Julia goes out with friends, drinks, drugs, has sex, speaks some of the foulest language, has a quinceanera, tries to commit suicide, stays in a mental institution, goes on a trip to Mexico, applies to college, and witnesses a murder. While yes, these things could be happening in her life, they are each barely touched upon, and none of them are really sorted out to any degree of satisfaction.
Here are some examples of this: at the beginning of the book, Julia has an English teacher who recognizes her intelligence and says she has a gift for writing, however, we don't get any examples of her writing until the very end of the book, and this teacher just fades away. Also, at the beginning of the book, Julia discusses how much she abhors swimming to the point that she lies about her menstruation cycle to get out it in gym class, yet at the end of the book, in the last chapter, there is a lone paragraph about how all of a sudden, swimming is her favorite thing to do every day. What? When did that happen? Both of these things could have been developed throughout the narrative, giving the theme of personal identity some teeth and giving Julia's character arc some significance. Instead, Julia's character is quite one-dimensional, and doesn't really change at all. She argues a lot, pretty much with every other character in the book, declaring that they are so closed minded and judgmental, when in reality, she is the judgmental one. She looks down on everyone who deviates from her own set of beliefs and her beliefs are never really challenged either. In fact every character seemed tropey and flat and none of them grow very much.
The author is a second generation immigrant, and I thought there would be more of her cultural experiences involved. Instead I found stereotypes and plot holes. There are vast amounts of time that just go unaccounted for and some don't even make sense. On page 125, we are told that it is April, then on page 134, we are told they aren't even halfway through second semester; which should be February- so which date is it, Mr. Editor? Also, Julia experiences her quinceanera, and the most we get is Julia complaining about the price, the ugly dress, and having to dance with cousins. We get zero cultural references about the significance of the quinceanera or what the traditions are surrounding it or why any of it is happening. It could have been any kind of party for anyone. My daughter has attended the quinceanera of a friend so I know there are many traditions significant to the culture that occur yet none are mentioned in this book.
Another issue I had is the writing. It is quite juvenile in one sense, not some great work of literature, and I get it, we are viewing the world from the perspective of a teenager, but the language is even younger, almost middle grade. Meanwhile, peppered throughout the entire novel are a variety of obscene words- not just every cuss word imaginable, but also every degrading slang word that can be said in English or in Spanish, so not appropriate for middle grade. There is no real reason for this language. It doesn't advance the plot or provide a basis for the culture, it is just offensive.
I could go on and on about the discrepancies shown in every theme the author broaches (the scenes in the mental health facility are some of the very worst) but it would just take too long. None of them are done well or appropriately. I am not sure what cause Sanchez is trying to champion with this book or what lesson we are supposed to learn; everything is just so disjointed. Maybe she wanted to talk about all these things, but doing it all in one book is not the way to handle it; it is just too much. And these themes are important, and students need to read about them, but just written in a better way.
I am interested to hear the take of my students on this novel at our next Project Lit meeting. Maybe they will have a different perspective.
*Amended to say: We discussed this book in Project Lit, and while my students didn't love it, they could relate to some of the themes, especially the Latinx students. Some themes resonated more than others and we had a great discussion.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Here is all that the author attempted to tackle in this novel:
-death of a loved one
-suicide
-depression
-LGBTQ rights
-pregnancy scare
-body image
-racism
-poverty
-undocumented immigration
-rape
-mother/daughter relationships
-teenage sex/drinking/drugging
-college admissions process
-personal identity
-marital infidelity
-domestic abuse
-gang shooting
-eating disorders
Mixed into this is a trip to Mexico, a stay in a mental institution, and a Quinceanera. It was just way too much to do any one theme well. Yes, some of these themes can be put together in one book, but choose a handful, not over a dozen, and give each topic the attention it deserves instead of making them all seem like an afterthought.
When the book opens, we find out that Julia's (the main character) sister Olga has died, and Julia feels that something is amiss about this. She is determined to find out the truth behind Olga's seemingly perfect life. That's where I thought this book was going: while discovering the secrets of Olga's life, Julia would come to understand her own identity. Julia does some half-hearted searching and calls a couple of Olga's friends, then nothing else really happens in that theme until almost the very end. In the meantime, Julia goes out with friends, drinks, drugs, has sex, speaks some of the foulest language, has a quinceanera, tries to commit suicide, stays in a mental institution, goes on a trip to Mexico, applies to college, and witnesses a murder. While yes, these things could be happening in her life, they are each barely touched upon, and none of them are really sorted out to any degree of satisfaction.
Here are some examples of this: at the beginning of the book, Julia has an English teacher who recognizes her intelligence and says she has a gift for writing, however, we don't get any examples of her writing until the very end of the book, and this teacher just fades away. Also, at the beginning of the book, Julia discusses how much she abhors swimming to the point that she lies about her menstruation cycle to get out it in gym class, yet at the end of the book, in the last chapter, there is a lone paragraph about how all of a sudden, swimming is her favorite thing to do every day. What? When did that happen? Both of these things could have been developed throughout the narrative, giving the theme of personal identity some teeth and giving Julia's character arc some significance. Instead, Julia's character is quite one-dimensional, and doesn't really change at all. She argues a lot, pretty much with every other character in the book, declaring that they are so closed minded and judgmental, when in reality, she is the judgmental one. She looks down on everyone who deviates from her own set of beliefs and her beliefs are never really challenged either. In fact every character seemed tropey and flat and none of them grow very much.
The author is a second generation immigrant, and I thought there would be more of her cultural experiences involved. Instead I found stereotypes and plot holes. There are vast amounts of time that just go unaccounted for and some don't even make sense. On page 125, we are told that it is April, then on page 134, we are told they aren't even halfway through second semester; which should be February- so which date is it, Mr. Editor? Also, Julia experiences her quinceanera, and the most we get is Julia complaining about the price, the ugly dress, and having to dance with cousins. We get zero cultural references about the significance of the quinceanera or what the traditions are surrounding it or why any of it is happening. It could have been any kind of party for anyone. My daughter has attended the quinceanera of a friend so I know there are many traditions significant to the culture that occur yet none are mentioned in this book.
Another issue I had is the writing. It is quite juvenile in one sense, not some great work of literature, and I get it, we are viewing the world from the perspective of a teenager, but the language is even younger, almost middle grade. Meanwhile, peppered throughout the entire novel are a variety of obscene words- not just every cuss word imaginable, but also every degrading slang word that can be said in English or in Spanish, so not appropriate for middle grade. There is no real reason for this language. It doesn't advance the plot or provide a basis for the culture, it is just offensive.
I could go on and on about the discrepancies shown in every theme the author broaches (the scenes in the mental health facility are some of the very worst) but it would just take too long. None of them are done well or appropriately. I am not sure what cause Sanchez is trying to champion with this book or what lesson we are supposed to learn; everything is just so disjointed. Maybe she wanted to talk about all these things, but doing it all in one book is not the way to handle it; it is just too much. And these themes are important, and students need to read about them, but just written in a better way.
I am interested to hear the take of my students on this novel at our next Project Lit meeting. Maybe they will have a different perspective.
*Amended to say: We discussed this book in Project Lit, and while my students didn't love it, they could relate to some of the themes, especially the Latinx students. Some themes resonated more than others and we had a great discussion.