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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
A heavy story with a lot of important themes (trauma, depression, mental health, undocumented immigrants) that young and adult readers alike need to familiarize themselves with more, if only to learn to be more empathetic.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Wow! So much to unpack and talk about!
My enjoyment level was 4 stars, but there are so many difficult issues included as potential discussion points that I have to give it 5 stars. It covers mother daughter relationships, first generation immigrant culture struggles, sexuality, first love, the dangers of crossing the US/Mexico border illegally, Mexican food, the influence and violence in parts of Mexico by drug gangs, etc. My head almost exploded. Much of the book focuses on how the loss of a sibling/child affects already stressed people and relationships. I wish that I had had this book to read when I was a teenager suffering from anxiety and depression.
My enjoyment level was 4 stars, but there are so many difficult issues included as potential discussion points that I have to give it 5 stars. It covers mother daughter relationships, first generation immigrant culture struggles, sexuality, first love, the dangers of crossing the US/Mexico border illegally, Mexican food, the influence and violence in parts of Mexico by drug gangs, etc. My head almost exploded. Much of the book focuses on how the loss of a sibling/child affects already stressed people and relationships. I wish that I had had this book to read when I was a teenager suffering from anxiety and depression.
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Julia, 18, is the mouthy, chubby daughter of poverty-stricken Mexican immigrants living in Chicago. She hates their roach-infested apartment, the lack of food in the house, and the fact that her dad is too exhausted from his factory job to pay attention to her and her mom watches her like a hawk to stop her from doing anything enjoyable. She dreams of being a famous author and living in New York City, but her parents are determined to keep a short leash on her at all costs. Things are especially bad since the death of her older sister Olga, who stepped in front of a truck while texting. Because her mother was called to Julia's school for one of her many infractions instead of giving Olga a ride, both Julia and her mother blame her partially for Olga's death.
Olga acted the part of the perfect Mexican daughter. She dressed ugly (like an old lady, even though she was only 22), worked a desk job, and always stayed home with her parents instead of trying to do fun things. She had no apparent interest in anything outside her parent's home. But when Julia goes into Olga's room after her death to sleep in her bed and smell her smells, she ends up snooping and finding some things she would not have expected Olga to have. Sexy lingerie? A hotel keycard? Now Julia thinks something was not quite right about her life, or her death. It will take a sassy teenage snoop to get to the bottom of this.
The mystery about Olga keeps you guessing, but takes up only a small percentage of the book. Most of it is relatively small stuff, like Julia trying to sneak out to have fun with her friend Lorena, being encouraged by her nice English teacher, and starting to date a white guy she meets at a bookstore. Romance, sledding, gay soirees, field trips, and tragedy ensue. You get a quiet yet compelling story arc for a year in Julia's life.
I'd give this 4.5 stars. I'd bump it up to 5 if I'm still thinking about it in a few months.
Olga acted the part of the perfect Mexican daughter. She dressed ugly (like an old lady, even though she was only 22), worked a desk job, and always stayed home with her parents instead of trying to do fun things. She had no apparent interest in anything outside her parent's home. But when Julia goes into Olga's room after her death to sleep in her bed and smell her smells, she ends up snooping and finding some things she would not have expected Olga to have. Sexy lingerie? A hotel keycard? Now Julia thinks something was not quite right about her life, or her death. It will take a sassy teenage snoop to get to the bottom of this.
The mystery about Olga keeps you guessing, but takes up only a small percentage of the book. Most of it is relatively small stuff, like Julia trying to sneak out to have fun with her friend Lorena, being encouraged by her nice English teacher, and starting to date a white guy she meets at a bookstore. Romance, sledding, gay soirees, field trips, and tragedy ensue. You get a quiet yet compelling story arc for a year in Julia's life.
I'd give this 4.5 stars. I'd bump it up to 5 if I'm still thinking about it in a few months.
As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant, I thought this book might be relatable. Maybe it would show what it's like to try to be the "perfect Mexican daughter" or maybe it would show what it's like to be the daughter of immigrants. It didn't really hit either of those marks. For one thing, the main character seemed almost resentful of her heritage, which I guess I can understand if it were more about her parent's, but it almost felt like discrimination. Like she resented everything having to do with Mexico.
As a main character, I hated Julia. She was judgemental, rude, arrogant, snarky (in a bad way), and just an awful person. For someone who claimed to be a feminist, she was constantly judging other women based on appearance. Almost like she was happy to defend women, as long as they covered themselves. She also claimed to be intelligent, having skipped a grade, but didn't actually seem to be smart, socially or academically. I can say I didn't like her, not even at the end when she "changed", which was just her being a little nicer.
I also have to say, her character seemed very against white men who had a superiority complex, but them is quote saying how wonderful Walt Wittman and F. Scott Fitzgerald are. Maybe I read The Great Gatsby wrong, but I didn't find it to be a great book, I found it to be a terrible book discussing life a rich person with rich person problems. Very similar to Jane Austen, though at least her books seem to make fun of that life. If I'm being honest, it almost felt like the author couldn't think of any actual good authors/books to quote, so she just used some of the classics, which of course are only classics because white men were regarded as better writers. I mean come on, she could have quoted Toni Morrison, since she seemed to like The Bluest Eye.
I wasn't a fan of all the stereotypes, her mom being a cleaning lady and her dad working in a factory, which I get may be because they're undocumented, but still. Also, what was up with all the 'narcos'. I can say I've never been to Mexico, but from what my dad says, there isn't a shooting everyday.
Also, why did Julia all the sudden like her body after she lost weight. I get that it's realistic, but on the author's part, it was in poor taste. It would have been better to see her accept herself as she was.
I will say, the discussion of depression and suicide was handled very well. It's not always an easy subject to write about, so I give the author props for that. But I will say, it was slightly unrealistic of them to let her do outpatient, considering most suicide cases are required ten days in patient. (Trust me, I know)
There was no character progression, everyone was one dimensional, except maybe her parents, and there were no redeeming characters, except her family in Mexico. Overall, I hated this book. If I could go back in time, I would stop myself from buying it.
As a main character, I hated Julia. She was judgemental, rude, arrogant, snarky (in a bad way), and just an awful person. For someone who claimed to be a feminist, she was constantly judging other women based on appearance. Almost like she was happy to defend women, as long as they covered themselves. She also claimed to be intelligent, having skipped a grade, but didn't actually seem to be smart, socially or academically. I can say I didn't like her, not even at the end when she "changed", which was just her being a little nicer.
I also have to say, her character seemed very against white men who had a superiority complex, but them is quote saying how wonderful Walt Wittman and F. Scott Fitzgerald are. Maybe I read The Great Gatsby wrong, but I didn't find it to be a great book, I found it to be a terrible book discussing life a rich person with rich person problems. Very similar to Jane Austen, though at least her books seem to make fun of that life. If I'm being honest, it almost felt like the author couldn't think of any actual good authors/books to quote, so she just used some of the classics, which of course are only classics because white men were regarded as better writers. I mean come on, she could have quoted Toni Morrison, since she seemed to like The Bluest Eye.
I wasn't a fan of all the stereotypes, her mom being a cleaning lady and her dad working in a factory, which I get may be because they're undocumented, but still. Also, what was up with all the 'narcos'. I can say I've never been to Mexico, but from what my dad says, there isn't a shooting everyday.
Also, why did Julia all the sudden like her body after she lost weight. I get that it's realistic, but on the author's part, it was in poor taste. It would have been better to see her accept herself as she was.
I will say, the discussion of depression and suicide was handled very well. It's not always an easy subject to write about, so I give the author props for that. But I will say, it was slightly unrealistic of them to let her do outpatient, considering most suicide cases are required ten days in patient. (Trust me, I know)
There was no character progression, everyone was one dimensional, except maybe her parents, and there were no redeeming characters, except her family in Mexico. Overall, I hated this book. If I could go back in time, I would stop myself from buying it.