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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Sometimes life is a comparison-contrast, Julia struggles to grow up in the shadow of her perfect, dead sister, Olga. For me, this was a recommendation, however, I feel I would have picked it up anyway. I find Julia's voice raw and, at times, brutal. I feel that some of Julia's issues have a relevant connection to not only a teenage girl, but a teenage girl growing up in the present day. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a different perspective on teenage years, or who have lived under the saintly shadow of a dead relative.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I felt like this book was a missed opportunity. If it was not so stereotypical and overly YA I think it could have been one of those books allow understanding.
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Julia, the youngest daughter of immigrant parents grieves from the death of her older sister Olga, who was often viewed as the perfect daughter due to her willingness to follow the virtues of traditional Mexican culture, be active in her church, and remain at home with her parents. Julia on the other hand is not viewed as perfect due to her independent nature and strong-willed attitude. Julia often clashes with her parents and tries to uncover Olga's secrets, causing a variety of turmoil within the home and in her relationships while also dealing with her sister's death, this novel reveals the journey Julia goes through to define her identity and the difficult times of adolescence.
I'm not entirely sure if I misread the synopsis, or if the synopsis inaccurately describes what this book is about. I felt that the synopsis set the reader up to believe that this novel would focus on Julia uncovering secrets about her late sister Olga; however, it is simply a discovery of Julia and her identity with minimal focus on uncovering secrets about Olga. About 75% of the book discusses Julia's journey and her experiences during adolescence while about 25% focuses on her uncovering secrets about her late sister.
In my opinion, Julia's character is intolerable for the first 50% of the novel. A majority of the time I feel that she tries to paint herself as "not like other girls", by often making comments regarding her friend's appearance (her wearing make-up, and dresses, and presenting herself as feminine) and her interests (watching reality TV, talking about boys, or listening to certain music genres). Julia also seems to be insensitive and views herself as if she has a higher status than those around her often making fun of her culture, saying potentially harmful things regarding the identities of others, and even trying to exclude herself from her own culture. After you go past 50%, I feel that there is a change in her behavior and she begins to realize that her actions affect others as well as affecting her mental health. This makes her character more likable since she can understand that her actions may potentially damage meaningful relationships.
Lastly, I would have to say the writing style was not for me. While reading this novel, I felt that the writing style was geared toward juvenile audiences with rarely any complex sentences; however, while reading this novel it is targeted at Young Adult readers since there are often complex topics being discussed graphically. With those complex topics, I wish that the author had included a content warning somewhere to inform the reader that there may be graphic descriptions or topics that may be too much for some to handle.
I'm not entirely sure if I misread the synopsis, or if the synopsis inaccurately describes what this book is about. I felt that the synopsis set the reader up to believe that this novel would focus on Julia uncovering secrets about her late sister Olga; however, it is simply a discovery of Julia and her identity with minimal focus on uncovering secrets about Olga. About 75% of the book discusses Julia's journey and her experiences during adolescence while about 25% focuses on her uncovering secrets about her late sister.
In my opinion, Julia's character is intolerable for the first 50% of the novel. A majority of the time I feel that she tries to paint herself as "not like other girls", by often making comments regarding her friend's appearance (her wearing make-up, and dresses, and presenting herself as feminine) and her interests (watching reality TV, talking about boys, or listening to certain music genres). Julia also seems to be insensitive and views herself as if she has a higher status than those around her often making fun of her culture, saying potentially harmful things regarding the identities of others, and even trying to exclude herself from her own culture. After you go past 50%, I feel that there is a change in her behavior and she begins to realize that her actions affect others as well as affecting her mental health. This makes her character more likable since she can understand that her actions may potentially damage meaningful relationships.
Lastly, I would have to say the writing style was not for me. While reading this novel, I felt that the writing style was geared toward juvenile audiences with rarely any complex sentences; however, while reading this novel it is targeted at Young Adult readers since there are often complex topics being discussed graphically. With those complex topics, I wish that the author had included a content warning somewhere to inform the reader that there may be graphic descriptions or topics that may be too much for some to handle.
Okay, so while I thought the premise was good, I found the writing juvenile. I know it's YA, but 'Once and a while' was used at least twice in this book which drove me BONKERS!!!! I was hoping for more from the plot tbh. Overall, not super impressed with this.
This really transported me back to the angst of high school while also giving me a look into Hispanic families in the US. Really loved this. Also glad to see the mental health resources in the back.
ok at first i thought the mc was a bit annoying but then i realized she sounded a lot like me when i was like 15/16 and i grew to like the book a lot more and i love seeing characters get better and find hope
like omg im so emotional
this was such a good book
literally had me crying fr
like omg im so emotional
this was such a good book
literally had me crying fr
My main issue with this book is that the connections are told rather than shown—she was Mr. Ingman’s best student ever, her feelings for Connor, her affection for her sister, Julia’s love of literature. At its core, the story has a compelling mystery. We want to know as much as Julia what her sister was up to. But not exploring Olga’s perspective feels like a missed opportunity. Why did Olga find the doctor so appealing? What does this tell you about Olga’s sense of self? It seems like a character like Julia would be more curious, more reflective.
It was very well written, I just struggled to really get into for some reason. Easy to read but a slow read for me. I'm excited to see it made into a movie or mini series tho!