Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
The first half can feel a bit slow at times, but by midpoint the book really hits its stride, both in terms of story and characters.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was probably a tick under four stars for me, but I'm giving it four stars for effort. I wish I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter had been out when I was in high school, because I think it would have resonated with me a lot more back then. Reading it as an adult, with high school years behind me, I connected with the characters a bit less, even though I remember experiencing some of the same sentiments as Julia and her friends at that time.
In fact, at the beginning, Julia is not that likable of a character, which is a purposeful choice on Sánchez's part. It seems like a lot of reviewers had a hard time connecting with Julia because of this, but the reasons for Julia's moodiness become clear as the book unfolds. Her character is a realistic portrayal of how depression and anxiety can feel to the person experiencing them, and she does becomes more likable and sympathetic as the story goes on.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a fast read, but definitely not a light one, and it touches on a lot of heavy topics that I did not expect from just reading the book jacket: depression, suicide, rape, and of course the death of a sister (so, uh, trigger warning). These events aren't covered in great detail, but they are part of the narrative. In fact, I honestly wish Sánchez had gone into a little more depth on these topics; it bothers me when authors drop these really big issues into books to create drama, without fully exploring their consequences. But that's neither here nor there.
Overall, I felt like too much was happening in this story for every element to be given the narrative justice it deserved. Connor and Esteban felt more like plot devices that characters, and Olga's death (and the ensuing "mystery" it causes) felt more like a subplot than the spine of the narrative. This book ticked a lot of boxes for me — a female narrator, non-white main characters, a healthy view of treating mental illness, a positive stance on education, socioeconomic diversity, etc. — but it would have benefited from a strong editorial hand. I'll definitely still recommend this book to certain people, but with that caveat.
In fact, at the beginning, Julia is not that likable of a character, which is a purposeful choice on Sánchez's part. It seems like a lot of reviewers had a hard time connecting with Julia because of this, but the reasons for Julia's moodiness become clear as the book unfolds. Her character is a realistic portrayal of how depression and anxiety can feel to the person experiencing them, and she does becomes more likable and sympathetic as the story goes on.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a fast read, but definitely not a light one, and it touches on a lot of heavy topics that I did not expect from just reading the book jacket: depression, suicide, rape, and of course the death of a sister (so, uh, trigger warning). These events aren't covered in great detail, but they are part of the narrative. In fact, I honestly wish Sánchez had gone into a little more depth on these topics; it bothers me when authors drop these really big issues into books to create drama, without fully exploring their consequences. But that's neither here nor there.
Overall, I felt like too much was happening in this story for every element to be given the narrative justice it deserved. Connor and Esteban felt more like plot devices that characters, and Olga's death (and the ensuing "mystery" it causes) felt more like a subplot than the spine of the narrative. This book ticked a lot of boxes for me — a female narrator, non-white main characters, a healthy view of treating mental illness, a positive stance on education, socioeconomic diversity, etc. — but it would have benefited from a strong editorial hand. I'll definitely still recommend this book to certain people, but with that caveat.
This was a hard book to rate because it was one of my first audiobook experiences. My main critique is that I found the narrator (granted she was a teenager) very annoying and all over the place. I guess the author did a good job of accurately portraying an angsty teenager; I just didn't enjoy hearing it for 9 hours.
On the flip side, I loved all of the cultural stories within the larger coming-of-age tale. The glimpses, both of life in Mexico and the home of a recently immigrated Mexican-American family, were very genuine and insightful. I also liked the use of the Spanish language throughout the story. The author used it unapologetically to add some texture to the story.
I tend to have a personal pet peeve with teenage narrator's, which is why I didn't rate this book higher. Obviously, this book wasn't written with me in mind so if you have no issue with the teenage tone, this book would be lovely to read!
On the flip side, I loved all of the cultural stories within the larger coming-of-age tale. The glimpses, both of life in Mexico and the home of a recently immigrated Mexican-American family, were very genuine and insightful. I also liked the use of the Spanish language throughout the story. The author used it unapologetically to add some texture to the story.
I tend to have a personal pet peeve with teenage narrator's, which is why I didn't rate this book higher. Obviously, this book wasn't written with me in mind so if you have no issue with the teenage tone, this book would be lovely to read!
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Julia and her parents are left reeling after the sudden death of her 22 year-old sister, Olga. Julia, always outspoken, becomes angry and sad; her mother, having lost one daughter tightens her hold so as not to lose the other; and her father basically becomes a shadow going to work and coming home, but never interacting with Julia. In the Latinx culture perfect daughters stay home with their parents but Julia cannot and will not do that. Her rebelliousness coupled with her anger and her sadness cause her and her mother great grief yet neither of them talk about it until they have to.
The concept - that in Latinx culture perfect daughters are the ones who stay home – was completely foreign to me. I am white and my parents’ message/plan/goal for me and my siblings was always that we would go away to college, move out, and get jobs. Not wanting that for your kids is just wild to me.
The other concept that was foreign to me is that you don’t talk about your feelings and you don’t get therapy or take medication for anxiety or depression. When one of my former students who is of Latinx culture saw that I was reading this book she told me that talking about mental health and depression is very taboo in the Latinx culture. “Everything can be cured by "taking a walk" or by "praying it away."” Again, that is just wild to me.
I am a teacher in a public high school in Texas and I have, and have always had, a significant number of Latinx students in my classes. I never knew this is what they/their families/their culture thinks. It was an eye-opening book. I struggled with Julia’s attitude and anger, and her mother’s flippant attitude towards it all - why couldn’t they just talk to each other for heaven’s sake?! - but I think that is because it is all so foreign to me. It’s not how I was raised or how I’m raising my daughters.
This was a good book for me to read because I am more aware of what some of my students experience and how they live. I’ve always tried to make my classroom welcoming so my students feel like they can come to me and talk if needed and after reading this book I will definitely continue doing so. I want them all to know that they can and should dream big, and that heavy feelings are okay to have and can be (should be) shared.
The concept - that in Latinx culture perfect daughters are the ones who stay home – was completely foreign to me. I am white and my parents’ message/plan/goal for me and my siblings was always that we would go away to college, move out, and get jobs. Not wanting that for your kids is just wild to me.
The other concept that was foreign to me is that you don’t talk about your feelings and you don’t get therapy or take medication for anxiety or depression. When one of my former students who is of Latinx culture saw that I was reading this book she told me that talking about mental health and depression is very taboo in the Latinx culture. “Everything can be cured by "taking a walk" or by "praying it away."” Again, that is just wild to me.
I am a teacher in a public high school in Texas and I have, and have always had, a significant number of Latinx students in my classes. I never knew this is what they/their families/their culture thinks. It was an eye-opening book. I struggled with Julia’s attitude and anger, and her mother’s flippant attitude towards it all - why couldn’t they just talk to each other for heaven’s sake?! - but I think that is because it is all so foreign to me. It’s not how I was raised or how I’m raising my daughters.
This was a good book for me to read because I am more aware of what some of my students experience and how they live. I’ve always tried to make my classroom welcoming so my students feel like they can come to me and talk if needed and after reading this book I will definitely continue doing so. I want them all to know that they can and should dream big, and that heavy feelings are okay to have and can be (should be) shared.
I am always bummed when I don't adore a novel about/by a member of an under-represented group. YA literature desperately needs more hispanic representation, but I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter stuffs the issues of 6 novels into one uneven narrative: cultural clashes, generational differences, economic disparity, mental illness, family loss, family secrets, first sexual experience, pregnancy scare, immigration, and even drug cartel violence. Whew, this is messier than adolescence. I wish the author had picked just one or two themes for Julia to deal with. I just couldn't find any redeeming quality in Julia, even after we learn the reason for her bad attitude. Her interior monologue just got tedious. The mystery of sister Olga's secret life was the only thing that kept me reading past the halfway mark.
There’s a lot going on with this story — perhaps too much. The main character is hard to like in the first half of the book, and I also stopped reading because the snotty kid + sad life is an unpleasant combo. The mystery around Olga could’ve been omitted entirely, as could the family revelation regarding Ama and still have had plenty of tragedy and family dysfunction to explore — and Julia could grow in the same ways; the plot would’ve had more room to breathe.
This book is incredibly challenging because it's utterly devastating. But it's beautiful and so subtle that you don't think it's subtle.
challenging
emotional
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