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biscuitcrux 's review for:
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sánchez
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.