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A review by itsme_lori
The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu
2.0
I was so excited when I got my hands on a review copy of this book because I loved Moxie but this was nothing like that book. To put it nicely, this just didn't work for me. This was a character-driven story centered around lost and hopeless characters stuck in an unhealthy home environment and the effects that situation has on their lives outside the home as well as their hopes, or lack thereof, for their futures and potential happiness. It's a book that deals with lots of disappointments and addictions and abuse and sadness. It's a hard book to read in places and readers should go in knowing it's dark and unhappy and difficult to read.
I thought I was going to be reading a book about family drama and lies and dysfunctional families. And that I got. But what I was really hoping for was something that was different from other books I've read about dysfunctional families. (Similar to how Moxie brought a different feeling to YA feminist characters.) Something that had more to say about the lies we tell each other and ourselves and how one lie can have such a huge impact on so many people. But this really was a just a book about all of the lies this family tells each other. (There was one big lie I didn't see coming and another that I did and was kind of disappointed in how it was found out.) We get to read from both Elena and Joaquin's POVs and also get chapters about their mother's past. It was interesting reading about how they ended up where they are but I'm just not a fan of books where people just avoid and lie and hate each other and then the book ends. There is no conclusion, no happy ending (though I wasn't really expecting that) and what seems like no way out for Elena. And I'm not even sure she'd want one. But I like books to have a bit of closure. And this one just didn't have that for me.
If you like books that leave a lot of questions open and provide no resolutions for almost anything, this one might be for you. If you like books that talk about messed up families and drunk mothers and unhappy children and pretty much everything depressing, you might like this one more than I did. If you don't mind reading books with unlikeable characters and constant lies but nothing really happens, this might be one for you. If not, I'd stay away. I know it's worked for a lot of people, so you might enjoy it too, but it just didn't work for me. Also, it's historical fiction, not contemporary.
Also, I know this is weird to put in a review, but the Callahan's kids' names are Jennifer and Matthew and every time I saw that, I was so distracted by it. But I think that's just me.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I thought I was going to be reading a book about family drama and lies and dysfunctional families. And that I got. But what I was really hoping for was something that was different from other books I've read about dysfunctional families. (Similar to how Moxie brought a different feeling to YA feminist characters.) Something that had more to say about the lies we tell each other and ourselves and how one lie can have such a huge impact on so many people. But this really was a just a book about all of the lies this family tells each other. (There was one big lie I didn't see coming and another that I did and was kind of disappointed in how it was found out.) We get to read from both Elena and Joaquin's POVs and also get chapters about their mother's past. It was interesting reading about how they ended up where they are but I'm just not a fan of books where people just avoid and lie and hate each other and then the book ends. There is no conclusion, no happy ending (though I wasn't really expecting that) and what seems like no way out for Elena. And I'm not even sure she'd want one. But I like books to have a bit of closure. And this one just didn't have that for me.
If you like books that leave a lot of questions open and provide no resolutions for almost anything, this one might be for you. If you like books that talk about messed up families and drunk mothers and unhappy children and pretty much everything depressing, you might like this one more than I did. If you don't mind reading books with unlikeable characters and constant lies but nothing really happens, this might be one for you. If not, I'd stay away. I know it's worked for a lot of people, so you might enjoy it too, but it just didn't work for me. Also, it's historical fiction, not contemporary.
Also, I know this is weird to put in a review, but the Callahan's kids' names are Jennifer and Matthew and every time I saw that, I was so distracted by it. But I think that's just me.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!