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A review by kelly_e
When We Were Widows by Annette Chavez Macias
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
Title: When We Were Widows
Author: Annette Chavez Macias
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: November 1, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC and ALC copies from Montlake and Brilliance Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Readable • Heartfelt • Familiar
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Since her husband’s death six months ago, Yesica Diaz-Taylor seems to be taking her grief in stride. Then an angry outburst at work shatters the illusion. Her mandated support group counseling doesn’t help much. Yesica has always kept her feelings close, so even when an unlikely friendship blossoms with the group’s facilitator, she still has reasons for holding back. She’s just not ready to share.
Ana Diaz has been widowed for five years and continues to live life exactly as she did with her late husband. When her house floods, she’s forced to shake things up. Although it was never part of her plan, Ana moves in with her eldest daughter, Yesica. But the new living arrangement tests their already strained relationship.
Shadowed by unresolved tensions, Yesica, Ana, and matriarch Mama Melda must learn to share a home, their heartbreak, and, once and for all, the haunting family secrets that have kept them apart.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Anyone that knows my reading tastes knows that books with grief as a central theme are easy adds to my TBR, such was the case with When We Were Widows. I was particularly interested in a book following three generations of women, in particular three widows.
Told in alternating chapters from the mother (Ana) and the daughter's (Yesica) perspectives, this structures allows for the grandmother to be an omnipresent character. It unpacks complex and fractured relationships, long held personal secrets, and complicated feelings in grief, yet isn't all about grief. I particularly appreciated the themes of forgiveness, open communication and the efforts to rebuild relationships.
While it is only a small portion of the story, I was intrigued to learn about the history of Chavez Ravine. I had never heard about the history of displacement that took place there and it made me want to do a little more research after reading the author's note, where she details her reasoning for including this little tidbit into the narrative.
The audiobook narrated by by Karla Serrato and Cynthia Farrell was very well done. It was helpful to have two narrators to distinguish between the two perspectives. I felt as if the voices brought the two characters to life and made them even more relatable. The speed and intonation suited the narrative and kept the flow of the story throughout.
While When We Were Widows tackles themes of loss and grief, it does so with understanding and in a lighthearted manner. At the end of the day, it's more a novel about finding ourselves and fixing relationships that has a hopeful undertone. The inclusion of some recipes at the end was an added bonus. This was my first novel from Annette Chavez Macias, but I am definitely interested in going back and exploring her previous publications and keeping an eye out for future projects.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• multi generational stories
• themes of grief
• mother/daughter relationships
⚠️ CW: death, death of partner, death of parent, grief, car accident, medical trauma, infertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, infidelity, panic attacks/disorders, alcohol, forced displacement, toxic relationship, dementia
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Grief, I'd learned didn't have a finish line. It was an endless journey. Some days the path was easy, and other days you'd be running perfectly fine and then, our of nowhere, you'd stumble, and the pain would come roaring back as if your loss had just happened."
Author: Annette Chavez Macias
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: November 1, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC and ALC copies from Montlake and Brilliance Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Readable • Heartfelt • Familiar
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Since her husband’s death six months ago, Yesica Diaz-Taylor seems to be taking her grief in stride. Then an angry outburst at work shatters the illusion. Her mandated support group counseling doesn’t help much. Yesica has always kept her feelings close, so even when an unlikely friendship blossoms with the group’s facilitator, she still has reasons for holding back. She’s just not ready to share.
Ana Diaz has been widowed for five years and continues to live life exactly as she did with her late husband. When her house floods, she’s forced to shake things up. Although it was never part of her plan, Ana moves in with her eldest daughter, Yesica. But the new living arrangement tests their already strained relationship.
Shadowed by unresolved tensions, Yesica, Ana, and matriarch Mama Melda must learn to share a home, their heartbreak, and, once and for all, the haunting family secrets that have kept them apart.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Anyone that knows my reading tastes knows that books with grief as a central theme are easy adds to my TBR, such was the case with When We Were Widows. I was particularly interested in a book following three generations of women, in particular three widows.
Told in alternating chapters from the mother (Ana) and the daughter's (Yesica) perspectives, this structures allows for the grandmother to be an omnipresent character. It unpacks complex and fractured relationships, long held personal secrets, and complicated feelings in grief, yet isn't all about grief. I particularly appreciated the themes of forgiveness, open communication and the efforts to rebuild relationships.
While it is only a small portion of the story, I was intrigued to learn about the history of Chavez Ravine. I had never heard about the history of displacement that took place there and it made me want to do a little more research after reading the author's note, where she details her reasoning for including this little tidbit into the narrative.
The audiobook narrated by by Karla Serrato and Cynthia Farrell was very well done. It was helpful to have two narrators to distinguish between the two perspectives. I felt as if the voices brought the two characters to life and made them even more relatable. The speed and intonation suited the narrative and kept the flow of the story throughout.
While When We Were Widows tackles themes of loss and grief, it does so with understanding and in a lighthearted manner. At the end of the day, it's more a novel about finding ourselves and fixing relationships that has a hopeful undertone. The inclusion of some recipes at the end was an added bonus. This was my first novel from Annette Chavez Macias, but I am definitely interested in going back and exploring her previous publications and keeping an eye out for future projects.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• multi generational stories
• themes of grief
• mother/daughter relationships
⚠️ CW: death, death of partner, death of parent, grief, car accident, medical trauma, infertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, infidelity, panic attacks/disorders, alcohol, forced displacement, toxic relationship, dementia
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Grief, I'd learned didn't have a finish line. It was an endless journey. Some days the path was easy, and other days you'd be running perfectly fine and then, our of nowhere, you'd stumble, and the pain would come roaring back as if your loss had just happened."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Dementia, Alcohol
death of partner, forced displacement