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A review by christine_queenofbooks
Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura
As someone who tends not to gravitate toward coming-of-age stories, it took me awhile to get into Like Happiness - it was just so focused on Tatum's college experience at the beginning.
I stuck with it, and ultimately found it to be pretty well done. I couldn't help but wonder whether the narrative was inspired by Junot Diaz.
More than anything, this felt like a story about grooming and misogyny (and a bit on growing up, sexuality, and Latinx identity). I'd put Like Happiness in conversation with My Dark Vanessa, Notes on a Silencing, and even, I think, Jaded (which I happened to be reading at the same time).
I didn't particularly care for or dislike the narration by Marisa Blake. Sometimes her narration felt one-note, but I wondered if that was intentional (i.e., Tatum reading the letter she was writing, not letting emotion slip in).
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the free ALC and Celadon for the print arc.
I stuck with it, and ultimately found it to be pretty well done. I couldn't help but wonder whether the narrative was inspired by Junot Diaz.
More than anything, this felt like a story about grooming and misogyny (and a bit on growing up, sexuality, and Latinx identity). I'd put Like Happiness in conversation with My Dark Vanessa, Notes on a Silencing, and even, I think, Jaded (which I happened to be reading at the same time).
I didn't particularly care for or dislike the narration by Marisa Blake. Sometimes her narration felt one-note, but I wondered if that was intentional (i.e., Tatum reading the letter she was writing, not letting emotion slip in).
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the free ALC and Celadon for the print arc.