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effinalice 's review for:
Sammy Espinoza's Last Review
by Tehlor Kay Mejia
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sammy Espinoza's Last Review is Tehlor Kay Mejia's adult contemporary debut. It features a small town setting, a second chance romance, a cast of queer characters, a Latinx lead, and witty banter.
I went into this book with no expectations. I read Tehlor's previous book, Lucha of the Night Forest, and did not really like it. I'm so happy I gave this author a second chance because I ended up ADORING Sammy Ezpinoza's Last Review.
Sammy's life is being held together at the seams. She's a people pleaser with a complicated relationship with her mom. Her girlfriend recently broke up with her and she is on the verge of losing her job. As a last ditch effort to save her job, Sammy returns to the small town in Washington where her parents fell in love to interview an ex-flame now rockstar. Here Sammy is thrown into an emotional rollercoaster as she learns how to navigate new and old relationships while finding answers to questions she's held all her life.
Sammy is at times unlikeable. She is flawed and continues to make mistakes throughout the book.
I personally really connected with Sammy's character specially with her complicated relationship with her mother and her attempt to have a deeper connection with her Mexican heritage. She's also learning how to live her life how she wants rather than by what is expected of her.
The tone of the book ranges from light-hearted and witty to emotional and sad.
TW: death of a loved one
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine for an eARC of this book.
I went into this book with no expectations. I read Tehlor's previous book, Lucha of the Night Forest, and did not really like it. I'm so happy I gave this author a second chance because I ended up ADORING Sammy Ezpinoza's Last Review.
Sammy's life is being held together at the seams. She's a people pleaser with a complicated relationship with her mom. Her girlfriend recently broke up with her and she is on the verge of losing her job. As a last ditch effort to save her job, Sammy returns to the small town in Washington where her parents fell in love to interview an ex-flame now rockstar. Here Sammy is thrown into an emotional rollercoaster as she learns how to navigate new and old relationships while finding answers to questions she's held all her life.
Sammy is at times unlikeable. She is flawed and continues to make mistakes throughout the book.
I personally really connected with Sammy's character specially with her complicated relationship with her mother and her attempt to have a deeper connection with her Mexican heritage. She's also learning how to live her life how she wants rather than by what is expected of her.
The tone of the book ranges from light-hearted and witty to emotional and sad.
TW: death of a loved one
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine for an eARC of this book.