A review by bites_of_books
When We Were Widows by Annette Chavez Macias

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-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

4.25

The thing that I love about Annette Chavez Macias' books is that there are always heartfelt lessons within them. She'd previously talked about grief in Too Soon for Adios, but in When We Were Widows she tackles it from a completely different perspective. We have three generations of women, Mama Melda, Ana, and Yessica, all who became widows in sudden and unexpected ways. Each woman has a complex relationship with their grief, which stems from more than losing their husband, and I also loved how the author depicted how the lack of processing this grief affected everyone around them in some way. Then, there was the layer of Mexican-American culture and the sense of obligation to one's family (especially as the oldest daughter for Ana). 
All in all, a beautiful story wrapped in layers of grief, family, friendship, the past coming back, and more. If anything I would have loved for it to be longer so we could dive into the stories of the other characters in the book. I want to know more about Evie and Damian and just everyone. 
Thanks to the author for the eARC! I'm looking forward to adding a physical copy to my collection <3 
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