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A review by bookstobarbellsbabe
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
4.0
Olga is dead. The perfect Mexican daughter, the daughter that is smart, innocent and makes her immigrant parents proud is gone. The perfect daughter is gone.
And whose to blame? Well, it was a bus accident, but Julia, her younger sister, blames herself because instead of their motet picking up Olga, she was at Julia’s school, dealing with the principal about her suspension.
This review has been very hard for me to write and I’m not quite sure why.
I connected with Julia on a deep level. I, Claudia, and not your perfect Mexican daughter. My mom will be the first to tell you. This is my culture. This is my background. Many emotions that Julia felt I had already experienced myself growing up.
To be quite honest, at first, I was irritated with Julia. I felt like she was portrayed very annoying. But I saw myself as Julia. I didn’t want to be portrayed like that. I saw teen Claudia with the rebellion, the depression and the feeling of never being good enough.
That’s why I was annoyed. I felt like I, myself, my culture was portrayed in a negative light, sigh Julia talking back to her parents and the rebellious streak she had.
All that being said…I love Julia. I loved the story. I love that I finally felt represented. And the mystery storyline of Olga’s perfection being questioned after her death was a plot line I liked exploring.
I think this is a wonderful Latinx YA novel that is spot on with Mexican culture and the realities of being a 1st generation Mexican daughter.
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe
And whose to blame? Well, it was a bus accident, but Julia, her younger sister, blames herself because instead of their motet picking up Olga, she was at Julia’s school, dealing with the principal about her suspension.
This review has been very hard for me to write and I’m not quite sure why.
I connected with Julia on a deep level. I, Claudia, and not your perfect Mexican daughter. My mom will be the first to tell you. This is my culture. This is my background. Many emotions that Julia felt I had already experienced myself growing up.
To be quite honest, at first, I was irritated with Julia. I felt like she was portrayed very annoying. But I saw myself as Julia. I didn’t want to be portrayed like that. I saw teen Claudia with the rebellion, the depression and the feeling of never being good enough.
That’s why I was annoyed. I felt like I, myself, my culture was portrayed in a negative light, sigh Julia talking back to her parents and the rebellious streak she had.
All that being said…I love Julia. I loved the story. I love that I finally felt represented. And the mystery storyline of Olga’s perfection being questioned after her death was a plot line I liked exploring.
I think this is a wonderful Latinx YA novel that is spot on with Mexican culture and the realities of being a 1st generation Mexican daughter.
Follow me on IG @bookstobarbellsbabe