hamletseinquieta 's review for:

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

3.0

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I’m reviewing this a few months after the fact because I wanted to reflect on the protagonist and the story structure. I like dislikable characters like Julia—I do. I think we need more of them. Sometimes I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to be empathizing or not, but I remembered it’s fine because I am not its target age audience. As a Panamanian immigrant, the book presented a well-rounded Latinx experience that was specific and culturally grounded in its Mexican backdrop. It is really something I want to give credit to when the pan-Latinx experience tends to be more palatable. I gave it three stars because structurally it jumped around too, or sometimes moved too slowly or too quickly, and a crucial moment in the book could have been plotted a little bit better. Sometimes Julia’s interiority, despite of how much you get it in a YA novel, felt murky and confusing, but I would definitely recommend.