Dolores de amor crónicos / Chronic love pains

by Maya Van Wagenen

About to start high school, Dolores Mendoza is struggling to navigate changing friendships, family dramas, and her recently diagnosed interstitial cystitis. Making her fiction debut, bestselling author Maya Van Wagenen ( Popular ) tells Dolores’s story with humor, heart, and a little bit of telenovela flair.

Nothing has been the same for fourteen-year-old Dolores Mendoza since everything started changing at the end of middle school. Newly diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, Dolores had a humiliating accident in class that earned her the nickname “whiz kid.” Even worse, she’s losing her lifelong BFF, Shae, who’s suddenly ignoring Dolores to hang out with the cool girls. Dolores is alone, and confused. What did she do wrong?

Now her mom is forcing Dolores to go to a “communication workshop for girls.” There, Dolores makes a tentative connection with Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones. Terpsichore, who is home-schooled and neurodiverse, makes a deal with Pretend to be her friend so Terpsichore can convince her overprotective mother to let her go to public school, and in return Terpsichore will help Dolores get Shae back. Eventually, their friendship of convenience will start to transform both Dolores and Terpsichore and redefine the ways both girls understand friendships old and new.

Dolores's funny and bittersweet coming-of-age friendship story is punctuated by her wry reviews of every bathroom in town (which she comes to know very well thanks to her IC) and hilariously over-dramatized flashbacks as Dolores rewrites traumatic experiences as if she’s the star of a telenovela.

Genres: Young Adult, Disability, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Middle Grade

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 26, 2024

About the author

Maya Van Wagenen lives in the Atlanta area with her fiancée, three cats, and a dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys quilting, knitting, costume design, reading, and binge-watching detective procedural dramas.

At fifteen, Maya became a New York Times bestselling author after Penguin Dutton published her eighth-grade journal—Popular. The book went on to win the American Library Association’s YALSA award for excellence in nonfiction, making her the youngest author and first memoirist to receive this honor. Maya’s second book and first novel, Chronically Dolores, is inspired by her experiences as a young person with an incurable bladder condition. Maya is passionate about bringing visibility to youth with chronic illness and validating the questions, fears, and absurdities that accompany a lifelong diagnosis in childhood.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I tell you this is EASILY one of my favorite books of 2024 I mean it. I did not know what to expect going into this book, but it kept my attention from beginning to end. CW: bullying, ableism, controlling/borderline abusive parent, financial abuse, descriptions of chronic illness.

Chronically Dolores follows main character Delores who is adjusting to life after she accidently pees on herself at school due to her chronic bladder illness called IC (Interstitial Cystitis). With no friends to hang out the summer before her freshman year of high school, the impending loss of her best friend and the relationship between her parents growing more tense on a daily basis, Dolores seems to lose all hope until she meets Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones. With her her assistance, Dolores is convinced she'll be able to win back her best friend. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned and Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones has a thing or two to teach Dolores about true friendship, self-love, confidence, and finding one's voice.

What Worked: EVERYTHING. It's been a while since I've picked up a YA book that's made me feel such a wide variety of emotions. Wagenen who has struggled with IC and is also autistic, writes her characters with a level of authenticity that is both refreshing and unexpected. While I'm not the target audience for this novel, it is clear that Wagenen took the time to capture the experiences of teens who are not only trying to figure out the every day ups and down of life, but also those experiences that may have additional added pressures. Dolores struggles a lot through this book and I appreciated that it took some hard lessons for her character development to fully take shape. Also, the relationship between Dolores and Terpsichore was BEAUTIFUL. Although Dolores didn't necessarily begin their relationship with the best of intentions, she does recognize Terpsichore as a person who deserves to live life to the fullest extent. Terpsichore's mother was not only overprotective, but treated autism as a debilitating disease that would prevent Terpsichore from being able to interact with anyone outside the family. Dolores tries over and over to break that stereotype and pushes Terpsichore's mother to recognizer her for the amazing person that she is. The two girls learn a lot of themselves and each other through the course of their relationship.

Overall, this book was well written, fun, engaging, and REAL. There is no perfect ending for the relationship between Dolores' parents and there is no perfect ending to relationship between Terpsichore and her mother. However, it felt like an appropriate ending for such a phenomenal story. I highly recommend checking out the authors note where Wagenen describes her personal experiences and it's influence on the construction of this book. This is one that I would recommend to younger YA audiences. It's been hard to do that lately so it was nice to see a book where the character is on the younger side of YA, but still deals with things related to the teen experience.

[Sydney | sydneys.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Forever is such a very long time to think about when you've only lived fourteen years."

This book is everything I love about YA. It's a masterpiece in pacing, voice, the balance of heavy subjects and a young narrator, the focus on friendship, the portrayal of chronic illness/disability, the inclusion of religion, the natural incorporation of different identities and mixed media format (in this case, scenes told via scripts). This is a pitch-perfect YA novel and I cannot emphasize that enough!!

TW: Divorce; Toxic parent; Bullying; Ableism; Chronic pain; Poverty

I did not expect this book to be as heavy as it was, so I want to emphasize that the trigger warnings are all very much present and could be potentially triggering. Divorce/toxic marriage is not just a theme, but a main conflict throughout the entire novel.

Dolores has interstitial cystitis (IC), which is also known as painful bladder syndrome. After she has a (very) embarrassing moment at the end of the previous school year, she spends her summer before high school trying to reconcile with Shae, her best friend who is suddenly ghosting her, and coping with her invisible disability suddenly being not so invisible to her classmates.

Dolores meets an autistic girl named Terpsichore who wants to stop homeschooling and start high school at the public school, which her mom refuses to do unless Terpsichore can prove she has a friend. Dolores decides to befriend Terpsichore to help her start public school, and she uses her to get back in Shae's orbit so Dolores can patch up their friendship.

Even though Dolores is 14, her voice does not read overly babyish or young. Based off the author's note, a lot of Dolores' story was taken from Van Wagenen's own experiences at age 14, which solidifies the authenticity I felt while reading. The author mentions that she also has IC and autism.

I loved Dolores' family—even the imperfect members—and could so easily picture that block with the alley, the print shop, and the ice cream shop, their too hot house with the crappy bathroom above the print shop and the cathedral down the street. I sound like a broken record even to myself at this point, but I LOVE books with friendships focused on more than romance, and especially YA novels with friendship breakups. Chronically Dolores has no romance whatsoever and is purely coming-of-age.

What really makes this book special, though, is the portrayal of childhood chronic illness. I was very very lucky to not develop most of my mental health issues until high school, and none of my chronic illnesses until college. I didn't have to worry about being in middle school and figuring out my health on top of the nightmare that is that age.

I didn't notice it until the end (which is the highest compliment you give a writer trying to write a message into their book, BTW. It's very hard to do) that a large part of Dolores' arc is accepting her disability and how her relationships with everyone—including herself—change as a result. And not just Dolores, but her family as well. The way each member, including her aunt, approached her diagnosis was interesting to analyze.

Dolores' unabashed and immediate acceptance of Terpsichore's disability was refreshing. I admit, I was expecting Dolores to feel a bit disconnected from the character based off the blurb. Again, Van Wagenen's own experiences probably lent itself to the grace to which that inclusion was executed.

I have no notes. This book is an exceptional YA novel, and exactly what I want to write. I'm so glad I mistakenly added it to a post about disability rep and felt like I needed to read it as penance for looping in with the IBD books.

Rep: Mexican main character with interstitial cystitis; Autistic side character; Gay side character; German queer side character

Thank you Penguin Teen for the arc of this book (like over a year ago, oops). All opinions are my own.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great #ownvoices YA debut about family, friendship and learning to live with a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis (IC). Dolores is from a Mexican American family struggling to make ends meet and while everyone else in her family is dealing with their own problems, she turns to a Catholic priest in a confessional booth for advice.

Advice on how to get back her former best friend, advice on how to deal with her chronic pain and the embarrassment her IC causes at school plus how she can be a better friend to her new autistic homeschooled acquaintance, Terpischore.

Great on audio narrated by Victoria Villarreal with an note read by the author and highly recommended for fans of writers like Jen Wilde or Sonora Reyes. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dolores has a chronic disease, for which there is no cure. It means she is often in pain, and has to go pee a lot. And the worst part is that last year, she had a pee accident, where she slipped on pee, because she wasn’t fast enough, and gave herself a concussion. She thinks if she can just get her best friend to talk to her again, that it won’t matter if she is the laughing stock of her class.

But her old friend wants nothing to do with her.

And then she meets Terpsichore, an autistic teen, who wants to be a clothing designer for broadway shows. Only her mother wants to keep her homeschooled, and not have her be bullied.

The author is also autistic, as well as having the same chronic disease as the main character, so she knows from where she writes. I did like how naturally Terpsichore is with dealing with social interactions. Sounds very familiar.

I also like the interaction Dolores has with a local priest in a confessional. She basically goes there because she heard it is a way to talk to someone without having to see them, and they will give you advice. She was not brought up religious.

Lots of other stuff going on in the story, but I thought it was well written, and gave both points of view of how friendships can change, and how we often don’t see what others see.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published ont he 26th of March 2024.

[Tiempo de Lectura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoy les quiero hablar de este libro que para mí ha sido una gran lectura ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ .

Este libro se va a mi Top de los mejores del 2024. Me ha encantado la infinidad de temas que maneja, la narración te envuelve hasta lograr vivir todas las situaciones que plantea la historia.

Una historia hermosa , con la cual no solo me he divertido mucho , también he reído y llorado.

Dolores y Terpsícore son los personajes principales y la manera de como enfrentan sus miedos sociales , sus condiciones de vida, se me ha hecho enternecedor y muy real.

Dolores es una chica que vive con una enfermedad crónica y Terpsícore es autista. Las dos están en un momento critico de sus vidas y son las situaciones de la vida que les hará aceptar, dejar ir , enfrentar sus miedos y comenzar de nuevo.

Ame que hablé del autismo , como madre de una niña autista y muy probaba autista me robo el corazón la historia. En general me gustaron solutamente a todos los personajes, están construidos con una gran naturalidad, ya que la vida de los personajes no es para nada perfecta.

Cabe mencionar que mete algo de religión pero la autora lo aborda de una manera tan bien que no incómoda ( se los dice auna agnóstica) ya que los planteamientos son muy interesantes y cuestionables.

Y cabe hacer la gran mención que la vida de la autora tienen mucho que ver para la creación de esta historia .

Un plus maravilloso es que la historia tiene giños a la cultura mexicana ❤️.

¡ Ame , ame ,ame!
Tienen que leerlo ✨ en verdad

[rue mortensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and i was very disappointed that it didn’t live up to my expectations /: i didn’t connect with dolores or terpsichore at all, and found almost all the characters to be annoying.

i ended up skipping to the end just to find out how it ends.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read books to see myself represented and while the representation is good, the book (a lot of the time) is just ok. This is not the case here. I loved the representation and I loved the book. The humor was my speed and Dolores sounded like a real 14 year old. I think Mateo was my favorite character because he seemed like a very realistic older brother and I thought overall the family dynamics of the book were really well written. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Dolores realizes that she doesn't know how to apologize because no one in her family has ever apologized to anyone. When it's real it's real y'all.

As someone who deals with more than one chronic condition, it's nice to see it represented in a book where the character is coming to terms with just having to deal with something for the rest of their life because there is no real cure. It's heartbreaking and demoralizing and makes you feel like you are going crazy and yet so many people go through it and we don't realize. Dolores also tends to remember things differently than how it happened because of how the situation made her felt and I also found that incredibly relatable. One of my other favorite things of the book in general is how it portrays embarrassing moments. Usually in books and movies, something embarrassing will happen to someone and everyone around the character will always be carrying on like it is the worst thing ever and it has ruined their lives. But here, even though the other kids were still talking about how she peed in class and then...fell in it... they also were just like oh hey you're that one girl who peed anyway welcome to this party like they weren't impeding her from joining in activities (except for her bitch friend I guess). I liked the Catholic priest she was talking to because he actually seemed pretty cool (not sure how realistic THAT is but who am I to say) and it reminded me a bit like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Lastly, I loved Terpsichore! She was so cool and loves theater and agrees that bootleg musicals are bad but the lack of accessibility for professional theater is worse!!! I don't think her mom was unrealistically crazy but I do think how she changed so quickly at the end was (it wouldn't be a real Amy review if I didn't include that criticism).

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to stay up late and finish it. This book was excellent! I knew nothing going into it, besides the fact that the protagonist has interstitial cystitis (I’d seen the author post on the IC subreddit). I was not expecting such complex, layered characters and plot. Despite dealing with serious topics, the book is also so funny. The author just seems to “get” teenagers/takes their anxieties and problems seriously.

On a personal note, although I’m the elderly age of 32, it felt so good to feel seen and have the pain of IC acknowledged. I would have loved to have read a book like this when I was first diagnosed; it’s very validating.

P.S. I listened to the audiobook, and I loved the narrator.

[Daiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Páginas 359


Me gustó mucho este libro primero xq nunca había leído ninguno q se trate de este tema como lo es una enfermedad crónica y que a su vez tengamos una protagonista autista que también sea fuerte. Me gustaron ambas y como se relacionaron y me tocó empatizar con dolores con el tema de perder a una mejor amiga

Sin dudas lo recomiendo!!

Los leo

Daiu

[E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried this book twice. Took it out of the library multiple times in case it was me, and I am going through a lot medically right now so it could be bad timing. I appreciate it for what it is, chronic illness representation, but I just couldn't connect to this one.

[Erin Cunningham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked how it touched on chronic illness, neurodivergence, and family stressors. I did feel like it had a bit too many themes happening all at once and that was what tripped me up as a reader.

[Wendi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This one took me a little longer to get through than I had hoped. Not due to the story itself, but due to my own experience with more than usual migraines during my time reading this book. Reading a book in which the main character has their own health affliction and experiencing your own while reading is a new and interesting experience. Reminiscent of having he flu while reading Stephen King's The Stand.
Our main character, Dolores, has been diagnosed with IC (interstitial cystitis) which affects her bladder and causes a lot of pain and discomfort. At 14, while trying to navigate life as a teenager/finding yourself/understanding school and relationships, adding in a diagnosis which will be with you for the rest of your life doesn't make things any easier. Struggling to find comfort, dealing with dysfunctional family dynamics and a family that doesn't understand you, embarrassment at school and an ending friendship, Dolores is faced with how to move forward. Enter Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones, who is autistic with dreams bigger than Dolores could ever imagine. The current work in progress is how to convince her over-protective and over-bearing mother to allow her to attend a regular high school. Can the girls team up and help each other to navigate this world of being different?
As an added bonus, Maya Van Wagenen isn't writing a book of imagination alone or even from interviews with those who have experienced the topics she is writing about. She has first hand experience of what it's like to identify as autistic and experience life with IC. She is able to write from a place of true understanding, making the characters real and even more relatable.
If you have felt different or had a difficult time in your youth of fitting in or navigating friendships, this read could a cathartic experience. With relatable characters who you truly root for.
Long live Jeremy!

[Natalie ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️
Rep: autism, interstitial cystitis
Thank you Penguin Teen for the physical ARC!
I really enjoyed this! It was such a fun YA contemporary that’s so accurate to the experience of being a middle schooler/rising high schooler, especially one who feels different because of their health.

I really liked both the MCs-Dolores and Terpischore were both great characters and I enjoyed both of their internal monologues, especially Terpischore’s! Their respective struggles I think were done well and I loved seeing them come together and become best friends.

This book was heartwarming and super fun-it does touch on a few serious topics but not too much for a YA book in any way!

All in all, this was really good and I definitely recommend!! so glad I got the chance to read an ARC🤍

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was clearly a personal book for the author, and it felt true to life (except for the parts that were exaggerated for humor). As someone who fears having to use public restrooms and keeps track of which bathrooms are acceptable to use and where, I especially loved Dolores' bathroom ratings. It was stressful to read at times, especially the parts where the father was irresponsible. I liked how Dolores' classmates were written. They weren't great, but they weren't terrible either, which seemed realistic.

[Ace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book did a fantastic job of capturing the experience of being 14 and really believing what you're doing is right only because you haven't been wrong in that way before. I say this at 20 y/o, but this is how I remember it felt like being a kid, you just didn't have enough experience in the world yet to understand what could go wrong.
I also thought this author did a wonderful job creating multidimensional disabled characters, being careful to draw the distinction between a chronic illness and neurodivergency. I appreciated the message Dolores understood by the end of the story as she realized she was going to have to learn to accept her chronic illness as a part of herself and that she was going to figure out how a live a happy life in spite of it.
The climax of the story where Dolores' mom finally snapped at her father, throwing the tv off the balcony and kicking him out of the house, was devastating to say the least. I felt the pressure and tension rolling off the pages in waves, but Tia Vera's intervention to de-escalate the situation and support Dolore's mom rather than her own brother was the perfect wrap-up to their arc. It felt like justice was served and Dolore's mother was given the care and attention she deserved.
I liked the priest character and that there was no larger payout to his role than to serve as an objective lens to the story and give some solid ass advice. He was really cool.
My favorite character was Mateo for how good of an older brother he is, and for how his character arc played out so beautifully in the background. I don't think I would have understood his point of view when I was younger, but his story arc resonated with me at my current age and I appreciate that the author did this for the older readers. I'm sure folks older than me have probably had a similar experience with Dolores' mom or any of the other adults, but I just haven't had those kinds of life experiences yet.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Dutton Books for Young Readers for a free eARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion. As someone with an invisible and incurable illness, Chronically Dolores made me feel seen. The main character, Dolores, is a teen who struggling with a friend breakup, a public embarrassment, and a chronic illness. The author gives us a believable and relatable character who deals with her illness with humor all while mourning the loss of her old life.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! One of the best YA novels I've read in awhile. The writing was fantastic and the audiobook was great! I cared about all the characters so deeply. There were so many funny moments that made me laugh out loud while at the same time, this book covered so many important topics in such a genuine and real way. Chronically Dolores speaks about living with a chronic illness, navigating friendships, autism, toxic family dynamics, and discovering who you are. It's obvious that the author put so much care into these characters and this story. I will definitely be on the look out for more books from Maya Van Wagenen! 5/5.

[Susannah Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 Schneider Family Book Award Winner for Young Adult Literature!

[Clau · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐: 4.5/5

El libro me enganchó, tuvo ese no sé qué que me hizo querer saber como acaba la historia. Si bien es cierto que fue un final previsible, a mi me gustó y los cambios inesperados me engancharon más.

Leer la nota de la autora me hizo darme cuenta más aún del valor de este libro, y por ello, ojalá todos lo leyeran.

[Jessica Hernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es un libro juvenil, muy tierno, y bastante duro,pero con muchos toques de humor.

Dolores es una niña de 14 años con una enfermedad crónica, cistitis intersticial, que afronta esta etapa de su vida, de por sí complicada, agravada por su patología.

Terpsícore es una niña autista con una madre en exceso controladora que lo que hace es ponerle más piedras en el camino de las que ya de por sí la vida y la sociedad se empeñan en poner a las personas neurodivergentes.

Así que cada una por sus circunstancias coinciden en un taller y deciden ayudarse mutuamente con sus respectivos "problemas". Con lo que no contaban era con el florecimiento de una amistad verdadera en medio del caos que son sus vidas.
Y entre ese caos encontamos, una tía que cree que la solución a todo va en la religión, un sacerdote (que escucha y no juzga, sus conversaciones con Dolores son maravillosas), una familia disfuncional, un primo de esos que te sacan de quicio, una madre controladora, un abandono, unos heladeros que te robarán el corazón, "amigas" traidoras y otras que te dan una "colleja" verbal para que espabiles, y bueno, la manera en la que Dolores percibe lo que pasa a su alrededor a modo de "sketchs", me ha entado.
Y la nota de la autora🥹.

👇🏻El mejor resumen sin duda es este👇🏻
«Una historia perspicaz, divertida y realista sobre las consecuencias de crecer». Kirkus Reviews

[Az Martgu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es difícil para mí empezar a leer una novela juvenil porque de alguna forma termino rodeada de cliches, pero Maya Van Wagenen lo hizo diferente.

La historia tiene como protagonista a una chica con una condición médica severa quien de alguna forma se ve obligada a aislarse de la sociedad por un acontecimiento que la pone en vergüenza.

Ante todo esto llega una chica cuyo nombre es difícil de escribir (jaja) pero que le abre la puerta para reconocer que poner límites y dejar de esperar la aprobación de la sociedad es todo lo que necesita para por fin vivir su vida a su manera y aceptar que sus diferencias no las hacen especiales, sino que las vuelven humanas.

Además, plasma de una forma más real el ciclo de las amistades durante nuestra vida y cómo muchas veces no queremos dejarlas ir por miedo a la soledad, aunque estas nos lastimen.

Dolores de amor crónicos es un libro que, seré honesta, no es la novela que cambiará tu vida, pero si es un libro que al menos a mí como lectora me regresó la esperanza en las buenas historias juveniles que no son pretenciosas y realmente buscan ser un apoyo emocional para todo el que lo necesite.

[Cami Golub (Bookmilla) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia muy linda sobre la amistad y la diversidad ♡.
Tiene representación de una enfermedad crónica y autismo en adolescentes de 14 años. Me gustó mucho ver cómo ambas familias interactuan con estas condiciones desde la ignorancia, llegando a ver al diagnóstico antes que a la persona (lo que lamentablemente pasa muy seguido en la vida real). Tambien me gustó como desafía el concepto de autismo como un trastorno a traves de Terpsícore y cómo ella elige desenvolverse (hoy en día se está evaluando cómo cambiar el nombre a Trastorno del espectro autista porque no es un trastorno, simplemente es una manera distinta de procesar la información del entorno).

Terpsícore es un personajazo, y Mateo también.
Super recomendable ♡

[Karol Silverstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fits nicely in a growing body of much needed and appreciated YA books that depict teens with chronic illnesses realistically and matter-of-factly. Delores’ interstitial cystitis is not the main focus of this story but it is an ever-present “sidekick” as she navigates a lost friend, a new friend and a challenging family dynamic. Themes of faith, self-worth and gaining autonomy are touched on with humor and gut-punching realness. Wrapping the book up is a brutally honest and moving author’s note.

[Emily Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All of these sensations, pleasant and unpleasant, coursed through my body and told me that I was alive.
And because of that, all of them were beautiful.”

Maya Van Wagenen does a phenomenal job of bridging the gap between a physical disability and a neurodivergence such as Autism.

Not only that, she depicts young adult friendships in the complex yet beautiful light that is Chronically Dolores! Her characters are raw and authentic! Character qualities that this world so desperately needs!

5/5 stars! Easily one of my favorite YA books!

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was kinda lukewarm for me. I, as an anxious being, would love to have access to the bathroom rating and description binder that Dolores creates. And Terpsichore's creativity was fun to see.

The other characters felt a little too stereotypical and flat, especially the dramatic helicopter mother. And it was tough to figure out exactly what was happening with the "cut scenes" and Dolores' imaginings rewriting her reality.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this YA book.

A few issues here and there, though…it needed to be cut down. 300+ pages was excessive when there was really no resolution to anything in the plot.

It had a little bit of everything, but I really grabbed it since the main character, Dolores, suffers from a chronic illness at fourteen years old. (I also deal with chronic health issues, although I was diagnosed at 12.) Even though the story was set in summer, the author did a decent job of displaying chronic illness and I learned a little bit about IC in the process. Dolores and her Aunt Vera, obsessed with religious “cure-alls” made me laugh, but I left frustrated that Dolores didn’t use her Internet prowess to learn more about treatment options. I also kept wanting to bang my head against the wall that she didn’t seek second options, as the original doctor who diagnosed her wasn’t helpful in the least. Her parents, with all their own issues, let her down here. I didn’t expect a miraculous recovery, but I was hoping by the end, Dolores would’ve seen a second doctor and considered some kind of treatment option, whether it was a medication or physical therapy, to help her manage her systems. I don’t feel like the author dropped the ball here, but running the chronic illness gambit myself, you try basically everything and anything—obviously within reason—before you realize, “Okay, this is my new normal.” That didn’t happen. Dolores’ mother said Dolores wasn’t going to try anything until she was an adult, and that felt like a cop-out. Is that what the author actually dealt with? 😫 I’m so sorry if she did, but Dolores’ mother pissed me off. How convenient, when you’re not the one with the symptoms. Dolores mentions adhering to the IC diet, but that’s kind of dropped by the middle of the story, and the drama of Dolores and Terpischore (a new name to me!) took over.

I did love the bathroom guide, where Dolores ranked each bathroom she used. But again, nothing really happens with this, other than something Dolores does when she needs to visit a bathroom.

I enjoyed Dolores and her family. They felt very “real” and their interactions with each other were snarky, yet they obviously loved each other. This family probably felt the most realistic out of any YA book I’ve read so far this year. While again, there was no conclusion on her mother and father’s massive fight and whether they would divorce or not —I loved her mother tossing the flat screen TV over the stairs to their apartment—you’re left with the positive impression things are looking up for them. I loved Mateo, he and Johann were cute together. I loved especially Johann’s nickname for Dolores, Lola and they both made me laugh out loud with their commentary. I was hoping, overall, with Dolores apologizing to Terpsichore, the family would’ve made good on apologizing to each other, but again, no resolution here. I suppose that’s reality and life, but there was a lot of emphasis on this…and it was left hanging.

I thought the movie scenes interlaced in the story were original, and finding out that Dolores was exaggerating her memories was a good twist. The movie scenes worked to show the past, but you are left wondering just how accurate they are when Terpsichore questions her about the ice cream parlor incident, where both girls were present and involved. I also thought Dolores seeking out guidance and encouragement from the unnamed Catholic priest was different, and he offered a different perspective. Was he helpful? Yes and no. The book explores the saints and religion overall, and while sometimes those parts dragged, it did feel realistic that a young teenager would be exploring these topics.

Terpsichore was also an interesting character, but her mother was batshit crazy. (Using “Gypsy” movie dialogue to tell her mother off? Chef’s kiss!) I do feel like she stood on her own against Dolores, and played off well with her. Their friendship felt more genuine than anything Dolores had with Shae, who came across as spoiled and a pain in the ass. Her autism characteristics, like her stims, I couldn’t say if those were realistic or not, but her hyper obsession with costume design and theater really read like a love story to both topics. I was kind of hoping Dolores would take up sewing, especially after the one scene where Terpsichore altered her clothes, but again, the story dropped this. Maybe all it needed to be was a cute scene, and nothing more?

This book did take me longer to read than usual, and I think it’s a mixture of being a little long and also me reading other books off and off. I really wanted to wrap this one up, haha, because it was starting to drag. I’m interested in reading the author’s first book now, because I did enjoy her writing style.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Brooks / Penguin Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maya Van Wagenen's "Chronically Dolores" offers a relatable glimpse into the lives of two young girls navigating the complexities of friendship, health, and self-discovery. Dolores Mendoza, grappling with a chronic bladder condition, finds solace and companionship in Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones, a homeschooled girl with autism. Together, they embark on a journey of healing and growth, facing challenges and forging a deep bond along the way. Before going into this book, I had never heard of interstitial cystitis, and I was definitely able to learn more about this condition through the story. Because the story is from Dolores’s POV, there isn’t a super in-depth look into the condition, but I thought the descriptions were well-developed and vivid to allow the reader to better understand both the condition and Dolores herself.

The book excels in its portrayal of complex and authentic characters. Dolores and Terpsichore are both multifaceted and relatable, each struggling with their own set of challenges and insecurities. If you are a teen reader or remember the complicated life of being a 14-year-old who may have had a public humiliation moment in school (who hasn’t?), then you will definitely relate to Dolores and her experiences. Van Wagenen deftly explores the nuances of their friendship, capturing the joy, humor, and stresses that arise as they navigate the ups and downs of adolescence. This is definitely a younger YA book, which works as Dolores is just about to enter high school; I might even classify this book as a MG novel as well. The characters felt realistic, like they were actual teenagers, as well as their thoughts/experiences. When Dolores would imagine certain events like they were from Spanish soap operas felt like something I would have done when I was younger.

I really enjoyed the exploration of disability and neurodiversity. Through Dolores and Terpsichore's experiences, Van Wagenen sheds light on the unique challenges faced by individuals living with chronic illnesses and autism, really showing that there is no “magical cure” to chronic pain. The book offers a sensitive and insightful portrayal of these issues, creating feelings of empathy and understanding among readers.

I will say that Dolores's unreliable narration takes a little getting used to with certain recollections she has of past events. As stated earlier, she likes to imagine events as if they’re from soap operas, which means that she sometimes embellishes what actually happened. This sometimes made me confused as to what was actually going on in the novel, especially with the perspectives of the other characters. While the story is a bit limited with just Dolores’s POV, it also adds an intriguing layer of complexity, inviting you to question the truth behind her recollections and motivations.

Overall, "Chronically Dolores" strikes a delicate balance between lighthearted humor and reflection as one begins to grow up and move on, making it an engaging read for young adult audiences. While touching on serious themes such as chronic illness and family stressors, the book maintains a sense of optimism and resilience that left me feeling satisfied with the ending.

[BethFishReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3.5.

A contemporary YA novel that address several #OwnVoice issues.

The last day of middle school wasn't what Dolores hoped it would be. Thanks to her interstitial cystitis (a bladder condition), she wet her pants in front of her classmates before she had the chance to race to the bathroom. If that weren't bad enough, she slipped in the puddle and hit her head, which meant she couldn't slink away but had to leave school in ambulance. How's a 14-year-old supposed to outlive *that*?

Unfortunately, that wasn't all Dolores had to face that summer: her BFF was ghosting her, her parents were fighting, and she was forced to attend a "sad kids" workshop. At the workshop, she spots a girl about her own age. When they later meet, Dolores learns that she's not the only kid who is having rough time.

Terpsichore is on the autism spectrum, and her overbearing and overprotective mother insists on homeschooling and forbids Terpsichore to make friends or do anything that other young teens do. Though it would seem that Dolores and Terpsichore have nothing in common, they form an unlikely alliance, each vowing to help the other get what she wants.

Overall, I liked the book; Dolores's maturation and gradual ability to see life and events straight on, without her previous dramatic and rose-colored slant, was believable and relatable. She was contending with a chronic disease, living in poverty, and loneliness. The book included enough humor and one-liners to soften the harder themes.

Terpsichore faced other problems: her loneliness was brought on by her mother's complete lack of faith in Terpsichore's abilities to live in the world and in how others would treat her. While Terpsichore was aware that the odds were against her, she wanted to at least have the chance to follow her dreams.

Other plot lines were Dolores's brother's crush on a guy and her parents' failing relationship. In the course of the summer, Dolores talks with a priest in a confessional, comes to understand a failing friendship, and learns that not everyone is who they seem to be on the surface.

I have two issues with the book's ending: The first involves Dolores's relationship with her ex-BFF, Shae: I would have liked to see some closure here. Perhaps I just missed it, but I wanted Dolores to reach out to Shae so their friendship ended on better terms. The second involves Dolores's parents: I'm not sure why Dolores's parents had to go into bankruptcy and end up divorced. I feel that those were two too many issues explored in the book.

The author's note at the end explains the #OwnVoice aspects of the book, including interstitial cystitis, being on the spectrum, and LBGTQ relationships.

The audiobook was performed by Victoria Villarreal whose accents and characterizations were well done. She delivered the humor well and didn't veer into the overdramatic during the more intense scenes.

Thanks to the publishers for review copies in various formats.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dolores' interstitial colitis means a lot of things. Her body often betrays her, sometimes in important situations. She has to plan her life (and outings) around toilet access -- and maintains a toilet directory with ratings and reviews. As if life as an almost high-schooler weren't hard enough! After ending 8th grade with an incident her classmates won't soon forget, Dolores is mortified and down one BFF. Enter Terpsichore, an autistic homeschooled girl with fashion-design dreams and an overprotective helicopter mom. The events that follow turn out to be just what everyone needs.

It has:
- many forms of diverse rep, including LGBT, neurodiversity, chronic illness
- sitcom-style comedic moments (I'd love to watch this as an actual TV show)
- Are You There, God? vibes + so much more
- a dog named Crockpot

There were a couple things that confused me about this book, and one thing that just wasn't for me.

1. What is the significance of Dolores' tendency to...selectively remember / confabulate in her memories? Did any of the pre-book stuff happen differently from how it was told to us by Dolores? I'm confused because Dolores seemed to notice her unreliable memory near the end of the book (after Terpsichore pointed it out) and tried to self-correct it from then on. Were we told anything else unreliably through her lens? Was it supposed to be a sign of neurodiversity occurring in Dolores? Is she schizophrenic? Confused here.

2. While I greatly enjoyed the humor of the "plays" used to flash back to past memories, I'm now even more confused. I thought they were exaggerated recountings for comedic effect, that Dolores was intentionally embellishing them because everything is dramatic when you're 14. Not that she actually believed that's how the situations played out. I was also confused by these scenes because I thought maybe Dolores wanted to be a director/actor or involved in plays, but I don't think anything like this was ever mentioned. If Dolores didn't have the directing/acting bug, why did Van Wagenen depict her memories this way?

3. The thing I didn't care for was how Johann's character was treated -- like a punchline. While I enjoy plenty of diversity in my books, Johann was forced into a stereotype and never got to shine as his own person, a character who lives a regular life and has his own problem, and just happens to be German. He's also constantly referred to as "the German" instead of by his name, as "Mateo's friend," or anything else to separate him from that one token identity. I don't know why the author made this choice when she wrote so many other living, breathing characters that break free of their labels, and when she herself represents so many diverse identities.

[Kassy Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Dolores's voice was fresh. I really liked the family interactions; they all felt very authentic, and there wasn't a convo between her and Matteo that didn't have me laughing out loud. I LOVED Terpsichore! And I absolutely hated her mother. The portrayals of chronic illness and autism were thoughtful, sensitive, and authentic without every seeming preachy or like the author was sacrificing story for the sake of message.

Two tiny things, and maybe they are both different examples of the same thing, stopped this from being a five-star review for me. It seemed like there were a few issues that were presented but never fully dealt with. The two that bothered me were Dolores's lack of hygiene and later, her embellished memory movie scripts. The hygiene thing was obviously, to my adult mind, a symptom of depression, but without that explicitly being stated, it kind of seemed like she was just a gross, slovenly person, and I don't think that was the intention. I don't know if teens would recognize that as a warning sign of clinical depression, and that's kind of an important thing to get across. And Dolores's realization that her memories were embellished and subsequent freak-out that she couldn't remember things the way they really happened were very confusing. I found myself wondering, is she actually delusional? Are we finding out that she's an unreliable narrator? It seemed like that wasn't the case, and it was just the normal selective memory/embellishment that everyone does in their heads. But it was so dramatically presented and then so suddenly dropped that it felt very jarring and confusing.

So it seems like there were a few mental health issues that were brought up but not fully explored, which is totally understandable in a book so jam-packed with other issues, most of which were very well handled. It's really a small quibble, but those little missteps just stood out against the rest which was so well done.

Overall, this was a fantastic read. I wish the title and cover were different, since I think both might be a hindrance to teens actually picking up this book.