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Forgiveness

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Chiquis Rivera is a singer and the daughter of the late music superstar Jenni Rivera. In Forgiveness, her memoir, Chiquis bravely reveals the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father during her childhood and the difficulties she's faced in her personal life as a result. Despite growing up marked by the wounds of abuse, she eventually conquered her fear of love and intimacy. This book also recounts what caused the distance between her and her mother toward the end of Jenni's life. In Forgiveness, Chiquis brings to light truths that she wishes she had been able to reveal to Jenni. Two years after her mother's death, Chiquis answers the most difficult questions: Was she able to make peace with Jenni? And in this story of triumph and tragedy, who is most in need of forgiveness?

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First published April 1, 2015

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Chiquis Rivera

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5 stars
621 (58%)
4 stars
261 (24%)
3 stars
138 (13%)
2 stars
18 (1%)
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18 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
Profile Image for Lisa.
469 reviews38 followers
May 29, 2016
I have been wanted to read this book since it came out don't know why I decided to now. Forgiveness is about so much more then just forgiving. When Chiquis wrote about her mom and the tough love she gave her I could actually picture it and felt Chiquis pain and the love she had for her brothers and sisters and how important her family is. By writing this book It help her heal and to grow and become the women she is now. I never did believe the rumors that were said about her and by reading her book made me understand Chiquis a lot more and very satisfying 5 stars for me.

Happy Reading

Profile Image for Rosy.
8 reviews1 follower
Read
June 2, 2015
I hate it!!! I can't believe how she makes herself to be a saint and bashes her mother chapter after chapter. .....I just hope and pray Jenni is resting peacefully.
Profile Image for Juan Jo Ponce.
181 reviews2 followers
February 24, 2023
¡Simplemente gracias, Chiquis Rivera!

Es tanto el impacto y profundas enseñanzas que esta joya de libro me dejó, que no me alcanzan las letras para agradecer a grandes líderes como Chiquis, quienes con su testimonio, nos llevan por caminos profundos de discernimiento, caídas para levantarnos más fuertes, para seguir en la lucha y por supuesto, para regocijarnos a través del hermoso camino del perdón.

Grande y fuerte es y será mi admiración por esta mujer, quien tuvo una tremenda fortaleza, cuando el mundo se le vino abajo, tras lidiar con una acusación en donde su madre, familia y el mundo entero se volcaron en su contra.

Se trata de un libro tan fuerte y aleccionador, que muchas veces me temblaba la mano, tras navegar por sus páginas, repletas de intensas emociones, que no cualquiera es capaz de soportar. Ha de ser muy duro, tener una diferencia con tu mamá y que ella se vaya de esta vida, sin hablarlo y sin una reconciliación, solo de pensarlo, me duele hasta la médula. Si a mí, como lector, viendo todo desde una perspectiva externa, me dolió el corazón, no puedo imaginar el desgarrador dolor y angustia por el que tuvo que pasar Chiquis.

Además de ser también un tributo a su madre, pude percatarme que Jenni se equivocó y que la ira la cegó, no permitiéndole a su hija, dar su versión de los hechos. Conocí también el lado no tan justo e implacable de Jenni, la que no se tentó el alma para atacar profundamente a su hija, tras sentirse decepcionada por la supuesta traición e infidelidad perpetuadas.

Admiro mucho a Chiquis, porque ella no descansó hasta demostrar su inocencia; iba firme y decidida a que la verdad saliese a la luz, fuera como fuera y sin importar el precio a pagar, porque hoy más que nunca tengo la plena convicción de que tu nombre y dignidad son invaluables y que nada ni nadie, (ni tu propia madre, por más duro que se lea), puede ni debe, ponerlo en tela de juicio, ante el mundo y su maldad.

La narrativa de una Chiquis tan honesta, transparente y real, me conmovió de una manera muy especial.

Aprendí que no se debe juzgar, cuando no se conoce la versión de la otra parte, ni mucho menos enredarse en los chismes, dimes y diretes, cuando la tormenta se ha acrecentado gracias al aporte mediático, que como un huracán, arrasa todo a su paso, sin piedad e inescrupulosamente.

Un librazo que vale oro, porque cuando llega el Perdón, las cargas se vuelven frágiles y la liberación es total y en absoluta plenitud. ¡Qué bonito aprender del perdón, que bonito aplicarlo en ti, para ti, para los tuyos y para tu entorno!

¡Mi total respeto y admiración, van hoy, para la gran Chiquis! ¡Me quedo esperando con ansias el lanzamiento de tu siguiente libro: Invencible!
Profile Image for Marlen Villasenor.
22 reviews1 follower
June 1, 2022
We never really know what happens behind closed doors, so reading this memoir after reading Jenni Rivera’s Unbreakable, we as fans or outsiders may never know the truth, but it’s really not our business to judge or assume. Chiquis version was hers to tell and I very much enjoyed the vulnerability she shared when she didn’t have to.
Profile Image for Marty Gomez.
5 reviews
December 31, 2024
Such an inspiring story! I read the book while grieving the loss of my father and she really helped as she also talked about loosing her mother.
1 review
May 10, 2015
Chiquis Rivera is a singer and the daughter of the late music superstar Jenni Rivera. In her book Forgiveness, her memoir, Chiquis talks about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her dad during her childhood and the difficulties she’s faced in her personal life as a result. Despite growing up marked by the wounds of abuse, she eventually conquered her fear of love and intimacy. Chiquis also tells the story about what caused the distance between her and her mother toward the end of her mother’s life. In the book Forgiveness, Chiquis Rivera also brings to the public the truths that she wishes she had been able to reveal to her mum. Chiquis Rivera shares details about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father that until now have never been made public, like the fact that it started in a bathroom when she was eight after her parents separated in 1994 and were splitting custody of her and ended when she was 12, after she ingeniously told her father's girlfriend that she had begun menstruating. "Of course, Dora went and told my father and, just as I expected, the midnight episodes stopped once and for all," she writes.
Chiquis says she is sharing these details now "not to be morbid, but rather for the purposes of cleaning her soul and being transparent." Chiquis recalls in the book “My father would take advantage of those weekends, exploiting my silence more and more while simultaneously becoming ever more aggressive. His growing boldness translated into longer, more fearsome and more painful sessions for me. “All I remember is closing my eyes, tensing up my arms and thinking: If I don't put up too much of a fight, then he'll be done with me sooner.” The separation of her and her mother's stemmed from the rumor that she had an affair with her step dad Esteban Loaiza. Chiquis flatly denies the rumor in her book by saying that the reason was because she decided to be in relationship with a man that her mum didn’t want for her, and attributes that rumor to “toxic voices” that surrounded her mum at a time when she was deeply lonely and confused, leading her to doubt herself, then her husband's fidelity and her own daughter’s loyalty. The fact that her first husband was a sex offender and her second husband, Juan Lopez, cheated on her didn't help matters. According to Chiquis, she had reason to believe she would be burned yet again by a man.
After reading this book I realized that Chiquis’ life was not only difficult but painful, and sometimes even heartbreaking. When I started reading the book I must confess that I was impressed with the story she tells. I have no doubt that writing this book for her was a catharsis because even when I was reading the book I had moments when I had goosebumps because I was reading what she had to face since she was a child.
When I read the chapter where she was first sexually abused by her own father, I could not keep doing it because I could not understand that there is someone so ill that may cause pain to his own daughter. In his book Forgiveness, Chiquis Rivera Obviously begins recounting her childhood, recalling that her mother never stopped working to give her and her siblings the best, no matter what she had to do. I do not really know what happened between her and her mother but what I rescued after reading the book is that Chiquis learned the most important thing from her mother, never give up. No matter what happens to her or criticisms that she received by many people she continues with her head held high and with the conviction to fulfill her dreams. She’s also saying that she does not look for guilty or responsible simply makes it clear that there is no hatred or rancor in his heart, only forgiveness.
According to Chiquis Rivera "It was not easy to find forgiveness, but God was her strength and she never lost faith” and also in her book she explains that she did not write the book to clarify misunderstandings but to share something much more important and valuable: The long road to forgiveness. I really enjoying reading this book and I’m glad that she finally spoke out public because with this story she giving other people that suffer the same thing strength to speak out and not be afraid.
Profile Image for Regina.
201 reviews
January 11, 2018
I had this book on hold for a very long time and finally received it. I was happy to start reading it and delved right in. I think Chiquis is beautiful and she endured so much pain. The book was similar to the story of her mother and the writing style was also almost mirrored so it was entertaining and heartbreaking. Towards the end of the book, I felt she talked a bit too much about herself in a self-centered way, however I'm not going to review from a judgmental perspective due to what she endured and the fact that she lost her mother. She is thorough storyteller with lyrical thoughts. Overall, I can see why she mentions in various interviews that the book was therapeutic for her in many ways. A book not to miss for Jenni and Chiquis fans!
Profile Image for Jessica.
5 reviews3 followers
February 24, 2020
Very easy read i finished it in two days, probably helped that I watched every episode of I Love Jenni and so much of the middle if the book reminded me of things from that and other shows they starred in. I am glad that most of the boom wasn’t word by word of those shows but I am glad I had that knowledge to know this is all correct. The beginning is dark but a good insight to her childhood which I didn’t know this much detail of and the days after Jenni passed were also in great detail. A lot was clarified of those last months bit nothing we didn’t really know if you kept up with them. Overall, I like reading about their life from her perspective, although the end was dragged out a bit.
Profile Image for Jacqueline Rivera.
10 reviews
March 17, 2017
I appreciate how candid Chiquis was in her Memoir and how she was able to walk us through her history and detail what happened with her mother Jenni Rivera (whom I was a fan of), now I am a fan of Chiquis. Some parts were redundant. I get it, you love your siblings and mother and GOD...
Profile Image for Araceli Avilez.
5 reviews
January 30, 2017
I didn't like it, she tries to be this innocent tearing out her mom. I think she could explain herself more better and less pathetic. A mother will always be your mother even if she passed away.
Profile Image for Natacia.
4 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2021
The story was good, but it was hard to listen to. Did not care for the way the narrator read it! Sorry, not sorry...🤷🏽‍♀️
2 reviews
March 29, 2022
I recently completed “Forgiveness”, a memoir by Chiquis Rivera. This memoir gives readers an insight on who Chiquis really is. We are introduced to Janney Rivera, the daughter, sister, Girl-friend and niece. The readers get a glance into life her off of stage and behind the scenes of reality shows “I Love Jenni’ and “Chiquis In Control”. After receiving a great amount of hate from the world as a whole, including but not limited to her late mother Jenni’s fans. Chiquis gives the world a chance to hear who she really is, inside and out. She rights her wrongs, well splatting real raw emotions through out the pages. She explains how she has grown as an artist, but more importantly as a woman. Despite any rumors, venomous people or trauma she has had to endure over the years.
Chiquis explains how important it is to love yourself and trust the universe. She also goes over her child hood, giving details about the sexual abuse she endured from her father and how it affected her as a woman. It also wasn’t easy being Jenni Rivera’s daughter and assistant for many years but she wouldn’t trade that role for anything in the world. She explains how she was able to find the strength to continue living when she lost both her mother and father’s guidance, but in her words she was forced to “Figure it out” with 4 younger siblings to look after, she had no other option. Chiquis discusses several topics that fans may be in the dark about including details about her marriage, family, trauma, mothers’ death and her spirituality.
“Forgiveness” is a must for those who know and love the Rivera family. Readers will be touched emotionally and grow a different amount of respect for both Chiquis Rivera and Jenni after finding out about the conflicts they faced and accomplishments they welcomed. “Forgiveness” goes into raw detail, introducing fans to a different side of Chiquis Rivera. The one that the cameras and stage were not able to meet. The book can be described as an emotional roller coaster. You may shed a tear as you read about the different types of pain she felt, however when you realize the amount of strength that was required to rise. You realize anything is possible. Chiquis demonstrates throughout the book that she has rose just as many times as she’s fallen. The book is also full of dialogue, which gives the reader a better understanding of how certain situations happened. Chiquis also takes the reader’s into her thoughts using dialogue. I would rate this book 5 stars, not only did it give fans more knowledge about Chiquis but it also shed light upon sexual abuse, death and family conflict while also giving helpful advice for those currently struggling with any of the battles.
Profile Image for Kimberly Ann.
353 reviews4 followers
July 1, 2024
2.5 stars, which I will round up to 3 stars overall.

To start this off, I will admit, I had not idea who the Riveria family was when I first added this book ( and the follow up one) to my Amazon list. It came as a suggestion when I bought Chris Perez’s book about Selena and it sounded interesting. I also picked up part two of this memoir at the same time.

Overall, it’s an interesting read. I can’t say I really enjoyed it. I kind of liked it until around mid-way, maybe around when Jenni Riveria began her musical career. Until then I thought this was an interesting, close-knit family. I liked how Jenni was such a support and resilient person on her own with all her kids. When the book started going south for me was when Jenni became famous. She just seemed to turn so much. Some of the stories Chiquis discussed here seemed so unbelievable that I applauded her for still talking to her mother. I don’t know if Jenni’s fame went to her head, or if she had that much repressed jealously towards her eldest daughter but I was feeling badly for Chiquis during this time.

I am rounding this to three stars because I applaud Chiquis for holding nothing back; the sexual abuse from her father, her relationship with her mother, etc. I think it takes a lot to be that open and honest with strangers. I also like how Chiquis refuses to identify as a victim. I think when you have a lot of people following and looking up to you, it is important to show them how you were about to forgive, if you can forgive and/or mice on, even if it is a process first (as for anyone). However , it is 2.5 stars because it was often repetitive, and drug on in a lot areas. I started skipping some pages here and there because of this. It was also not the best written, in my opinion.
Profile Image for Tori.
55 reviews19 followers
August 5, 2024
I genuinely loved this book. I laughed and cried I had so many emotions reading this book!
There was so much to learn about Chiquis after listening to her podcast Chiquis and chill I wanted to read this since she brought it up in one of the episodes.
Everyone knows her from her mom the late Jenni Rivera!
This book really shows what Chiquis had to over come and learn. How she became a caregiver for her siblings and what they really came from it was nice seeing her side of things. With the rumors and what her actual truth was!
I loved hearing about one of her grandfather producing Chalino Sanchez and How Chiquis meet his son and dated him.
I kinda relate to Chiquis with losing her mom so young I was 20 when my mom died suddenly.
It shows the abuse her dad also did and how she overcame and forgave him.
Chiquis feels her mom around after she passes and is longing for her in dreams is what I have dealt with after the passing my mom. If you lost a loved one or deal with a lot of trama this book would be a great read. I love how she hasn't forgotten but have forgiven everyone and herself!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chassidy is somewhere reading.
3 reviews
June 5, 2024
**Trigger Warning** sexual abuse occurrences are written in this book. The things that Chiquis Rivera has gone through over came is unbelievable. Still she manages to push through when her life has included a whirlwind of trauma. Her ability to forgive the people who hurt her in such horrible ways is remarkable. Her relationship with her mother throughout the book is hot and cold. Her mother had ways to punish her that I think is pretty horrible. This book was a lot to unpack. This book details Chiquis Rivera’s life and her journey to forgiveness. She even learned to forgive her mother who she was not able to talk to before she passed away in a plane accident. The mother and daughter duo had a falling out due to a very nasty rumor that was never resolved prior to the crash.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Iliana.
45 reviews12 followers
October 6, 2017
I cried almost every time I read the book. Chiquis just like her momma is a true warrior. Growing up with a rough childhood and becoming a successful singer. It's sad that so many crazy rumors were spread and people actually believed them. It's good she decided to clear things for those who believed them even though she didnt need to prove her innocence to anyone. As a fan of chiquis, and not just of her music but of her nice and bubbly personality I enjoyed and loved reading her book. As I read page by page I just imagined I was watching an episode of The Riveras. Thank you for letting the fans be a small part of your life.
Profile Image for Sandra R. Valdez.
472 reviews2 followers
March 16, 2021
Wow

I really didn't understand why the daughter of a famous legend was disinherited by her Mother. I feel that was a bit harsh. I can understand the way Spanish heritage is. We want our children to be strong and independent.
To think that a child would betray you in the worse way, is beyond.. I'm lost for words. The tragic demise of a Legend is still up in the air. I feel this book did shed light on some of the rumors that still hang in the air. We may never know the whole truth at all. I hope and pray that this family can reach their peace. Hoping the Butterfly sheds her cocoon without losing her wings..❤🙏🖤
Profile Image for Emily J G Del Toro.
124 reviews1 follower
August 29, 2025
Chiquis doesn’t hold back one bit. She is completely open and honest about her life growing up as the daughter of the famous Jenni Rivera. Her pain, her struggles, down to her unforgettable child hood experiences, has you in tears. My heart ached just reading both her books.
She talks about her mothers deadly plane crash, the aftermath, and all the broken relationships that come years later over money, and accusations.
This was a beautiful memoir, I am so glad I finally got a chance to read it.
1 review
February 4, 2024
Extremely powerful

The book is deep and provide a powerful message about forgiveness and love . Chiquis had to face the hate from people who known her and from the people that were supposed to protect and love her .So sad 😭 I cried reading this book Chiquis is amazing and the strongest woman in this family .
Profile Image for Brianna M. Sanchez.
62 reviews1 follower
August 27, 2024
I’ve became a fan of the Rivera’s ever since I watched “Mariposa de Barrio” on Netflix. It told the story of Jenni but not so much Chiquis’ side of any story. I just had to read this book for that reason. It was such a GREAT read. I recommend it if you’re on the edge of wanting to read it. Just do it! I feel like books are just better than a show/series. I read it in 2 days!
6 reviews
January 13, 2020
Loved this!!

Book was so honest and you now know why she is so strong! The family bond she shares with her siblings is so strong and such a good example on how family should stick together. God bless this family!!
197 reviews
February 24, 2021
I enjoyed this Memoir very much. It was humbling, raw, candid, and open. My perspective on Chiquis changed after reading this book. It helped me understand all she has gone through, lived and how he has coped. It was nice to hear her side of the 'story' and all she has had to endure.
Profile Image for Monique.
3 reviews
February 25, 2021
Heartfelt, eye opening, and through writing, a way for Chiquis to continue to reflect and heal. Chiquis and the rest of the Rivera family have been through so much but continue to carry on. If you are a fan of Jenni Rivera and/or Chiquis, read this book.
2 reviews
January 11, 2022
A beautifully written narrative of a beautiful human

I could not put this book down! Read it from beginning to end in two days! A writing of sadness, pain and love sprinkled with appreciation of family, friends and fans. A great read!!!
1 review
October 3, 2023
Forgiveness: A Memoir, by Chiquis Rivera made me think about many life lessons, such as Forgiveness, love and loss. I would recommend this book to anyone who is dedicated to their family and culture and a person still longing for someone’s trust. This book was special to me, coming from a strong Mexican-American background, and having family issues along the way. I connected so much with the aspect of forgiveness and how gaining someone’s trust is hard after rumors. Being in high school, I will have to go through the choice of trusting others or not and rumples will be in the air a lot. Although life can be a rollercoaster, Chiquis went through worse and she shows the readers that although life can be a slap in the face, the impossible is always possible. I really recommend this book to a more mature audience, but overall a very great and strong message and I got a very amazing message after reading.
1 review
July 24, 2018
This is a good book and Chiquis story. I feel bad for everything she has gone through.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews

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