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They Could Have Named Her Anything
Racism, class, and betrayal collide in this poignant debut novel about restoring the broken bonds of family and friendship.
Every morning, seventeen-year-old Maria Anís Rosario takes the subway an hour from her boisterous and close-knit family in Queens to her private high school on the Upper East Side, where she struggles to fit in as one of the only Latina students—until Rocky welcomes her into this new life. White, rebellious, and ignored by her wealthy parents, Rocky uses her money toward one goal: to get away with anything. To Maria, it’s a dazzling privilege.
As a bond develops between these unlikely friends, neither can see what they share most—jealousy and the desire for each other’s lives. But crackling under the surface of their seemingly supportive alliance, the girls begin to commit little betrayals as they strive to get closer to their ideals regardless of the consequences.
Told from the perspectives of Maria, Rocky, and their fathers, They Could Have Named Her Anything explores the heartfelt expectation of what it means to live up to the name you’ve been given and the more rewarding discovery of what really matters.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2019
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5639 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
July 9, 2019
This book upset me because by the end I felt like I had wasted my time reading it when I could have read something different. I just couldn't develop any real empathy for Maria, the main character, who at times seemed to have her life in focus, other times seemed depressed (which was never treated or addressed) while other times just seemed to run on pure self-centeredness. The relationship with Charlie just seemed tarnished and ugly and more like child abuse than anything else. Cannot think of a single person in this book that I was really rooting for.
August 8, 2019
This story takes place in New York and its about this girl named Maria who lives in Queens and travels to the upper east side to a private high school. This book deals with families, race, relationships, sex, and betrayal.
Trying to put into words of how I felt about this story...I didn't like it. I was highly disappointed. I felt like it jumped all over the place. I didnt like any of the characters. They were all messed up in there own little way. I'm glad this book wasn't that long otherwise I might have DNF'd it.
Trying to put into words of how I felt about this story...I didn't like it. I was highly disappointed. I felt like it jumped all over the place. I didnt like any of the characters. They were all messed up in there own little way. I'm glad this book wasn't that long otherwise I might have DNF'd it.
July 18, 2019
I went into this book with no expectations and it was like stepping through a portal. The characters are messy and confused and full of angst. They are a mix of good and bad, like real people.
This book grapples with the human condition in a modern urban setting. Maria is surrounded by concrete and expectations and cultural differences between Queens and her private high school in Manhattan. Few seventeen year-olds would navigate this gracefully, I think, and it all felt real to me--the selfish moments, the heartbroken moments, the aching desire to be seen for who you are while not knowing who you are at the same time.
Each character is going through one of the worst times in their life: Maria--unsure if her family can afford college and navigating boys/men who only care about possessing her body; Rocky--cool and rich and fashionable, but always alone with her parents divorcing; Miguel--losing his job and feeling torn between forcing his daughter to work and helping her get to college, and knowing he is worth more than what he's ever been paid; and Charlie--rich and successful at work but losing his wife and his kids' respect, then finding shallow comfort in an easy to manipulate 17 year-old girl. Like I said, it's messy and these characters aren't trying to make you like them, but you will see them.
I thought the ending was beautiful and subtle. All the characters change by small believable degrees and there is a dramatic scene that brings everything to a head, but the ending is soft in a way that I appreciated. Some books end like death, with such finality that the characters are forever trapped by how their story ends. But this novel doesn't slam the door, rather it whispers goodbye as it gently ushers us away so that the characters can live the rest of their lives without us watching.
I loved it and I'm looking forward to the author's next book!
This book grapples with the human condition in a modern urban setting. Maria is surrounded by concrete and expectations and cultural differences between Queens and her private high school in Manhattan. Few seventeen year-olds would navigate this gracefully, I think, and it all felt real to me--the selfish moments, the heartbroken moments, the aching desire to be seen for who you are while not knowing who you are at the same time.
Each character is going through one of the worst times in their life: Maria--unsure if her family can afford college and navigating boys/men who only care about possessing her body; Rocky--cool and rich and fashionable, but always alone with her parents divorcing; Miguel--losing his job and feeling torn between forcing his daughter to work and helping her get to college, and knowing he is worth more than what he's ever been paid; and Charlie--rich and successful at work but losing his wife and his kids' respect, then finding shallow comfort in an easy to manipulate 17 year-old girl. Like I said, it's messy and these characters aren't trying to make you like them, but you will see them.
I thought the ending was beautiful and subtle. All the characters change by small believable degrees and there is a dramatic scene that brings everything to a head, but the ending is soft in a way that I appreciated. Some books end like death, with such finality that the characters are forever trapped by how their story ends. But this novel doesn't slam the door, rather it whispers goodbye as it gently ushers us away so that the characters can live the rest of their lives without us watching.
I loved it and I'm looking forward to the author's next book!
July 15, 2019
OMG!!! What a disaster! I thought the book would never end. And I never did figure out what the characters were supposed to have learned from their experiences. Way too much detail that was not necessary, not to mention that there was not one likable character in the whole book. And talk about lack of morality...one character after another. I could find no redeeming qualities in any of the characters or in their behavior...and I'm no prude...but, seriously...all this book conveys is that everyone is despicable. Is that what we really want to read about? Just listen to the news if that's all you want. Even if this book were free, it would not be worth it.
July 10, 2019
Whew chillay, no.
The premise was incredibly tacky and gross.
This book lacked strong, well developed, interesting characters, there was no character development, the plot was barely there and slow moving.
The writing itself left A LOT to be desired (weird turns of phrases, synonyms that weren’t really synonyms). The ending was arguably the worst part.
Save it. Save your time and money.
The premise was incredibly tacky and gross.
This book lacked strong, well developed, interesting characters, there was no character development, the plot was barely there and slow moving.
The writing itself left A LOT to be desired (weird turns of phrases, synonyms that weren’t really synonyms). The ending was arguably the worst part.
Save it. Save your time and money.
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July 2, 2019This month 7/2019 only Prime Members get to choose 2!!! books for the Prime First Reads programs.! I'm so thankful because I couldn't choose between They Could Have Named Her Anything and What You Did!!!
July 25, 2019
What’s in a name? Only everything—an entire culture, a lineage that goes back hundreds of years, a sense of belonging in the modern world.
María Anís Rosario is 17-years-old and attending the elite Bell Seminary in Manhattan on a full scholarship. She lives in Queens with her parents and older brother in a loving, tightly-knit family. Her mother is from Ecuador and her father from Puerto Rico.
Maria is startled when fellow student Rocky Albrecht invites her to her fancy Upper East Side apartment to study math with her tutor. Rocky’s real name is Rachelle, and she quickly dubs Maria “Shelly”, because, she says, “Shelly never really suited me.”
Rocky's favorite chant is "greed is good."
Rocky’s parents aren’t home. As it turns out, Rocky’s mother spends most of her time in their “country house” in the Hamptons, and her parents sleep in separate bedrooms, waiting for Rocky to graduate before divorcing. Maria spends the night. They have the whole huge apartment to themselves until Mr. Albrecht appears sometime the next morning.
Maria’s boyfriend of many months also lives in Queens. She doesn’t know when he changed, “only that his insults were iterations of the same non-fact: You are such a white girl.” And, “Stop trying to be like those white girls at your school.” The white-brown distinction follows Maria into her relationship with Rocky. When Rocky asks her if she’s seen a particular TV show, Maria answers, “It’s probably just a white-person thing.” Rocky is insulted and calls Maria out for saying a prejudiced thing.
The problem for Maria is she doesn’t really know where she belongs.
Perhaps this lack of belonging contributes to her depression.
Jiminez paints a picture of an American girl of Latin American descent struggling with problems inherent in her strong desire for upward mobility—racism, class differences, and identity.
But it’s not just a story about Maria’s coming-of-age. The story is told through the points of view of: Maria, Rocky, Rocky’s father, and Maria’s father. And this is why this novel is not a Young Adult novel. Rocky’s father Charlie endlessly ruminates on the demise of his marriage. Maria’s father Miguel is absorbed in filing a grievance for being fired when he’s not lamenting how quickly Maria has turned into a young woman.
Ultimately, it’s Maria’s name that helps her find her place in the world. But that’s after she makes numerous mistakes, some of which remind us of ourselves.
This is a touching story that provides insight into the struggles facing girls of color as they strive to improve their circumstances. But it's also a universal story about how wealth can be gleaned from a family's love--their love for siblings, parents, and the institution itself--and not just from material things.
María Anís Rosario is 17-years-old and attending the elite Bell Seminary in Manhattan on a full scholarship. She lives in Queens with her parents and older brother in a loving, tightly-knit family. Her mother is from Ecuador and her father from Puerto Rico.
Maria is startled when fellow student Rocky Albrecht invites her to her fancy Upper East Side apartment to study math with her tutor. Rocky’s real name is Rachelle, and she quickly dubs Maria “Shelly”, because, she says, “Shelly never really suited me.”
Rocky wasn’t like other girls—defined by a rigid and particular sense of elitism, by opera and theater at Lincoln Center and weekly copies of the New Yorker. Instead she used her wealth to circumvent rules…
Rocky's favorite chant is "greed is good."
Rocky’s parents aren’t home. As it turns out, Rocky’s mother spends most of her time in their “country house” in the Hamptons, and her parents sleep in separate bedrooms, waiting for Rocky to graduate before divorcing. Maria spends the night. They have the whole huge apartment to themselves until Mr. Albrecht appears sometime the next morning.
Maria’s boyfriend of many months also lives in Queens. She doesn’t know when he changed, “only that his insults were iterations of the same non-fact: You are such a white girl.” And, “Stop trying to be like those white girls at your school.” The white-brown distinction follows Maria into her relationship with Rocky. When Rocky asks her if she’s seen a particular TV show, Maria answers, “It’s probably just a white-person thing.” Rocky is insulted and calls Maria out for saying a prejudiced thing.
The problem for Maria is she doesn’t really know where she belongs.
Was there something intrinsically flawed about Maria? She wasn’t good enough for white boys—and not for brown boys, either. What if the rest of her life was like this?
Perhaps this lack of belonging contributes to her depression.
Jiminez paints a picture of an American girl of Latin American descent struggling with problems inherent in her strong desire for upward mobility—racism, class differences, and identity.
But it’s not just a story about Maria’s coming-of-age. The story is told through the points of view of: Maria, Rocky, Rocky’s father, and Maria’s father. And this is why this novel is not a Young Adult novel. Rocky’s father Charlie endlessly ruminates on the demise of his marriage. Maria’s father Miguel is absorbed in filing a grievance for being fired when he’s not lamenting how quickly Maria has turned into a young woman.
Ultimately, it’s Maria’s name that helps her find her place in the world. But that’s after she makes numerous mistakes, some of which remind us of ourselves.
This is a touching story that provides insight into the struggles facing girls of color as they strive to improve their circumstances. But it's also a universal story about how wealth can be gleaned from a family's love--their love for siblings, parents, and the institution itself--and not just from material things.
July 7, 2019
This book states it's an adult novel with a seventeen year old protagonist but to me it read like YA fiction. I got through about 75% before giving up because the characters, their actions, etc didn't appeal to me... I think it's probably a great read for YA, but not for a 40-year old woman.
July 10, 2023
read this for the “author’s debut” prompt for the 2019 reading rush.
what the fuck is this book even trying to say? what is the point? what is the story?
if i could bring myself to dnf books, i would’ve done so with this as soon as it became clear there was going to be a “relationship” between a 17 year old girl and a grown man.
there’s a lot of casual, normalized, swept-under-the-rug, and even romanticized abuse, racism, ableism, misogyny, slut shaming, victim blaming, rape, and predatory men.
every character is objectively awful and none of them have any development or redemption.
prepare yourselves for my full list of c/tws.
content/trigger warnings; on-page sex, poverty, misogyny, ableism, racism, homophobia, inappropriate adult men, menstruation, elitism, classism, abuse, abusive romantic relationship, abusive father, victim blaming, mc’s boundaries with being touched are violated by her mother smacking her ass, underage drinking, vomiting, mentions of eating disorders, depression, rape (mc is asked if she’s had sex with her boyfriend when she doesn’t want to out of fear of his reaction, and she muses that she can’t trust them and answers no, mc’s sexual relationship with a grown man who made her believe if she had sex with him he would pay for her college/help her family’s financial situation), suicide fantasy, slut shaming, masturbation, fatphobia, sex worker shaming, disfigurmisia, mention of car accident, gendered slurs, cheating, drugs, vandalism, shoplifting, physical violence, blood, asthma attack, hospital,
rep; maria (mc) is half ecuadorian, half puerto-rican. karen (sc) is half chilean, and queer? (she mentions “meeting a girl” and it’s left at that). ricky (sc) has asthma.
some notable moments:
• maria’s boyfriend accuses her of lying about being virgin because she didn’t bleed.
• we get the pov of a grown ass man (rocky’s father) fantasizing about and then having sex with an underage girl (maria) who he nicknamed "seventeen". he also muses about having had thoughts of his cousin, mother, and dog pop into in his head while masturbating. he also expects a smile from the female cashier when he leaves a 20 in the tip jar, and when he doesn’t get it, he thinks next time he’ll leave a 50 because “then that bitch would smile.” he also admits to kicking his wife out of the house because she didn’t want to have sex with him. he says his wife looks disgusting because she didn’t get a tan while on vacation.
• maria romanticizes her boyfriend telling her he would kill her if she ever left him.
• maria’s 30 year old uncle harasses her about hooking him up with her underage friends, and has a conversation with her brother about if they would “pipe” her friends. when maria calls them out, her uncle says “as if you girls are so innocent.”
• rocky, the other mc but to a lesser degree, says multiple racist things, but cries reverse racism when maria jokes about grey’s anatomy (and other things) being a white person thing. she keeps a list of the race and ethnicity of the guys she’s been with to check off the places she’s “been to.”
• maria tells her doctor that her and her boyfriend’s method of protection is “pulling out” and her doctor doesn’t even say anything about it
• when maria’s doctor flat out asks her if she’s had sex with her boyfriend when she didn’t want to out of fear of his reaction, she muses that there is no reason to tell the truth, and answers no. this is never addressed. maria has a lackluster, uninterested stance on sex, she thinks it’s dreadful and tells herself it will be over soon when she’s having it, and the book never addresses that that is not how someone having genuine wanted, consensual sex feels.
• maria’s father, whose pov we also get a couple times, muses about wanting to physically abuse his wife. he throws a backpack at maria’s face when he’s angry at her for not wanting to be controlled by him. he admits to locking her out of the house and grounding her for months on end when she doesn’t what he wants.
• maria disrespects her mother and women everywhere by saying she doesn’t need advice from “a housewife, a cleaning lady.”
• maria’s boyfriend breaks up with her and she’s upset not because she’s hurt, but because she doesn’t think he should be able to break up with her, when he’s below her. then she gets mad that he cheated on her, despite the fact that she’s been cheating on him, too.
• maria is said to have depression once and then it’s never treated or even talked about again.
what the fuck is this book even trying to say? what is the point? what is the story?
if i could bring myself to dnf books, i would’ve done so with this as soon as it became clear there was going to be a “relationship” between a 17 year old girl and a grown man.
there’s a lot of casual, normalized, swept-under-the-rug, and even romanticized abuse, racism, ableism, misogyny, slut shaming, victim blaming, rape, and predatory men.
every character is objectively awful and none of them have any development or redemption.
prepare yourselves for my full list of c/tws.
content/trigger warnings; on-page sex, poverty, misogyny, ableism, racism, homophobia, inappropriate adult men, menstruation, elitism, classism, abuse, abusive romantic relationship, abusive father, victim blaming, mc’s boundaries with being touched are violated by her mother smacking her ass, underage drinking, vomiting, mentions of eating disorders, depression, rape (mc is asked if she’s had sex with her boyfriend when she doesn’t want to out of fear of his reaction, and she muses that she can’t trust them and answers no, mc’s sexual relationship with a grown man who made her believe if she had sex with him he would pay for her college/help her family’s financial situation), suicide fantasy, slut shaming, masturbation, fatphobia, sex worker shaming, disfigurmisia, mention of car accident, gendered slurs, cheating, drugs, vandalism, shoplifting, physical violence, blood, asthma attack, hospital,
rep; maria (mc) is half ecuadorian, half puerto-rican. karen (sc) is half chilean, and queer? (she mentions “meeting a girl” and it’s left at that). ricky (sc) has asthma.
some notable moments:
• maria’s boyfriend accuses her of lying about being virgin because she didn’t bleed.
• we get the pov of a grown ass man (rocky’s father) fantasizing about and then having sex with an underage girl (maria) who he nicknamed "seventeen". he also muses about having had thoughts of his cousin, mother, and dog pop into in his head while masturbating. he also expects a smile from the female cashier when he leaves a 20 in the tip jar, and when he doesn’t get it, he thinks next time he’ll leave a 50 because “then that bitch would smile.” he also admits to kicking his wife out of the house because she didn’t want to have sex with him. he says his wife looks disgusting because she didn’t get a tan while on vacation.
• maria romanticizes her boyfriend telling her he would kill her if she ever left him.
• maria’s 30 year old uncle harasses her about hooking him up with her underage friends, and has a conversation with her brother about if they would “pipe” her friends. when maria calls them out, her uncle says “as if you girls are so innocent.”
• rocky, the other mc but to a lesser degree, says multiple racist things, but cries reverse racism when maria jokes about grey’s anatomy (and other things) being a white person thing. she keeps a list of the race and ethnicity of the guys she’s been with to check off the places she’s “been to.”
• maria tells her doctor that her and her boyfriend’s method of protection is “pulling out” and her doctor doesn’t even say anything about it
• when maria’s doctor flat out asks her if she’s had sex with her boyfriend when she didn’t want to out of fear of his reaction, she muses that there is no reason to tell the truth, and answers no. this is never addressed. maria has a lackluster, uninterested stance on sex, she thinks it’s dreadful and tells herself it will be over soon when she’s having it, and the book never addresses that that is not how someone having genuine wanted, consensual sex feels.
• maria’s father, whose pov we also get a couple times, muses about wanting to physically abuse his wife. he throws a backpack at maria’s face when he’s angry at her for not wanting to be controlled by him. he admits to locking her out of the house and grounding her for months on end when she doesn’t what he wants.
• maria disrespects her mother and women everywhere by saying she doesn’t need advice from “a housewife, a cleaning lady.”
• maria’s boyfriend breaks up with her and she’s upset not because she’s hurt, but because she doesn’t think he should be able to break up with her, when he’s below her. then she gets mad that he cheated on her, despite the fact that she’s been cheating on him, too.
• maria is said to have depression once and then it’s never treated or even talked about again.
July 12, 2019
When Maria Rosario begins commuting to a private high school on the upper east side of Manhattan, she is befriended by Rocky, a girl who doesn’t think twice about paying for Maria’s meals and even buys her a plane ticket. Maria is enamored with her new, wealthy friend, but she’s also worried Rocky will look down on because she lives in Queens. She doesn’t want to have to explain to Rocky why the hot water in the bathroom always turns cold or why they don’t have cable TV. Meanwhile, Rocky is equally jealous of Maria’s loving, functional family. The way Rocky sees it, Maria is loved and needed, while her own parents’ marital troubles prevent them from paying attention to their children. As the two girls become closer, their families get tangled together in messy and complicated ways. The structure of the novel is fascinating and works perfectly, the perspective shifting even within chapters from Maria to Rocky to each of their fathers. My favorite passage from the book is Maria’s thoughts about her home borough.
“Sometimes, when Maria walked down Queens Boulevard, she felt as if she were in front of an ocean. Twelve lanes wide and spanning far into the horizon, it provoked a similar sense of awe. In those rare moments when she had it to herself, when the sun had gone down and even the cars were sporadic, fleeting like flies, Maria was overcome with emotion. She felt so deeply her full humanity then. Some people had backyards, other people mountaintops, but Maria had Queens Boulevard to help her appreciate the ample beauty of existence.”
An insightful coming of age story centering on Maria, this vibrant debut offers so much more—a cautionary tale of the haves and have nots, an examination of wealth and whether that truly brings happiness, a dissection of loneliness and jealousy, and so much more. Stephanie Jimenez is an exciting new writer to watch.
“Sometimes, when Maria walked down Queens Boulevard, she felt as if she were in front of an ocean. Twelve lanes wide and spanning far into the horizon, it provoked a similar sense of awe. In those rare moments when she had it to herself, when the sun had gone down and even the cars were sporadic, fleeting like flies, Maria was overcome with emotion. She felt so deeply her full humanity then. Some people had backyards, other people mountaintops, but Maria had Queens Boulevard to help her appreciate the ample beauty of existence.”
An insightful coming of age story centering on Maria, this vibrant debut offers so much more—a cautionary tale of the haves and have nots, an examination of wealth and whether that truly brings happiness, a dissection of loneliness and jealousy, and so much more. Stephanie Jimenez is an exciting new writer to watch.
August 1, 2019
This book is out today, but I received an early copy of this novel & shared these words about it: In They Could Have Named Her Anything, Stephanie Jimenez has constructed a beautiful, unflinching narrative about the time in one's life when we go from being defined by what others think of us to unapologetically embracing our complicated and fluid selves.
July 3, 2019
OK what??
The story was ok. It moved along with a good pace but the ending was crazy.
It just ended.
Sometimes the writting was boring where I wasnt even paying attention to what I was reading but some parts pulled me in.
Just wish the ending was in deed a ending.
The story was ok. It moved along with a good pace but the ending was crazy.
It just ended.
Sometimes the writting was boring where I wasnt even paying attention to what I was reading but some parts pulled me in.
Just wish the ending was in deed a ending.
July 31, 2019
Maria and Rocky form an unlikely friendship. Maria is a scholarship student at a private school, where Rocky is one of the more privileged students. Both Maria and Rocky have struggles in their lives.
Told mostly from Maria's point of view, but also includes POVs from Rocky, Miguel, and Charlie. Maria's family is struggling financially, she is in an unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend, and she suffers from depression. Rocky's parents are going through a divorce, and she feels lonely and neglected. Miguel is Maria's father, who has recently lost his job. Charlie is Rocky's father, who is attracted to Maria.
I'm not sure what the point of this books is. It covers a lot, but doesn't go deep into anything. There is a lot of inappropriate behavior, and it all seems to be ignored or normalized. Add in an abrupt ending that doesn't show much growth in the characters, and this novel leaves a lot to be desired.
A contemporary young adult novel. Flawed characters and lots of drama.
This was my Amazon First Reads pick in July 2019.
Told mostly from Maria's point of view, but also includes POVs from Rocky, Miguel, and Charlie. Maria's family is struggling financially, she is in an unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend, and she suffers from depression. Rocky's parents are going through a divorce, and she feels lonely and neglected. Miguel is Maria's father, who has recently lost his job. Charlie is Rocky's father, who is attracted to Maria.
I'm not sure what the point of this books is. It covers a lot, but doesn't go deep into anything. There is a lot of inappropriate behavior, and it all seems to be ignored or normalized. Add in an abrupt ending that doesn't show much growth in the characters, and this novel leaves a lot to be desired.
A contemporary young adult novel. Flawed characters and lots of drama.
This was my Amazon First Reads pick in July 2019.
December 27, 2019
This book was so unbelievably boring. I had a hard time getting through it. I could not connect with any of the characters. I found Maria annoying and self centered. Rocky was a rich spoiled bitch. Andres was a dick. Charlie was a pedophile. They never even mentioned if Maria went to college or which one. This is the first and probably last book I read by this author. The style of writing was just horrible.
September 30, 2019
I tried really hard to like this book. It has diversity and realistic situations not often portrayed. The problem is I didn't like any of the main characters. It just fell flat for me.
This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
September 17, 2019
Honestly, I only finished this book because I'm trying to hit my reading goal and didn't want to abandon a book this late in the year and have to start over with a new one. It was not good, like, at all. There's so many different storylines going on at once, but none of them ever really comes to a clear, good ending. It's hard to root for any of the characters because they all go from being interesting, developed characters to total stereotypes or completely surface-level. Personally, I have a huge problem with Maria and Charlie's storyline, especially because neither of them seemed to face any consequences for their actions, nor did either of them get any kind of benefit from it all. Maria's relationship with Andres is really strange and doesn't line up with her character development and I have no idea why she stayed with him as long as she did.
I feel like with a premise of Maria and Rocky's friendships, you could've ended up with something WAY more interesting about race and class and all those intersections, but instead it was a weird love story in multiple directions, none of which made much sense.
TL;DR - not worth the read. Skip this one and pick up another book by Benjamin Alire Sáenz if you want a good coming of age story written about a latinx teen.
I feel like with a premise of Maria and Rocky's friendships, you could've ended up with something WAY more interesting about race and class and all those intersections, but instead it was a weird love story in multiple directions, none of which made much sense.
TL;DR - not worth the read. Skip this one and pick up another book by Benjamin Alire Sáenz if you want a good coming of age story written about a latinx teen.
January 25, 2020
I didn't care for this book. 3 stars because there was some original and interesting writing. But I felt the characters were very stereotyped, especially Rocky. The main character Maria didn't really feel coherent. She seemed to have totally different values and opinions and behaviors at different times throughout the book. Also I just really disliked a major aspect of the plot - and wouldn't have probably chosen to read the book if I'd realized that was going to happen. It felt icky to me.
Also, it seemed like the entire POV of both the dads was looking at themselves in the mirror and thinking about how they weren't attractive anymore. The moms (although we didn't hear their POV) also got a lot of commentary about whether or not they wore makeup and how they looked with or without it. It felt like a take-away message of the book is that anyone over 40 feels old and ugly and doesn't have value except maybe kind of as a parent.
Also, it seemed like the entire POV of both the dads was looking at themselves in the mirror and thinking about how they weren't attractive anymore. The moms (although we didn't hear their POV) also got a lot of commentary about whether or not they wore makeup and how they looked with or without it. It felt like a take-away message of the book is that anyone over 40 feels old and ugly and doesn't have value except maybe kind of as a parent.
September 26, 2019
We never really understand each other
Do we? Like it is always said, we are each the star of our own movie, we are all the protagonist in our dreams. The people we spend the most time with often don't know us at all. That realization, that dynamic, is at the heart of this novel. Not just the idea that the grass is always greener but the idea that our deserts are someone else's garden.
As a former scholarship kid, I understood a lot of the things that Maria went through. The entire story was beautifully written. The characters were crafted with care, it became a train wreck I couldn't turn away from. If the title weren't already taken I might suggest that a better title might have been the Beautiful and the Damned.
Do we? Like it is always said, we are each the star of our own movie, we are all the protagonist in our dreams. The people we spend the most time with often don't know us at all. That realization, that dynamic, is at the heart of this novel. Not just the idea that the grass is always greener but the idea that our deserts are someone else's garden.
As a former scholarship kid, I understood a lot of the things that Maria went through. The entire story was beautifully written. The characters were crafted with care, it became a train wreck I couldn't turn away from. If the title weren't already taken I might suggest that a better title might have been the Beautiful and the Damned.
September 26, 2019
I did not like this book. I thought it jumped around too much, told from too many points of views, and that Maria was a wimp. Her constant mood swings were irritating, and there were so many fantastical elements that the whole thing felt like one of those Latino soap operas I used to watch with my mom when I was growing up. Read the rest of the review on my blog: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress....
July 15, 2019
The story line never developed. It was all over the place all the way through. I kept thinking something was going to happen to draw me in but it never did. I tried to give it a chance, that is why I read it all the way through. Not a fan.
July 1, 2020
This young adult oriented coming of age story explores the angst of forming an identity, as Maria, a scholarship student at a ritzy private school, toggles awkwardly between the world of her hardworking immigrant parents and the world of her privileged and oblivious classmates. The unique challenges of code-switching add to the already fraught minefield of high school friendships. Although Jimenez doesn't deviate much from the formula of such stories - jealousy, resentment, forbidden desire and betrayal all raise their heads on que - she wisely uses multiple perspectives to show what Maria, with her heated interiority, can't see; namely, that the outwardly perfect rich girls she befriends are just as lost as she is, and even her strict father is plagued with fears and doubts not so different from her own.
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May 25, 2021I despised absolutely everyone in this book except maybe Maria's mom, and I want to give props to the author for how well she managed writing a group of terrible people. It sounds easy, but doing shitty people without doing shitty writing is a feat. That said, I'm not convinced I loved this book.
July 1, 2020
Tremendo. Mierda.
This book literally read as the shittiest latinx slice of life ever.
First and foremost, there is Z E R O plot. Nothing is really happening for the entirety of the book other than shitty one-dimensional characters being shitty. I'm just calling it how it is. The author's overall goal with the narrative only becomes clear and apparent during the last two to three chapters.
But, I mean, what else do you expect when numerous mini topics and points of interest are introduced in 283 pages with no appropriate follow through?
In no particular order they are:
There is literally NO CONSISTENCY with the storyline and transitioning and it was BEYOND FRUSTRATING. The overall narrative structuring is so poor, that it genuinely felt as if Jimenez had no idea where she was going with the book. It was like reading a poorly written journal of someone I would never associate with.
Other complaints I had included:
- Lack of character growth
- A lot of swept-under-the-rug racism, slut shaming, victim blaming
- Labeling virginity as something that needs to be "protected" uuuuuugh
- Romanticized abuse; like, Maria finds it cute that Andres says shit like he'll kill her if she ever leaves him and then when he does try to move on and break the relationship off, Maria says he doesn't have the authority to do so. I, just, I cannot.
- Maria's 30 y/o uncle talking about "piping" her 17 y/o friends
- LOL MARIA TELLS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL AT A PLANNED PARENTHOOD THAT HER METHOD OF PROTECTION IS PULLING OUT ANS THE DOCTOR DOESN"T RESPOND TO THAT???? fucking ridiculous.
- Maria straight up disrespects her parents. I would have received the chancla like 80xs over.
I can spend an entire day talking about all the things I disliked about this book, but I won't, because this book already received more attention from me than it should have.
Essentially, my sole response to this book is this:
If the author doesn't give enough fucks to flesh out the story and her characters, why should I?
This book literally read as the shittiest latinx slice of life ever.
First and foremost, there is Z E R O plot. Nothing is really happening for the entirety of the book other than shitty one-dimensional characters being shitty. I'm just calling it how it is. The author's overall goal with the narrative only becomes clear and apparent during the last two to three chapters.
But, I mean, what else do you expect when numerous mini topics and points of interest are introduced in 283 pages with no appropriate follow through?
In no particular order they are:
1. Cultural dichotomy between poor and wealthy neighborhoods - think THUG but a million times worse.
2. Unhealthy relationship with Andres on BOTH ends and issues with consent. (ALSO: Maria has this deep rooted fear of becoming pregnant and being unable to follow through with her dreams of attending college, thus being stuck in place forever - but then that fear just... disappears? After the first few chapters it's simply never brought up again and now she's having all the sex... Why make the fear a thing in the first place???)
3. Father dealing with unemployment. Attempts at themes surrounding poverty and identity are made.
4. Father dealing with weird and somewhat aggressive mid-life crisis.
5. Maria getting diagnosed with depression and then having all the symptoms suddenly appear? And lets not forget how we only get two paragraphs for the diagnosis revelation with Maria's mother, as well as for overall symptom exploration, before the topic is basically dropped altogether with no further recommendation or follow through. Like, okay. Sure. {Page 94}
6. Charlie's marriage fiasco and constant identity crisis.
7. Charlie - a grown ass man btw - getting into a sexual relationship with a 17 y/o.
8. Rocky's poor relationship with her parents (Charlie & Veronica) and its potential affect on her psyche.
9. Working as a student and its affect on pursuing higher education.
10. Potentially having to work at an establishment deemed "beneath you." (Also, screw you, Maria. My mom was the youngest regional manager for Taco Bell when she was a teen trying to help our family make ends meet. Nothing wrong with working there.)
11. Toxic friendships all around! Between Maria and Rocky, Maria and Karen, Lauren and Everyone, etc.
12. Random empowerment and liberation themes associated with swimming in a flashback of Maria's thats never addressed.
13. Annnnd the author's attempt at including body dysmorphia with Maria despite the fact she also has numerous scenes where she's comfortable in her own skin???
There is literally NO CONSISTENCY with the storyline and transitioning and it was BEYOND FRUSTRATING. The overall narrative structuring is so poor, that it genuinely felt as if Jimenez had no idea where she was going with the book. It was like reading a poorly written journal of someone I would never associate with.
Other complaints I had included:
- Lack of character growth
- A lot of swept-under-the-rug racism, slut shaming, victim blaming
- Labeling virginity as something that needs to be "protected" uuuuuugh
- Romanticized abuse; like, Maria finds it cute that Andres says shit like he'll kill her if she ever leaves him and then when he does try to move on and break the relationship off, Maria says he doesn't have the authority to do so. I, just, I cannot.
- Maria's 30 y/o uncle talking about "piping" her 17 y/o friends
- LOL MARIA TELLS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL AT A PLANNED PARENTHOOD THAT HER METHOD OF PROTECTION IS PULLING OUT ANS THE DOCTOR DOESN"T RESPOND TO THAT???? fucking ridiculous.
- Maria straight up disrespects her parents. I would have received the chancla like 80xs over.
I can spend an entire day talking about all the things I disliked about this book, but I won't, because this book already received more attention from me than it should have.
Essentially, my sole response to this book is this:
If the author doesn't give enough fucks to flesh out the story and her characters, why should I?
read-in-2019
January 31, 2023cw: sexual abuse of minors
I hate to admit it but I did not like this.
Everyone is a horrible person here, especially the friend's father who abuses underage girls.
A major theme of this novel is power, such as the lack of power the main character, Maria, has in directing her own life and her attempts to take control, even if by . Or the brief moments she savors where her (kind of) friend, Rocky, carries something for her or performs a task for her.
Which would be interesting is Maria wasn't so inherently dislikable. It wasn't even the cheating or the lying which isn't something that causes an automatic problem for me in fiction. It was her correction of her mother's pronunciation in English, those little humiliations. Maria treating her hard working immigrant parents like garbage even as she works to "save" them. I mean, I know parents can be embarrassing at that age but there's a certain awareness, however grudging, as a child of immigrants that your parents immigrated not only for their future but their children's future. Not true in all cases but often enough.
Maria prioritizes whiteness for most of the book. She wants to have what Rocky has.
There's a change of heart at the end but it was too little, too late.
I hate to admit it but I did not like this.
Everyone is a horrible person here, especially the friend's father who abuses underage girls.
A major theme of this novel is power, such as the lack of power the main character, Maria, has in directing her own life and her attempts to take control, even if by . Or the brief moments she savors where her (kind of) friend, Rocky, carries something for her or performs a task for her.
Which would be interesting is Maria wasn't so inherently dislikable. It wasn't even the cheating or the lying which isn't something that causes an automatic problem for me in fiction. It was her correction of her mother's pronunciation in English, those little humiliations. Maria treating her hard working immigrant parents like garbage even as she works to "save" them. I mean, I know parents can be embarrassing at that age but there's a certain awareness, however grudging, as a child of immigrants that your parents immigrated not only for their future but their children's future. Not true in all cases but often enough.
Maria prioritizes whiteness for most of the book. She wants to have what Rocky has.
There's a change of heart at the end but it was too little, too late.
July 18, 2019
There were certain aspects of this book I enjoyed; the dilemma faced by a Latino teenager, trying to fit in with her peers in a predominately white school, find her identity, and establish independence from her parents; two young women from different backgrounds, establishing an unlikely relationship because they provided a view into a life each of them thought they were missing out on; the "girl who has everything", who wishes for the one thing she doesn't have - a loving relationship with her parents. In the end, though, I really found it hard to like any of the characters. I recall having difficult relationships with girlfriends in high school, but these two were just awful to each other, most of the time. Rocky's parents were self-centered, ignorant of their children's needs, and uncaring about anyone but themselves. Out of anyone, I empathized the most with Maria's parents, who, although dealing with their own issues, clearly wanted the best for their children in the long run.
January 1, 2021
I’m finding the reviews here as interesting as the book. The experience of her main character is not relatable to the majority of commenters. Some of us have the experiences in life which allowed us to see into this story, and some do not.
This book isn’t for everyone. Her ideal reader is someone who can relate to her main character in some specific ways. If you were genuinely rare as a teen, either the smart kid surrounded by underachievers, a person of a different race than the majority of people around you, or someone who has struggled with poverty, then this book might be for you. If not, I can see why it would be unrelatable. This book was designed to reach the “black sheep”.
I gave this four stars because I see potential for this author to move beyond reaching only the people who already understand her. I hope that those of us who loved this book can give her the confidence to push even further on her next one.
This book isn’t for everyone. Her ideal reader is someone who can relate to her main character in some specific ways. If you were genuinely rare as a teen, either the smart kid surrounded by underachievers, a person of a different race than the majority of people around you, or someone who has struggled with poverty, then this book might be for you. If not, I can see why it would be unrelatable. This book was designed to reach the “black sheep”.
I gave this four stars because I see potential for this author to move beyond reaching only the people who already understand her. I hope that those of us who loved this book can give her the confidence to push even further on her next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2020
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Maria goes to a private school and yearns to go to college but her parents insist she get a job as they are barely making ends meet. Maria meets Rocky, a spoiled white girl and they pursue an odd friendship based on jealousy and other things they can't quite explain. Things get complicated as Rocky's parents get involved and Maria's on-again-off-again boyfriend takes advantage of her and then dumps her (but she still hangs around). I just couldn't get past most of the characters' motives as none of the teens make very wise decisions (yes, I know they're young) but many of them were random in nature and didn't make sense even given the context. Yes, it speaks to class differences, race, disparity in wealth, and compulsion; and for a debut novel it's well-written. I just couldn't feel compassion for many of them.
July 10, 2019
I found this book a little hard to follow at times. The writing style was confusing and the names were also confusing... did she have to choose Rocky and Ricky? The story was less than uplifting and was not what I was expecting. Glad to be finished with it.
February 16, 2020
This was a trainwreck.
October 9, 2019
I wish I liked this book more because it's a coming-of-age story with interesting themes of racism, cultural assimilation, family relations, and sexual awakening. But I found the plotline so ugly at times that I had to set the book aside and take a break. The plot also meanders and, unfortunately, so did my attention.
Maria is a bright high school student, but she makes so many unwise decisions in her personal life that I questioned her intelligence. Well, she is smart, but she is a teenager who thinks more with her heart than her head. I didn't find her a likable or sympathetic character. She uses people and then blames them when things don't go her way. I wish the author had given us better insight to Maria's psyche. For example, at one point she is sent for counseling when teachers note her depression, but it's not clear why she is depressed. I wanted to better understand her motivations, but I couldn't.
There were also times when I found the writing confusing and had to re-read some sentences to understand their meaning. For example, the author overuses pronouns so that it's not always clear which character she is referring to.
In the end, I found the conclusion satisfying, though some of the plot points that come beforehand are kind of yucky.
Maria is a bright high school student, but she makes so many unwise decisions in her personal life that I questioned her intelligence. Well, she is smart, but she is a teenager who thinks more with her heart than her head. I didn't find her a likable or sympathetic character. She uses people and then blames them when things don't go her way. I wish the author had given us better insight to Maria's psyche. For example, at one point she is sent for counseling when teachers note her depression, but it's not clear why she is depressed. I wanted to better understand her motivations, but I couldn't.
There were also times when I found the writing confusing and had to re-read some sentences to understand their meaning. For example, the author overuses pronouns so that it's not always clear which character she is referring to.
In the end, I found the conclusion satisfying, though some of the plot points that come beforehand are kind of yucky.
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