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Becoming Beatriz
"A compelling read about the quest for fame!"
—Debbie Allen, star of Fame
"Redemption is a heartbeat away."
—Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of the Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite
Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing--until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything.
Up until her fifteenth birthday, the most important thing in the world to Beatriz Mendez was her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting herself and her family far from the gang life that defined their days--that and meeting her dance idol Debbie Allen on the set of her favorite TV show, Fame . But after the latest battle in a constant turf war leaves her brother, Junito, dead and her mother grieving, Beatriz has a new set of priorities. How is she supposed to feel the rhythm when her brother's gang needs running, when her mami can't brush her own teeth, and when the last thing she can remember of her old self is dancing with her brother, followed by running and gunshots? When the class brainiac reminds Beatriz of her love of the dance floor, her banished dreams sneak back in. Now the only question will the gang let her go?
Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz's story is a timeless one of a teenager's navigation of romance, her brother's choices, and her own family's difficult past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa .
—Debbie Allen, star of Fame
"Redemption is a heartbeat away."
—Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of the Pura Belpre Award winner Under the Mesquite
Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing--until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything.
Up until her fifteenth birthday, the most important thing in the world to Beatriz Mendez was her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting herself and her family far from the gang life that defined their days--that and meeting her dance idol Debbie Allen on the set of her favorite TV show, Fame . But after the latest battle in a constant turf war leaves her brother, Junito, dead and her mother grieving, Beatriz has a new set of priorities. How is she supposed to feel the rhythm when her brother's gang needs running, when her mami can't brush her own teeth, and when the last thing she can remember of her old self is dancing with her brother, followed by running and gunshots? When the class brainiac reminds Beatriz of her love of the dance floor, her banished dreams sneak back in. Now the only question will the gang let her go?
Set in New Jersey in 1984, Beatriz's story is a timeless one of a teenager's navigation of romance, her brother's choices, and her own family's difficult past. A companion novel to the much-lauded Like Vanessa .
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
June 24, 2019
This was a very powerful book highlighting the Latino community and all the diversity within it. I enjoyed the '80s setting and reliving my own childhood, gleefully watching the TV show Fame every week. Unlike Beatriz, my dancing dreams were completely in my head!
Watching Beatriz move in a short time from a horrifying event into a confident young lady was quite inspiring. She had to overcome so many levels of racism, language barriers, and cultural differences to make the hard choices so she could have a better life.
This was a great YA book which I strongly recommend to readers 13+. *Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Watching Beatriz move in a short time from a horrifying event into a confident young lady was quite inspiring. She had to overcome so many levels of racism, language barriers, and cultural differences to make the hard choices so she could have a better life.
This was a great YA book which I strongly recommend to readers 13+. *Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
March 28, 2021
Jerry Pallotta takes readers on an A to Z tour of eyes, providing fun facts about a variety of animals, both those you will already know well and others you may not have heard of before. The facts that I found particularly interesting were:
👁 A giant squid has the honour of seeing with the world’s largest eyes; they’re the size of a basketball.
👁 Horses have oval-shaped pupils.
👁 Tarsier’s eyes are larger than its brain.
In addition, an explanation of how eyes work is accompanied by an illustration with labels for the different parts of your eyes, including the retina, cornea and lens. Each page also explains what different eye idioms mean, from “a sight for sore eyes” to “without batting an eye”.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
👁 A giant squid has the honour of seeing with the world’s largest eyes; they’re the size of a basketball.
👁 Horses have oval-shaped pupils.
👁 Tarsier’s eyes are larger than its brain.
In addition, an explanation of how eyes work is accompanied by an illustration with labels for the different parts of your eyes, including the retina, cornea and lens. Each page also explains what different eye idioms mean, from “a sight for sore eyes” to “without batting an eye”.
Another pair of eyes means help from someone else.I never would have thought a book about eyes would be so beautiful. Shennen Bersani’s illustrations truly are eye-catching. They’re so realistic that if I didn’t know otherwise I would have told you that some of the images in this book were photos.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
July 31, 2020
Becoming Beatriz is a YA Historical Fiction that drew me in because of the themes of dance and grief, which are both aspects that I really enjoy reading about. And while this novel ended up offering so much more than that, it was all sadly dampened by an instance of the bury-your-gays trope.
This story centers around Beatriz, an Afro-Latinx girl whose biggest dream it is to become a professional dancer. When her brother gets shot during the fight of an on-going gang war, Beatriz's plans for her future change drastically.
After Junito's death, Beatriz becomes involved with the gang and starts drug dealing as well. She never really wanted any part of this gang but she very much felt like this is what her brother would've wanted and she wants to carry on his legacy.
Now I will say that I did enjoy this novel. It had a lot of elements that I thought were very well done and I will definitely get more into them. But first, let me talk about the bury-your-gays trope, sadly something that somehow still exists in this day and age.
We find out in this novel that Junito was gay and there is a discussion on how this was not accepted by their dad and was the reason that they left Puerto Rico. This novel does not feature any other gay character. Junito is literally the only prominently featured gay character in this entire book and he only shows up in the beginning to get shot and in some flashbacks, some of which have to do with him asking if he should change (read: not be gay) in order to please his dad.
The more I sit on this aspect, the worse I feel about it. I enjoyed this novel all the way through and I think it had so many wonderful and important things in it but the fact that the entire storyline, and with that Beatriz's entire development, basically ends up happening because of the death of a gay biracial guy? It just leaves you with such a bad feeling.
Junito's storyline, the struggle with him not being accepted by his dad, and even Beatriz's thought process regarding Junito and his sexuality, could've had a really important impact if only he wasn't the only character. Instead we also have to hear how Beatriz blamed Junito for having to leave Puerto Rico too and how she wished Junito would've changed. She eventually comes to realize that that kind of thinking is not okay but it just all feels really bad.
Now I will say that I think Beatriz's journey with grief and trauma was well done. Beatriz stopped dancing after her brother's death, not only because she felt like she could no longer arrange it when she becomes part of the gang, but also because she was practising Salsa with Junito for her quinceañera when he got shot, so there is a lot of trauma involved. I loved seeing her re-discover her passion for dance and coming back to her roots while healing.
We also have another journey of grief depicted in the form of Beatriz's mum, who is so affected by her son's death that she no longer speaks and relies on other people to help with daily tasks. This is a really intense part of the story but I loved Beatriz caring for her mum and sharing her own progress with her, which helps her mother with healing too.
This book also had one of the softest male love interests ever and I always wish we had more of those. The development of the relationship between Beatriz and Nasser was so very wonderful to read about, although definitely a little bit quick.
I ended up listening to this story on audio, which was narrated by the author herself. While there were some parts in the narration where you could definitely tell that it was not read by a professional narrator, Charles did an amazing job overall and I very much enjoyed listening to her tell the story.
Overall, while I think this book did many good things, I just cannot overlook the use of the bury-your-gays trope, especially in the context of this particular story. So sadly, I just cannot recommend this book wholeheartedly but I really think that it could've done a lot.
Trigger and Content Warnings for drug dealing, death, loss of a loved one, homophobia and bury-your-gays, violence, gangs, blood.
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I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review but I ended up listening to the audiobook and this review is based on my experience with that.
“But that was yesterday, and if yesterday is what I once was, then today I’m becoming someone else.”
This story centers around Beatriz, an Afro-Latinx girl whose biggest dream it is to become a professional dancer. When her brother gets shot during the fight of an on-going gang war, Beatriz's plans for her future change drastically.
After Junito's death, Beatriz becomes involved with the gang and starts drug dealing as well. She never really wanted any part of this gang but she very much felt like this is what her brother would've wanted and she wants to carry on his legacy.
Now I will say that I did enjoy this novel. It had a lot of elements that I thought were very well done and I will definitely get more into them. But first, let me talk about the bury-your-gays trope, sadly something that somehow still exists in this day and age.
We find out in this novel that Junito was gay and there is a discussion on how this was not accepted by their dad and was the reason that they left Puerto Rico. This novel does not feature any other gay character. Junito is literally the only prominently featured gay character in this entire book and he only shows up in the beginning to get shot and in some flashbacks, some of which have to do with him asking if he should change (read: not be gay) in order to please his dad.
The more I sit on this aspect, the worse I feel about it. I enjoyed this novel all the way through and I think it had so many wonderful and important things in it but the fact that the entire storyline, and with that Beatriz's entire development, basically ends up happening because of the death of a gay biracial guy? It just leaves you with such a bad feeling.
Junito's storyline, the struggle with him not being accepted by his dad, and even Beatriz's thought process regarding Junito and his sexuality, could've had a really important impact if only he wasn't the only character. Instead we also have to hear how Beatriz blamed Junito for having to leave Puerto Rico too and how she wished Junito would've changed. She eventually comes to realize that that kind of thinking is not okay but it just all feels really bad.
“That feeling of wanting the beginning to begin again. On the dance floor, I can empty out everything that is bottled up inside of me—anger, pain, joy. Tonight, right there in the middle of Nasser’s living room, dancing among his smiling aunts, uncles, and cousins, I choose joy.”
Now I will say that I think Beatriz's journey with grief and trauma was well done. Beatriz stopped dancing after her brother's death, not only because she felt like she could no longer arrange it when she becomes part of the gang, but also because she was practising Salsa with Junito for her quinceañera when he got shot, so there is a lot of trauma involved. I loved seeing her re-discover her passion for dance and coming back to her roots while healing.
We also have another journey of grief depicted in the form of Beatriz's mum, who is so affected by her son's death that she no longer speaks and relies on other people to help with daily tasks. This is a really intense part of the story but I loved Beatriz caring for her mum and sharing her own progress with her, which helps her mother with healing too.
This book also had one of the softest male love interests ever and I always wish we had more of those. The development of the relationship between Beatriz and Nasser was so very wonderful to read about, although definitely a little bit quick.
I ended up listening to this story on audio, which was narrated by the author herself. While there were some parts in the narration where you could definitely tell that it was not read by a professional narrator, Charles did an amazing job overall and I very much enjoyed listening to her tell the story.
“It’s her eyes that tell her story. Those dull, gray eyes that used to be green. Funny how the color of sadness comes in different shades.”
Overall, while I think this book did many good things, I just cannot overlook the use of the bury-your-gays trope, especially in the context of this particular story. So sadly, I just cannot recommend this book wholeheartedly but I really think that it could've done a lot.
Trigger and Content Warnings for drug dealing, death, loss of a loved one, homophobia and bury-your-gays, violence, gangs, blood.
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I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review but I ended up listening to the audiobook and this review is based on my experience with that.
March 5, 2021
What a fun and educational book! I'm in love with this alphabet book that provides gorgeous close-up photos of all kinds of creatures' eyes, along with facts to accompany every one. Another reviewer complained about too much information for kids in this picture book but if you're reading it to tiny kids you can skip over some of it. Older kids will love reading through it and reading all the facts, or having them read to them. She also complained that they were close up but I think that adds to the appeal. There are plenty of animal books with pictures of the animals in their entirety. This is about eyes, and they're pretty cool to look at up close! There is a ton of information in this book but it's all given in just the right doses for me, without cluttering up the book with text. The photos are the stars, and the narration is just the right mix of educational and fun. I even learned some things! Well recommended.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.
September 18, 2019
"Sometimes all it takes is a spark, a memory, to crash into us, remind us of the what-ifs unleash what simmers beneath the deep, awaken the ghost, and give dreams a second chance."
Buy This Book : Amazon * Book Depository
📚 Series: No.
📚 Genre: YA "Historical" Fiction
📚 POV: First.
📚 Cliffhanger: No.
⚠ Content Warnings: Gangs. Drugs. Death. Homophobia. Abuse.
⚠ Read if: you're looking for books to read this Latinx Heritage Month.
I grabbed Becoming Beatriz because of the cover, as usual, I have to admit. But it is also because I was curious about the blurb.
As this is my first book from the author, I was a little unsure about what to expect.
This story revolves around Beatriz and how she is dealing with the recent gang-related death of her brother, Junito. She is struggling in school, in remaining as a part of the gang, and in pursuing her passion of dancing (or not).
Storywise, the book has delivered a good one in some parts, and an uninteresting one in others. Personally, I didn't feel any connection to Beatriz. I don't know if the problem was with me or how she was written as a character.
The story was supposedly set in the 1980s but there weren't really any relatable things aside from Fame the show and the blatant mentioning of the dates.
With regards to the use of Spanish for many dialogues, it would have been better if there are footnotes for non-native speakers, since most are not translated for us. I'm a Filipino and there are some Spanish words mixed in our language, so at least I understood some.
The romance sub-plot gave a breath of fresh air in the book. It's quite cute as a part of the story.
The description of dance needed a little work. I know it is really hard to translate movement into a novel, but I think this part was way too lacking to give readers a deeper image of what's happening.
The author's note at the end is touching and has redeemed the book to me, in a way.
All in all, I guess, this book has a lot of potential, but it did not capture me the way I wish it did.
☁ THE CRITERIA ☁
🌼 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Main Character:⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Significant Other: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Writing Style:⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Romance: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Unputdownability: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
☁FINAL VERDICT: 3.09/5 ☁
Much thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Teen for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own. Also, all quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
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November 11, 2019
3.5 stars
I really loved the author's middle grade novel, Like Vanessa, so when I saw she had another book out, I jumped on the opportunity to read it. I might not have enjoyed Becoming Beatriz quite as much as the other book, but it still was pretty good read. An added bonus was some of the characters from Like Vanessa made appearances in this one.
It's the 1980s and Beatriz Mendez has dreams of becoming a professional dancer much like her idol, Debbie Allen. Beatriz has just turned fifteen but she has been running with the Diablos gang for awhile now. After her brother Junito is killed by rival gang members, Beatriz has to devote all of her attention to keeping the gang operating and making sure the drugs are sold. Beatriz's mother is devastated by the loss of her son and can barely function. Beatriz meets a boy at school named Nasser who encourages her to follow her dreams and to keep on dancing. Will Beatriz continue on the road of crime or will she get to do what truly makes her happy?
I am a child of the 1980s so I love how that is the time period for these books. But what I think really makes these books unique is the author includes a famous woman, in this case Debbie Allen, into the storyline as the character's idol. I think it is such an awesome way to pay homage to women of color who helped pave the way for future generations. Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end of the book as it was neat learning how the author brought some bits of her childhood into the story.
My main criticism of the book is I just didn't feel like I understood Beatriz as a character. It's not to say I didn't like her, but I never felt as strong of a connection to her like I did with Vanessa in the author's previous book. I also didn't care for the newspaper articles in the book because they didn't come across as all that realistic. Perhaps if they were from a high school paper I would have bought into it more.
In terms of the plot, I do like what the author did there and very much appreciated how we got a bit of an update on the Martin family. I'm curious to see if another book will be written featuring one of the side characters in this one. If so, I would love to read it!
Overall, a book that can be enjoyed not just by teen readers, but by adults as well. While this book can be read as a standalone novel, I do believe you will have a more enriched reading experience if you check out Like Vanessa first.
I received a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved the author's middle grade novel, Like Vanessa, so when I saw she had another book out, I jumped on the opportunity to read it. I might not have enjoyed Becoming Beatriz quite as much as the other book, but it still was pretty good read. An added bonus was some of the characters from Like Vanessa made appearances in this one.
It's the 1980s and Beatriz Mendez has dreams of becoming a professional dancer much like her idol, Debbie Allen. Beatriz has just turned fifteen but she has been running with the Diablos gang for awhile now. After her brother Junito is killed by rival gang members, Beatriz has to devote all of her attention to keeping the gang operating and making sure the drugs are sold. Beatriz's mother is devastated by the loss of her son and can barely function. Beatriz meets a boy at school named Nasser who encourages her to follow her dreams and to keep on dancing. Will Beatriz continue on the road of crime or will she get to do what truly makes her happy?
I am a child of the 1980s so I love how that is the time period for these books. But what I think really makes these books unique is the author includes a famous woman, in this case Debbie Allen, into the storyline as the character's idol. I think it is such an awesome way to pay homage to women of color who helped pave the way for future generations. Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end of the book as it was neat learning how the author brought some bits of her childhood into the story.
My main criticism of the book is I just didn't feel like I understood Beatriz as a character. It's not to say I didn't like her, but I never felt as strong of a connection to her like I did with Vanessa in the author's previous book. I also didn't care for the newspaper articles in the book because they didn't come across as all that realistic. Perhaps if they were from a high school paper I would have bought into it more.
In terms of the plot, I do like what the author did there and very much appreciated how we got a bit of an update on the Martin family. I'm curious to see if another book will be written featuring one of the side characters in this one. If so, I would love to read it!
Overall, a book that can be enjoyed not just by teen readers, but by adults as well. While this book can be read as a standalone novel, I do believe you will have a more enriched reading experience if you check out Like Vanessa first.
I received a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2021
The illustrations of this book are great, but unfortunately the book as a whole was a bit lacking. There was a lot of information, which was great but there's a bit of a disconnect with the age group that would be reading an alphabet book and the types of animals that were featured. Many were unfamiliar, even for me, and a lot of the eyeball pics were so close up there was little context to the animal they belonged to.
We won't be reading this one again, the kids were losing interest midway.
Many thanks to Charlesbridge Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
We won't be reading this one again, the kids were losing interest midway.
Many thanks to Charlesbridge Publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
May 17, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Teen for an eARC of this book.
Beatriz has dancing in her blood, but since her brother was shot by a rival gang, she's lost her connection to music. She's struggling to step back into her role in the Diablos, her brother's gang, and to take care of their business at school. She's also trying to care for her mom, who's shut down since her brother's death. When a new boy at school shows an interest in her, he awakens that dream to dance when he convinces her to audition for a part in her favorite TV show, Fame. But there doesn't seem to be room in her life for both dance and the Diablos, although the consequences of either choice might be deadly.
Set in 1984, and a companion to her MG novel LIKE VANESSA, BECOMING BEATRIZ (release date is Sept 17th) tackles issues such as identity, race, drugs, gang involvement, and what a person is willing to risk to pursue their dreams. I enjoyed this fast-moving story and unexpected twists, especially the mystery behind the pictures that Beatriz receives. I would recommend this book, and look forward to hearing feedback from young readers.
Beatriz has dancing in her blood, but since her brother was shot by a rival gang, she's lost her connection to music. She's struggling to step back into her role in the Diablos, her brother's gang, and to take care of their business at school. She's also trying to care for her mom, who's shut down since her brother's death. When a new boy at school shows an interest in her, he awakens that dream to dance when he convinces her to audition for a part in her favorite TV show, Fame. But there doesn't seem to be room in her life for both dance and the Diablos, although the consequences of either choice might be deadly.
Set in 1984, and a companion to her MG novel LIKE VANESSA, BECOMING BEATRIZ (release date is Sept 17th) tackles issues such as identity, race, drugs, gang involvement, and what a person is willing to risk to pursue their dreams. I enjoyed this fast-moving story and unexpected twists, especially the mystery behind the pictures that Beatriz receives. I would recommend this book, and look forward to hearing feedback from young readers.
May 6, 2019
Beatriz Mendez has always wanted to be a dancer, it was the perfect way to stir her family away from gang life and poverty. But everything changes on her 15th birthday when her gang leader and elder brother Junito dies from his injuries in a turf war. She changes her life and her priorities to take care of her grieving mother and starts working for the gang, Diablos. Can she go back to her dreams and get out of the business to lead the life she always wanted?
Even though this book was fast paced and had a lot of interesting characters, they were not properly expatiated. Even though it felt like a standalone, there were bits were it felt like the history was not very clear but it may have been because it was a sequel. A lot of the dialogues were in Spanish and to a none spanish speaking reader, it was a bit confusing.
The portrayal of drug dealing and the problems faced by Beatriz was written fairly well. The diverse characters and languages proved only better for the story.
There were lots of part i enjoyed and lots of part which felt rough but i would still recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book about raw feelings and loyalty and family.
My Rating : 3/5
Even though this book was fast paced and had a lot of interesting characters, they were not properly expatiated. Even though it felt like a standalone, there were bits were it felt like the history was not very clear but it may have been because it was a sequel. A lot of the dialogues were in Spanish and to a none spanish speaking reader, it was a bit confusing.
The portrayal of drug dealing and the problems faced by Beatriz was written fairly well. The diverse characters and languages proved only better for the story.
There were lots of part i enjoyed and lots of part which felt rough but i would still recommend it to anyone who wants to read a book about raw feelings and loyalty and family.
My Rating : 3/5
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April 5, 2019Beatriz is an Afro Latina teenage girl who is reeling after the death of her brother due to gang violence in the 80's . She meets Nasser, a new student at her school from Haiti and discovers she has more in common with him than she thought. Beatriz loves to dance and is obsessed with the TV Show Fame. When open auditions for the show come to her town she is torn between her love for dance and her loyalty to her gang.
I really enjoyed how this book delved into Beatriz's identity as an Afro Latina. I think its great representation of the colorism that exists within Latinx communities and how people are made to "choose" one side or the other. Many of Beatriz's friends would ignore her African heritage and refer to her solely as Latina. Nasser challenged Beatriz's own understanding of her identity and helped her realize that they were more similar than she previously thought.
I think the pacing of this novel could be cleaned up. Some spots had a lot more of telling rather than showing. Throughout the book, the reader is told that the relationship between Beatriz and her brother was special. His death occurs in the early pages of the book, but we aren't really shown any of Beatriz's grieving process and instead we are thrown into her high school world.
Ultimately, Beatriz's world is surrounded in poverty, pain, and passion. I think Tami Charles does a great job at creating a world where all these things live in a constant state of pressure against each other.
I really enjoyed how this book delved into Beatriz's identity as an Afro Latina. I think its great representation of the colorism that exists within Latinx communities and how people are made to "choose" one side or the other. Many of Beatriz's friends would ignore her African heritage and refer to her solely as Latina. Nasser challenged Beatriz's own understanding of her identity and helped her realize that they were more similar than she previously thought.
I think the pacing of this novel could be cleaned up. Some spots had a lot more of telling rather than showing. Throughout the book, the reader is told that the relationship between Beatriz and her brother was special. His death occurs in the early pages of the book, but we aren't really shown any of Beatriz's grieving process and instead we are thrown into her high school world.
Ultimately, Beatriz's world is surrounded in poverty, pain, and passion. I think Tami Charles does a great job at creating a world where all these things live in a constant state of pressure against each other.
June 27, 2019
This is a really good read! Worth checking out. Review coming soon
June 16, 2020
I was sent an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Actual rating: 3.5
I don't think I've read anything quite like this, and I'm glad that different stories are getting a chance to be told. The author herself wrote the following about this in her author's note:
"It is my hope that this novel opens up more conversation about diversity within diversity. These types of conversations add to the growing spectrum of stories that show there is no single, authentic, lived experience in communities of color. As authors, we are the lucky ones that get to show all of this on page."
I do feel a little conflicted about this novel though. In a lot of ways, I thought it was a really good read. It deals with important topics that aren't usually discussed, and it does so in an often evocative way. The setting is something I haven't seen a lot as well. The story is set in 1984. Beatriz has a lot going on in her day to day life, as she's dealing with her brother's murder and she's involved with a gang. This obviously puts a lot of pressure on her, and it's clear that she only has a chance to show certain parts of her identity around different people. Then she meets Nasser, and they start dancing together and audition for the TV show Fame. I thought the story was quite promising, and I did love the romance aspect of this novel as well. However, the pacing was a little off at times, and the book relied quite heavily on telling rather than showing. I thought some issues were wrapped up rather hastily at the end of the novel, when they deserved more unpacking. I would have liked to see more character growth in Beatriz as well.
All in all, this was absolutely worth the read though! I just think there was a lot to discuss in a fairly short novel, so not every issue got the attention it deserved.
Rep: Black Puerto Rican MC, Haitian love interest.
CWs: murder, guns, (gang-related) violence, blood, drugdealing, grief, colorism, homophobic violence.
Actual rating: 3.5
I don't think I've read anything quite like this, and I'm glad that different stories are getting a chance to be told. The author herself wrote the following about this in her author's note:
"It is my hope that this novel opens up more conversation about diversity within diversity. These types of conversations add to the growing spectrum of stories that show there is no single, authentic, lived experience in communities of color. As authors, we are the lucky ones that get to show all of this on page."
I do feel a little conflicted about this novel though. In a lot of ways, I thought it was a really good read. It deals with important topics that aren't usually discussed, and it does so in an often evocative way. The setting is something I haven't seen a lot as well. The story is set in 1984. Beatriz has a lot going on in her day to day life, as she's dealing with her brother's murder and she's involved with a gang. This obviously puts a lot of pressure on her, and it's clear that she only has a chance to show certain parts of her identity around different people. Then she meets Nasser, and they start dancing together and audition for the TV show Fame. I thought the story was quite promising, and I did love the romance aspect of this novel as well. However, the pacing was a little off at times, and the book relied quite heavily on telling rather than showing. I thought some issues were wrapped up rather hastily at the end of the novel, when they deserved more unpacking. I would have liked to see more character growth in Beatriz as well.
All in all, this was absolutely worth the read though! I just think there was a lot to discuss in a fairly short novel, so not every issue got the attention it deserved.
Rep: Black Puerto Rican MC, Haitian love interest.
CWs: murder, guns, (gang-related) violence, blood, drugdealing, grief, colorism, homophobic violence.
October 6, 2019
*I received a review copy from Amazon Vine and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.*
I’ve never read this author but the cover caught my attention and the blurb made me want to read. Beatriz has a lot on her plate and is pretty much at a crossroads in her life. Her brother was killed due to gang violence. Beatriz wants to be loyal to her gang but knows she has no future if she continues to live this lifestyle. But leaving won’t be easy at all. Blood in, blood out. This book was a heavy read at times and my heart went out to Beatriz as I read. I feel like more stories like these need to be written because this is a very important topic. I have to say this was such a real, raw, gritty, heartbreaking and heartwarming story that had me sucked in from beginning to end. I have never read Tami Charles before and I was very impressed with this book. I will be making it my business to check out her other books as well.
Subject matter in this book may be sensitive for some readers.
I’ve never read this author but the cover caught my attention and the blurb made me want to read. Beatriz has a lot on her plate and is pretty much at a crossroads in her life. Her brother was killed due to gang violence. Beatriz wants to be loyal to her gang but knows she has no future if she continues to live this lifestyle. But leaving won’t be easy at all. Blood in, blood out. This book was a heavy read at times and my heart went out to Beatriz as I read. I feel like more stories like these need to be written because this is a very important topic. I have to say this was such a real, raw, gritty, heartbreaking and heartwarming story that had me sucked in from beginning to end. I have never read Tami Charles before and I was very impressed with this book. I will be making it my business to check out her other books as well.
Subject matter in this book may be sensitive for some readers.
February 11, 2019
Heartbreaking ~ Truthful ~ Hopeful
tl; dr: Young black Puerto Rican girl deals with the stress of poverty, gangs, and violence.
This story is not true but certainly rings true. Many young people suffer for no reason other than the circumstances of their birth. Beatriz is living by her wits with the help of her brother until tragedy strikes. Sadly, her family's tragedy is all too common in her Puerto Rican community. This historical story, set in the late 20th century, shows how violence is often a symptom and a cause of the cycle of poverty. This story is no glossed over feel good. The story is complicated and real. I rarely read the author's notes, but was glad to have read this one. The author mentions that she wanted to complicate people's ideas about diversity. She certainly does that in this book.
3.5
Thanks to NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
tl; dr: Young black Puerto Rican girl deals with the stress of poverty, gangs, and violence.
This story is not true but certainly rings true. Many young people suffer for no reason other than the circumstances of their birth. Beatriz is living by her wits with the help of her brother until tragedy strikes. Sadly, her family's tragedy is all too common in her Puerto Rican community. This historical story, set in the late 20th century, shows how violence is often a symptom and a cause of the cycle of poverty. This story is no glossed over feel good. The story is complicated and real. I rarely read the author's notes, but was glad to have read this one. The author mentions that she wanted to complicate people's ideas about diversity. She certainly does that in this book.
3.5
Thanks to NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2021
Superb tale of triumph over adversity. I had to read this book as part of an initiative as a librarian. A lot of times I really do not gravitate to books that deal with heavy drama or the ills of the real world. Much of what happens to Beatriz is all to familiar to many that are trying to survive in the harsh reality of the inner city. The book was gritty and there are things that happen in the book that are shocking. I do have to say that not being a Spanish speaker does hinder your understanding of the Hispanic customs that come up in the story but thankfully writer Tami Charles did a good job in having the characters interpret the terms within the dialogue. The book was well paced and I really wanted to see a positive outcome occur for the main protagonist in this book. It is strange that at times I wanted the main character to pay a heavier cost for her actions but ultimately all the characters in this book are victims of the environment in which they exist. This was a great teen drama that I was glad to see ending with hope which seems to be missing from our society today. This is a recommend for high schoolers maybe not the middle grade kids because there are some heavy things in this book.
October 19, 2019
If your favoured reading material is a compelling tale with a good sprinkling of family, relationships, romance, gang life, loss, hopes and dreams, then Becoming Biatriz by Tami Charles is a must-read for you!
From the get-go there was so much happening in this wonderful YA romance! Biatriz was a superb and engaging protagonist and I enjoyed how she matured throughout the story. She was really likeable and the icing on the cake for me were the parts where Beatriz was dancing.
Her relationship with Nasser was sweet and the couple were good together in spite of their differences. Author, Tami Charles had really worked wonders with most of the characters in this fabulous story and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.
I totally appreciated the diversity, its representation by Tami Charles and the realistic portrayal of gang and minority cultures, in general. I loved that the book was set in 1984 which was a special time for me, The plot was great and moved along at a really wicked pace and I was very comfortable with the author’s general writing-style. There were many issues highlighted such as identity, race, drugs, gang involvement and the risks people are willing to take to further their dreams. With some unexpected twists, I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting story, including the mystery surrounding the pictures that Beatriz received.
Overall I think this book was a bit of a hidden gem.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
From the get-go there was so much happening in this wonderful YA romance! Biatriz was a superb and engaging protagonist and I enjoyed how she matured throughout the story. She was really likeable and the icing on the cake for me were the parts where Beatriz was dancing.
Her relationship with Nasser was sweet and the couple were good together in spite of their differences. Author, Tami Charles had really worked wonders with most of the characters in this fabulous story and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.
I totally appreciated the diversity, its representation by Tami Charles and the realistic portrayal of gang and minority cultures, in general. I loved that the book was set in 1984 which was a special time for me, The plot was great and moved along at a really wicked pace and I was very comfortable with the author’s general writing-style. There were many issues highlighted such as identity, race, drugs, gang involvement and the risks people are willing to take to further their dreams. With some unexpected twists, I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting story, including the mystery surrounding the pictures that Beatriz received.
Overall I think this book was a bit of a hidden gem.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
July 24, 2021
Jerry Pallotta is the author of several Alphabet books. I never would have thought a book about eyeballs would be as interesting as this one was. There is a lot to like about this book. First thing I noticed were the amazing images. Many of them are just close ups of the eyes of the various animals, some are just the head and others are the whole animal. They were quite interesting to look at, especially after reading the text and then examining the eyes. I liked that the animals were both those we recognized, but also some that were new to us. One thing I thought was fun, is that each page had an idiom about eyes and what it actually means (ie A sight for sore eyes means someone or something you are happy to see or To turn a blind eye means to not care about something). In fact, we reread the book just looking and talking about them. Snuck in the book was a page with a simple explanation of how eyes work. The fact on each page gave a tidbit about the animal, usually about its eyes, but also other information. It might also include general facts about eyes or sight in humans. Depending on who you read this book to, you can choose to read all or just some of the information. When I read it with my youngest grandchild, we just read the A is for line and maybe the one fact. With my older two grandchildren, we read the whole thing, but the older one really enjoyed the idioms. I even learned a few things reading this one. I can see this book being used in schools when learning about the senses, animals, idioms, and more. I definitely recommend this one.
March 22, 2020
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Becoming Beatriz is the story of Beatriz Mendez, who is traumatized by her brother’s death and struggles with realizing her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting out of the gang life while also remaining true to her brother’s memory and legacy. There are A LOT of issues to unpack in this novel, and because it’s fairly short and full of important things that should be talked about, I feel like a lot of stuff was glossed over, which made it feel like there just wasn’t enough focus to it.
However, I really liked Beatriz and was right there with her, frustrated for her being in the circumstances she was in, and wanting her and her family to succeed. I appreciated that she was able to learn from her brother’s mistakes as well as her past and that dance lifted her up to find courage to start saying away from her life in the gang. As someone who danced in high school, it was wonderful to read a description of how dance can take you away.
All in all, this is a decent read. Some of the pacing was off and I wish more of the characters were fully developed, but the plot whizzes by with conflict after conflict, which makes for an engaging read.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
Becoming Beatriz is the story of Beatriz Mendez, who is traumatized by her brother’s death and struggles with realizing her dream of becoming a professional dancer and getting out of the gang life while also remaining true to her brother’s memory and legacy. There are A LOT of issues to unpack in this novel, and because it’s fairly short and full of important things that should be talked about, I feel like a lot of stuff was glossed over, which made it feel like there just wasn’t enough focus to it.
However, I really liked Beatriz and was right there with her, frustrated for her being in the circumstances she was in, and wanting her and her family to succeed. I appreciated that she was able to learn from her brother’s mistakes as well as her past and that dance lifted her up to find courage to start saying away from her life in the gang. As someone who danced in high school, it was wonderful to read a description of how dance can take you away.
All in all, this is a decent read. Some of the pacing was off and I wish more of the characters were fully developed, but the plot whizzes by with conflict after conflict, which makes for an engaging read.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
April 13, 2021
First sentence: A is for Alligator. An alligator has eyes that stick up on the top of its head. It can look above the water while the rest of its head and body are hidden below the water.
Premise/plot: The Eyeball Alphabet book is a nonfiction picture book. It is an alphabet book, true, but not just any old ordinary alphabet book. It is an EYEBALL alphabet book. Each letter of the alphabet highlights the eyes of an animal. Animal facts, eye facts, and idioms galore. (Each spread features an eye-related idiom. An idiom is an expression that means something different from what it actually says. For example, "keep your eye on the ball," "in the blink of an eye," etc.)
My thought: I liked this one more than I thought I would. This is neither a cute, warm, and fuzzy animal book nor a strange, exotic, creepy animal book. It covers a wide range of animals. It has facts. Some facts are focused on the specific animal. But occasionally the focus is just on eye facts in general and has very little to do with the animal in question.
I found it an interesting read. I think it would be a good fit with school and classroom libraries in particular.
Premise/plot: The Eyeball Alphabet book is a nonfiction picture book. It is an alphabet book, true, but not just any old ordinary alphabet book. It is an EYEBALL alphabet book. Each letter of the alphabet highlights the eyes of an animal. Animal facts, eye facts, and idioms galore. (Each spread features an eye-related idiom. An idiom is an expression that means something different from what it actually says. For example, "keep your eye on the ball," "in the blink of an eye," etc.)
My thought: I liked this one more than I thought I would. This is neither a cute, warm, and fuzzy animal book nor a strange, exotic, creepy animal book. It covers a wide range of animals. It has facts. Some facts are focused on the specific animal. But occasionally the focus is just on eye facts in general and has very little to do with the animal in question.
I found it an interesting read. I think it would be a good fit with school and classroom libraries in particular.
March 5, 2019
I’ve been having a hard time lately with books not being able to hold my attention. Luckily this was not a problem for “Becoming Beatriz”
This story explores a young woman navigating the gang life that supports her family while trying to pursue her dreams of dancing and it does it well. I hate reading a story of someone trying to better their life but they can never seem to catch a break. Throughout the story, I could tell that Beatriz did have truly loyal support systems which was refreshing.
I have never been a dancer but I’ve always been fascinated with shows and movies that show that life. ‘Fame’ and the incomparable Debbie Allen serve as a beautifully nostalgic thread throughout this story. If today’s readers don’t know who Ms. Allen is I hope this story spurs them to learn more.
Five stars because I was interested throughout, it talks about Fame, and I didn’t think the protagonist was put through unnecessary hardship.
*I too received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review*
This story explores a young woman navigating the gang life that supports her family while trying to pursue her dreams of dancing and it does it well. I hate reading a story of someone trying to better their life but they can never seem to catch a break. Throughout the story, I could tell that Beatriz did have truly loyal support systems which was refreshing.
I have never been a dancer but I’ve always been fascinated with shows and movies that show that life. ‘Fame’ and the incomparable Debbie Allen serve as a beautifully nostalgic thread throughout this story. If today’s readers don’t know who Ms. Allen is I hope this story spurs them to learn more.
Five stars because I was interested throughout, it talks about Fame, and I didn’t think the protagonist was put through unnecessary hardship.
*I too received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review*
Did Not Finish
November 29, 2019This book was trying me: bury your gays, victim-blaming, you’re not like the other girls... Sad because it has great discussions about what it means to be AfroLatinx but oh boy, not over the shoulders of Black gay kids. And I get that’s the point of the story, but it doesn’t help that Beatriz has zero regrets for what she has done.
I'm so disappointed because I was looking forward to Beatriz's redemption arc BUT her whole journey comes from the pain of the only gay Black characters in the book. And it's SO painful to read.
Fair, I didn't finish the book, maybe it makes up for all the violence against its gay characters, but I'm not sure it will. And I don't trust Tami. There were so many different ways to deal with gang and violence and toxic masculinity than doing this.
I'm so disappointed because I was looking forward to Beatriz's redemption arc BUT her whole journey comes from the pain of the only gay Black characters in the book. And it's SO painful to read.
Fair, I didn't finish the book, maybe it makes up for all the violence against its gay characters, but I'm not sure it will. And I don't trust Tami. There were so many different ways to deal with gang and violence and toxic masculinity than doing this.
March 19, 2021
Every classroom should get this book!! The pictures are wonderful and bold. Each letter of the alphabet is shown by eyes of animals. The pictures are so real that it makes you excited to learn. I think that this would be wonderful for an at home library as well. I can't get over how wonderfully colorful the book is.
January 28, 2023
Eyes in front, likes to hunt. Eyes on side, likes to hide.
Pull the wool over their eyes.
Pull the wool over their eyes.
August 30, 2019
I recieved an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not really sure about the rating so I might come back and bump it up, but not down.
Third disclaimer: I'm latina, I literally have lived in Argentina for my whole life, my parents and grandparents are all Argentinian, Spanish is my first language, please take this as an ownvoices review, thanks.
Reading bilingual latinx characters that throw Spanish in their every day speech is something that I LOVE, and this book had a much larger amount of Spanish than any other book in English that I've ever read. Which was good, of course, but would've been better if the Spanish was more polished. I understand that the main character has lived half of her life in Puerto Rico and half in the US, so I can understand her having grammar errors and stuff, but it's not something that should be expected from her mom or her grandmother, who have only lived in the US for less than ten years of their lives. And it's a thing I understand if the author had the same journey as Beatriz did, having been born in PR and moved to the US at a young age, but it just isn't something that should've happened. There should've been more Hispanic people present that could point out these things.
It's mostly mispellings and incorrect uses of words, definitely not something as bad as the Bicho Raro thing that happened a few years ago. But I don't think the fact that the author is bilingual/Puerto Rican/latina should've outweighted the need to double check.
It's a bit uncomfortable for me to talk about the gang aspect of this book because that's not my experience at all. I come from a really privileged background, and I honestly just haven't been in touch with that stuff, so I can't say if it's truthful or not. At times it felt overwhelming and at times it was extremely underwhelming (like "she can do THAT??? don't they have eyes everywhere???"), but I liked how it showed Beatriz's growth.
The love interest is an absolute ray of sunshine, and I'm glad that he wasn't played off like just some stupid nerd kid. Which he was, but in a good way. Like, he didn't even begin to understand how the gang worked, but that didn't mean he couldn't confront Beatriz about it.
The dancing aspect was PERFECT for the romance, and it has put me in a dance class-romance kick which will most likely end with me watching HSM or some shit AGAIN. I kinda wish we would've gotten more explanation for the moves they were doing, and that the improvs weren't just a paragraph of Beatriz saying she felt the rhythm or something and then jumping to another topic. I was an aerobic dancer for like four years (6-10 lmao but it still counts) and I got into that world so much in those years that I wish the author would've spent more time writing about that. The atmosphere in a dancing competition is no fucking joke and I would've LOVED to see a rivalry with another school or group or something like that.
Oh and by the way, the book is sent in the 1980s, but that aspect is wildly underdeveloped. The date is dropped at some points through newspapers, there's a leotard and there aren't any smartphones or internet but that's basically it. Idk who Debbie Allen is but I guess she was an 80s person, too. Apart from that, it felt like the author just used that time period as an excuse for not having the main characters text each other. I wish I could've felt the 80s vibes a bit more!!
I don't knoe how this review came across so to summarize: I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK, SPECIALLY IF YOU'RE LATINX OR JUST KNOW A LOT OF SPANISH
I'm not really sure about the rating so I might come back and bump it up, but not down.
Third disclaimer: I'm latina, I literally have lived in Argentina for my whole life, my parents and grandparents are all Argentinian, Spanish is my first language, please take this as an ownvoices review, thanks.
Reading bilingual latinx characters that throw Spanish in their every day speech is something that I LOVE, and this book had a much larger amount of Spanish than any other book in English that I've ever read. Which was good, of course, but would've been better if the Spanish was more polished. I understand that the main character has lived half of her life in Puerto Rico and half in the US, so I can understand her having grammar errors and stuff, but it's not something that should be expected from her mom or her grandmother, who have only lived in the US for less than ten years of their lives. And it's a thing I understand if the author had the same journey as Beatriz did, having been born in PR and moved to the US at a young age, but it just isn't something that should've happened. There should've been more Hispanic people present that could point out these things.
It's mostly mispellings and incorrect uses of words, definitely not something as bad as the Bicho Raro thing that happened a few years ago. But I don't think the fact that the author is bilingual/Puerto Rican/latina should've outweighted the need to double check.
It's a bit uncomfortable for me to talk about the gang aspect of this book because that's not my experience at all. I come from a really privileged background, and I honestly just haven't been in touch with that stuff, so I can't say if it's truthful or not. At times it felt overwhelming and at times it was extremely underwhelming (like "she can do THAT??? don't they have eyes everywhere???"), but I liked how it showed Beatriz's growth.
The love interest is an absolute ray of sunshine, and I'm glad that he wasn't played off like just some stupid nerd kid. Which he was, but in a good way. Like, he didn't even begin to understand how the gang worked, but that didn't mean he couldn't confront Beatriz about it.
The dancing aspect was PERFECT for the romance, and it has put me in a dance class-romance kick which will most likely end with me watching HSM or some shit AGAIN. I kinda wish we would've gotten more explanation for the moves they were doing, and that the improvs weren't just a paragraph of Beatriz saying she felt the rhythm or something and then jumping to another topic. I was an aerobic dancer for like four years (6-10 lmao but it still counts) and I got into that world so much in those years that I wish the author would've spent more time writing about that. The atmosphere in a dancing competition is no fucking joke and I would've LOVED to see a rivalry with another school or group or something like that.
Oh and by the way, the book is sent in the 1980s, but that aspect is wildly underdeveloped. The date is dropped at some points through newspapers, there's a leotard and there aren't any smartphones or internet but that's basically it. Idk who Debbie Allen is but I guess she was an 80s person, too. Apart from that, it felt like the author just used that time period as an excuse for not having the main characters text each other. I wish I could've felt the 80s vibes a bit more!!
I don't knoe how this review came across so to summarize: I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK, SPECIALLY IF YOU'RE LATINX OR JUST KNOW A LOT OF SPANISH
September 5, 2019
I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but it just didn't click with me. There weren't many problems involved, but my general impression somehow wasn't that great. This is the companion novel to the Like Vanessa, although it completely stands on its own (I know that for sure, because I read this first).
We follow the story of Beatriz Mendez, and her life in the aftermath of her brother's death. She spends her time caring about her mother and being a member of the gang, but had to quit her dancing dreams. Until she meets Nasser, nerd boy from her school (who later becomes love interest), who encouraged her love of dance again.
The main character is Afro Latina and all of the character dialogues were spontaneous switch between using English and Spanish. As a non Spanish speaker, I found most of the language confusing and was utterly annoyed there weren't footnotes with translations. This is probably something that was bugging me of the most.
Pacing of the book was so weird, with constant random time jumps. Certain periods of time were skipped without any proper explanations, leaving the novel feel more like a bunch of episodic happenings instead of a coherent whole. The ending was kind of climatic, but there weren't many major events before that.
I liked Beatriz, but she felt a bit underdeveloped to me, along with the other characters from the novel. Her gang storyline wasn't as interesting as I expected, and I think more research could've gone into that. Same as with the time period, because this book didn't feel like historical fiction at all.
I can't say this was a waste of time, but I wasn't impressed at all. Maybe I'll give this author a chance again in the future, there's a lot of space left for improvement in her writing.
Thanks to the Netgalley and Charlesbridge Teen for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
We follow the story of Beatriz Mendez, and her life in the aftermath of her brother's death. She spends her time caring about her mother and being a member of the gang, but had to quit her dancing dreams. Until she meets Nasser, nerd boy from her school (who later becomes love interest), who encouraged her love of dance again.
The main character is Afro Latina and all of the character dialogues were spontaneous switch between using English and Spanish. As a non Spanish speaker, I found most of the language confusing and was utterly annoyed there weren't footnotes with translations. This is probably something that was bugging me of the most.
Pacing of the book was so weird, with constant random time jumps. Certain periods of time were skipped without any proper explanations, leaving the novel feel more like a bunch of episodic happenings instead of a coherent whole. The ending was kind of climatic, but there weren't many major events before that.
I liked Beatriz, but she felt a bit underdeveloped to me, along with the other characters from the novel. Her gang storyline wasn't as interesting as I expected, and I think more research could've gone into that. Same as with the time period, because this book didn't feel like historical fiction at all.
I can't say this was a waste of time, but I wasn't impressed at all. Maybe I'll give this author a chance again in the future, there's a lot of space left for improvement in her writing.
Thanks to the Netgalley and Charlesbridge Teen for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 2, 2020
2.8 stars
If you like books like Run Baby Run, The queen of the South, The Hate You Give , you may like this book.
The story was well written and entertaining but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
I was SOOOO looking forward to this book! Latin rep, urban setting, gangs, social commentary...
Everything I ever want in a book!
And in a way I did get that. All of that! It was action packed and the topics were relevant, that's for sure, and that's why I say it's very entertaining.
But, but I didn’t get to know or connect with Beatriz. I didn't feel to me that she wasn’t given agency. No goals and no dreams of her own. No motivations to drive her. Most of the story Beatriz was just reacting to what’s happening to her
I also never felt fully grounded in the story. I was thrown into this gang vendetta with no backstory whatsoever so I had to go and check if I was reading a sequel. And, nope. I was not a sequel.
Also, the Latin rep seemed a little off to me. I even wen to read the author's bio because I wasn't sure it was an own-voices. I didn't find anywhere that is was own-voices. And, I wholeheartedly A story like this SHOULD BE own-voices.
If you like books like Run Baby Run, The queen of the South, The Hate You Give , you may like this book.
The story was well written and entertaining but, unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.
I was SOOOO looking forward to this book! Latin rep, urban setting, gangs, social commentary...
Everything I ever want in a book!
And in a way I did get that. All of that! It was action packed and the topics were relevant, that's for sure, and that's why I say it's very entertaining.
But, but I didn’t get to know or connect with Beatriz. I didn't feel to me that she wasn’t given agency. No goals and no dreams of her own. No motivations to drive her. Most of the story Beatriz was just reacting to what’s happening to her
I also never felt fully grounded in the story. I was thrown into this gang vendetta with no backstory whatsoever so I had to go and check if I was reading a sequel. And, nope. I was not a sequel.
Also, the Latin rep seemed a little off to me. I even wen to read the author's bio because I wasn't sure it was an own-voices. I didn't find anywhere that is was own-voices. And, I wholeheartedly A story like this SHOULD BE own-voices.
October 7, 2019
"We have to learn how to become and how to overcome all at once."
What a book! This was an incredible book about grief, loss, becoming, overcoming, drugs, gangs, violence, healing, creativity. Told largely through Beatriz's narrative, but with some bits of her poetry, dreams, and newspaper clippings, Becoming Beatriz focuses on rising from the ashes and learning how to live and forgive.
I just love all of the characters, from Beatriz herself to the smooth-talking Nasser, to the other common faces we see as Beatriz both hides from and takes charge of the streets. They are each just so distinct and enjoyable, and drive the plot forward in their own ways.
Not only that, but I loved the use of language in this book. We have etymology, some roots, English, Spanish, Creole, translation, creation.....it's so good and wonderful. Refreshing.
Overall, this was a great, fast-paced book that's bound to make any reader want to take arms and drive their life forward.
Review cross-listed here!
What a book! This was an incredible book about grief, loss, becoming, overcoming, drugs, gangs, violence, healing, creativity. Told largely through Beatriz's narrative, but with some bits of her poetry, dreams, and newspaper clippings, Becoming Beatriz focuses on rising from the ashes and learning how to live and forgive.
I just love all of the characters, from Beatriz herself to the smooth-talking Nasser, to the other common faces we see as Beatriz both hides from and takes charge of the streets. They are each just so distinct and enjoyable, and drive the plot forward in their own ways.
Not only that, but I loved the use of language in this book. We have etymology, some roots, English, Spanish, Creole, translation, creation.....it's so good and wonderful. Refreshing.
Overall, this was a great, fast-paced book that's bound to make any reader want to take arms and drive their life forward.
Review cross-listed here!
September 24, 2019
*4.75 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The year is 1984. Beatriz Mendez just turned 15 and loves to dance. But a family drama gets everything mangled up and Beatriz don't really know who she is anymore. Little by little, she's gonna figure it out though.
This as truly a coming of age story and it was beautiful. I cried, laughed, stressed, raged. The ambiance was so perfectly set, the plot kept me on my toes and I never knew what to expect, it was truly a work of art. It also deals with numerous important subjects and was such an important read in some ways. It stayed with me for days and days afterwards and I really cannot wait to read more from this author.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The year is 1984. Beatriz Mendez just turned 15 and loves to dance. But a family drama gets everything mangled up and Beatriz don't really know who she is anymore. Little by little, she's gonna figure it out though.
This as truly a coming of age story and it was beautiful. I cried, laughed, stressed, raged. The ambiance was so perfectly set, the plot kept me on my toes and I never knew what to expect, it was truly a work of art. It also deals with numerous important subjects and was such an important read in some ways. It stayed with me for days and days afterwards and I really cannot wait to read more from this author.
February 24, 2022
“One day I’ll sing a song for you, Beatriz Ayita Mendez.”
Have you ever finished a book and sat there, staring at the wall, shocked by the beauty of the story? When I read the last page of Becoming Beatriz, I did just that. The words, the eye-opening situations, and mostly the beautiful characters kept replaying in my mind.
My words will not do Becoming Beatriz justice, the least I can do is convince you to read it xx
There is so much I love about this story Tami Charles created, I don’t know where to start. The diversity of the characters, the spanish that was intertwined with the paragraphs, the love of family, and how tough, but beautiful, the path of finding yourself is.
Beatriz, our main character, has an amazing character development throughout the novel. She starts off struggling to accept her identity, lives by the rules of others, is consumed by grief and doesn’t work on the life that she wants. The raw emotion and beauty in this part of the story was incredibly written, my heart would ache when I read the words that conveyed Beatriz’s emotions.
“They say when you see a wishmaker flower, you’re supposed to make a wish and blow…’
Throughout the novel, the author creates these magnificent moments between the characters of Becoming Beatriz, it made the story wholesome and purely breath-taking. I related to Beatriz so much, some of her troubles resonated with mine, and I will never forget that xx
Becoming Beatriz shows that life is difficult, but it gets better even when it doesn’t seem like it.
There’s so much I want to explain and fan-girl about, but like I said, my words won’t do this justice. Tami Charles has a great writing skill, she brought so many important situations into her novel, and it opened my eyes to things that I never paid attention to.
Ah!
Absolutely breathtaking xx
Rating: 5/5 ✨
TW: gang activity, death, physical altercations, mentions of drugs, etc
Have you ever finished a book and sat there, staring at the wall, shocked by the beauty of the story? When I read the last page of Becoming Beatriz, I did just that. The words, the eye-opening situations, and mostly the beautiful characters kept replaying in my mind.
My words will not do Becoming Beatriz justice, the least I can do is convince you to read it xx
There is so much I love about this story Tami Charles created, I don’t know where to start. The diversity of the characters, the spanish that was intertwined with the paragraphs, the love of family, and how tough, but beautiful, the path of finding yourself is.
Beatriz, our main character, has an amazing character development throughout the novel. She starts off struggling to accept her identity, lives by the rules of others, is consumed by grief and doesn’t work on the life that she wants. The raw emotion and beauty in this part of the story was incredibly written, my heart would ache when I read the words that conveyed Beatriz’s emotions.
“They say when you see a wishmaker flower, you’re supposed to make a wish and blow…’
Throughout the novel, the author creates these magnificent moments between the characters of Becoming Beatriz, it made the story wholesome and purely breath-taking. I related to Beatriz so much, some of her troubles resonated with mine, and I will never forget that xx
Becoming Beatriz shows that life is difficult, but it gets better even when it doesn’t seem like it.
There’s so much I want to explain and fan-girl about, but like I said, my words won’t do this justice. Tami Charles has a great writing skill, she brought so many important situations into her novel, and it opened my eyes to things that I never paid attention to.
Ah!
Absolutely breathtaking xx
Rating: 5/5 ✨
TW: gang activity, death, physical altercations, mentions of drugs, etc
September 12, 2019
4.5/5
A real joy to read, such a great work of fiction that draws on real life aspects and a masterful blend of cultures and diversity within it. Beatriz shows incredible character growth and I felt quite connected to her because of that, it was easy to be immersed in her story though I do think Nasser was probably my favorite character. I loved the familial love and the dreams and aspirations represented through it all.
A real joy to read, such a great work of fiction that draws on real life aspects and a masterful blend of cultures and diversity within it. Beatriz shows incredible character growth and I felt quite connected to her because of that, it was easy to be immersed in her story though I do think Nasser was probably my favorite character. I loved the familial love and the dreams and aspirations represented through it all.
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