Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

I tried so hard to sympathize with Julia, she’s a teen and she lost her sister and her family, her mom isn’t the nicest to her- but as a Mexican it was so hard to read her trashing Mexican culture at every page. From complaining of how her uncles are “always crying about Mexico as if it were the best place in earth.” She’s unbearable and doesn’t seem to realize how hard her parents work for her. My parents are also immigrants so maybe i’ve been ingrained with a habit of toxic gratefulness, but Julia doesn’t seem to sympathize at all with her parents, especially when she wonders “what it’s like to clean houses all day and then come home and keep cleaning” about her mother, when Julia herself could also help?? Throughout the last third of the novel Julia finally reflects on herself and her treatment of her parents. She grows as a character and achieves her goal:

getting into college in New York

and it’s good for her. I think the story is an intimate look into depression, loss, and how tragedy can dive a family further into issues. However, the references to Mexican culture didn’t always feel natural, and Julia’s constant criticism of Mexico is something that’s hard to read over.

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squatruhh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh my lantix heart! 😭😭🥰 I absolutely adored this book.

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sweetmusic22's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

There is so much about this book that I want to talk about. The main thing is that I LOVE that it shows authentic and complicated family relationships. As someone currently in recovery from family dysfunction and has also dealt with grief and as someone who is also Latina, it is so moving to read a book like this. There was so much about this book that reminded me of myself and my siblings. It is a tough read, but a powerful one at that. It is quite an emotional journey reading this book.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is for anybody who has dealt with complicated family members and grief. If you are in the right head-space to read it, I strongly suggest it. However, if you are not in the right mind to read something like this, I'd skip it! Other than that, this is one of those books that I am never going to forget. I haven't read a book that has touched a nerve in me since The Perks of Being A Wallflower. 10/10 would recommend again and again!

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nitika_balaram's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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readingpicnic's review

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I feel like the book started off very strong for me, but then I started to lose interest towards the middle since the book was trying to do so many things at once. This book is advertised pretty heavily as a mystery, but there was a huge chunk of the book where the mystery went stagnant with no progress towards figuring it out, so it felt like it was on the back burner. I did like the narrator’s voice a lot, and I’m surprised she was able to keep a sense of humor with all of her trauma, but she felt very authentic. I loved when she would get angry and tear into people, basically harassing them for their behavior or appearance because I love a woman that doesn’t hold back in their insults. I really disliked the romance in this book because it felt so cheesy and naïve, although it could just be that I’m outgrowing YA romance (and straight romance). I honestly think the romance with Connor could be removed from the book and nothing would be lost, but I also just didn’t like him from the get-go, and I think she could do much better.

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mrachelg's review

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emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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