There were a lot of things I loved about this book, like the lush setting and the vignette-style storytelling. Things started off strong; I enjoyed reading about Irene's life and the events that led her to La Llorona. What a contrast this beautiful place was to her old life! The writing was so vivid and I could visualize everything with ease. Ultimately, however, it was a little long for my taste. Near the end I became especially aware of the white savior elements, and it dampened my enjoyment of the book. Other folks have commented on this in more detail, and I suggest checking out those reviews to get an idea of what this book gets wrong, and how it could  have been better. I don't think a white writer should be forbidden from writing about other cultures, but there needs to be a heightened awareness of how one's perspective might influence the narrative. I also want to add that the author's note at the end left a terrible taste in my mouth. I would highly suggest reading that first before you decide to jump in to the story itself. If I had, I probably would have passed this one by. Authors don't have to be perfect, but sometimes you just gotta keep your boomer-ass opinions to yourself. 

I didn't love how conveniently everything wrapped up. Normally I like everything tied up with a little bow, but here it seemed to work against the novel's themes about grief and letting go. 

A few things that irritated me about the end:

I understand that Irene getting pregnant again is supposed to show reconciliation with her grief, but to me it felt cheap. I definitely got the impression that the author couldn't conceive of a happy ending without a baby, because "that's just the way things are".

The way the Mirabel/Elmer plotline wrapped up was not my favorite either. It reeks of "just try hard enough and you'll get the girl!" This could have been a cute slow burn romance if the author had taken the time to sow those seeds along the way. The whole time we are told of Elmer's endless devotion, but there was no indication, no hint that Mirabel would ever change her mind.

One last thing: Why didn't Leila leave the hotel to Maria and Luis? I don't remember any specific reason--perhaps I missed it? I feel that would be the logical person to leave it to, but no. Though I enjoyed reading about Irene's journey as the owner, its plain it just happened because the author said so, not for any in-universe reasoning.

I loved the story, overall hopeful but with some deeply challenging moments. As is life. I laughed, I cried.

Irene is on the verge of ending her life after a tragedy. She doesn’t, and instead runs away by boarding a van full of strangers bound for Central America. She ends up at the enchanting La Llorona hotel and connecting with its owner, Leila. When Irene finds herself unexpectedly running the hotel, she realizes that although it’s beautiful (on a hillside overlooking a lake, beautiful gardens, intricate architectural detail, a volcano in the background), it’s in desperate need of repair and rarely has any paying guests. But Irene feels there’s nothing for her back in the US, so she takes on the challenge of reviving the hotel, building close relationships with people in the village and hotel guests, and experiencing joy, triumph, betrayal, and hardship along the way.

CW: Suicidal ideation, child death, rape, infertility. These aren’t pervasive themes in the book but they are present.
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This was a beautiful story that pulled me through a range of emotions. There’s found family, but unlike your typical upswing found family story, this one has both ups and downs, because even your chosen family can break your heart. This story is also about a found home, a deep connection to your space, the pride and joy in making it your own. It’s also about starting over - can you really? Or does the past always have a way of catching up to you? Resilience is also a big theme from the beginning when Irene decides to keep going in her own way rather than ending her life. At one point late in the book she says “I did what I’d always done. I got on with my life,” which was so simple, but also profound and sad because really what else is there to do? Later on, Love in the Time of Cholera features, which is a book I love, and I was reminded of a quote from it that always hits me: “She felt the abyss of disenchantment.” My only criticism of the book is that the middle dragged a bit where Irene meets a bunch of different people who don’t end up playing huge roles in the book. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨💫 (4.75)

This book is listed as magical realism but besides a couple of events that are kinda unbelievable coincidences I would not call this magical realism at all.

This book began on a strong note. There was a mysterious element that drew me in and made me want to see where the story would take me. My interest faded around the 150 page mark for so many reasons.

The book is based in a spanish speaking country within an indigenous community where hippie Americans and Europeans vacationed and, in many cases, chose to establish lives there. The book had a lot of focus on the successes of these white foreigners 'helping' the indigenous community, while also acknowledging that their very presence is also damaging. It gave off an aura of white saviorism that left a bad taste in my mouth. 

I also felt the author was disingenuous to the characters Elmer and Walter when she had them steal items from the hotel. She depicted it as a way to show the desperation for money in a poor indigenous community, but these acts seemed so out of character for them- a trusting, motherly relationship had been established between Irene and the two boys and yet neither confided in her their struggles. They instead resorted to theft. I feel like there were better ways to depict this than having them steal, with Irene ultimately forgiving them, again giving off the air of a white savior.

My final complaint is a personal preference. I didn't like that Irene kept getting asked about being single with no children. Irene never simply stated she would rather not have children to anyone, and it was conveyed to the reader as sad that she didn't have or want any. It very much buys into an old mindset that women of a certain age derive meaning through their children.

TLDR; The book started off strong, but tapered off very quickly. The author tries to depict the lifestyle of white foreigners integrating themselves into a poor indigenous community where members of both communities are like family to each other, but she ignores complex societal issues that surround the dynamic.