Slight Spoiler Review: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

 

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Synopsis:

    I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez is a contemporary, young adult book that follows a teenage girl named Julia Reyes whose older sister, Olga has just died. The story follows Julia and her family as they try to move on with their lives while dealing with the grief of having lost Olga. Olga was seemingly their parents' perfect Mexican daughter. But, when Julia finds some mysterious clues, she begins to wonder if she knew her sister at all. This book is a coming-of-age story that follows Julia through her last two years of high school as she has her first boyfriend, prepares for college, and learns about who her sister truly was.

     Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it.

Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.

Content Warnings: Drinking, Depression, Grief, Suicide, Sexual Assault/Rape, Self-Harm.

Review:

    I really enjoyed this book so much, I thought it handled the topic of familial grief very well. While this is a very sad story, it did not personally make me cry although I know it has made others cry. I loved that the major plot of the book was focused on learning more about the dead sister, Olga, and who she truly was. Most of the time, books that deal with grief focus solely on how the characters are coping and moving forward. However, this book, it focused on learning about who Olga was when she lived without the cliche use of flashbacks.

    There was so much more to this story than I originally expected, it's not just a grief story, the book is really a coming-of-age story for Julia and her self-discovery. One of the hardest parts to read about in this book was Julia's depression and the incident of self-harm that almost led to her death. You could tell that something was wrong with Julia and some people at this point may even have figured out that she was depressed, but I honestly didn't see this coming. I think her depression and recovery are a major part of her story and really make Julia who she is. 

   Alright, so a major subplot in this book is the tense relationship that exists between Julia and her parents, but especially with her mother. We are so stuck in Julia's perspective that it is difficult to understand why her mother is so overprotective and critical of her daughter. For the most part, I sided with Julia and I really felt connected to this part of the story. Growing up with a Hispanic family can be difficult, especially when they are critical of all your actions. It wasn't until her trip to Mexico to stay with Mama Hacinta (Julia's maternal grandmother) that I really began to understand and empathize with Julia's mom. 

    We never learn too much about Julia's dad except for the fact that he was a great painter back when Julia's family lived in Mexico. His character didn't really add much to the story except in one pivotal scene where he saves Julia's life. I thought that Julia's best friend, Lorena, was a very lively person if a bit wild at times. I felt that Lorena's character really added something special to the story as she pushed Julia to try new things and discover herself. 

    In the book, we also get to know a boy named Connor who becomes Julia's first boyfriend. While initially very sweet, their relationship quickly became strained because of Julia's overprotective mother and her depression. I thought their relationship was heartwarming and sweet. I just became frustrated with the circumstances that caused them to split in the first place. While I thought their relationship was adorable, I don't think that a romance subplot was really needed to make this book enjoyable, this is one of those stories that would've done just as well without this romantic plotline. 

    Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it tackled this coming-of-age story with themes of grief and sexual assault in a very realistic and personal way. The romance was cute if a bit unnecessary and the mother-daughter relationship in this book is definitely frustrating, although it made sense for the story. I honestly don't know what purpose Julia's father served in the entire story except for that one scene mentioned above. I think these aspects really were what stopped this book from being a 4.5-star book and brought it down to 4 stars. The book was a solid read and I'd definitely be interested in checking out more of Sánchez's books in the future.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genres: Young Adult Contemporary 

Author: Erika L. Sánchez

Publisher: Random House Children's books