Welcome to Litsy!

I mostly liked this story of gentrification in a NYC neighborhood. It‘s told from three points of view- Luz, a lawyer in her late 20s or early 30s, her mom Eusebia, and The Tongues- a set of elderly triplet sisters. All are Dominican immigrants, and all have their own ways of reacting and pushing back against the changes around them. It‘s insightful and poignant.

The part that felt off is Luz‘s developing relationship. Otherwise great book!

This is a light pick. While I thought the gentrification and family and neighborhood storylines were superb, the romance element really didn‘t work for me. I never got the sense that Luz and Hudson had any real chemistry. Certainly there were aspects of their relationship that served the rest of the story well, but overall it was just meh. Still, I‘m excited to see what she writes next.

I really enjoyed this debut! This book was ultimately about love and loss, and how both of these phenomenons can alter the trajectory of our lives. It‘s also about family, community pride, and sacrifice. “The thing about loss,” the other said, “is that it creates a memory in your body, a shadow that remains with you…I‘m the shadow who understands loss isn‘t just the choice you make but also the choices you don‘t get to make.” #Pop22

I thought this was a well done debut novel about a Dominican Republic family in NYC. It explores a lot of topics such as what makes a home, family, gentrification, race, sickness, love, success and finding who you are. It has a melancholy feel as it weaves through a mother-daughter relationship and what each woman has going on in their personal life. #pop22 ~ a book by a LatinX author

This is a bittersweet novel about a Dominican family living in New York. When gentrification begins on the condos, Eusebia and her friends plan to halt progress by committing small “crimes.” But when her daughter Luz falls for the white developer, things get dicey! It‘s a novel about family, culture, values, and staying true to oneself in the face of adversity. This one will surely take the world by storm!
#NetGalley❤️