Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this Advanced Reader Copy of @melissamogollonwriter’s Oye.

Review contains spoilers.

First, this book is laugh-out-loud funny that I actually choked on my own saliva at 2 am while trying to suppress a hysterical laugh from coming out! The story is told in a unique format: from a first person narrative via one-way telephone conversation. Once you get into the groove of the narrating style, this witty and entertaining read becomes hard to put down (can be read in one day).

This multigenerational coming-of-age telenovela explores the realities of being a second generation Colombian-American teen, the patriarchal Colombian society, toxic masculinity, sexuality and complex family relationships. In the heart of the story is a granddaughter’s immense love and adoration for her grandmother, a vivacious and larger-than-life character.

Luciana’s frustration with her appearance-obsessed culture also resonated with me. I also grew up with a generation of women who cared too much about looks, material things and reputation, and considered them as true measures of success and happiness. Just like Luciana, I found conversations with these women superficial and daft. I can also relate to Luciana’s advocacy for her grandmother’s health autonomy. She consistently championed for her grandmother’s rights to receive information that will allow her to exercise informed medical decision-making. I also come from a culture that infantilizes sickly elderly relatives, the adult children often are the decision-makers, despite the patient still being of sound mind and having the capacity to make decisions.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this warm, lighthearted and very relevant

This was a great book! I very much enjoyed it and I look forward to reading the author’s next work! Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

Set in 2017 a mother and daughter from Florida drive north to escape hurricane Irma, but the grandmother Abue refuses to leave with them. The story is told through phone conversations between Luciana, a high school senior, and her older sister Mari, who is away at college. This format was very confusing to get into the story and I had to read the beginning a couple of times to understand the style. I was recommended to read this because it was presented as a sister story, but I just did not connect with these characters and struggled with the coarse language and all the teenage angst. Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for an early e-copy. Oye is available for sale on May 14.

I had a hard time reading Oye - I liked the story and characters, but the way it is written was challenging for me - I could see others liking it though. It's mostly written as a one sided conversation. Luciana is a teenager living with her mother and her older sister Mari is away at college, so when her grandmother falls ill, the stress falls on Luciana, and she talks to her sister about it, or guilt trips her for being away. Most of the time you could follow the story even though you only heard one side, but it took a while to get a groove. Lucie's Colombian grandmother and mother are hilarious characters, and learning about Abue's history of growing up was the highlight of the book.

Oye
Author: Melissa Mogollon
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: May 14, 2024

Oye is an unusual book with an unusual premise and format. It’s a running family conversation by phone around a Hispanic grandmother who is ill and thinks she is dying but wants her hair dyed because she doesn’t want anyone to see her gray roots, to siblings arguing over everything, to parents arguing with siblings and everyone feeling that they are at the bottom of the family hierarchy. I think my run-on sentence sums up the unique way that Ms. Mogollon has written this book. The book was interesting, and being from Florida, I probably have met a family like this. But it wasn't easy to keep track of characters (except Abue), even though I would lose track while reading. #Oye #randomhouse #hispanic #florida #family #heirarchy #arguments #health #love #infighting #phonecalls #feisty

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: May 2024.

#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer

This was not my style. While I could appreciate it, and I thought the concept was really cool, it was hard for me to follow. I think others would enjoy it if they can get behind the type of writing.

Oye is a captivating debut novel from Melissa Mogollon. Told almost exclusively through phone calls with her sister Mari, Luciana, the youngest member of her lively Colombian American family, suddenly finds herself taking on the role of caregiver and confidante with her grandmother, Abue. It's fall of 2017 and Hurricane Irma is bearing down on Florida. Luciana's family is evacuating north from Miami, reluctantly leaving behind Abue, who refuses to leave. Struggling to also be the unexpected voice of reason, Luciana has to figure out how to navigate her family's eccentricities, long-hidden secrets, and her own coming-of-age journey. As the threat of the hurricane fades, Abue faces a serious medical diagnosis, changing their own trajectory in unforeseen ways.

Mogollon brings a strong voice in seventeen-year-old Luciana, and through her recounting of events and conversations to Mari, we get a startlingly complete picture of everyone in her life, most especially their mother, Elena, and grandmother, Emilia — whom they call Abue (short for abuela). There's style, yes — as it's all dialogue — but mostly this is absolutely overflowing with stellar characterization and gorgeous writing. This one is for the grandmothers in our lives. If you've had the benefit, as I have, of being close to one of your grandmothers, then it'll most definitely speak to you. Oye is a fantastic, heartfelt and hilarious wonderment of tenderness, joy, and love.

It might take a bit to adapt to the unusual structure of this vibrant coming of age/family story told in a one sided phone call from Luciana to her sister Mari. Luciana is the youngest one in the family and now she's sharing a room with Abue- her grandmother, who is a hoot. Abue is not the easiest woman in world but Luciana loves her dearly, even though they don't share their secrets with one another easily. Both a lot and nothing happens but it's a joyous read that's filled with the sort of entertaining (and sometimes heart pulling) things a teen observes. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Very good read.

I want to first start by saying, I loved this SO much! I was so investing in this story and could not put it down. I ate this one up! Having said that, if I'm being fully transparent, it didn't entirely work for me, but I think that was due to the format. The story is written in a one sided phone conversation between Luciana and her sister Mari. So imagine you're walking around Target and a stranger is on their phone have a very detailed, family drama filled conversation (not on speaker), that was this book. I won't say I didn't like the format, but I do think it would have delivered better via audio. (I will definitely be giving the audiobook a listen after pub date.)

Let's get into why I loved this so much. Luciana was hilarious. If you enjoyed Never Have I Ever and the snarky, quick witted teenage storytelling along with the eccentric family, this is for you! All I could think about while reading was how much Luciana reminded me of Devi. I laughed so much and felt like I was actually on the phone with Luciana myself. I am genuinely blow away that this is a debut. It was so incredibly clever and brilliant. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for a chance to be an early reader. All opinions are my own!

My review will be posted to my instagram, @ReadingWithTrey on Saturday, May 11.

This story of a teenage Colombian-American girl in Florida dealing with her family not accepting that she is gay, a dying grandmother, family secrets, and finishing high school is told through one-sided telephone conversations with her sister who is away at college. I never got used to the format so it was hard to embrace the story. I would have enjoyed getting to know this family better in a different format.

Uniquely written in the form of the main character’s side of a phone conversation. It took a few chapters to get the hang of the conversation. Who’s speaking to when and what parts are not spoken on the phone. Once that was established the story was pretty funny and paced well. The relationship between these four women seems strong and loving. They love each other and it’s portrayed by the comfort in the dialogue.

Thanks to Net Galley for the eARC of this novel. I will admit I did not like the format of the book at first, a one-sided phone call with a teenage protagonist named Luciana. There are a lot of ALL CAPS and exclamation marks. It feels chaotic and kind of repetitive too. But I soon got involved in this story of Luciana, a high school senior trying to take care of her sick abue and come out of the closet and overcome a ton of generational trauma and deal with her incredibly self-involved family and get into college all at the same time. Abue is a larger than life woman whose mysteries slowly unravel as her health deteriorates. Despite her age, Luciana seems.to be the only person in her family capable of dealing with her grandmother's health crisis. She becomes the one person Abue trusts and learns about what made her who she is and maybe why the family is the way they are. By facing her grandmother's demons, she faces her own. The writing was a bit uneven. There were pages of bickering and lesser events followed by bombshells. It was like a telenovela that way, but it did not feel cheap at all. It was a truly moving and sharp exploration of family.

This was such a uniquely written book and I'm going to need more books written like this AND written about Luciana and her family immediately. I couldn't put this book down and read it in a span of 24 hours because it was so compelling.

The first two to three chapters, I needed to get used to the format and adjust to this one-sided phone conversation and what that actually meant, but once it had me, I was HOOKED.

There is a tender story of family and family drama--and love--in this book and I loved the how vividly the characters came alive even though the narration was told through one voice.

Will be recommending this book constantly.

My favorite characters are the same as my favorite people—funny, dramatic, fierce, love to gossip, cares about their family, and have a sailor’s mouth. If you’re like me, you will love Luciana, the main character of Melissa Mogollon’s debut novel OYE.

I remember how stressful it felt to be a teenager and how much I loved getting time off school — even if it meant a natural disaster. This is how we meet Luciana, the youngest in her Colombian American family.

While evacuating South Florida with her health-obsessed mom, Abue, her unconcerned grandmother, who refuses to leave, is buying lottery tickets. As torturous this road trip is for her, she is relieved to procrastinate thinking about her looming dread. However, their return is met with an unexpected health issue with Abue. As Luciana’s role as caretaker brings them closer and unlocks Abue’s telenovela family history, she, in turn, receives the encouragement to live.

The epigraph “Entre broma y broma, la verdad se asoma” perfectly encapsulates this story. Sometimes, the best way to understand how someone is feeling is through the jokes they tell. As funny as Luciana is, you can tell she has a lot weighing on her, from her unclear future, feeling abandoned by her sister, hiding her sexuality from her family, and her new role as family mediator.

This story centering Luciana is also about Abue (equally funny and fierce). They both show how we all have secrets & stories we haven’t shared, even with our loved ones and we have to make peace with your family making decisions you might not agree with.

The format, being a one-sided phone conversation, only took me one chapter to get into, so this shouldn’t hold anyone back. It was a unique and refreshing way to understand a character because what’s more intimate than listening to someone’s phone call?

This coming-of-age/family saga is filled with drama, humor, and heart. It shattered my preconceived notion of how a story can be told. Funnily enough, I screen almost every phone call, but if Luciana ever called me, I would pick up in a heartbeat.

Thank you @hogarthbooks for the arc! Melissa, congrats on an unforgettable debut!! 🥹💖📞🔥

A book you’ll either love or hate. The writing style is unique, melodic yet frenetic. It reads as if you are party to conversations of a teenager with her sister, and conversations with others [those in italics], which you are compelled to overhear. You only hear one side and either deduce the missing parts or just wish the speaker would hang up and go silent. Oye means hey, colloquially demanding your attention. And it does. It is a unique point of view. Well done.

Oye is an inventive take on a coming-of-age story. Told primarily through our narrator, Luciana’s, side of a phone call with her older sister., Mari, the reader is brought into their complicated family dynamics. Through these calls, we come to know their mother, their great-aunt, and most importantly, their grandmother. Their grandmother comes to live with Luciana due to hurricane irma and, while Luciana loves her grandmother, the two share a complicated bond. When abue is diagnosed with cancer, Luciana begins a journey of self-discovery and differentiating herself from her family, as she tries to find her way and prepare for the next chapter of her life.

The novel is funny, but also sad, thought-provoking, and human above all else. Everyone at one time or has another has gone through at least something that Luciana has felt and it will bring back the feelings of growing up and finding yourself.

While the narrative style is inventive, it could be hard at times to follow who is talking and which voices belong to which family member. You have to really pay attention as a reader to who is talking when. It will be easy to rush through the pages, there is a lot to take in and absorb so the reader will be better slowing down and taking it in.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 5/7/24. Review will be posted to amazon on release date.

What a debut novel!! When Luciana finds herself evacuating before Hurricane Irma before her senior year of high school, she never imagined that the next year of her life would go this way. Told through one side of phone call conversations and remembered moments we’re invited into the inner dynamics of a family dealing with changes including an eldest daughter going off to college, a health condition, family dynamics, and a coming of age story.

I laughed so much during this novel. Luciana is an expert narrator making us laugh when the worst is happening. I felt like I was on the phone with my younger relatives catching up. But you know what no one told me—that I would be sobbing during this book. The relationship between Luciana and Emilia (her grandmother) was so sweet and weird in its own way. Watching the two of them navigate life and death and how our relationships change during them was so precious. I loved the format in which this novel was told and had a hard time putting it down because I had to know what would happen next. I cannot wait to read more from Melissa Mogollon!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Hogarth for providing me with an E-ARC of this title.

What a fresh and unique concept! This lovely coming of age, family drama saga was such a fun read. Our FMC, Luciana, is a hilarious and endearing queer, fat, 18 year-old navigating the complexities of family, loss and grief, high school, identity, acceptance, and so much more.

Melissa Mogollon writes such captivating and genuine dialogue between Luciana and the other members of her family. The primary dialogue that you get is one-sided phone conversations between Luciana and her older sister, Mari, who is away at college. Dispersed throughout the phone calls are excerpts from other conversations that happen "off the call" that Luciana is referencing. These excerpts are italicized, which is very helpful because there aren't a lot of indicators on who is saying what. As you get to know each character you start to parse out their mannerisms to determine who is talking (most often it'll be Abue, their grandmother, Luisa, their grandmother's sister, and their mother who I believe is Elena?). I found that I could only read in shorter spurts, this is not a binge-reading book! This is a book that you savor and take your time going through, so you feel like a member of the family and grow close to Luciana.

I think this would've been even better on audio (with a versatile and narrator) due to the format. The formatting is an acquired tasted, and will not be for everyone. But I encourage you to try!

Did Not Finish -- I tried to get through the first 15 pages and just could not follow or understand this format. I did ultimately search Goodreads to try to understand what the heck was happening, and there I learned it was supposed to be a phone conversation. Maybe I would like this more as an audiobook but just couldn't motivate myself to try to piece together which character was speaking. I do love the cover and the premise of the book, but this just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for the advanced readers copy of Oye written by Melissa Mogolion.
I was very intrigued with the style in which this book was written, however it also made it a bit difficult to follow. At times the story didn’t seem to flow and felt a bit “chunky”. Overall, I did enjoy the storyline, just not the style.