So Fulgencio starts to live again the day that the husband of the woman he loves dies. Yes, the story comes with magical realism. It is well written but I didn’t like the main character, Fulgencio, fully, because... well, because I didn’t. 

So the story goes back to show how the couple met and the stupidity that separated them. Yes, it was something so stupid that I figured it out as soon as they broke up, and I was just further upset when I confirmed it later on. I mean... come on!

There are ghost that talk to Fulgencio which reminded me of Isabel Allende’s “La casa de los espíritus. And the love story (about second chances) reminded me of “Love in the time of cholera” but with a younger couple.

There is also some type of curse that Fulgencio needs to brake. 

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

In the 1950s, tensions remain high in the border town of La Frontera. Penny loafers and sneakers clash with boots and huaraches. Bowling shirts and leather jackets compete with guayaberas. Convertibles fend with motorcycles. Yet amidst the discord, young love blooms at first sight between Fulgencio Ramirez, the son of impoverished immigrants, and Carolina Mendelssohn, the local pharmacist's daughter. But as they'll soon find out, their bonds will be undone by a force more powerful than they could have known.

Thirty years after their first fateful encounter, Fulgencio Ramirez, RPh, is conducting his daily ritual of reading the local obituaries in his cramped pharmacy office. After nearly a quarter of a century of waiting, Fulgencio sees the news he's been hoping for: his nemesis, the husband of Carolina Mendelssohn, has died.- Goodreads


This book was fantastic. I can't say that the characters themselves are memorable but the story is written so well that the way they are is just fine. 

Fulgenico as well as Carolina are very surface level characters. There isn't anything too deep about them. Its Fulgenico's magical ancestry that keeps this book going and brings everything together. This book is detailed without sounding long winded and I loved the fact that the Spanish language is prominent in this novel. The author doesn't shy away from his culture and its history and I love it. It makes for an extremely rich story. 

Everything is about Fulgenico and Carolina. The story revolves around their relationship from its beginning to its end. There are a lot of side stories and bring everything together. But what sold me on the book was the last few chapters.  It was perfect.

Overall, this seemingly complex story is written fairly straight forward but really rich in culture and history.  As I previously mentioned the book is fantastic but if you are not one for history and culture with a sprinkle of romance, this book is not for you.

3.5 Pickles