Sol was a lovely character to read about! She was brave and sassy and compassionate to the core. She was admirable in the way she tried to do everything herself as to not bother anyone else including her parents. Ethan was just as good though I wish we got more of him. The story is told from a single POV that is Sol’s but I felt it would have been more interesting to have had Ethan’s perspective as well. I also felt that there was no chemistry between the two which made their parts uninteresting to read for me.
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The story is mostly focused on Sol and her life but it had plenty of club action which was nice to read. The initiation ceremony and other adventures that the club went on was thrilling and exciting to read about. The other club members were quite interesting and we got to see a bit of them every now and then too.
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There was also great details about Mexican culture and the life of an immigrant in the USA. The book also speaks on important topics such as the injustice towards immigrants and white privileges. Every aspect is written with great care and details which helps readers to fully understand what the author is trying to convey.

Historically Inaccurate starts off with an action-packed scene to steal a fork. It sounds as intriguing as it really is. This book is full of surprises, it never bores. The story is well-written and the characters are likeable and relatable. The beauty of this book is that everyone can relate to Sol as she feels the same as everyone once did. The uncertainty of being a teenager comes through in a marvelous way. I adore this book, not only for the importance of the subjects discussed, but also for its interesting and fun story. This was truly a book that amazed and surprised me.

(3.5 stars)

I was pretty conflicted on Historically Inaccurate for the majority of the book, but the last 25% or so are what pulled me in. I enjoyed Sol as a narrator and main character, and I really liked Ethan, too. I wish some of the other characters had been a bit more fleshed out or at least had some more context- Anna, in particular. I also thought that the story-line regarding Sol's mom was great, because it's very real and very relevant right now, and it's not a POV I've personally read in YA before. Overall, I enjoyed Historically Inaccurate and would recommend you pick it up when it is officially out!

Yeah, I didn't really like this book. I thought the writing was very childish and the characters kind of immature. The pacing of the book was very slow, and I cringed at so many parts, though there were some elements of the story I enjoyed.

But first, the main character. She had so much potential, but she was just... annoying. At some parts I conected with her, mostly when she had her clumsy moments, but she did what she was told without questioning, and it obviously had consequences. Also, Sol had too many inner monologues, I feel like it sort of distracted the reader from the story.

But as for what I did like: the diversity and representation, and also her mom's plot, which made me sad. Her relationship with her father and how the author tackled racism was very interesting.

The ending felt a bit rushed, there were some loose ends. But I feel like it just wasn't for me. Maybe you can enjoy it.

Soledad Gutierrez  is joining her community college's History Club, mostly to please her parents and get a social life after a car crash the previous year that resulted in her mother being deported back to Mexico.  However, in order to join the Westray Community College History Club, Sol must go through a strange initiation; her task is to steal a fork from Westray's oldest house. The task doesn't go quite as planned when the grandson of the owners, Ethan, shows up.  Sol escapes the house and suddenly realizes just how tenuous her situation is and how easily she could have been arrested.  Sol's incident follows her around however, as Ethan joins the History Club.  This makes things way more complicated, but also opens Sol up to everything she can be.

Historically Inaccurate is a contemporary tale of overcoming adversity, family and friendship.  Sol's character goes on a journey of self-acceptance throughout the story.  At first Sol seems to just be going through the motions of life until she is old enough to start the process of getting her mother back into the USA.  While the concept of how the history club functioned is a little far-fetched, I really enjoyed Sol's participation and the diverse range of members.  I appreciated Sol's point of view as the daughter of Mexican immigrants; some of her hardships were expected, and some unexpected.  Sol and Ethan's relationship was sweet and slower paced.  Ethan's personality is a great match for Sol's needs, pushing her just a little bit, but not changing who she is.  The pacing of the story was a bit bumpy at times, going on some unnecessary tangents; however the ending brought it all together with some great unexpected turns.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars. Omg this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Shay Bravo for this book in exchange for an honest review!
When Sol has to break into the oldest house in her town to steal a fork, as an initiation dare from the History club, this house was supposed to be empty, so what Sol least expects is to run into the grandson of the couple who lives there. A grandson who is unbearable, who has an excess of confidence, and is really pretty.
Sol has a lot of issues going on at home with her mom being deported, her dad working more hours than what is healthy, and her studies and job to help with bills. The last thing she needs, is more things in her mind, but the heart not always has the same plan as our brain ...

This book has the perfect pace regarding every aspect of it, the romance, the drama, the friendship and the family issues.
I love how family is so important in this book, and how it shows that family isn’t always a mom, a dad, and a child, but can be grandparents/grandson, single mom/dad and a child, siblings, what is important is love and care.
Some friendships in this case are weird but amazing, the friendship between Carlos and Sol is everything anyone may want with their best friend, and maybe even more.
If you are looking for a light reading, filled with love, drama, friendship and weird college clubs, this one is for you

I come with a review of Shay Bravo’s novel Historically Inaccurate . 🧡 The book was originally on Wattpad but got so much love and attention that it became a published work. I saw merit in this story and had higher expectations for it going into it since Latinx voices are one of the least represented in the book community. There were some satisfying aspects of the work. It highlights multiple sensitive topics such as immigration/deportation. These topics bring us back to reality and remind us that, for some, this is their reality. The fear of deportation, of struggling to recover from losing someone that’s been deported, and so on, is real.
That being said, sometimes the sensitive topics hit on the mark and made me feel sorry Sol (the MC). Other times, they left a sour note and read as being almost unempathetic and inappropriate (e.g. Ethan—a black character—expressing his concern for being caught by police it being brushed aside; Anna (a side Latinx character) being misgendered and that’s how we find out she’s trans.)
In today’s climate, I think those kinds of things can’t simply slide anymore for ethical purposes as they are “historically inaccurate.”
Aside from that, I believe that characters like Sol and Anna were very strong and moved a lot of the story. I would have liked to have seen more character development from some of the side characters and add in more explanations as to why the rebellious history club is able to get away with doing their delinquencies without being investigated.
Maybe this was an enjoyable read for a Wattpad audience but it was a “meh” read when compared to published works that spent weeks to months being molded in the editorial process (which was what this needed.) Overall, ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for keeping my attention but causing me to skim, at times, and ask more questions than what was answered.

I have been immersed in Latinx reads this week and this was another. I wasn’t sure what to expect because I’ve never read a book from a Wattpad author, but overall, it was okay. The synopsis sounded promising o I was ready to dive in. It was a pleasant coming of age read. We see Sol, the main character, go through so many small and big changes in a small period of time after her mom is deported.

I was surprised that this was set in college because I did get more of a private high school kind of feel from it. Setting that aside I did enjoy seeing the character development of Sol. Her awkward, sarcastic nature reminded me a lot of who I was as a teenager. However, it was the only thing I could relate to. Sol is not perfect, and I appreciated that. She doesn’t always say the right things, may make some decisions and is willing to jump into a challenge. Although these are redeeming qualities, there were parts of the story where Sol seem a bit insensitive to some of her friends concerns. Hearing the story through Sol’s perspective was an interesting approach and I was intrigued to hear some of the shenanigans the history club got into.

Speaking of history club, this was vastly different than any club I have been a part of. Was I mad about this, no. It was a unique approach that gave ways to some daring, dangerous and odd adventures. It was a bit refreshing to have that different approach of a club in a story you were expecting it to be in. Now, in regard to the supportive characters, Sol’s father and Anna had the most layers to their stories. Through their dialogue we were able to see just how close the family was and how they were working together to deal with their life being turned upside down. We were able to get some bit of the other supporting characters, but I did want to see more development to them since they helped bring together Sol’s story. I also wanted more of the romance because I saw so much potential with that story line, but I settled for cute contemporary romance I received.

Overall, it was an okay read. The pacing was a bit off and the writing style took some adjusting too, but the author has potential to create a good story with some tweaking and fine tuning. Did I enjoy the read? Yes. It was quick and easy read with a simplistic feel.

Historically Inaccurate // by Shay Bravo

I have some mixed feelings about this book. I looked forward to this title for a while and while I am still happy that I got to read it, there were a few things that fell short for me. I want to start off by saying that I loved the main character, despite her flaws. Or maybe even because of those because they very much reminded me of myself. The overthinking and worrying is a familiar feeling to me and I disagree with those saying that it was overdone. It felt very realistic to me and even evoked some of the same feelings as I was reading. What I personally struggled with is that I felt like this book could not decide between being plot-driven or being character-driven. I very much enjoy both of those but throughout my reading of this book could not really decide which one it was. I did feel like there was a buildup to a climax that ended up not being dramatic enough to pull us through to the end, which ended up feeling rather flat. I did love all the themes that were discussed throughout the book, such as immigration and family separation, LGBTQIA+ and racism, though I was not a big fan of the misgendering because that just did not seem to fit Ethan's character very well at all. There are a lot of pros and cons for me but I do think there is a lot of potential for this new author and I am curious to see what she will show us in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

After Soledad “Sol” Gutierrez’s mother’s deportation last year, Sol’s whole world changed. She has to deal with starting college, a new apartment, and a new family dynamic.

During her first semester Sol joins the History Club at her best friend Carlos’ suggestion because she thinks it was her mother’s wishes for her to be a well rounded student. In order to join history club, she has to go through an initiation process unlike any other club’s. Sol’s dare involves breaking into Westray’s oldest house and stealing a fork.

While the elderly inhabitants were not home, their grandson Ethan catches Sol in the middle of the dare. She runs off, worried the young man will report her to the police. She soon finds out that they attend the same school. After running away a second time, they finally have a talk and he wants her to return the key and fork.

When the club president refuses to return the items, Sol promises Ethan that she will help him get peace of mind. In order to do that, Ethan must join the club as well.

Through out the book Sol feels like the club is taking over. Because of the guilt over her initiation process, Sol helps Ethan with his. Most of her time outside of school and work is spent with club members or thinking about the clubs odd rituals.

I thought Sol as a character was fabulously human. She felt that she had to be the dutiful daughter. She dealt with the guilt of her mom being deported and that trauma caused her anxiety and depression. She hid everything with self deprecating humor.

I loved that the book contained messages about immigration, racism and xenophobia. Besides the discussion about Sol’s mom and the legal process of getting her out, someone also made a racial comment towards sol in a restaurant. Ethan was worried about his dare because “someone like [him] enters someone’s house [they’re] getting shot.” I liked that these comments were brought up in passing because these are situations that people have to deal with on a regular and it’s important to see what marginalized groups deal with. It’s not this big teaching moment but a glimpse of what we deal with.

CW: misgendering a trans character (corrected in text)

Representation: Mexican MC, Black LI, Bi (polysexual) MC and LI, trans sc, gay mcs, lesbian sc

Historically Inaccurate tells the story of Soledad Gutierrez, in the middle of starting her third year of college trying to figure out her life a year after her mother got suddenly reported back to Mexico. Soledad was understandably impacted by this drifting away from everyone and her boyfriend. Now, she’s trying to navigate being in a new apartment, new school, new family dynamic. So why not join her community college’s history club since her parents and her bestfriend keep telling her she should get out and interact with other people. But that history club is not everything it seems, she even has to break in to someone’s house and basically steal a fork from them. This B&E will have her encountering the grandson of the owners of the house, Ethan, and kickstart her journey to understanding her new life, and herself.
Overall, I thought this was a good fun quick read, I do get that the slow-pace might not be for everyone, but I liked the way it portrayed a Mexican-American college student with some crazy hijinks to make it more interesting.

HISTORICALLY INACCURATE follows college student Soledad Gutierrez, a year after her mother is deported to Mexico, following a car accident.

As a first generation, Mexican-American with immigrant parents, Soledad's story really hit home for me. The way this book handled the realities of deportation and immigration issues in the United States was very raw and honest. Shay did an excellent job showing how the deportation impacted Soledad, and it felt very raw and real. And while the story handles such heavy topics like these, and racism, it still manages to be light-hearted enough, and many moments shared between Soledad and her parents felt realistic and in tone with what teenagers today may see in their own family dynamics.

I genuinely appreciated the Mexican representation in this book; from the food and music mentioned, and the Spanish spoken between Soledad, Carlos, and her parents, I felt right at home among Shay's written world.
I also really enjoyed the history club sub-plot. I didn't think it would end up being such a big part of the story, but I thought Shay did a good job of tying it in with the other aspects and issues Soledad was facing in her life. Soledad herself is such a dynamic character, and is a great lead/hero in this story! She was such a great representation of your typical/not-so typical college student, and it made me remember my own years in college as a confused, insecure young adult! I also enjoyed the friendships she had with Carlos and Diane, and thoroughly appreciated how much she loved and cared for these characters, and demonstrated what healthy friendships as adults can look like.

I also enjoyed seeing such a diverse cast of characters through the history club, and how they didn't feel forced or fell flat. However, I do believe the author could have done a better job at mentioning that the love interest (LI), Ethan, was black. It felt somewhat tokenized for that rather important piece of information to be mentioned almost halfway through the story.

I would also like to mention, as a content warning, that Ethan (LI) does misgender a transgender character twice in the story. This is used to reveal that the character is trans to readers, but I do think it needs a warning for those it may be triggering to.

And finally, Ethan as the love interest was wonderful. I thought he was a well rounded, genuine character! He and Soledad had such cute interactions and I truly enjoyed their friendship and budding relationship.

Overall, I think this is a wonderful debut, and as an own voices reviewer, a book full of wonderful, and much appreciated representation and quality.

I was a little apprehensive reading about another Latinx deportation story. BUT! this was such a great book. loved the main character and her voice.

Synopsis: After her mother’s deportation last year, all Soledad “Sol” Gutierrez wants is for her life to go back to normal. Everything’s changed―new apartment, new school, new family dynamic―and Sol desperately wants to fit in. When she joins her community college’s history club, it comes with an odd initiation process: break into Westray’s oldest house and steal . . . a fork?

There’s just one problem: while the owners of the house aren’t home, their grandson Ethan is, and when he catches Sol with her hand in the kitchen drawer, she barely escapes with the fork intact. This one chance encounter irrevocably alters her life, and Sol soon learns that sometimes fitting in isn’t as important as being yourself―even if that’s the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.

Historically Inaccurate by Shay Bravo

Despite having a protagonist in high school, Historically Inaccurate is written for a younger reader: probably in the 16-19 age range. The editing could have been tighter, characters were reduced to tropes, and the narrative drifted due to the first person POV. These structural issues could be easily forgiven by younger readers who want something fun and light-hearted, despite the themes of immigration, deportation, and transphobia.

The technical problems include light editing. The novel could have been tightened and more impactful without Sol’s heavy-handed over-explanation. For example, in one scene Sol bites her thumb because she’s forced to have an uncomfortable conversation. The intent behind the gesture is clear, but then Sol narrates: “It’s an old habit I’m trying to beat, but it’s hard under stress.” Overnarration like this is rampant in the text and weakens the actions in the novel.

Another problem was the characters. I used a level of deductive skills akin to translating Middle English to Modern English when trying to deduce if Ethan was Black. The only blaring clue was when Ethan said he was scared of the police being called because of how they treat people like him. This was mentioned 30% into the book when this character was introduced in the first scene. Then, Sol consistently brushing off his concerns about police violence rubbed me the wrong way, but I suppose it’s accurate to Brown folks waving off the concerns of the Black community. There’s also a cringy misgendering trope that occurred. Though these are concerns and problems that people in these marginalized groups deal with, these moments felt trope-ish and lacked emotional impact. Even though these scenes could have been well-intentioned, it comes off as stereotypical.

This book was not for me. That was clear in the first chapter, but I continued on hoping that I would enjoy it. Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad for an ecopy for an honest review.

Coming of age. College-set. Sol Gutierrez is the star of our novel, navigating the highs and lows of her academic career, love life, and family. On top of the heavy blows hitting home, Sol finds herself wrapped up in a club that has her questioning her morals and sense of self, which further gets complicated by, you guessed it, a boy.

Once I got into the story, everything kind of fell a little flat to me. Sol, as a character, is fun to read, especially with her inner dialogue, but all the topics in the book were so heavy, and there was so much going on, that it ended up feeling like it lacked the substance it needed to carry through. Maybe if a sequel followed, the relationships could get developed a little more. I definitely love to see Sol interacting with her friends a little more, there would be a lot to explore there.

Its not that its bad but I connected with and enjoyed the story less as I read. I think it handled multiple heavy topics well and I like most of the characters as individuals but the romance got too cutsey too quick for me. And the big conflict makes sense in the context of the story I just didn't love it. Overall, it's not bad. And definitely worth checking out if you want a diverse find yourself romance on a college campus.

Historically Inaccurate has themes of immigration, deportation, and family separation which are incredibly important. There is Latina representation as well as LGBTQ+ so I was excited for this diverse read. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed mostly because of the writing. Sol, the main character, has a million internal extensive monologues after anything that happens so much that she will just go on and on about her laptop being broken or that she wants a muffin. It doesn’t really add to the story. The pacing is slow and quite repetitive so I found myself skimming A LOT. There are also a ton of typos so hopefully that will be fixed before publication.

I admire the fact that the author made diverse characters but they didn’t come off as well rounded because it wasn’t really blatant with some of them. For example, there is a transgender woman and it’s never really mentioned, just in passing by misgendering. This misgendering scene really didn’t sit right with me. There are a couple of other scenes that I felt were forced including the romance which I found unnecessary.

With that being said, at least the cover is nice.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for sending me an arc.

a year after soledad's mother is deported, she decides to join her college's history club by completing an odd initiation process. i did enjoy this book; i mostly liked sol as a character, there were a lot of relatable aspects that i enjoyed like her self deprecating humour & her thoughts when she's with ethan, but sometimes i felt there were parts trying too hard to be relatable & were just annoying. i did like seeing the way sol is dealing with the aftermath of her mother's deportation & i also really loved the family dynamic. the romance between her and ethan was definitely cute at times but i didn't find myself as invested in it as i would have liked.

the whole club plot line was confusing to me. sol made a big deal about how the club was taking over her life but it really didn't seem like that to me, she barely even described what she did for/with the club besides initiation & a few meetings. also the climax/ending felt so rushed & i just feel like nothing really came out of it.

& one thing that bothered me was the fact that sol said "illegals" throughout the book? i just feel that someone whose mother has been deported would be more understanding of the importance of language & rhetoric but she literally calls undocumented people "illegals" multiple times & that was rlly upsetting.

i thought it was an okay book, there were good & bad aspects, but overall i'd say it was enjoyable despite some parts that were a bit boring.

*thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

I think the original idea and intent behind the book were great, but I didn't feel like it was executed well.

I thought the History Club would play a bigger role in the story than it did, but I wasn't overly upset that it didn't. I can see its importance in starting the chain of events of this book so I guess that was its main role. Maybe if it would have been represented more consistently throughout the story it would have made more sense.

There were definitely some good parts of the book, like the social issues and injustices it covers. And the relationships represented in this book are also pretty good. There was so much lacking, however, that I feel like the unpleasant outweighed the good.

The pacing of the book was not great. It was so so slow in many parts and a bit choppy. I think the storyline, in general, could have been more consistent. There was a big idea for the book, but when it came down to the details and small events, nothing really happened. Or, if something did happen, I didn't see the correlation of the event with the main purpose of the book or other smaller events.

As well, I think there was a big issue in show rather than tell. This book talked so much about a plethora of issues, but I didn't feel very much emotion behind them sometimes. I would have liked for these to have been "shown" more. I think that would have helped me to connect a little better to Sol and the different challenges in her life.

Overall, this book had some good relationships but was lacking in many other important departments.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was immediately attracted to the cover art and chapter heading art - I always appreciate those details in books! I found the first sentence/paragraph of the book to be very captivating and intriguing. I really enjoyed the dialogue early on, as well as Sol's internal monologue. I found the characters to be funny and even laughed out loud on several occasions. The synopsis of the books is what really attracted me, and I found a lot of the cultural aspects to be relatable, which I really appreciated. This book did a great job of using relatable cultural phrases as well as shedding light on traditional gender roles and generational differences that are common in the Hispanic culture. Additionally, the story included some discussion on racism and stereotypes.

I found a lot of errors/typos in the text, which didn't necessarily bother me or affect my rating. I found the pace to be a little slow and redundant, although that may just be something that comes with coming-of-age stories. The plot is not advancing too much but we do see a lot of insight into Sol's struggle with balancing her new responsibilities. I think this book did a good job of showcasing her struggle of upholding her family values, stepping up as the matriarch of her household, and maintaining her grades and social life. I liked the characters but would have liked more development. Overall, I did enjoy reading the book and am so thankful that I got a chance to read it, so thank you!