Riveting debut novel from Cleyvis Natera! Neruda on the Park is beautifully written and provides a strong sense of place in an immigrant Dominican community in NYC.  I was totally drawn in to Luz and Eusebia's respective stories and their experiences of assimilation and gentrification.  This is an important book for people to read.  It's not perfect, but it's rawness and imperfections make it all the more interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I picked up this book because the summary of the book was intriguing to me.   I enjoyed reading this book although some chapters were harder to read than others.  I do feel this is an important book to read to help people understand the difficulties that immigrants have.  I encourage people to read it.  The author's words are creative and engaging and draw you in.

A captivating read, Neruda on the Park captures the lives and emotions of its characters in a fantastic way. Highlighting the real life struggles of not just immigrants but first generations the novel rings true in every word. From mothers  working tirelessly both at home and outside to make sure their loved ones lives are easier to emotions and thoughts of letting loved ones down because of perceived  failure, Neruda displays all these moments not ​only perfectly, but accurately. 
When Eusebia saves the mango for Luz, it is such a small moment in the novel but capable of taking you right back to your own mom giving you something she thought you would enjoy. Or making your favorite food because that's how they show their love. 

Being able to relate to a book and the characters, to a certain extent, make sit difficult to put the book down.  Reading the book as a first-generation American, Luz is as relatable as a character can get. 

Cleyvis Natera does an incredible job capturing every aspect of life in this novel. You sometimes forget that this is her first novel.

Focussing on a loving family, each withholding secrets and dishonest motivations, Neruda on the Park presents a picture of Dominican immigrant life in New York.  Luz, the daughter who has seemingly attained the American dream, armed with her law degree that means less than she'd envisioned, enters into an unlikely relationship with the developer threatening to destroy her family's neighborhood.  Eusebia, her mother, has found she treasures the life she's found in New York and comes up with a questionable means of dealing with it.  Vladimir, Papi, a member of the NYPF, is the least represented but whose encounters with the upheavals incurred in the course of his job.  There is a Greek chorus of gossipy sisters, rounding out the primary characters.  I loved the premise of the book, but there were areas where the writing could have been tighter, not as repetitive.  But any story with love of the poetry of Neruda at its core holds my interest.

This was a very intense book. I had trouble following it at times because I didn't always understand the references. There was a lot going on in this book and it was not always believable. I don't want to give anything away to the reader so I am unable to give explicit detail. If you are able to suspend disbelief, you would probably really enjoy this book. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the kindle edition of an ARC. I rate it 3 stars because it was intriguing and well-written.

This book was quite simply fabulous. Wow, gave me so much insight into what it’s like to be an immigrant, To land in this country and to find a neighborhood in a community where you belong. Such a great sense of family life. Well developed characters. I loved this book. It has stayed with me for such a long time. Looking forward to reading much more from this author. Thanks for my advance copy

Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera was an engaging read, Characters were richly developed. The author's vivid descriptions made it easy to visualize various settings, as well as people and their emotions and relationships. The book offered a rich examination of families, communities and their intricate interactions. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Yes, yes and more yes! This book is fantastic. Following a Dominican family with encroaching gentrification in their community in NYC. The book is well written, has great character development and I loved the cultural aspects shared. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something heart-felt, beautifully written and will leave you wanting more from the author!

This book is so well-constructed and tightly-built that it gave me serious anxiety. I wanted to yell at Luz and take her mom to a doctor and ask the Tongues for help and sit down with coffee with Vladimir and tell him what was going on with his family. But all I could do was wait and keep reading and see how author Natera spun out the stories and threads to a satisfying end. You, too, might want to yell at Luz and roll your eyes so hard at her boyfriend that they get stuck in your head, because it's the kind of book that rouses your emotions and makes you try to figure out why people make decisions you wouldn't make and to think about how people just think about the world. Go read it. Go yell at Luz. But definitely read all the way to the end, where her mom does exactly what I would do--and what you might do.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Neruda on the Park is completely, beautifully earnest. Split between the perspectives of mother Eusebia, daughter Luz, and neighborhood gossips The Tongues, Neruda on the Park tells the story of a family and neighborhood impacted by gentrification. I loved how firmly rooted in the stories of women this book was and the urgency and tension was deeply felt, becoming more and more interesting in the latter third of the book. I wish that the novel had dived even further into Eusebia's backstory and Luz's tension with her love interest, to round out who mother and daughter are outside of each other. Clevis Natera's worldbuilding and the fierce love is evident on every page.

Stories of immigrants in New York City aren't new, but I typically enjoy reading them both for the interactions with such a vibrant place, but also for the breadth of experiences that they can convey.  This novel had a strong immigrant story at its core, but the storytelling did not transport me the way others have.

I wasn’t able to get through this one. It just wasn’t for me. There wasn’t anything wrong with the writing but the synopsis stood out to me more than the actually story once I started.

I was looking forward to this book, liked the subject matter. Luz and her family live in a neighborhood, that is changing, old buildings demolished and current residents are offered to buy their places or accept a low ball buyout. This is a story of. Luz, her parents , other relatives and neighbors.
Unfortunately I found the book very choppy, it just didn’t  hold my attention . There were interesting exchange’s between mother and daughter, that added to the story.
Overall I feel generous giving this novel three stars.

America: The Great Melting Pot. The Land of Opportunity. Maybe for some. Eventually. After years and generations of struggle and sacrifice. And that’s for those who were fortunate enough to choose to come. Those who were forced to come often continue to struggle, to find a place, to be welcomed. To belong.

Cleyvis Natera has written a stunning debut novel, “Neruda on the Park” . It centers primarily on immigrants from the Dominican Republic and their first generation American children. Most, but not all, came to the US legally and have settled in an Upper Manhattan neighborhood known as Nothar Park. Gentrification has arrived, which will inevitably impact all. “It will be for the best.”, say the developers who beg for their tax breaks and permit exceptions. Sure it will be - for the Builders, Real Estate Investment Trusts, and those wealthy enough to afford the bright, new condos with the hardwood floors and granite countertops.

“Neruda on the Park” is all about that, especially the impact on tearing apart an immigrant family. But the novel hit me in so many other, fully universal, ways. It is about agency and how important it is to grant and grab agency at all ages and stages. It is about mothers and daughters and sharing aspirations, secrets and truths. It is about managing transitions, how doing what you want means different things at different times to different people. And it is about how change is generally not under your control, but can lead to better outcomes if you are patient, gracious, and humble. Finally it is about place vs. home.

There are passages in “Neruda on the Park” that were unexpected and took my breath away. Some were emotionally terrifying and grave. Others were so deep and subtle that I needed to stop, re-read, and stop again to fully absorb. Cleyvis Natera is clearly a fast rising star. I can’t wait to see what’s next. 

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

Eusabia and Luz are Mother and adult daughter.  Luz, an Attorney, loses her job as an Associate in a NY firm on the very day she expected to be made a Junior Partner.  The family, including Vladimir, Luz’s Father and NYPD Detective,  live in a mainly Dominican neighborhood that is being ‘gentrified’.  Hunter, Luz’s boyfriend, is responsible for the demolition and construction.  The family is Afro-Caribbean, Hunter is white.  Luz does not know what she is going to do with her future. Eusabia is going to do everything in her power to stop the changes.  The novel is beautiful and well written to the point the reader will realize it is more than just their story.  The climax is unexpected but most fitting.  Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an ARC for an honest review.

<b> This is going to be a 2022 favorite for sure! </b>
Neruda on the Park explores the age old question of “where is home”, is it a place? What is it? <b> Home, she told herself, could be a place, a person, a feeling, at times, a profession, the end result of a long pursuit. A fluid thing, for sure, but precious. </b>
I absolutely loved reading this book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it as well. In Neruda on the pack we meet the Guerreros, they have spent majority of their lives in Nothar Park, home to mostly Dominicans in New York. One day they wake up to see demolition taking place and a new condo being built. You know that this means… the neighbourhood is about to change. 
Eusebia who came from the Dominican Republic with her husband Vladimir wants to fight the development, protect the people she’s come to know and love. Their daughter Luz, a budding attorney finds there are some benefits to the neighbourhood changing, it means she doesn’t have to go all the way into the City to do hot yoga (yay). Vladimir on the other hand, wants to take the payout and leave for his home in the Dominican Republic and retire there. A lot of people will be affected, some will have to leave home, to find their true home. 
A well crafted tale about gentrification, agency, mother-daughter relationship and what it means to call a place home. The author does a great job of telling a well thought out story, and I loved that she told the story from the POV of the Luz and Eusebia. We get a deeper look into their motivation and how they justify their action. This is a such a great story about community, how coming together with one goal can lead to a victory. 
A well done story that I want everyone to read!

This book is the story of the struggles of both a community a family and an individual in facing cultural challenges and “progress. “. 
Luz is the main character, Dominican descent, who made good in the “white mans world” becoming a successful lawyer. 
The setting is on norther park where she and her family live. It is where the community is. the rich cultural heritage, and the fight to preserve it in the face of real estate development.
This books speaks to those experiencing similar pulls between their upbringing and ascending the economic ladder .  It can also appeal to anyone questioning their role in so called progress, as well as anyone wanting to have a deeper understanding in their role in shaping our society.

A complex but interesting story that I was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. The story is told from the perspective of Luz and her mother Eusebia with occasional interjections by “The Tongues”, 3 sisters known to be gossips. All are immigrants from the Dominican Republic living near Nothar Park in New York City. Luz is a recently unemployed attorney trying to figure out what to do with her life. She meets and falls in love with Hudson and finds out that he is behind the demolition of an old building in her neighborhood and planned construction of luxury apartments at the site. In the meantime, Eusebia is fighting the neighborhood changes and takes her attempted sabotage to extremes. Luz’s father, Vladimir is occupied with his work on difficult cases as a police officer and with building a retirement dream home for he and Eusebia in the Dominican Republic so is mostly unaware of his family and neighborhood spiraling out of control. 
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book because it seemed a little disjointed and lacking direction and plot at first. However, I felt like the main characters were developed well in an interesting and intriguing manner. There were humorous moments involving some minor characters such as Eusebia’s sister, Cuca and The Tongues. I felt like the interjections by The Tongues gave the book a unique perspective and demonstrated the author’s creative writing style. There were definitely unanswered questions in the end but letting the reader wonder, think about the possibilities and want more is a writing style that I always enjoy.

I am so excited to have been approved to read this book! The story follows a Dominican family in Nothar Park (upper Manhattan) who is being affected by a development company looking to gentrify the area. Luz is a late 20-something lawyer who lives with her mother and father. Eusebia, Luz's mother, refuses to take the gentrification of the neighborhood lightly and devises a pretty smart strategy to make Nothar Park seem less desirable to those who may be interested in move in. Luz meets a man named Hudson who actually owns the company developing the new building. Throughout the course of the book, we see Luz and Eusebia's relationship change as Luz discovers what she wants and Eusebia reflects upon her life and the decisions that others have always made for her. Vladimir, Luz's father and Eusebia's husband is focused on retiring from the NYPD to the Dominican Republic and building a house for him and Eusebia to spend the rest of their days. Some of the reading was a little awkward, but some of the writing was also beautiful. Luz was very well-developed, while others were not as fleshed out. I enjoyed the descriptions of New York and I did enjoy the book as I am a setting person.

Set in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of NYC we follow a family's journey of attempting to preserve their cultural heritage in their own personal ways when a developer comes to buy out the neighborhood.  Beautifully written.