About a 3.5. I loved the character of Eusebia and the writing was really good. I thought this was going to be about what happens in the first little bit, but it was actually not about that at all. I always enjoy that.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free electronic copy of this emotional drama set in the environs of NYC from Netgalley, Clevyvis Natera, and Ballantine Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

I am pleased to recommend Cleyvis Natera to friends and family. She writes a fantastic tale with warm, substantial people and gives us a 20/20 vision of life for those immigrants from the Dominican Republic in the eastern coastal USA. I enjoyed this tour through the community and being immersed in the social whirl of the lives of these folks in this suburb. It was interesting to see all the cultural plus influences these immigrants brought to our shores. This was actually in my opinion a 5* book, but the closing seemed a bit slam-dunked. I will definitely follow Cleyvis Natera. She tells a fine tale.

The Guerreros have called Northar Park home for two decades, so naturally, they are alarmed when gentrification reaches their doorstep. Eusebia, the matriarch, hatches a plan to scare people out of the neighborhood while her husband, Vladimir, sees it as the perfect opportunity for them to retire and return to the Dominican Republic. Meanwhile, Luz (their daughter), finds herself fired from her Manhattan lawfirm and romantically involved with the developer destroying her neighborhood.

I was looking forward to reading this after reading so many fantastic reviews, but it fell short for me. It just didn't resonate. That said, the writing was beautiful and the plot was compelling. I was simply overwhelmed by the number (& eccentricities) of characters and dueling storylines. I mean, holy drama, Batman.

Neruda on The Park follows the Guerrero family living in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood, Nothar Park. A new luxury condo building is being built in their neighborhood and this community will have to face the decision of being bought out or fighting to stay in a neighborhood they’ve called home for decades. This book highlights the sacrifices one must make for their family and community and the internal battles one has to face when making these decisions.

I have mixed feelings about this book, on one hand, I loved the story and the focus on how gentrification impacts communities and how one family can see these changes so differently. But on the other hand, I never felt fully connected to the characters and their journeys. I also did not like Hudson, as a character or his storyline with Luz.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard review to write. I think because I thought the book was about one thing, but then it became about another. It begins when a Dominican neighborhood in NYC is threatened by gentrification. Within that neighborhood is the Guerroros family and they react very differently to the development occurring around them. Eusebia and Vladimir have sacrificed much to raise their daughter, Luz, and send her to school, where she successfully became a Harvard grad lawyer. Luz was living the dream lawyer life, working endless hours, dining in the very best spots, buying thousand-dollar suits. When it all comes to an abrupt halt, she knows she's at a crossroad in her life. Coincidently, she also meets and begins dating the developer who is building luxury condos in the midst of her neighborhood.
I expected this novel to focus on the impact of gentrification of this community, but it instead focused more on the story of the individuals within Guerroros family specifically. I would be okay with this, however, I don't know if it delved deep enough into each of them. There was just so much ground to cover. As mentioned, Luz was at a crossroads. I think the process of where she came from in her career to where she ends up was well done. However, her relationship with Hudson moved so fast I didn't find it quite believable. There were mysterious aspects of Hudson, hinted at, but never really revealed. Parts of him and his goals didn't seem realistic, to me at least. We never saw their relationship develop but just saw the road stops along the way. The same with Vladimir. Decisions made and were acted on extremely quickly. I would have loved to know him better. Eusebia, and her love for her community and heritage was well written. I believed in her desire to save the neighborhood. And wondered how far someone would go to save their community. Who would champion for the people who are being displaced with nowhere to go, who are afraid but cannot speak up, who are leaving the only family they have in this country. But then, it turns out, that wasn't really the focus of the book.
So while I'd say the book was trying to tell two different stories, maybe that wasn't the intent at all. Maybe it was just my expectations. But then, that just let me wanting more of each story. I began this book loving the story and felt immersed in the neighborhood. Natera brought to life her characters and I felt engrossed with The Tongues, Eusebia, Angelica, Cuca and Juan Juan and everyone else.

dnf @ 33%

At 33% I still wasn’t interested. I like the themes, the subject, the setting, and the writing but I just couldn’t form a connection. The book failed to spark any emotion in me. I know 33% isn’t very far in, at that point though I should have been a bit engaged or curious but I was reading like it was a chore so I set it down. I don’t mind slow-paced books so long as it’s captured my attention, this one was just slow for me unfortunately.

This felt pretty similar to Olga Dies Dreaming. It was well written and I liked the setting of the neighborhood. I didn't connect super deeply to the story or the characters, but that might have just been a case of wrong timing for this book!

I was excited for this book. I wanted to learn more about the Dominican culture and gentrification. However, that was not what this story was.
I think I went in with the wrong expectations. I felt a little lost while in the mother’s pov but a little bit of that became clearer toward the end. I felt disconnected to the characters and the story.
Even the love story between Luz and Hudson seemed rushed and shoved together. I hate to say that this one missed the mark for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this arc for an honest review.

I received a digital advance copy of Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera via NetGalley. Neruda on the Park is scheduled for release on May 17, 2022.

Neruda on the Park follows a family in New York City. The Guerreros are from the Dominican Republic and live in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood. When a developer demolishes an abandoned building and begins constructing luxury condos, the family has varied responses to this gentrification.

Luz begins a romantic relationship with the developer, while her mother Eusebia begins scheming to stop the construction. In the midst of this, Vladimir (Eusebia’s husband and Luz’s father) is designing and building a home back in the DR, planning to take his wife back home when he retires.

This story centers on the impact of gentrification on established communities. I have read other novels centered on this theme, but this novel gave a more varied view of the theme. Rather than centering firmly on one perspective, this story gives us a variety of views of the issue, really digging in to how complex the issue can be. For some writers, this might have felt like a justification for gentrification, but Natera manages to avoid that by fully developing the members of the family and neighborhood. This gives us the layers of complexity without coming across as support for the process.

The novel follows both Luz and Eusebia, focusing on their views on the issue, but also pulling in the views of the people they are closest to. Their plot lines wove together well, as they sometimes served as antagonists for each other, without either becoming a villain. There was a turn toward the end where the author provided the reader with an explanation for something that was happening in the story. I would have preferred to not have that explanation, leaving those events with a touch of mystery and possible mysticism.

Overall, Neruda on the Park explored gentrification in a way that made me invested as a reader, and raised lots of questions for me regarding how we can keep the good bits while getting rid of the bad. The novel wasn’t able to offer answers, but should serve as a conversation starter.

This is a spectacular summer story. It tells a story of love, family and community. Luz and her family have lived in the same New York City neighborhood for years. As immigrants they had to fight hard to achieve the American dream. When things begin to go wrong for them they have to find ways to cope and survive. The characters are interesting and colorful. There is a depth to the cultural and social nuances that are taken place that affects the fissures in the relationships. Definitely worth reading.

Fantastic debut filled with gorgeous prose and imagery. The novel follows the Guerroros - Eusebia, Vladimir, and their adult daughter, Luz, as their beloved neighborhood is touched by the encroaching gentrification. Eusebia becomes determined to save the neighborhood at all costs, while Luz needs to decide what to do with her life. A story of what it means to be family, and the importance of home, this is a lyrical debut filled with rich characters.

"The Guerreros have lived in Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican part of New York City, for twenty years. When demolition begins on a neighboring tenement, Eusebia, an elder of the community, takes matters into her own hands by devising an increasingly dangerous series of schemes to stop construction of the luxury condos. Meanwhile, Eusebia's daughter, Luz, a rising associate at a top Manhattan law firm who strives to live the bougie lifestyle her parents worked hard to give her, becomes distracted by a sweltering romance with the handsome white developer at the company her mother so vehemently opposes.

As Luz's father, Vladimir, secretly designs their retirement home in the Dominican Republic, mother and daughter collide, ramping up tensions in Nothar Park, racing toward a near-fatal climax."

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time getting through this one. Not necessarily because it wasn’t a good book, it just wasn’t one that captured my attention and I had to force myself to pick it up and just finish it.

It is a dual POV from a mother and daughter who want completely different things. The main topics we see are about family, gentrification, and different survival tactics through love and loyalty.

Thank you Random House and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

🌟NERUDA ON THE PARK 🌟 by Cleyvis Natera ~to be published May 24, 2002

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Liked it, didn’t love it, but would absolutely read more by this author (I even got some Franzen vibes!).

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and @NetGalley for the complimentary advance review copy. All thoughts are my own.

We are transported to the fictional neighborhood of Northar Park in upper Manhattan, a mostly Dominican neighborhood, where a wealthy developer has decided to tear down tenement housing and construct new luxury condos. The Guerrero family, Dominican immigrants and long established community members, are forced to either purchase their apartment or move out of the neighborhood that has become home. Matriarch Eusebia becomes determined to stop the gentrification process by any means necessary, while at the same time her daughter Luz starts dating said wealthy developer. You might be thinking to yourself, I think I know where this is going, but you would be WRONG!!!

About 20 pages into this book, I thought this was going to be a five star read. Natera’s writing is beautiful (and complex and provocative and surprising…) and the topic of gentrification and its pros and cons fascinates me. Luz’s realization that being a big-time attorney wasn’t making her happy definitely resonated with me (👋), and “the tongues” (the ladies who sit on lawn chairs outside of their building and spread all the neighborhood gossip) were such fantastic characters.

Towards the middle, the plot lost some steam – things got overly complicated, then confusing, and then just plain weird! The ending didn’t provide much, if any, resolution. After spending so much time with Eusebia, it was frustrating to be left feeling uncertain about her true feelings for her neighborhood and her daughter. Still, Natera is a fresh and exciting voice and I am eager to see what she does next.

This review will be published on Instagram and Goodreads within one week of publication (link to come).

centered around Nothar Park, a focal point for Dominican life and culture in the Bronx. Subjected to destruction and gentrification by an upscale condo development. The central characters are the Guerrero family, he a detective nearing retirement and build to his wife’s unawareness, his dream house in the DR, she a housewife turned community activist attempting to thwart the development, and their only daughter Luz, an ivy league educated attorney destined for legal greatness but ambivalent as to the sacrifices it entails. An intimate look at dominican immigrant culture, the mother-daughter relationship, and what the concept of “ home” truly signifies.

This book is told mainly from a mother & daughter viewpoint. The mother & father had immigrated from the Dominican Republic when the daughter was younger. Therefore she was raised speaking mostly English & went to college, getting her law degree. She had a job where she worked long hours & was trying to look the part with expensive suits & shoes. She has a very materialistic attitude until she is fired. This makes her reevaluate her life. Also there is a new building being built in her neighborhood & the people building it are trying to get everyone to sell their apartments & leave. The mother doesn't want to do this (although the father does), so she is plotting how to stop the building from being completed. This is an intriguing viewpoint into how gentrification can affect the people that are being pushed out of their homes & the lengths they might go to to stop it.
The writing was well done for most of the book. There were times during the mother's portion that I was confused.
I recommend this book for a look into what it's like to have immigrated to our country to only be pushed out years down the road.
Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

This review will be posted on May 6, 2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

Maybe the novel with the meatiest plot I've read so far in 2022? Meatiest in the best possible way! There were so many themes to dive into, but the ones that stuck out for me were: the duality of the immigrant experience, white gentrification on BIPOC communities, deep seated fissures in families, and who has access to supports and innovation. Natera's prose envelopes you like a warm blanket, but it isn't overly ornamental. Instead, it's a full body deep dive into the human experience. It's masterful and beautiful to see the growth arc and journey Luz is on in this novel. #NerudaOnThePark Rating: 😊 / really liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on May 24, 2022. Thank you Ballantine Books and @penguinrandomhouse for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story explores the complexities of building a family, and community as an immigrant. Eusebio and Vladimir immigrate from the Dominican Republic to NYC and raise their daughter in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood. Their daughter,Luz, goes to law school and starts to form a path to move out of the neighborhood until, she gets fired.
Luz struggles with the idea of not being able to help her parents finish the house in DR and the feelings of guilt.
At the same time the neighborhood is going through big changes and the tenants of her building have been asked to move in order to make way for new construction. Eusebia and the neighbors create a plan to change things before they change forever.

The themes of family, loyalty and belonging are central to this epic story
The narrative describes the sights and experiences of a Dominican family in NYC in such an authentic way. The story begins by translating the Spanish words and as the narrative progresses the translations become less frequent until they are nonexistent. This change seems intentional as Luz, Eusebia and Vladimir become more aware of their true selves as the story moves forward.

I can not wait to read more from Cleyvis Natera. Her writing is unforgettable and this story deserves so much praise.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a well written book, but there were things I just didn’t enjoy enough to give it more than an ok rating. This is a story of a mother and daughter, immigrants from the Dominican Republic living in a Dominican neighborhood in New York City. The story is told from alternating points of view of these two women. The mother’s story was very difficult to read as she fights the beautification of the neighborhood. You know there are reasons why she reacts the way she does to those around her and does the things she does to stop the building of the new building across the street, but it makes it very difficult to like her. Her part of the book is very sad. I did enjoy Luz’ story as she struggles with losing her job as a lawyer. You can see the direction she may go in and that she will be fine. I would have loved a book that centered solely on her, but I’m sure many others will like this book as it stands.

4 ✨
literary fiction with a little spicey thriller sauce
themes of family, loss, gentrification, sacrifice, home
cw: stillborn, racism

“What if triumph meant tearing the whole damn thing down, excavating deeply, to build something new?”

when we excavate deeply, what can we cultivate? within ourselves, within our communities, within our ideas. our masks are weighing us down. our secrets keep us tied to an identity that isn’t us. we don’t have to cover up, not ourselves, not our neighborhoods. we have to dig, to find the beauty, to let the love breathe, to allow space for the truest version of ourselves and our communities.

what a magnificent novel. highly recommend.

I have a difficult time believing "Neruda on the Park" by Cleyvis Natera is a debut novel-it's that good! I could identify completely with Luz, from her overbearing family to being expected to kill yourself for that prestigious attorney job just because you are a woman and highly educated. I could also identify with Eusebia, and the rage she felt at having her life's choices stolen from her by others, including her husband.

This own voices novel has many underlying themes, including the desire to control one's life, the importance of community and culture, and the societal expectation that we as women must hold all our pain inside and be strong for our families. At its heart, "Neruda on the Park" is about the desire to control your own life and the lengths you are willing to go to do so. Luz is expected to devote herself to a job that doesn't value her and leaves her little time to actually live. Eusebia is expected to devote herself to her daughter and husband and to just sit by and watch as her neighborhood and the culture of her community are threatened by gentrification.

I loved the colorful and realistic characters that come alive from the pages of this book. The author's skillful writing deftly unveils a multilayered plot full of community dynamics, cultural expectations, race relations, and a bit of romance. It's a snapshot of what life can truly be like in an immigrant neighborhood facing change from gentrification. This is a story I won't soon forget and I will be highly recommending it to everyone! I can definitely understand why "Neruda on the Park" is considered one of the most anticipated debut novels of 2022 and I hope to read further works by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book, in exchange for my honest review.