Lately books I have read centered around family drama have been repetitive, but this debut really stood out to me for its authentic characters, storyline, humor, & familial themes. Loved how each character was distinct yet familiar. In general the family ties between them was a real strength. I could see some viewing the ending — particularly Ruthy’s part — as a little rushed, but I left feeling mostly satisfied for all that had occurred in the club scene. Can’t wait to read more from Claire Jimenez in the future!

Grateful to NetGalley & Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC before it hits beginning of March. Definitely will be recommending it to my bookish circle.

Wow. I needed to walk away before processing the emotions this book brings up. It really hits you out of nowhere. The book starts out like what I would imagine CW’s Veronica Mars show was, then more sinister elements appear but do not necessarily taint the overall YA crime vibe. (Not YA, just the general feel in the beginning.)

I saw another review mention that the amount of expletives used took away from the story. I see their point, yet as I got further into the book the dialogue started to feel authentic and raw to the characters. The ending rips your heart out. Mostly because I fully expected the story to go in another direction. I thought the execution was well thought out and respect the story the author was trying to tell.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for a review.

I tried to like this book, but couldn’t get there. The family dynamics were somewhat interesting, but too many scenes seemed superfluous, and didn’t help to move the story along. I especially skimmed through the reality show shenanigans. Okay, you think your missing sister may be one of the characters. Fine. But why did I have to plow through every episode of the dumb show? What was the point?

Sorry. Just wasn’t the book for me. Different strokes and all that.

Ruthy Ramirez never made it home from track practice one day. Told through alternating perspectives of the Ramirez women (including Ruthy), you find out what happened that day and how the family has coped since. 16 years later and Ruthy's sisters think they see her on a reality TV show but is it actually her?
This is not a long book, but Jaminez manages to pack a punch. The sibling relationship between Jessica and Nina is vivid and so real, I think every sister will feel seen. I also loved how Ruthy had her voice throughout the book.

The Ramirez family has never been the same since Ruthy vanished. Sandwiched between her elder sister, Jessica and her younger sister, Nina, Ruthy is just 13 years old when she doesn’t come home after track practice. Their father, Eddie, and mother Dolores are devastated and are her sisters lives will never be the same.
There isn’t even one clue as to what happened and the years pass, leaving their marks on each member of the family. Told in multiple POV’s, Jessica, Nina, and Dolores in the now, and Ruthy in the then.
12 years have passed when a reality TV show,Catfight, contestant looks too much like an older version of Ruthy. Jessica and Nina are determined to find out if their sister ran away and is alive and kicking. Could Ruthy have really just run away from home leaving her family heartbroken?
At times, funny, then quirky, then sad, then 12 years later, full of hope that Ruthiy has been found. I enjoyed getting to know this family, and hoped that Ruthy was indeed, Ruby, even though she would have a lot of explaining to do.
Her family would still be happy after they verbally kicked her butt for putting them through so much pain. No spoilers, but this definitely was not the story that I pictured. It was, however, a look at a quirky family( to me at least being an only child), and what the disappearance of a child can do.

I really, really loved this book.

It's hard to make a story about a missing teenage girl and her grieving family simultaneously funny and sensitive, but Jimenez has pulled it off brilliantly with this wild cast of characters. The Ramirez family has been changed forever by Ruthy's loss, but they are still the same people they were before - they're bickering with each other, and watching dumb tv shows together, and doing their best to live their lives - even if nothing has turned out as planned. Jimenez did a fantastic job capturing those those wide swings between being emotionally destroyed by grief and then five minutes later cracking up with your sister because your mom did something weird and annoying.

The chapters from Ruthy's perspective were so sad and made me furious for her and for the real missing girls of the world, especially the ones the police can't be bothered to look for because they aren't blond and white. The ending made me sob (which sounds like a weird way to end a book that I thought was funny, but there is the rollercoaster).

This was a spectacular debut, and I cannot wait to read whatever Jimenez writes next. Highly recommend!

I am so glad I read this one! The characters are each so unique. My favorite character was Irene. I just love me some women with big personalities and these Puerto Rican women living in New York did not disappoint. It moves really quickly and even though I was “reading” it for over a week, the number of hours I spent reading it really wasn’t that many.

Heads up that this book covers some heavy topics even though the majority of it reads very light.

What happens when a missing sister is possibly spotted on reality television? Ruthy Ramirez was only 13 when she disappeared one day after school. Years later her sisters and mother are still struggling to make ends meet when the oldest sister spots someone who looks and acts just like Ruthy on a reality TV show. Could it be her? The sisters are determined to find out but also want to keep it from their mother for now. Want to know what happens next? Pick up this warm, humorous, and compelling novel to find out.

I was very intrigued by this premise, but unfortunately the book just didn't resonate for me. I felt it was hard to connect with the characters, and the story lines jumped around depending on who the narrator was at the moment. If you're looking for a novel with a mystery, this won't be it, but if you're into character-driven stories about families, then this one might be for you.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a story about a family torn apart by the disappearance of their teenage daughter, Ruthy.

We see perspectives of her sisters and mother, along with past timelines from Ruthy.

When the sisters believe that Ruthy has appeared on reality television, they begin a quest to bring home their missing sister.

This book was so unique and raw. It really spoke to the nuances of family dynamics and also systematic in justices. I was so emotional towards the entire family- going from frustration to empathy and everything in between.

This book was funny, heartbreaking, and eye opening all at once.

I loved this book!! The middle sister goes missing when she is a teenager one day after track practice. Nobody appears to know anything about her disappearance... and that's the way it remains for years. The story picks up years after the disappearance with those left in the family. Then the family's hope begins to increase when they become interested in somebody who resembles their sister. The ending is tragic, but does tie up loose ends which is always appreciated!!

I thought this would be a solid read alike for fans of Olga Dies Dreaming, in reality, its a much closer read alike to Everything I Never Told You

Reading the summary, I thought this was a book I would enjoy. Boy! Was I ever wrong! The constant use of expletives in all the characters’ speech was a real downer. The constant repetition and side issues about the past were boring. But honestly, the worst part were the characters, themselves. There were continuous conflicts over nothing. The characters were mean. Just completely mean spirited. None of the characters seemed to like each other or to try to be nice to each other. I guess all the characters were simply angry. Angry at the world – at themselves – at their friends. I dunno, but this was definitely not my kind of book.

I appreciate the ARC from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I wish mine could have been better.

This is a great addition to the canon of "dead girl" novels. Ruthy has been missing for years, and one day her sisters see her lookalike on tv and wonder if it could be her. The ensuing days of planning and watching and going to find her highlight the complexities of her family left behind, and how her disappearance has affected them.

I was sucked into this story from the very beginning. It's written in what I call the "homegirl style" which means, it feels more like you're sitting on the stoop at your friend's house listening to them tell you the story, instead of reading it.

We view the story through the POV of Nina, Jessica, Ruthy, and their mother. It was interesting watching the story unravel from so many different perspectives. So often, the black and brown girls that go missing are not given even an ounce of the attention that the media gives a white girl that has gone missing. It's a sad truth. I am grateful that the author took the time to point this out.

I do, however, wish we could have gotten more of a look into Ruthy's POV. It was added sparsely throughout the story, and then at the end it felt rushed to explain what had happened. The book read more like "What Nina, Jessica, and Delores Went Through After Ruthy Went Missing" We spent more of the story following them around and not much on Ruthy. Other than that, this was a solid book.

I didn't realize this was supposed to be funny, so I wasn't disappointed at the lack of humor-- (how was it supposed to be funny? I'm confused?)
I was captivated by the story. While I feel some of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, I overall really liked it.

Wow! I just can’t believe this is a debut novel. It’s truly unlike anything I’ve ever read.

At its heart, this is a story of mothers, sisters, loss and hope. But it’s so much more. There are moments of agonizing heartbreak and moments of uproarious humor. Lord, I laughed so hard I cried.

This is an easy recommendation for me and will undoubtedly make it onto my best of 2023 list.

My thanks to @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

This was told from the perspectives of Ruthy's mom (Dolores), her sisters (Jessica and Nina), and herself. It was done in a way that felt very casual, like a friend telling you a story. It made the characters' personalities come through well, and was a good way of seeing how Ruthy's disappearance affects her family.

Even though this was about the disappearance of a child, it had a good amount of humour throughout, but the ending was unexpected.

This book felt chaotic at times but it went along perfectly with the characters lives and what was happening to them. Dealing with the aftermath of their sister Ruthy’s disappearance made this family drama interesting to see whether they would find their sister or not.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sending me an eGalley of this novel before its publication in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is DRAMA from the get-go. A lot of family arguments, swearing, feistiness, and big personalities. I personally enjoy this kind of dialogue and felt like it fit the storyline.

The premise of the novel was so intriguing to me- a family who sees their long lost sister/daughter on a TV show and develops a plan to track her down? Sign me up! Unfortunately, there were several different plots and storylines working at the same time. Each character had their own "thing" going on and that clouded the plot of tracking down Ruby. This family could not stop throwing shade, beefing with each other, and bickering along the way.

All of that to say, there were parts of this novel I was laughing aloud. I enjoyed the humorous elements. All of the scenes of the Catfight TV Show reminded me of an all-girls version of Jersey Shore. It was funny and regardless of the drama, I finished this book in one weekend, it's a quick read.

This is not a "feel good" novel or something with a "happy" ending. Prepare yourself to feel a little lost by the end. The last 30 pages really threw me for a loop. I liked the way it ended, but I was not expecting it and feel like I still have some questions about what happened.

I would consider reading more by this author in the future.