This book started off very promising, the writing and plot line was intriguing from the get-go. As the novel progresses, the mystery grows more and more strange, and the characters, the women in Ruthy's family, more interesting. This novel was very female centered, which I loved, and the women were realistic and complicated. I liked that this was a short novel that read at a pretty quick pace, I just felt that once we reached the end, the ending fell short. It felt a bit anticlimactic and I was rather disappointed. There were some answers, but some questions still left unanswered.

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central for a copy of this booo in exchange of an honest review.

If you are a lover of true crime then this novel is for you.

The year was 1996, Ruthie Ramírez was 13 years old and the middle child of the Ramirez family. . She never made it back home from her track practice after school.

Fast forward 12 years after Ruthie’s disappearance, her older sister is watching a reality TV show “Catfight” when she sees a women who looks just like Ruthie.. or does she?

—— imagine all those years of mourning and missing a loved one, a daughter, a sister… this novel is the love letter to all the black and brown women who go missing each day and no one seems to care. This is a story about family bonds , generational trauma, loss and grief but most importantly LOVE.

WHAT HAPPENED TO RUTHY RAMIREZ by Claire Jiménez follows a Puerto Rican family on Staten Island as they live in the aftermath of a sister gone missing, only to spot her – or her lookalike – on a reality TV show years later and embark on a mission to track her down.

The chapters alternate perspectives among Dolores, the matriarch; Nina, the biology major who’s stuck working retail when she can’t get into med school; and Jessica, the eldest sister who works as a hospital aide. Their voices are distinct and loveable, and the book gave me THE FORTUNES OF JADED WOMEN vibes (for immigrant family chaotic energy and humor) crossed with I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU (for the serious undertones about violence against women – in this case, women of color).

This is one of my favorite genres of books – immigrant family stories that include both the children’s and the parents’ perspectives as they go through a crucible moment together. RUTHY RAMIREZ does an excellent job of it (other great ones: Neel Patel’s TELL ME HOW TO BE and Tracey Lien’s ALL THAT’S LEFT UNSAID). There’s such power when characters acknowledge that they each did the best they could do, that harm was done, that forgiveness is needed. For this immigrant child, it’s profound. I will never tire of reading about these dynamics – when done with honesty and vulnerability – over and over.

I absolutely loved this book, devoured Jiménez’s witty dialogue, and cheered for each of the characters. It’s a well-paced, suspenseful, fun read that’s given heft by its thoughtful consideration of respectability politics, generational trauma, and family loyalty. Moments of hilarity are balanced by somber, tender ones. I wasn’t sure how she would pull of the ending – but she did. Hats off to Jiménez for this well-done debut!

Astute observations on power dynamics inside and outside of the family. I enjoyed the covert meditations on grief and the challenging of "closure" regarding the loss of a loved one

This was a good read. It’s the story of Ruthy Ramirez a 13-year-old Puerto Rican girl who never makes it home after track practice and the impact her disappearance has on her family. Many years later one of her sisters is watching tv and thinks she sees Ruthy on a trashy reality tv show called ‘Catfight’. This leads Ruthy’s mom and sisters to embark on a journey to bring Ruthy home.
A very much character driven story told from multiple POV’s. The POV’s of Ruthy’s mother, her two sisters and Ruthy herself. This story is heartbreaking yet has perfectly timed humor. A powerful exploration of family, death, grief, childhood, and generational trauma. It also highlights the way that missing Brown and Black girls and women are often ignored. I have seen some comments about their being too much profanity, but I didn’t notice. I guess I took it as how actual people would talk. The characters, the plot all came across as real and authentic to me.
The story also touches on childhood sexual abuse, racism, discrimination, and death.
#RuthyRamirez #NetGalley #ClaireJimenez

Ruthy Ramirez disappeared in 1996 at age 13, leaving behind her mom and two sisters. Over a decade later, her sisters think they have spotted her on a reality show and try to track her down. Each of the characters is interesting, but it feels like we did not get enough time with them. Finding the sister is not actually the point of the story, and I wish that had been hinted at earlier on. Claire Jimenez has a vivid writing style, I felt like I could see everything happening and experience the characters’ struggles with them - discrimination, health issues, grief and more. Jimenez does a great job of balancing the sad and funny aspects of the book. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC for my honest review.

A deeply powerful, raw debut novel of a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island who discovers their long missing sister is potentially alive and cast on a reality TV show, and they set out to bring her home.

All issues aside, this story was actually laugh out loud-able. I seriously loved all the Ramirez women, including the glimpses of Ruthy. I loved that the story intertwined everything that happened to Ruthy the day leading up to her disappearance. I can’t imagine the pain a family goes through with not having answers or updates to a loved ones disappearance. Despite the tragedy, Jimenez does a great job of catering to all emotions: grief, acceptance, and hope. At only 240 pages, I could’ve kept reading this story and seeing what happens after the ending. Something tells me Jimenez intended it that way though. Highly recommend if you want a coming of age, mystery, and YA feels type of book.

First & foremost, thank you to Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC - truly appreciated!

This was a quick & engaging read. I’m Puerto Rican, & I was definitely able to relate to the characters & the family dynamic.

Ruthy goes missing randomly one afternoon - years later, her two sisters mother are still searching for her. They see a reality TV show called Catfight - similar to the 2000s VH1 & MTV shows - & a girl named Ruby looks & acts exactly like Ruthy (at least what they would expect Ruthy to look/act like based on how she was when she went missing as a young teen years ago). The story is told from the POVs of the two sisters, Nicole & Jess, the mother, Delores, & Ruthy.

I really enjoyed the book. The storyline did get a bit confusing at some points but was able to recover quickly. It did seem like a huge, long buildup to a very small “climax” - I kind of wish we could have been given more regarding what really did happen to Ruthy. However, it didn’t ruin the book for me I still loved it! A great debut; looking forward to more from this author!


***this review was also shared on my Goodreads profile.

This review will be posted on my channel in my March Wrap Up video.

This was an exceptional debut. The rich Puerto Rican culture was amazing to read. Being a Puerto Rican myself, I felt that the family dynamics had a sense of familiarity and could resonate with anyone who is Latinx. It was powerful, compelling, and heartbreaking to see how the family dealt with the mysterious disappearance of Ruthy Ramirez. It shows how these circumstances can change a family and make them drift apart, yet bring them back together. The most touching and emotional part of this story was how the family still had hope, even years later. I felt the author was able to give a voice to each of the four women's points of view individually. I felt it was easy for me to connect with them because they felt relatable and like someone I know in real life. I was able to get their individual struggles, personalities, and how the disappearance of their daughter/sister changed their life.

The genre and tone of this definitely read more as literary fiction than thriller. There is a subplot mystery aspect, since we are wondering what happened to Ruthy Ramirez, however it definitely didn't read as a thriller. In my opinion, it did read a little YA at times, minus the curses. For some people the cursing might bother them because there is a substantial amount of cursing. However, being a Puerto Rican who lives in New York City, this was not a problem. It actually displayed the slang and words that are used here, which made me feel right at home.

My main complaint is that I wanted this to be longer. This story was so powerful that it left me wanting more. I felt like all four women’s voices needed to be heard and their stories shared in-depth. I wanted so much more for them than what the absence of Ruthy left them with. I wanted nothing but good things to come from everything they've been through, but didn't get that part. I would've liked to see where each character ended up after everything. However, I did like the fresh take on showing how this can affect the family dynamics, while also sharing other important topics ( generational violence, colonialism, loss, grief, motherhood, and sisterhood).

This an emotional read that pulls at your heartstrings, while also lightening it up with sprinkled in humor. It is culturally rich with a lot of heart. It left me excited to see what else this talented Latinx author comes up with.

While the book could’ve been longer in order to really explore the ideas here more, woof was this a gut punch. These characters had such a VOICE, and rang really true for me. They’re not wholly loveable, but they are real and fleshed out and understandable. I really appreciated what the book was saying about Black and Brown girls and their treatment (by law enforcement and as entertainment), and thought the ending was perfect. It’s one I’ll think about for a while.

Very slow and-- at least for me --lacked the promised humour I'd been expecting to find. I found it impossible to connect with the characters and I have to admit that I found the constant profanity off-putting. I don't know if the foul language was supposed to be where the humour was at but that's not my personal brand of humour.

I read this ARC and loved it!! I couldn't believe it was Jimenez's debut — it's a powerful and intriguing novel. It has it all - a road trip and the potential for reunions. I don't usually read mystery novels but this one was worth it.

Thank you to Netgalley + Grand Central Publishing for sending the e-ARC.

"What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez" follows a Puerto Rican family on Staten Island who are still mourning over the fact that 13-year old Ruthy Ramirez disappeared twelve years ago. After seeing someone who could potentially BE Ruthy on TV, the family form a plan to go see the lookalike.

I was not expecting this book to take me on the journey that it did. I'm gutted. What a beautiful book. The characters are vibrant and their personalities really drive the story. I'm a sucker for a book set in New York City so the references particularly warmed my heart.

Ok so this book could have had some serious potential. The synopsis made it seem so interesting, however, the synopsis was basically the book. I mean that as in the synopsis gave too much away and the book did not divulge the story much beyond its description. I also felt the humor was a bit dull and dry. There was quite a bit of swearing, which normally doesn’t take away from a story for me but in this instance it was over the top. The idea behind the story was great, the execution not so much

Ruthy Ramírez disappeared 12 years ago at the age of 13 without a trace. Her sisters swear they have found her on a reality show on tv. They reach out to her and get no response. They then join with other women in their lives on a road trip to find Ruthy.

First of all, the amount of language was very excessive. Expletives on every page…and while I get that that’s how this family talks…it felt brash and in my face and leaned too heavily on language to what felt like prove a point..?

I grew weary of the dialogue and pettiness and by the end, this just wasn’t for me. The storytelling of the families past was mediocre and I didn’t care for how the story was told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advance e-copy of this book.

Thank you to Grand Central for an early, gifted copy of this debut novel. What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez was a ride. For a novel centered on how to go on after a tragic event, it was darkly funny at times. I don't think I was expecting that but I am glad it was included. Grief looks different on everyone and can vary from minute to minute. I know I cope with some dark humor and I'm glad to see that represented in a book. The story is also heartbreaking. Any glimmer of hope after a tragedy like the loss of a family member where you don't know the circumstances has the potential to be the best/worst thing ever and I think that Claire Jimenez captured that perfectly in this book.

The Ramirez women are not to be f***ed with!!
This debut novel is heartbreaking, hilarious, and real. We follow narrations from each of the women in Ruthy’s family: her two sisters, Jessica and Nina, and their mother, Dolores. We get a solid picture of how this family’s inner dynamics and how they all feel about each other. The bond of sisterhood and motherhood can be a slippery slope with no one-word descriptions and this novel is the perfect display of that; the issues daughters can face with mothers, especially the things they would never say to their face but feel so deep down inside. This novel rang so true to the mother/daughter/sister dynamics and what it feels like to misunderstood by the people who know you best. Jessica, Nina, and Dolores ridicule women on TV for how they act on on reality TV show while also activity engaging and indulging in their actions is the epitome of human nature: sometimes its hard to look away and you might be more alike to the people you look down upon than you think.

The story gives light to the racial injustices that Hispanic women face and the inner workings of an immigrant mother raising her children to the best of her abilities whilst also dealing with her own familial/cultural trauma.

While we do find out what happened to Ruthy Rameriez, albeit not such a happy happening, the novel is beautifully wrapped up, giving evidence to the pleasure of living life in forward motion.

A heartbreaking book with comical moments interspersed to bring levity, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is exactly as the title suggests - what happened to Ruthy Ramirez? We follow two sisters and their mother as they follow a potential lead to find their sister who disappeared 12 years earlier, at only 13 years old.

The story weaves together the experience of being a family of first and second generation immigrants, trying to carry on with the unimaginable weight of the loose end of a missing loved one. The story switches POV each chapter and I especially came to love the chapter's from Ruthy's mom.

At only 240 pages, this one is a quick read that you can easily finish in a weekend.

I really wanted to love this book, but I felt that it didn't really hit the mark. The idea for the story and the family dynamic was interesting, but it felt like it dragged a lot for a shorter read.

Great debut by Jimenez! This novel touches on family, the bonds between women, love, secrets/silence, violence, and race. Told in alternating chapters by different characters, the story is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Jessica, Nina, and their mother, Dolores, have all dealt with Ruthy's disappearance in their own ways. Their unique voices shine through in their chapters.

"The Ramirez women of Staten Island orbit around absence. When thirteen‑year‑old middle child Ruthy disappeared after track practice without a trace, it left the family scarred and scrambling. One night, twelve years later, oldest sister Jessica spots a woman on her TV screen in Catfight, a raunchy reality show. She rushes to tell her younger sister, Nina: This woman's hair is dyed red, and she calls herself Ruby, but the beauty mark under her left eye is instantly recognizable. Could it be Ruthy, after all this time?

The years since Ruthy's disappearance haven't been easy on the Ramirez family. It’s 2008, and their mother, Dolores, still struggles with the loss, Jessica juggles a newborn baby with her hospital job, and Nina, after four successful years at college, has returned home to medical school rejections and is forced to work in the mall folding tiny bedazzled thongs at the lingerie store.

After seeing maybe‑Ruthy on their screen, Jessica and Nina hatch a plan to drive to where the show is filmed in search of their long‑lost sister. When Dolores catches wind of their scheme, she insists on joining, along with her pot-stirring holy roller best friend, Irene. What follows is a family road trip and reckoning that will force the Ramirez women to finally face the past and look toward a future—with or without Ruthy in it."

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.