This book was such an interesting read. I loved both the immigration issues and lgbtq+ characters. I could not put it down to see where the story took us

I was really interested in the topic of this book - I found the description really compelling, but once I started to read it, I just found the writing really hard to engage with. I was disappointed this one didn't work out for me. A special nod to the great cover!

This was solid. I am a specialist when it comes to reading Latinx immigration issues. Some things it did very well - while others were just solid. Overall it was alright but I feel as though some ideas could have been wrapped.

Thank you to the author for gifting me an ARC! I also enjoyed the Audible narration by Geoffrey Scheer who brought the story to life!
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Immigration and LGBTQ+ are two of my favorite topics to read! My interest peaked when I learned it was also partly an immigration courtroom drama and the author is an attorney in real life. I don’t think the general population in the U.S. fully understands that immigration law is vastly different in its procedures compared to a regular courtroom…this book superbly delivered the anxiety, fear and confusion that immigrants face in a deportation trial. I also very much appreciated the realism of how the loved ones have to alter their plans for a future potentially without their immigrant partner, or they leave to another country with the deportee.

This story takes place during a time LGBTQ couples were not recognized under Immigration law by USCIS (United States Citizenship & Immigration Services) which adds to the stress and frustration of the couple in the book; Marc Mendes who is a US citizen and Isaac Perez who is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, but both who have worked very hard to earn a name for themselves in the city of San Francisco.

I think my most favorite part of the book, however, was the part where the very religious father of Marc Mendes, came to terms with his son coming out. That entire dialogue between father and son and Isaac was exquisite to read.

My only minor issue with the overall story was that there were so many heavy topics packed into a 335 pages book that I felt it should have either been several more pages or it should have been 2 books. I would have liked more focus on Isaac Perez’s past for example, which was barely mentioned in the book. Overall, a very solid story and I look forward to the next book by Mr. Medina.

It was a solid storyline, but I never got fully invested in the characters and their lives. It covers a lot of bases and I felt like there was a lot of clutter and parts within it.

Shedding light to immigration was my favorite part of the book, and I enjoyed some of the couple’s tender moments as well.

Very interesting premise, however personally I felt as though the characters were somewhat flat. The writing style was not gripping for me.

I DNF'd this book around 37%, but did share it in my Spring 2023 Book Preview podcast episode before I'd read it.

It took me a while to fully give into the writing style/voice of this book, but once I did, I found that I could not put it down.

The plot is intriguing and well developed, as are the characters. They are all so distinct and I imagine this story will stick with me for a long time.

The author also does an excellent job at providing information about the legal system in a way that does not feel like an info dump.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- this was a raw exploration of what it is like to help others, while trying to help yourself at the same time, and how people can unite during stressful times. a solid book.

The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants is set in San Francisco in the 90s and the story centers around attorney Marc Mendes. Marc dreams of leaving the city and relocating to Napa Valley but before he can pursue his dreams, the US Government summons Marc’s partner Isaac to immigration court with threats of deportation. As Marc works tirelessly to help his partner, a new client tempts Marc to leave his messy life. Torn between saving Isaac and his dream of escape from his client, Marc must make a decision.

The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants is part romance, part family drama, and part legal thriller. The story includes several themes such as addiction, the United States’ flawed immigration system, and homophobia. I also really enjoyed the author's characterization, especially when it came to Marc.

Through Ortega-Medina’s writing, you can tell that the author is very knowledgeable when it comes to the law (he actually is an attorney). I even learned a few things about immigration law while reading this one. There were a couple of twists in the story that completely blindsided me.
The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants is not a fast or easy read. It’s very emotional and thought provoking (which I loved). It’s definitely not a story that I will be forgetting anytime soon.

The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants by Orlando Ortega-Medina was published on April 18 so it is available now. Many thanks to Amble Press and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

I loved this book! It was such a powerful story about the value of family and friendship, and the power of love and loyalty in the name of adversity. The novel is equal parts love story, legal thriller and social commentary. Definitely recommend!

I'm so thankful to have received digital access to The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants by Orlando Ortega-Medina leading up to its publication date of April 18, 2023. I thought this piece of literary fiction, translated at that, was so well done and I can't wait to run to my feed to see what my fellow readers think of this work of art. I am so thankful to NetGalley, and Smith Publicity/Amble Press additionally for the bookish love.

Marc is an attorney who comes from a Jewish background and is still reconciling his sexuality to his parents beliefs as well as his own. Marc's firm specializes in discrimination suits mainly involving the LGBTQ community. He is a recovering addict who has a conservative background but with a troubled past. He is in a long term relationship with Isaac, who is in the United States illegally. Together they deal with immigration issues, grief, family reconciliation, and unfaithfulness.

I really wanted to like this book. I am very interested in many of the themes in the book, such as immigration court and LGBTQ+ and the religious community. However, I felt like the book was very awkward and the characters were underdeveloped. It felt almost like two completely separate novels. One of Marc's personal life and one of Isaac's immigration situation. I don't feel like the book melded them well together. I felt the immigration court section was the most interesting part of the book.

While this in some ways felt like some things I've read before, the law aspect of this book made it unique and the characters and their pain is something that will stick with me for a long long time.

The reading of this book was made possible thanks to Netgalley.

It is end of the 1990s in San Franciso. Marc Mendes is a lawyer with six years of practice as a partner of a Law Firm, most in labor cases. He's a stable longtime relationship with Isaac Perez, a Salvadorean who fled his country at the height of civil war and landed in the USA. Besides that, Marc has to face the fact that there is an upcoming visit to his family with whom he kind of broke relations for years.

Life might not be perfect, but it is good after all, mainly when you have come out clean from drug abuse. And out of nothing, things start getting out of hand when a charming client, an ex-convict, Alejandro Silva enters the picture; besides that, Marc is forced upon a case he doesn't feel fine with, and to make matters worse Isaac receives a bad letter by the immigration office.

To be honest, I sometimes felt that the characters were flat, with the exception of Marc himself and his father, the rabbi, though I have the idea that the story was, in part, based on the author's own life. Though it seemed that the one who so much needed attention was Isaac, for all the struggles he has to go through, it was the very troubled Marc that really caught my attention, it was him who spiced up the narrative. And in some ways, he really spiced it up.

As for the writing itself, I enjoyed Ortega-Medina's development of the story, always keeping the reader eager for the next chapter to find out what's in store. I recommend it dearly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amble Press for access to this e-ARC!

The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants was a story about love and manipulation. The writing itself was very digestible and played out like a movie while reading it; however, there were many periods in the book where I wished there was more depth provided for Marc and Isaac. For every powerful moment in the book, there was an equally weak section, and these often arose when we were told why Marc and Isaac should stay together as opposed to showing us why they should.

That being said, this book was incredibly easy to read. Even when I was confused about characters motivations, I still wanted to continue to find out how the events would play out. Overall, the novel is an interesting read, and you can clearly see Orlando Ortega-Medina's knowledge of law.

Felt like I learned a lot about immigration and I’m honestly shocked more people aren’t taking about this book. It was so well written, the characters are perfect (not all good or all bad).

I wish I could put into words how beautiful this book is. I went in thinking this was going to be just a legal drama with some LGBTQ+ elements but this story is so much more than that.

The main character, Marc, is a successful lawyer in San Francisco who slowly begins to spiral and is at a breaking point where he’ll either pull it together or lose everything. This story takes us through his struggle with addiction and his partner potentially being deported to El Salvador. Both Marc and Isaac’s family have fled their country for different reasons and these life circumstances are so beautifully depicted throughout the story.

Marc’s struggles with his addictions are incredibly raw and we get to see him make some choices that made me want to scream at him through my Kindle. My favorite aspect of this book is Isaac’s struggle with the immigration system in the U.S. It’s a system that’s incredibly flawed and often leaves even the best of individuals with zero options for citizenship or some form of status relief. I work with undocumented immigrants and one of the most frustrating aspects of my job is knowing that many of my clients are going to build beautiful lives here only to eventually be removed from the country they’ve learned to call him. This book captures this struggle so accurately and I’m glad to see this issue being addressed.

This is definitely in my “top 10” list and I’m already looking forward to rereading it.

This book was phenomenal. I have been mulling it over for the past month trying to write a review to do proper justice to this book. It won't be able to do that, but I will do my best.

Set in San Francisco in the 90's, Ortega-Medina spins a twisting web of story around Marc Mendes and his lover Isaac Perez. Marc is a recovering addict, and dreams of an escape from his big city legal life to a simpler life. Throwing a wrench in those plans, Isaac is called before the US Immigration board and threatened with expulsion from America. The various legal components of this book, from Marc's work to Isaac's experience with the immigration court feel spot on for accuracy, and help cast a vividly detailed world of this book. Ortega-Medina has a JD in law and personal experience with expatriation, and that shines through in this book.

Overlaid in the book is Marc's past, a history he has tried to forget, and self alienation from his family due to his sexuality. The book is twisting and thrilling,, with the claws of ex-client Alejandro Silva always at the ready with an obsession that may pull Marc under.

This book kept me guessing, and mesmerized me, right up until it gently but neatly pulled the rug out from under me in the last pages. Highly, highly recommend you give it a read.

This novel includes an engaging courtroom drama and a thought-provoking theme of having to uproot one’s life to escape persecution. Unfortunately, these things support only a small part of the book. Most of the book concerns the interactions among characters who are not fleshed out and who often do things for no discernible reason except the demands of the plot. In particular, the author never shows what holds Marc and Isaac together as a couple but merely tells the reader that they are. They spend the novel fighting to preserve a relationship that seems to be doing neither of them any good. The ending seems heavy-handed and moralizing.