This book - I have so many big feelings about this book. Oye is creative, honest, chaotic, real, and full of spirit and emotions. In this coming-of-age novel, we are introduced to Luciana. Luciana is, at many times, all over the map in a way many teenagers are and supposed to be. Its her senior year, she is missing her sister Mari, who is away at college, terribly, and she is scared and stressed when it comes to her Abue's health and struggles.

This book really reminds us that so much of who we are is tied to who are family is. The story is told through phone calls from Luciana to Mari, though we do not read Mari's thoughts. Some of the writing is very feverish in that way that teenagers can be when they are overwhelmed and trying to process stress and fear and the unknown, but it allows you to really connect with Luciana. While the phone calls are the main format of the writing, the story gets interjected dialogue from their family members - as if Luciana is relaying these stories directly to Mari. It truly was a creative way to tell this story, but I think it takes some time to get use to the writing style - this story may be best served for some readers in audiobook format, which I eventually listened to and LOVED.

This book is really about how beautiful and messy our lives and our loved ones are and I am so glad I read this book. Melissa Mogollon was able to capture so clearly who everyone really is in Mari's life even through this creative writing voice.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The format of the one sided telephone conversation was hard to get into. I am thankful there was so much humor in the book to keep me going!

A teenaged protagonist struggles with her unpredictable family through a hurricane and other family trauma. I loved the unfolding of the grandmother's story as the protagonist learns how much of her family's history affect her still today

This book had me crying in public. This is a five star for sure.

The narrative style of this book is so innovative. All we read is Nana's side of phone calls with her sister, who is now an undergraduate student out of state. It's great to see how Nana grows during her senior year and deals with feelings of betrayal when her sisters doesn't go home, being disconnected from her parents, and her grandmother's disease.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

This book was a joy to read. I enjoyed the way the story flowed and I had a few moments that kind of made me question a few things. The characters were very interesting and I had smile quite a few times. This author really knows how to tell a story that will captivate you from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book and this author.

When I first read the synopsis for this I was really intrigued. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book whose sole narrative was that of a phone call, a one sided phone call at that. I started reading it and found the format to be so confusing (more on that later) and instead waited for the audiobook. I am so glad I did! It’s a fantastically poignant coming of age that tackles coming out, the death of a loved one, and figuring out a new position in the family beautifully.
It’s early September 2017 and newly turned 18 Luciana is going through a crisis. In a phone call to her older sister, Mari, she explains how she and her mother are getting ready to evacuate Miami due to the impending Hurricanes Irma and her grandmother, Abue (pronounced ahb-way), is stubbornly staying put. In many different phone calls to Mari over the next 8 months Luciana discusses everything that’s bothered her, from not being accepted for who she is, to worrying about Abue’a health, and even how angry she is Mari isn’t coming home more.
As I stated before the style of writing is one I’ve never seen before. The one sided dialogue works so much better than one might think, but the cutaways to the moments that previously happened and about which Luciana is telling Mari make this a very difficult and confusing read. I found the audiobook to be brilliantly done because while it’s read by one narrator, Elena Rey captures each character perfectly.
I find it so hard to believe that this is Melissa Mogollon’s debut because while the style is unique, the content is moving. I cannot wait to see what else this innovative author has for us. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Hogarth for an adventure copy. I’m sorry it took so long for me to get to, but it was well worth the wait. Oye hit the shelves May 14th.

Representation: Lesbian MC, Colombian family

Rating: 4/5 This was an interesting format, written in a way where we only get one side of the conversation from the main character calling her sister. We sometimes listen in on calls with the sister, sometimes voicemails. The main character is doing her damnedest to hold the family together while it’s actively falling apart during a crisis with a hurricane coming and evacuation imminent. It took me some time to get used to the format, since it’s all one-sided, so you do have to kind of fill in the gaps a little bit. But overall, I did like this story and how it told of a daughter having all of the responsibilities piled on her until she breaks.

As someone who was recently going through the death of a grandparent when I read this book, I can say that I didn't almost read it because of how close to home the content was but am now so glad I did. Luciana trying to keep everything together for her family was all too relateable and I loved the connection that she had to her grandmother. I didn't think the format of this book was going to work for me, but ended up actually really liking it! I hope it wins the center for fiction prize and am excited to recommend it to others! Also, the cover is GORGEOUS!

A great read that I enjoyed! I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next! Thank you to the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Hogarth for my early copy of this book!

Oye by Melissa Mogollon follows Luciana a young Colombian American girl through a series of phone calls to her sister Mari. Through these phone calls we learn this families family saga. In the midst of a crisis Luciana finds herself to be the only voice of reason within her family. She also becomes the main point of contact when her abuela becomes ill. This was very reminiscent of How to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz. Everything is told through these phone calls and you get to know Luciana very well. She is young and a little lost while discovering family secrets and history. Even though she’d rather be out meeting girls you see her grown up. I enjoyed this book and the way it was written. It was engaging getting to know this family and thought her lols drove me a little crazy Luciana was a very interesting main character. If you enjoy family sagas and coming of age stories I’d say pick this one up. 4⭐️

1 star. I hate to rag on a Latinx author with an LGBTQ+ MC, because together, that would make a really great book for me. However, I had many problems with this book, the main one being its setup. To quote the blurb, "As Luciana [the main character] chronicles the events of her upended senior year over the phone, 'Oye' feels like the most entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel by an author as original as she is insightful."

I beg to differ. As someone who has depended on public transportation for pretty much all of my life, this book was PURE TORTURE, because it reads like yet another self-involved a-hole on the bus or train going on for hours and hours and hours. Maybe the conceit and sort-of-unique narrative structure will work for other readers, maybe they will think this a fresh take on things, but for me, this was a book I truly did not like. I hope never to hear Luciana again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 | I initially started this in print but the structure (one side of a phone call) and voice didn't work for me in that format. Thankfully, a friend suggested trying it on audio rather than giving up altogther and the audiobook worked really well! This is a very voicey book, which will be for some people and not others, but I found Luciana to be an engaging and realistic character. My one gripe is that it probably could have been a little shorter, but overall I enjoyed this one and found it to be unlike anything I've read before.

This was a hard one. Mellissa Mogollon took a unique approach to writing this novel about the relationships between three generations of women. The chapters are a series of phone calls between two sisters. The perspective is from the high school senior who calls her college age sister to update her on the events going on in their family. The reader gets one side of the conversation and retellings of conversations between her mother and her and/or her grandmother and her. Does that sentence seem confusing? welcome to this book. The essential storyline was a good one, but I had a difficult time following who was speaking and what when things occurred. If you enjoy epistolary writing, this might scratch that itch. But be prepared for a challenging format.

this is such a fun idea for a book, and i love quirky strong voices, and i love books about sisters.

unfortunately it's just hard to tell a story about complex family relationships through one sided phone calls. or any story, really. i had no idea what was going on at any given time, and i made it through all 336 pages without understanding what the italics signified. (was it someone else talking? luciana quoting conversations? luciana's sidebar thoughts? all three? i was so confused and for what!)

there were some touching grandmother=granddaughter moments in this, but the sister relationship at the center (and all the others really) were sadly one note. which doesn't leave for much of a plot in a family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Oye is a novel that follows high schooler Luciana and her stressful life. Her sister is away at college avoiding everything, her mother criticizes her every move, and her grandmother is vain and stubborn as a mule. A sudden event causes her to navigate her rocky family dynamics and discover a hidden and complex family past.

This narrative is told entirely through Luciana's phone conversations with her sister Mari. The reader only hears Luciana's side of the conversation though with the occasional flashback with additional side character dialogue. I will admit that it took some time to get used to this structure, but I ultimately did appreciate this fresh approach to storytelling. The plot hit pretty close to home, so personally, it was tough to get past some plot points involving Luciana's relationship with her mother and her grandmother. That's just me though!!! I did very much enjoy unraveling Luciana's grandmother's past! It felt like I was gabbing with a friend or listening to those normal people gossip podcasts.

Overall, I did like many aspects of this book, but ultimately, it wasn't the perfect book for me. However, that's a me thing more than anything! Anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction about intergenerational families told in a unique way, this book is for you!

What I loved about this book:

1. Great Debut!
2. A coming age book that has comedic portions which made you laugh out loud but the angst of coming of age was real!
3. Unique storytelling - takes a while to get used to but loved it in the end!

Worth the read!!


Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the digital review copy via Net Galley.

Oye was such an unexpected delight! Initially I had trouble getting into the novel because of the way it was structured, which was very unique, but the more I read, the more I was pulled into the story. By the end, I absolutely loved the relationship between Luciana and her abuela and how Luciana really came into her own. This turned out to be a beautiful coming of age story and I highly recommend it to everyone!

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Oye was an awesome read! I do think it is best read on audio, as that version was excellent. I loved the one sided phone call concept.

I’ve never read a book like Oye. The story is told from phone calls between two sisters, Luciana and Mari, but we only experience Luciana’s POV. Mari has started college and the relationship dynamic between the sisters isn’t the same anymore. On top of that, Florida officials have ordered an evacuation due to a looming hurricane. Luciana’s grandmother refuses to evacuate and following a roundabout road trip with her mother, they seek to rescue her.

I was expecting a comedy, but Oye was that and more. I felt the relationships between these characters so much and loved how much the author touched on those complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters, and sisters. I saw myself and my family members in this book. And I just loved it so much.

Thank you to Hogarth and NetGalley for a review copy. I look forward to reading from this author again.