Written entirely from one sisters' side of telephone calls. Luciana is living at home in her final year of high school while her sister Mari is in college. Luciana calls and updates Mari on the happenings at home, and through these conversations a story of family emerges, including a stubborn grandma who has a secretive and eccentric past, a sister that is struggling with the pressure of her family and her LGBTQ identify, and another sister that is trying to find her own way in the world.

I really enjoyed the mix in the writing format. Although it is written from one point of view, and one side of conversations, you still are able to get the feelings and emotions of the other characters in the novel. I was saddened by the struggles that Luciana felt in her family, but respected the writer for being able to communicate the struggles so clearly. I also really appreciated the grandmother in the novel as well. I found her eccentricities to be touching and comedic.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little bit different, and that appreciates reading of others' point of views and experiences.

- OYE is told entirely in one sided dialogue. We read only Luciana’s end of her phone calls to her sister Mari as their family uncovers long-buried secrets. I’ve never read anything like it and quite enjoyed it.
- It took me a few chapters to get a feel for the flow of the narrative, but once I did I could not put down this story of generations of women trying to forge their own paths.
- I was so interested in the contrast between the gossipy tone and the often dark experiences that were being related. It’s a very unique exploration of generational trauma.

As the youngest in her Colombian American family, Luciana is used to flying under the radar to avoid her family's eccentricities. However, with her sister Mari away at college, Luciana has to become the voice of reason to both her family during a hurricane evacuation. Yet, the storm becomes the least of the family’s worries when their eccentric grandmother, Abue, receives a shocking medical diagnosis that changes the course of their lives. As Luciana juggles caregiving and uncovering family secrets, she confronts the realities of the end of her childhood and the intergenerational trauma that shaped her family.

The story is narrated to the reader through Luciana’s one-sided phone call conversations with her sister Mari, who is away at college. While this narrative structure felt authentic with its piecemeal revelations of family history, this format sometimes made the narrative feel repetitive and disjointed. For example, there are times where there are conversations happening during the call and it’s jumping back and forth between past events and the current call. There are also many passages where family history is revealed in chunks that bordered on info-dumping to the reader. I understand why this more experimental narrative choice was chosen to tell this intergenerational story, but it felt like a plot device in the grand scheme of the book rather than a natural unraveling of the story.

Additionally, this novel felt more plot-driven than character-driven. The interconnected phone calls created a distance between the reader and the main character, as it doesn’t feel like she receives any real development over the course of the book. Luciana felt very one-dimensional to me and the mere glimpses of change we start to see in her felt somewhat superficial. Although this story is centered around Luciana’s family, most of the characters felt static except for her grandmother. Abue truly had a larger than life personality and stood out as a multi-dimensional character who carried this book in terms of her character and humor. There were many parts where she was so quick-witted and her antics were simply laugh out loud funny. She brought a vibrancy to this story that made it easy to understand why Luciana was attached to her hip. I just wish we could have seen more of that vibrancy and development from other characters as well because everyone else fell a bit flat for me.

Overall, the intergenerational trauma and familial expectations affecting the main character were poignant, yet the format hindered my emotional connection to the story and caused some hiccups in the actual storytelling. I don’t think this is by any means a bad book, but the formatting undermined the story for me.

The best and most accurate depiction of the way stories unravel in latin culture: through chisme whispered over phone lines and overheard by those around us. So much fun.

While I found the story to be interesting, it was difficult for me to follow due to the format. Perhaps that is due to my age. I did find this coming of age to include the normal growing up challenges with an interesting cultural perspective. Thanks #NetGalley

Melissa Mogollon's writing is engaging and vivid, capturing the essence of Luciana's chaotic family life and her personal growth. "Oye" is a novel that celebrates the complexities of family dynamics, the strength found in unexpected circumstances, and the beauty of rewriting one's own story. It's a touching, entertaining, and utterly unique read that will resonate with many.

Oye was surprisingly entertaining and poignant for what was, in essence, a one-sided conversation. The narrator was increasingly sympathetic as the story progressed. However, I could have used far fewer “OMG”s and the like, even if they were intended to lend authenticity. Sometimes less is more. That said, I still definitely found myself rooting for Luciana, and I appreciated the unique narrative structure.

Thank you Melissa Mogollon, Random House, Hogarth, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5/5 stars

This book was surprisingly full of emotions. I felt the angst but also laughed. The personalities of the characters were relatable. It was as if I was there with Luciana, hearing her side of the phone calls with her sister. She tried navigating through a variety of events that can help or hinder a young adult's journey to adulthood. For Luciana, she had to find a way to be true to herself even if it went against her family's expectations. Although the format of the book took some getting used to it was a unique way of giving us a glimpse into an endearing girl's journey through heartbreak and duty.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

I have had such a hard time wrapping my thoughts around this book because truthfully, the way it is told is brilliant.

Oye is a novel structured as a series of phone calls between Luciana and her older sister Mari. We hear only Luciana’s side of the conversations (with any backstory provide in italics), and she is one of the most hilarious and heartbreaking characters I’ve read.

Luciana is Columbian American, and an outsider. She is an overweight, gay college senior who is barely making it through school, when she is taken out of school by her family to care for her ill grandmother. To say that her immediate family does not understand her is an understatement. Her mother constantly forces her to exercise, and pretends Luciana is not really gay. She even refuses to give her pain relievers for her endometriosis, believing Advil to be a gateway drug.

Truly isolated while taking care of, and sharing a room with her grandmother (Abue for short), Luciana begins to come into her own as she is forced to become the adult in the family. Luciana and Abue bond over traumatic family history. Abue, who is a firecracker much like Luciana, was also removed from school to care for her sisters after her father died. She also received no help from her sisters, just as Luciana is abandoned by her sister Mari.

I adored the growing relationship between Luciana and Abue, and it was a pleasure to watch her grow into her own person through grief and understanding. You’ll laugh a lot, but ugly cry too. 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

I found this book to be confusing. Because of the phone conversations. I wish it was written in a different way. I think overall it was a good story I just didn't enjoy the way it was written.

This was unfortunately a DNF I belive that it was a format because it is in the form of a phone call.

In a series of one-sided phone conversations about their grandmother's family history, Luciana (Nana) and her older sister Mari give the musings of a teenage girl, as presented by Oye. The grandmother's health issues are the main topic of the monologue, along with the family's methods of dealing (or not dealing). Occasionally, brief exchanges between Nana and other people were noted using various typefaces or italics. It took me a while to realize that these were unique talks sprinkling Nana's monologue in between, so perhaps my Kindle didn't pick up on the varied typefaces as well as a print book might have.

I know i will continue at a point when I recieve the audiobook.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

💭 MY THOUGHTS: I was intrigued to learn that the story of Oye is told in the unique format of a one sided phone conversations between sisters. Unfortunately for me the format was confusing and too hard to follow. The entire book is written completely in one-sided dialogue and felt unnatural and awkward. Ultimately I just couldn’t finish the book and guys, I literally despise DNF-ing books.

I cant speak to the story since I only got a little ways into it. I will say I feel like listening to this as an audiobook would make much more sense and I’ll probably give

Read For:
📞 One-sided Phone Conversation
🎭 Telenovela Worthy Family Drama
💫 Coming of Age Story
📍 Florida Hurricane

❌ DNF ❌ / 5

4.25⭐

Oye by Melissa Mogollon is an incredibly moving and immensely enjoyable coming-of-age story told through the voice of a Florida Columbian-American teenager as she navigates hurricanes, dysfunctional family dynamics the imminent loss of a loved one and much more over her senior year in high school.

Luciana has a lot on her plate. As if her senior year in high school and concerns over her own plans for the future isn’t stressful enough, her mother’s reaction to her coming out deters her from being open about her sexuality and when her seventy-five-year-old Abue Emilia is diagnosed with a terminal illness, she struggles to hold her family together. Initially a reluctant confidante to her Abue, who knows exactly which buttons to push to get her own way, Luciana gets know significant facts from her family history gaining a better understanding of the women in her family and the generational trauma that has been passed down to the present day and how that impacts her as not only a member of the family but as individual on the cusp of adulthood.

The narrative, told through mostly one-sided phone conversations, follows Luciana as she shares her frustrations, aspirations and revelations with her sister Mari, who is away at college and whom she misses dearly. Luciana is an endearing protagonist, and I was invested in her journey. The author captures her angst, insecurities and confusion and inner conflict perfectly. Abue is an interesting ( to put it mildly!) character and I loved how the author depicts her as a strong-willed woman who chooses to live life on her own terms. The author deftly incorporates Abue’s family history into the storyline, depicting how secrets and suppressed trauma can affect family members across generations and how openness, communication and sharing one's stories can help heal emotional wounds and fractured relationships.

The format took a while to get accustomed to, but once I did, I flew through this novel. With not a boring moment, at times laugh-out-loud funny yet insightful and deeply thought-provoking, this is an exceptionally well-written novel and a promising debut. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was fantastic! It is written in such a unique way and I really felt a part of Luciana’s family. Oye is a coming of age story about a young Colombian American girl and her family as they navigate the possibility of losing the matriarch of the family, their beloved Abue. You are told the story through a series of phone calls that Luciana makes to her older sister, Mari.

The story was heartfelt, funny, and relatable! Listening to the audiobook, I was immediately drawn into the family and drama and loved every second of it. I want to drive down and hug Abue, gossip with Luciana, and call Mari up and give her a piece of my mind! Oye also has great Latinx and queer representation. I highly recommend the audiobook but the cover is too gorgeous not to grab a physical copy too! Read this one today!!!

3.5-4 stars
Story and backstory of a multigenerational Columbian American family. The format was confusing: it's one side of a teenager's telephone conversation with her older sister, with a few in-person conversations sprinkled in. I think the story probably would have worked just as well if it had been structured more traditionally and would have saved the reader from trying to guess who was talking to who at various points.

I did enjoy meeting the characters and learning about their current lives as well as the grandmother's past. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes touching.

Thanks to the publisher for a free e-ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Right off the bat we start off strong with a Fall Out Boy reference. Mogollon has reeled me in! The writing is different from what I’ve experienced. I found it to be a refreshing change of pace and cadence that I didn’t know I needed to avoid me going into a reading slump.

Luciana, aka “Nana”, is on the phone with her older sister, Mari, keeping her apprised of all that’s going on while Mari is away at school. That’s it, that’s the format - a one sided conversation, and let me tell you, it’s a fun way to read. Tell me your hearing doesn’t get a little sharper when you overhear someone talking on the phone about something GOOD.

The pace is fast, so buckle up. This book was my favorite read of May. And I’m still mad at myself for waiting so long to read it. The writing is so well done that it feels as if I’m a teen again, mad at the world. We as readers are only getting Nana’s perspective, so we are going to see the situation only as she sees it (to a degree). What I’m saying is, despite how much empathizing we do for the other characters, Nana’s emotions flow through us - which is a credit to Mogollon’s writing skills.

There are maybe 3-4 primary characters, but Abue and Luciana are the main characters for me, despite Mari being the one Luciana is talking to the entire time. Abue’s character doesn’t change much, if at all, throughout the novel. However, Luciana, on the edge of becoming an adult, has endured so much that she comes to a revelation some adults I know still haven’t learned.

There is so much I can say about certain parts of this book, particularly the interpersonal relationships and handling of medical autonomy -


[SPOILER ALERT AHEAD]

Let’s start with the first one that gave me pause - medical autonomy. By this I mean the patient’s right to be in charge of their own health course. I was infuriated by how Nana’s mother decided to handle Abue’s medical diagnosis/prognosis by keeping it from her. That is not ok, ever! I understand her reasoning, but there are ways to circumvent the issues she posed as her argument for keeping Abue in the dark.

Medical interpretation is on par with my previous grievance. Being someone who has been put in this situation countless times, I’ll say it once - family members (ESPECIALLY CHILDREN) should not be used as interpreters when discussing medical information. Family members are there for support, not to work as the intermediary between doctor and patient. There are many problems that can arise when a family member (no matter the age), is used to interpret. First being, they likely are not medical professionals, they don’t know the information being explained and are learning for the first time what’s happening. How dare anyone expect a family member to explain new concepts that’s confusing and new when they haven’t had time to wrap their own mind around it. Second problem is that information will literally get lost in translation, and then patient’s end up more confused than before. Third, and what is seen here, is omission of information that is important for the patient to know in order to make educated decisions about THEIR OWN BODIES. The sole responsibility of a family member or friend of a patient is to provide support to the patient, not be utilized by the medical professional! [End of rant - this is clearly a trigger for me].


[END OF SPOILER ALERT]

The dynamics between the women in this family is so dysfunctional it’s actually relatable to a degree. And I think this is partly what makes it such an easy read - a quien no le gusta un poco de chisme? Whether it’s between mother and daughter, or sister and sister, it’s present in each generation, and Nana is slowly breaking that cycle. I will say, Mari and Nana seem to have a close sisterly bond, but the way Nana speaks to Mari really grinds my gears, it’s beyond disrespectful. I get that she’s hurt and that Mari has been distant/not as involved as Nana would expect, but there is a line that she crosses constantly. But I also understand that Mari could have been more present (we just don’t get to see her side of the situation). In Nana’s defense, as the younger sister, she is now placed in the oldest daughter role and has to traverse the trials of a loved one’s health condition alone.

Regarding her illness, Abue’s personality shines through, and I believe this is a critical point in the novel. Nana is able to see that an illness does not change who someone is at their core. Nana also learns that there are things in Abue’s past that has made her who she is today, and in discovering her history, she is able to understand her grandmother’s reasons for certain actions that may seem harsh. There is actually a lot of parallels between Abue and Nana, and maybe that’s why they are such kindred spirits. [SPOILER WARNING] One of the most fundamental parallels between the two is losing their most beloved person at a young age and not having anyone to turn to [END OF SPOILER].


There are multiple layers of sadness in this book. One of the ones I found most subtle, but not any less heartbreaking is when Nana is discussing how life used to be when Mari was still living at home and life had been simpler. We are caught on the precipice of a such a crucial time in Nana’s life. Everything is changing and she can’t stop it. A simpler life she knew is escaping her grasp during her senior year, when she’s supposed to be preparing for the rest of her adult life. She doesn’t get that opportunity to slowly get into it, real life lessons are thrust upon her. This concept of ‘simpler times’ brought upon memories from my own childhood years where my siblings and I all still lived with our parents, and it hit me that we are now all adults (I’m the oldest, and my youngest sibling just now on the verge of leaving home). Though sufficiently sad that it warrants a box of tissues, this novel does provide levity in the form of comedic relief.

One downside of this book is that I wish Mogollon delved into the mother’s character - I really wanted her to have a sort of redemption in my reading experience. I think I just admitted i wanted the book to be longer.

I highly recommend this book. I think there’s a little something for everyone. Just prepare the tissues.

TW: unhealthy obsession with exercising + dieting, maternal control, refusing someone to be in charge of their own medical decisions

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. I enjoyed the book and was enthralled by the characters and the plot line. I appreciate writers of color so much.

This was an interesting book for me. I really liked the overall story, but the storytelling method was a bit exhausting. We hear this whole story as if we are listening to a one sided phone call between two sisters. Kudos for creativity and doing something original, but I did find it a little bit annoying at points. Our MC was also a bit difficult for me too. She is ultimately struggling with her relationships within her family, but I just wanted her to stand up for herself at some point. She eventually gets there, but it's a lot of whining and guilt tripping along the way. I did really like that the family is Colombian, but I wish a bit more of the culture was included in the story. There were few references outside of the mother trying to make healthier Arepas by mixing chia seeds into the masa. I did really like the discussion of how the grandmother ended up the way she was and I think her coming to terms with her life was probably the strongest part of the story. Overall, not a bad read, but not quite what I was hoping for either.