Ummmmm I don’t even know where to start!!!!!! This book was really great. I’ve been trying to write this review for days. Shoutout to @birdykins for loving this one on audiobook so much which made me want to read it sooner because I had both the physical and the audiobook 😍 Anita de Monte Laughs Last is inspired by real life artist Ana Mendieta who “allegedly” was thrown from a window to her tragic and untimely death by her husband, fellow artist, Carl André. The author doesn’t claim this as a biography or even a fictionalized biography, but the parallels between Ana and Anita’s lives cannot be missed the more you dig into the facts of the true crime. I truly thought about this story/this book/the real life case and hyper fixated on it all week, reading all the articles, listening to all the podcasts, viewing all the art by Mendieta that I could find. This is a fantastic and fascinating story that I’m so glad the author brought to life. I don’t think all agree that she should have used this artist’s works and life so closely but I think it’s amazing that it brought attention to a lesser known Cuban American artist. I’m not over it and I might not ever be. Anita felt so real as an “unlikeable” character that I actually loved. She was strong-willed, powerful, brave, independent, so special, and so talented. I loved the other main female character, art history student Raquel whose life also had so many parallels to Anita’s who discovers her art and wonders why her art and story hasn’t been taught in her classrooms. The magical realism in this one really blew me away. The full cast narration in the audiobook was so well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I just absolutely loved this book and immediately went to check out Gonzalez first book from my new library. Read this. Listen to this. Learn about Ana Mendieta (imagine the art she would have made).

The narrative performances for this book were top notch. I really enjoyed the overall narrative and that it delves deep into the whitewashing of history in all areas.

OK, first of all, I urge everyone to listen to this on audio!! I am not at all an audiobook person and it's rare that I LOVE a book on audio (I think I just generally absorb and appreciate more when reading written pages?). But with Anita de Monte Laughs Last, I cannot imagine enjoying it more via physical book- the audiobook is amazing and so perfect and you could not ask for a better cast! There were parts when I literally felt like I was watching a movie instead of listening to a book.

And that's without even saying anything about the plot of the book, which is also really great. The novel bounces back and forth between two timelines- the first is the 1980s when Anita de Monte, a Latina who is a rising in the art world, is in a tumultuous marriage and is found dead. Then we jump ahead to the late 90s where Raquel is a Latina art history student, who often feels like an outsider, at Brown University.

I don't want to tell you how the storylines are related or what happens because I think it's best to let it unfold as you read. Also, the book's title kind of gives away the ending, but at the same time, spoils nothing about the book.

I read and enjoyed Olga Dies Dreaming, but I loved Anita de Monte even more. The audiobook cast is so perfect and I can't imagine a more perfect Anita. Do yourself a huge favor and listen to this one!

In 1985, artist Anita de Monte is found dead and there are many questions if her husband, another artist, is at the center of her death. Years later, Anita de Monte is basically forgotten. However in 1998, art history student Raquel learns about Anita and is surprised to see how similar their stories and their personal lives are. This prompts Raquel to dig deeper to learn more about Anita.

I loved the alternating timelines and multiple points of view and felt that really worked for this story as we uncovered more about each of the characters. It was fascinating to discover the parallels between Anita and Raquel and I thought those parallels made for a fascinating commentary on society and elitism. This book definitely gets you thinking!

The audiobook had a full cast and was phenomenal. Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg, and Stacy Gonzalez did a great job each bringing their characters to life and their narration really made the story fly by.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I listened to the audiobook with the goal of enjoying it. I think that if I was farther removed from the original story of Ana Mendieta then I would have enjoyed it more than I did. I found the beginning of the book to have a smooth pacing and it was easy to follow but as the book went on it felt rushed and instead of giving power to Anita, the author made me not like the character. Yes, the author took liberties with the story of Ana Mendieta and Carl Andre, but it was poorly researched (if at all) and still ended up having Anita tied to her m*rderer. Anita didn't have power because Jack is and unfortunately forever will be tied to Anita. If the author would have limited Jack's voice and focused more on the influence of Anita then the power would have been hers. Also, the connection between the two female protagonist was painfully obvious and it could have been explored more. The ending was so rushed I was left unsatisfied with no real resolution. Again, as an art librarian, I may be too close to the subject matter.

I really wanted to like this book...

Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a dual timeline novel. It starts off following Anita de Monte, a Latina artist, in the 1980s. Anita and her husband Jack, who is also an artist, have a very volatile relationship. Jack is jealous of her work and angry that she doesn't back down to him. All of that comes to a head one night and Anita falls from the window of their apartment. The story then skips ahead to 1998, where Raquel is working on a story for her grad paper. She originally plans to write it on Jack's artwork, and uncovers more about Anita's story.

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me access to this audiobook. I think this is one of the best audiobooks I've listened to in the past couple of years. The narrators are excellent! I especially enjoyed the narrator for Anita de Monte's point of view chapters. She used such emotion and really made me "feel" it as a reader! It was such a fun experience. I highly recommend this one and if you can listen to it on audio.... DO IT!

Raquel and Anita are perfect examples of women who blow past boundaries in the art world and the ethnic world. A great look into the art world in the 80s-90s with a little Sci-fi mixed into the plot. The audiobook is a great way to experience this novel- the multiple narrators are voiced by different readers, and those readers make the novel come to life.

Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut, OLGA DIES DREAMING, hits everything I love in a “treat” book: fun but not frivolous, smart but not pretentious, seriously considered but not overly heavy. In her sophomore novel, ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST, Gonzalez channels her signature style onto a different landscape, and I enjoyed it every bit as much.

In the historical timeline, it’s the 1980s, and Anita de Monte is a rising artist married to Jack Martin, a famous sculptor, but their relationship is marred by misogyny, art world power dynamics, and infidelity. When Anita decides she’s had enough, things turn more dire than she could have imagined. Meanwhile, in the modern-day timeline, Raquel is an undergrad at Brown who plans to study Jack Martin’s work for her art history thesis. Her summer internship at RISD finds her unearthing long-buried facts about Martin…and some new realizations about her own high-society boyfriend.

Gonzalez concocts the perfect elixir of propulsive plot, larger-than-life characters, honest self-discovery, blazingly fun writing, and a delicious revenge storyline (with a touch of the supernatural) that makes this an unforgettable story. It’s fresh, enjoyable, unapologetic, and satisfying. My one minor quibble is there’s some fat shaming of the villain that felt unnecessary.

There’s this amazing speech near the end that gave me the chills: “Did the school just let me in to fill a quota and make everyone feel better for being so open-minded? Am I supposed to just churn out the same thoughts as everyone else? To worship the same gods you did? I’m told time and again that my culture, my background, aren’t worthy of study or time. Was I supposed to come here and pretend to have had the same life you did? Parrot the same opinions? The same perspectives? Or am I here to fucking change things?” 🔥

Don’t sleep on the audio version; the narrating team of Jessica Pimental, Stacy Gonzalez, and Jonathan Gregg is exceptional. Thank you @flatiron_books @macmillan.audio @netgalley for the ARC and ALC.

Based on the life and death of artist Ana Mendieta, Gonzalez looks at legacy, racism, and the art world through intertwining stories of fictional artist Anita and art student Raquel.
I really wanted to love this! There are some important themes around racism, power, and misogyny in both storylines and the (very direct) parallels to Ana Medieta makes for a really interesting concept. I also loved Gonzalez’s debut, so I had high hopes for this. I felt the pacing really struggled throughout. The main characters’ storylines only connect thematically for the majority of the story, and the payoff feels somewhat anticlimactic. Some of the themes feel quite overwrought and obvious, and the characters a little too black and white in their goodness or wickedness,
There’s some unexpected horror in Anita’s haunting, which is entertaining. The audiobook is fantastic in its narration of Anita’s ghostly revenge.

Overall this lands around a 3.5 for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Anita de Monte is a Cuban artist fighting to make space for herself in a very white, male dominated NYC art scene in the 1970-80s.

She has a complicated marriage to Jack Martin, a well known minimalist sculptor who often over shadows his wife’s career.

Anita’s tragic and sudden death in 1985 leaves her rising career something of the past.

Raquel is an art history student in 1998 who is studying Jack Martin for her thesis. She struggles to find herself represented in the art world. Then she discovers Anita de Monte and not only does it change her course of study but also her personal life.

I loved Anita and Raquel and was totally enamored by their stories. This book was funny and real. Xóchitl González has definitely become an auto read for me!!

I listened to this book on audio and thought the narration was ON POINT. I was so entertained.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for this e-arc!

I loved Olga Dies Dreaming so I knew I needed to read this new novel from Xochitl Gonzalez as soon as I heard about it. (Clearly, I really wanted to read it because I chose it as my BOTM and requested the audio on NetGalley!) It is stunning and haunting as it spans different timelines and storylines that mirror each other. History tends to repeat and Anita and Raquel prove it. You can feel what the characters feel at every turn (and the thought of the haircut scene still makes my stomach turn). This book also sent me searching up the real story of Ana Mendieta’s life. The narration is excellent with multiple voices. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First off, the narrator who read Anita de Monte's part deserves an award for this. She really brought the character to life and was one of the most amazing performances I've ever listened to in a book.

I enjoyed Anita's POV the most. Raquel's POV was dragged out a little. I did not enjoy Jack's POV and thought it was unnecessary; we could have just gotten most of it from Anita. The whole book could have benefitted from less repetition and cutting about 50-100 pages, honestly. It would have made the pace much more exciting. But aside from that, it was a beautifully written and important story.

Loved this and its parallel time lines with both similarities and differences. Loved the mystery element of uncovering Anita’s past. Especially enjoyed the commentary on not just the art world but society in general. Highly recommend!

✨ARC REVIEW ✨

I’m gonna say it now, it’s only February and I can already tell this is going to be a TOP TOP TOP book of mine (not just of this year)!!

Maybe it has to do with the narrators who made magic with this book. The women brought life and passion with their voices, and completely personified these characters.

With a dual time line and 3 POVs, the story was dynamic. This book has so much to say, and it touches on so much: feminism, art, the patriarchy, privilege…there’s murder and mystery, hauntings and heavens. At times this was wretched and wrong, and at times it was musical and magical. There’s so much in such a good way!

So much of this book will stay with me…the murder, the bat, the ceiba tree, her hair, the conclusion, and the retribution.

This was amazing and I can’t wait to get a copy when it comes out in March!

Thanks to @netgalley for approving this for me!

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one after loving Gonzalez's debut, "Olga Dies Dreaming." I'm so glad I went with the audiobook because Anita drew me in immediately! (Shout out to Jessica Pimentel for bringing her to life in my ears.) I felt a visceral reaction to Jack almost immediately. (Oh the faces that I made.) But then we're introduced to Nick and I was sad that these two beautiful, strong, and talented Latinas let these mediocre white men make a negative impact on their lives. Some of the elements were completely unexpected (umm the whole bat thing lol) but I surprisingly still enjoyed it. Now I have to learn about the real inspiration for this book. This was thoroughly entertaining. Can't wait to read whatever Gonzalez writes next!

Rating: 4.25/5

Anita de Monte was a rising artist in the 1980s whose life came to a sudden and suspicious end. Raquel is a third-year art history student in the late 1990s trying to find her way at an elitist institution, often feeling on the outside as a student of color. Their stories merge in Anita de Monte Laughs Last as Raquel is researching for her thesis and stumbles upon Anita's work and is determined to learn more about the woman who has been erased from the art community since her death. Xochitl Gonzalez weaves a powerful tale with Anita and Raquel, and I was mesmerized by the story. The book explored power, race, and gender, in an effective way that left me hoping for a better resolution for Raquel, as her own story began to mirror Anita's in parts. There was some magical realism to the story I didn't buy into, but I think I'm in the minority after reading other reviews! I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrators were powerful, though the volume between the multiple narrators was inconsistent. Overall, I recommend this book.
Note: I received an advanced listening copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last has a ton going for it. It’s got campus vibes, a window into the NYC art world, fiesty, strong women and despicable men, and even some magical realism. It was quirky and smart, and thanks to @netgalley , I had an audio version to accompany the physical galley, and the narration was spot on. The narrator for Anita’s character was evocative and theatrical and really brought her to life.

This is the @reesesbookclub pick for this month, and I think Reese chooses her books with an eye for what would translate into the big screen. I can definitely imagine that this would make a vibrant film.

This audiobook completely sucked me in! I absolutely loved the full cast and looked forward to the next time I was on a drive or cleaning my house and could come back to these characters. It was suspenseful and funny and full of the urgency and rage we need. It was so captivating truly from start to finish. I found myself feeling like I was listening to justice monologues at time, getting fired up just listening to the audiobook. A delight of a book that has really stuck with me after reading it. While it isn't new to me that race and class, not at all worthiness or merit, are the real reasons that history remembers some and not others, this story really brought that to life.

DNF :(

I just was not connecting to this book at all. The characters were all pretty irritating and I couldn't find anyone to root for. I'm not against revisiting this one in the future but it was not working for me right now.

Best audiobook this year so far! I read and liked (but didn't love) "Olga Dies Dreaming," and I think "Anita" is even stronger. The narration was very good and the multi-character cast didn't interfere with the flow like it sometimes can. I was also struck that this inspired by a real person and tragedy. This was a fun romp of magical realism, female rage, and revenge. Would recommend.