This novel blends autofiction, ghost story, and sociopolitical critique in an audacious, genre-defying narrative. Villavicencio writes with fire and vulnerability, challenging literary conventions and national myths alike. A bold and unforgettable exploration of identity and exile by a writer I can't wait to see more from!

2 depressing stars.
“Out of all the abandoned girls in the world I could be their valedictorian.”

Catalina has problems. Abandonment issues. Illegal immigrant issues. Anger issues. Depression. Even food issues. “Meatloaf wasn’t good but it didn’t need to be good- it put me inside a cozy Norman Rockwell painting and that was enough. Other times, it was not enough, and I felt a gnawing, painful hunger but couldn’t think of a single food I actually wanted. I was so hungry but had already decided no food would satisfy me, nothing sweet, nothing savory. For a minute I wondered if what I wanted was sex, but then realized that what I wanted was to punish everyone who ever laid a finger on me.”

Catalina is selfish and self-centered and insecure. I’m trying to find something positive to say, but my notes on the book are a lament. “My grandparents took me in, they gave me everything. But I felt nothing for them…Feeling nothing for my family made me feel evil. Broken.”

And I read on, hoping for some moments of hope and redemption. I haven’t even gotten to the vomiting parts. Or the phone sex parts. Catalina needs counseling. She’s a liar and a cheat and takes sex very casual. I tried to like this book, but the book and main character were too depressing. I can’t believe I hung in and finished it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
This novel centers on an important topic-undocumented immigrants and the highs and lows of their everyday lives-and it is certainly more timely than ever.
I did struggle a bit with the stream of consciousness form of writing, and the bleakness of the entire storyline, although I’m sure it’s absolutely authentic.

This one just didn’t do much for me and I didn’t care for the sexual content within the 60% which is when I DNF’d.. Also, I had read another book shortly prior that featured a Latine main character coming of age at a prestigious university who wants to be a writer and there were just too many similar elements (maybe if there was not time distance between reading the two I could’ve felt differently?). Ultimately though this coming of age had nothing new, featured same disappointing content (the sexual - like, why does that have to be in every story?!), and I didn’t connect with Catalina at all.

Catalina is one of those books that sticks with you. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s book tells the story of an undocumented dreamer who must grapple with her identity and place in the world during her final year at Harvard. The book explores heavy issues including deportation, exploitation, and colonization. This is a book that would be excellent for a book club to discuss, and is one I look forward to reading again.

3 " a year in the life of..." stars !!
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Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Random House Publishing for an ecopy. This was released July 2024. I am providing an honest review...

This is a year in the life of Catalina...bookended briefly by longer stretches of time...she is a young Ecuadorean woman being raised by her undocumented grandparents in NYC.

Catalina is extremely bright, not in touch with her emotions and trying to make sense of her place in the world while dealing with a myriad of intersectional issues, desires and ambivalences...

The prose is YA easy with flourishes that hint at depth of complexity. The pace is frenetic and the tone is overly clever with attempts at humor. There is plenty of cultural education and hints at what living as undocumented might be like....

My enjoyment was more of a fair experience (2.5) but I will leave on the 3 star shelf for the importance of the content and a valiant attempt to write some contemporary meaningful lit.

Wanted to like this but ultimately I couldn't get into it. Thanks netgalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read this

For fans of Elif Batuman! I'm not this book's ideal reader, I'm really picky about autofiction. Ultimately, a quick and worthwhile read.

Wanted to like this, but about 100 pages in and I still couldn't get into it. I appreciate the opportunity to review!

I absolutely loved this novel and will continue to read anything that this author writes. Her writing style is beautiful and I was drawn to the portrayal of the characters in her novel. This was a short read and it did not disappoint!

I value the opportunity I was given to read this in advance, but I still haven't read this. With so many books ahead of me, I cannot return to this title.

Not sure who the audience for this is supposed to be...the blurb sounded interesting, but the main character was self-involved & unlikeable. Her story as an undocumented immigrant seemed like something she just pulled out when it was a convenient advantage for her and to hate on the white people she knew. Usually a combination of them. Entitled, despite not seeming to have much talent or success at the writing she was so proud of. I'm not sure if this was supposed to reflect an overall attitude of undergraduate students regardless of their background. Either way, not much to root for.

There were a lot of inconsistencies, like Catalina saying how she didn't care for her grandparents at all, then in another few chapters saying how much she loved them. Then being completely apathetic about the guy she was dating, followed by a very weird sequence imagining a detailed future together.

There was some good prose in there during some of the inner thought wanderings, but the overall tone of the rest of the book overshadowed them.

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

Catalina is a campus novel, narrated by the titular character, as she traverses her last year at Harvard. Catalina is undocumented, and is struggling with what that means as the DREAMer and DACA legislation is always on the docket for passing/changing/repealing, and regardless, when she graduates, she cannot get a paying job with her status anyways. Her high-achieving academic self is running out of ways to be successful with that (academia) as her primary means of “getting ahead,” the privileged boy she’s talking to doesn’t know about her status, and she’s about to find out that her grandfather (also undocumented) was caught up in an ICE raid at work. So, what options does she have?

This is an entirely internal novel, like reading someone’s diary entries, almost. As such, it is very personable, in tone. Comfortable and relatable in a very intelligent way (there are *many* literary references throughout – which I’m sure I didn’t catch all of – all told with a high key interweaving of Latin American sociopolitical and cultural history). There were also lots of flights of thought and imagination, in exactly the way that one’s mind flies between concepts and memories and speculations. So, it was super well written for the narrative style choice. And it both connected the narrative (there were lots of repeating motifs and references) and sort of pulled me out of it, in a disconcertingly obvious way. Just, a super unique style. I was impressed, and also, due to that style and the slower-pacing it led to, was glad to have the audiobook to help move me through. It worked for this shorter length, but might have been too much if the novel was any longer.

One other thing that struck me is that Catalina’s internal monologue told of her experiences and emotions and interactions with a sort of remove, a depersonalization. This came across in the ways she sometimes viewed her connections with others at a distance – like not being able to truly have feelings for them or full relationships with them – as well as in her need to change/mold herself based on objective choices on how to be, in order to project the “correct” image (the safest/rightest image), regardless of personal want/preference. In fact, I am not sure, after finishing, and spending that much time in her head, what it was she really did want or how she actually wanted to be. That’s how deep that disconnect went. It’s a fascinating sort of character development, of becoming/coming of age, because who knows who she actually is, if even she isn’t sure? And what a commentary on the mindset that is cultivated from the circumstances of uncertain documentation/citizenship/homeland/belonging.

This felt a little bit, to me, like The Bell Jar, for a new age – in all the right and complementary ways that that statement could be taken. It’s sort of a reframing of sad girl academia to a new and more inclusively representative American population: tragic and open ended and heartbreaking and a bit satirical.

Karla Cornelio Villavicencio is so hilarious! It comes through in this story that dares to twist the narratives we’ve heard of Undocumented Americans. Truly an exceptional book.

The story of Catalina, an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who came to the U.S. as a child after her parents died. She lives with her undocumented grandparents and goes to Harvard. Before DACA, her biggest challenge is not being able to get a job after graduation.

The book explored the struggles and fears of undocumented people. It’s written in a stream-of-consciousness style with a lot of fantasizing, which made it hard for me to focus on the important topics. Some might enjoy this style, but it wasn’t my favorite.

I tried to read this three times and it was not for me. Very stream of consciousness and I could not see where it was going in the slightest. It seems that I am in the minority.

This book was a powerful and unforgettable read that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. It's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of family. I liked the characters and the writing

I have not stopped thinking about this book since reading it a few weeks ago. The female protagonist, having been raised by her undocumented grandparents, is trying to find her way as she gets ready to graduate from Harvard. But amidst her academic career is also the expectations of caring for and protecting her aging grandparents.

A coming of age story about an undocumented young woman going off to college and trying to navigate life. I thoroughly enjoyed this, my biggest complaint was that it was so short haha. Catalina's voice is so strong and entertaining with her humor filled emotional monologues, I wanted way more of her than just over 200 pages.

I loved the fact that the story was both so eye opening, but also filled with humor, which you could tell was a coping mechanism at times, but it made the story that much more engaging.

I read this in a day, once I started, I couldn't stop. Every page just pulled me further and further into Catalina's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.