This book hurts in the best way. One woman, one train, and a mess of memories she can’t outrun—simple premise, total emotional chaos. Guerrero writes grief like it’s folded into every sentence, and the flashbacks are so soft and brutal at the same time. It’s not big and dramatic, but it lingers. If you’ve ever waited too long to say goodbye, this one’s going to stick with you. Think: The Midnight Library meets Our Missing Hearts, but quieter, sadder, and somehow even more honest. I finished it and just… sat there. Broken. Loved it.

This book had so much potential, and in many ways, it delivered, just not consistently. I really appreciated the rawness of Xiomara’s grief and her drive to keep pushing forward, even while everything around her was crumbling. Her story as an Afro-Latina aspiring Broadway actress, stuck in survival mode while chasing her dreams, was compelling and real.

What worked for me was the emotional core of this book. Xiomara’s love for her late sister, her complicated relationship with her ultra-religious mother, and her internal tug-of-war between ambition and identity - those parts felt honest and heartfelt. I was rooting for her, even when I didn’t fully understand her decisions.

But I struggled with the book's structure. There were too many threads and not enough focus on character development. It often felt like the plot was dragging Xiomara around rather than growing from her choices. The pacing jumped around too much for my taste, and some subplots felt undercooked or unnecessary.

What frustrated me the most was the writing itself. There were glimpses of beautiful, thoughtful prose - moments that really hit emotionally - but they were buried under clichéd lines and confusing metaphors that pulled me out of the story.

Still, I liked that the ending didn’t tie everything up in a perfect bow. It was a realistic resolution for a messy journey. My Train Leaves at Three asks an important question: how much of yourself do you have to lose to chase your dreams? I just wish it had been explored with more consistency and clarity.

My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and One World for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and One World Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book is such an emotional book! In My Train Leaves at Three, we follow Xiomara. She recently lost her sister, Nena, very suddenly and in this we watch as Xiomara starts to move forward with her life after such a tremendous loss. Her sister was always Xiomara's biggest fan and pushed her to pursue a career on Broadway, but in the time since Nena's passing, Xiomara has lost herself. Now that rent is due and the bills are piling up, Xiomara needs to get her life back on track.

This was such a journey of grief, self love and healing. Please do check the trigger warnings as this does deal with heavy topics. I loved watching Xiomara's journey through everything she was going through. I loved the romance in this book, it felt very healing. I was really rooting for Xiomara throughout this entire book. Her character was so real and raw. I cried for her, laughed with her and felt such joy for her. I also loved the latine culture representation.

I highly recommend this for anybody who loves emotional reads, complex characters, the reality of the ups and downs of life and how sometimes life looks different than what we thought it would look like.

This book moved me. I am a fan of broadway, and all those brave souls who aspire to it, so I was interested to read this book. Guerrero's protagonist has lived a life. She has seen some things. She is not the trembling ingenue you might hope for, but rather, she's the singer unexpectedly belting out the song and stealing the show. And yet, her luck has proven to be fleeting or nonexistent. I found myself near tears at time with her frustration and struggle, and at other times, laughing out loud. Guerrero's story calls for compassion—her characters do bad things as often as good—and, while always compelling, they defy simple classification. I think is why I found the book so intriguing. Following your dream is not always pretty and seldom easy; the truth of it is complicated, ugly, and sometimes messy. But despite all this, hope remains.

A coming of age story of an aspiring broadway star dealing with the loss of her sister and trying to make it NYC. I enjoyed the writing, but it was really sad and I wasn't in the right frame to read it. I will definitely be on the look out for future reads from this author.

3.5 stars but rounding down.

Thanks for the advanced reader copy Random House Publishing Group - Random House | One World & Netgalley.

This book wasn't for me. I didn't find the protagonist believable, the storyline was disjointed, and the writing style was a bit too frenetic. I can see that many other reviewers enjoyed it, so I think it may be more a matter of personal preference.

Grief is rarely linear, and this novel captures its complexity with striking honesty. Anger, in particular, is portrayed not just as a reaction, but as a mask—one worn by those who may not yet understand the full scope of their own sorrow. Layered with themes of religion, cultural expectations, and a turbulent past, this story explores emotional trauma through a deeply personal lens.

While the book’s opening pulled me in, the narrative gradually grew darker and more emotionally charged. The protagonist, Xiomara, navigates her grief with raw intensity—sometimes in ways that feel overwhelming. Her pain is palpable, and at times, it spills off the page in a way that left me feeling emotionally drained. I found myself both empathizing with her and internally pleading for her to pause, breathe, and process.

This isn’t a story of tears or melodrama—it’s one of quiet emotional weight, of internal chaos, and of grief manifesting in anger, confusion, and isolation. It’s not an easy read, nor is it meant to be. It may not resonate with every reader, but for those open to exploring the complexities of mourning and identity, this novel offers a sobering, thought-provoking experience.

This book came into my life at the perfect time. Although I haven't had the exact same experiences as Xiomara, this novel made me feel incredibly seen. As a Latina who also loves and works in theatre, it meant the world to see us represented in that field. Despite how it may seem, we do exist (and even thrive!) in these industries. Even moreso, as a native New Yorker, this book was so specifically NYC that I found myself nodding along with Xiomara when she made her complaints or gave her love to this city. This is a book that is going to stick with me for a long time.

The novel takes a little bit to get going, but once it does it's impossible to put down. You won't always agree with Xiomara's choices, but that makes her all the more real. It forces you to examine your own ideas about who deserves love, what success means, and how we show up for ourselves. I'm so impressed that this is Natalie Guerrero's debut, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to One World and Netgalley for this ARC. Unfortunately, while I actually got fairly far into reading this, I just didn’t connect with the story at all and eventually DNFed. This writing was lovely but the content wasn’t for me

I absolutely loved My Train Leaves at Three. It shows the heartbreak and hard work that are needed to succeed in Broadway. Just because you want it doesn't mean that you'll get it. I ached for Xiomara and her mother as they are still dealing with the sudden death of Xio's sister, Nena. Xio is still living in a daze for her grief and she's being exploited a she tries to land a role in a buzzy new musical. I wanted the best for Xio as I was reading the book. The end left me very hopeful for what would transpire for Xio and her mother in the future.

One World is one of my favorite publishers and pushes out some of my favorite books each year. I can easily say My Train Leaves at Three will be on my top books of the year. I have no doubt I'll be going back to this one in the future.

Thank you to One World for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

My Train Leaves at Three is about Xiomara, an Afro-Latina woman with Broadway aspirations, whose life is on hold while grieving the death of her sister. She is working multiple jobs just to survive and pay rent on the Washington Heights apartment she lives in with her mother. I really liked this, and could not help rooting for X even when not agreeing with the majority of her decisions. I loved the portrayal of a struggling musical theater performer, particularly the auditions and her job at Ellen's Stardust Diner. Also love books set in NYC and this one had a great "In the Heights" feel. I felt for her and her mother as they struggle to move on while grieving. The relationship with her mother felt very authentic, especially with their religious differences. The ending was a little too tidy, though I did appreciate parts of it. Overall a great literary fiction debut. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 4.25 stars.

The beginning of the story dragged too much. The story seemed to go nowhere. I couldn’t find a reason to read on, so I didn’t finish the book.

My Train Leaves at Three by Natalie Guerrero is a captivating debut!
I was sucked in by the first page and I thought the flow of the book was perfect, and it made for an easy read.
The characters are well described and developed I really enjoyed this book.

A complicated messy coming-of-age (a little later than most) story about Xiomara, who dreams of starring on Broadway, but is grief-stricken after the loss of her sister. X is self-involved and can be a bit bratty, but honestly, she is VERY real. I could imagine making some of the same decisions/having some of the same thoughts. X painfully learns how to move forward, with many bumps along the way.

"How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice in order to chase your dreams?

After her sister Nena’s sudden death, Xiomara, an Afro-Latina singer and actress born and raised in Washington Heights, is numb. With her sister gone, Xiomara is painfully close to thirty, living in a tiny apartment with her ultra-Catholic Puerto Rican mother, and having the same shitty sex with the same shitty men that she’s been entertaining for years. Behind on rent despite two minimum-wage jobs, one of which involves singing show tunes while serving pancakes to tourists at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, Xiomara is bitingly cynical, especially in her grief, and barely treading water.

But when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to audition for Manny Santos, the most charismatic director of the moment, falls into her lap, it seems to Xiomara like a second chance to pursue the dream she thought she’d left behind has finally come. Meanwhile, something about Santi, a new coworker at the print shop where she spends half of her days photocopying other performers’ headshots, starts to tug at the threads of her apathy. Nothing is simple, and soon Xiomara finds herself interacting with the ugliest sides of the industry and the powerful men that control it. While Xiomara grapples with the hard truth that sometimes the closer you are to your dreams, the further away from yourself you become, she is forced to ask herself if she has what it takes to build a new shiny life without losing the truth of her old one."

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/One World for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

My Train Leaves at Three by Natalie Guerrero is a heartfelt, emotional charged, thought-provoking, very relatable coming-of-age novel. This captivating debut grab my attention quickly. Once I started reading it I was completely enraptured by the storyline and its main character. A huge thank you to Random House Publishing/One World, the author, and NetGalley for the advanced eARC of the book.

My Train Leaves at Three is an engaging story that examines family, grief, sexuality, and love through the lens of a young woman navigating the ups and downs of life, trying to find herself and make it on Broadway.

At the present moment Xiomara, an Afro-Latina singer and actress is grieving the sudden death of her beloved sister, living back with her mother, and dealing with the crappy men she’s been having sex with. She’s working two minimum wage, dead-end jobs, and barely making ends meet. When a rare opportunity comes along to audition for the it director of the moment she sees a way forward to realize her dreams. But there are times when the more attainable dreams seem to be the farther away they actually are. Xiomara will struggle with this difficult truth. Can she build a new life for herself without losing the truth she already knows? Will her journey of self-discovery lead her to all that she hopes for?

My Train Leaves at Three is a beautifully written, poignant story that will invoke all of your emotions, and have you rooting for its main character throughout her journey. If you love reading coming-of-age tales, then you’ll definitely want to read this one. Perfect debut novel for summer reading.

It’s wild to think My Train Leaves at Three is Natalie Guerrero’s debut novel because it’s that good. Her writing is simple yet captivating—easy to read but layered enough to keep you turning the pages. I picked this book up at the perfect time in my life. As someone who’s probably also in the thick of her Saturn return, navigating career, relationships, and my own sense of self, this story hit deep.

Even though I couldn’t completely relate to Xiomara, I deeply felt her grief—especially around losing touch with her Dominican roots while trying to fit into American life. That feeling of always playing catch-up, of comparing yourself to people who treat life like a checklist instead of an experience—it all resonated. We watch Xiomara go through it all, and yeah, it’s rough. But the way she comes out on the other side—different, softer, open to the unknown—really stayed with me.

This book was a bit messy and I loved it.

Although Xiomara was not necessarily a likeable character, I did really enjoy her story. She takes some tumbles along the way, but I think that made her growth so much more worth it.

I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I read this book. But I fell in love with the perfectly imperfect main character, Xiomara, with her powerhouse voice and two left feet. I ached for those bad decisions she made, I felt her rage at unfair events, and was thankful for those who supported her despite her poor choices. Xiomara has a lot of story to tell, and I really enjoyed following along. At about 85%, I was a happy content reader. After that, the remainder of the book felt like someone told the author everything needs to be tied up prettily and nicely. (You know I don't like that.) But maybe the book was just too short to stop at 85%? It certainly felt like a longer, more expansively book than the page count implies!

Xiomara Sanchez has dreamed of making it big on Broadway, and she was almost there, until the sudden death of her sister. Since then, Xiomara has been splitting her time between two less-than-ideal jobs, barely making ends meet. She's also drowning in her grief, taking on a cynical view of the world. One day, the perfect opportunity presents itself. Xiomara, going against her normal aversion to open casting calls, decides to audition for an up-and-coming musical. Quickly, she is sucked into the darkest side of the entertainment industry, doing whatever it takes to get the role she thinks should be hers. Meanwhile, Santi, her new coworker at one of her jobs, starts to break down her apathetic side. As her life seems to continue to spiral out of control, Xiomara must decide if it's worth chasing her old dreams or if starting over is just what she needs.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and OneWorld for this digital e-arc.*

“My problem in life is how badly I want to be seen.”

I went into this ARC blind but was quickly drawn in by quotes like this one. For me, this book got better and better as it went on, and I really enjoyed how it was structured.

This book is about Xiomara Sanchez, who is twenty-nine years old and lives with her mother.

This book is about grief.

This book is about starting over.

This book is about wanting more for yourself.

This book is about love.

This book is about speaking up.

This book is about finding contentment where you are.

This book is about life’s unexpected joys.

This book is about West Side Story—sort of (iykyk).

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and found myself truly rooting for Xiomara as we grew closer to the end. I feel like I rode the New York subways with her as she struggled to find herself, and it was a good place to spend a chunk of time.

The cover of this one caught my attention (gorgeous, right?), and the words grabbed onto me.

I am also determined to try a Washington Heights margarita (Capri Sun and Casamigos) now—is this a real thing?

Xiomara loves big but has been hurt by life enough times that its hardened her. Will the people that care about her and the power of show tunes be enough to remind her of who she really is?

Have you seen West Side Story (musical theater or film)?