Reading this as a Latina was a dive into the most toxic parts of the culture in an entertaining & unique way! I’ve never read a book that was told in the form of a one way phone call!

I’ll never see Jesus’ outfit the same ever again, that’s for sure. 😆 I’m glad they also embodied how WILD Hispanic news channels are!!

I think it was set in 2017, which was when I would’ve been 18, and I swear my friends and I didn’t say dude/bro/lol so much. Saying lol over the phone rather than text sent me every single time. Could’ve done without it!

I was the sister away at college, so I saw myself in Mari for a little bit until their true dynamic was shown! It’s hard to be the siblings that are left behind, I’m sure. Older sibling life is hard too — out there doing everything for the fam for the first time.

Overall, this story progressed well and they embody a Latina grandma so well! The toxic obsessions with beauty, youth, and overall caring what others thing. Revenge is also huge! Their grandma was hilarious and reminded me of my paternal grandma.

Not a heavy read, but not light either. Grateful for the experience. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oye by Melissa Magollon is a coming-of-age, family saga told from the perspective of a one-sided phone call from Luciana, a Colombian-American teenager, to her college aged sister, Mari.

I thought the way Magollon told this story was absolutely genius and unlike any book I have read. As the reader, you are in Luciana’s head, listening to her angsty teenage complaints as she rants and unloads to her sister over a one-sided phone call. It feels like you are her older sister, Mari, off at college living your own life, while you listen to Luciana unload about her life drama: moving amidst a hurricane, helping her grandma with health issues, and generally being annoyed her older sister isn’t more involved in their lives. Super unique and a blend of comedy, tragedy and relatability.

The story did drag a touch too long, but I enjoyed it overall and the cover is perfection 🤌🏼. I would recommend Oye for lovers of Kiley Reid because it gave me similar vibes.

It’s generally hard for me to put into words a proper review for this book because it hit so close to home. I literally cried the last 60 pages. This book reminded me so much of my family, especially my younger sister (who is probably sick of hearing me talk about it every time weve been on the phone the last couple weeks 🤣) and my Nonna.

Written as a series of one-sided phone calls from the perspective of the youngest sister in the family to her big sister who is away at college. We begin the story with everyone in the family with the exception of Abue, Luciana’s eccentric grandma, evacuating as a hurricane is approaching where they live in Florida. As the youngest, Luciana is often not left to solely deal with the happenings of the family. But when Abue experiences an unexpected medical diagnosis while they are away the family’s dynamic is turned upside down. She soon becomes a translator and caretaker among many other new roles as the family navigates this tumultuous time.

This story is what it would literally sound like if you were to listen in on a phone call with me and @tl3w11. In addition to the real portrayal of sisters I loved the relationship you see between Luciana and Abue. I don’t share too much personal stuff on my page but this book took me back to when my sister and I were part of my Nonna’s end of life care. It made me miss her even more than I usually do but I was comforted by someone highlighting how beautiful relationships are with our elders can be and how much we can learn from them and their lived experiences. I cannot recommend this beautiful book enough and it will stick with me for a long time. If you want a tender and hilarious novel about complicated and chaotic families you should definitely pick this one up 💛

"Oye" by Melissa Mogollon is a powerful and introspective read. It's a book that invites readers to reflect on their own experiences and emotions, making it a deeply personal journey. While it may not be for everyone, particularly those who prefer a conventional storytelling format, it is a worthy read for those who appreciate heartfelt and candid writing.

I LOVED this book. Told completely through the voice of an 18-year-old high school senior, the sad realities of life (cancer, natural disasters, generational trauma) are made hilarious. Just amazing writing from Melissa Mogollon that I never wanted to end.

Thank you to Netgalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. I thought the writing style and approach was unique, once I understood what was happening. The idea of a story just coming from one person and their dialogue was distinctive. I'm not sure it's for everyone though because you were unable to hear another prescriptive but I enjoyed the way the story was relayed.

Oye is a coming of age story that was a very enjoyable read once you get used to the format. The format of this novel was interesting- mostly one-sided phone conversations from Lucianna as she talks to her sister Mari. The book itself was heart-warming and funny all at the same time. For a debut novel, Mogollon does a fantastic job! I would recommend picking this one up! 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall enjoyed this book. The one-sided phone calls method was really effective, and a great way to feel the up to date emotions of the MC dealing with her multigen family. Some parts the MC was really angry and it felt more like a YA book, but was also appropriate for the age of the MC. I love stories that explore the messy lives of our mothers/grandmothers

The story of Luciana’s Columbian grandmother is told by Luciana in the form of text messages and phone conversations with her sister, Mari who is away at college. Luciana is eighteen years old, preparing for college and struggling with coming out as a lesbian when her grandmother is diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. When her great aunt arrives to take care of her grandmother, Luciana learns shocking details about her grandmother’s past all while struggling with the possibility of losing her “favorite person”, criticism from her mother and serving as interpreter and liaison with her grandmother’s caregivers. As she stresses, she uses Mari as her sounding board, alternating between anger at Mari for being absent, filling Mari in on the “juicy” details of their grandmother’s life and begging Mari to come home.
I really enjoyed the unusual way that this story was told. The texts and phone conversations with Mari were so entertaining and seemed very real as conversations between almost adult sisters. Luciana was so animated which made her emotional ups and downs easily felt by the reader. Her expressiveness helped me feel her pain and struggles. The grandmother’s story was heartbreaking but it was interesting how she took her past in stride and lived her life as she wanted to. I did get a little bogged down with the excessive detail around the grandmother’s story but overall, enjoyed Luciana’s storytelling.

⭐️: 2.5 / 5

Publication Date: May 14, 2024

I want to thank Random House and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Some of the coolest aspects of this story, is that the main character is of Colombian-American descent who grew up with a complicated relationship with the women in her family.

As for my reservations, I hated the format in which this was written. It’s told as a one sided phone conversation with other conversations sometimes and inconsistently italicized into the rest of the story. I found it hard to engage with. Additionally, I found the way of relaying other family stories to be too casual for my liking.

Overall I thought this had a unique premise and the way it was written was done in a way I had never seen before. However, I found it so difficult to connect with that I almost gave up on the book very early on. I’m ultimately happy that I stuck it out for the added storylines later in the book.

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Contemporary stories
- Dysfunctional families
- Florida setting

⚠️ Hurricane season, sick family member

I came here for the chisme and this book definitely delivers. I loved the format of the book, which is a one-sided phone conversation that reveals all the drama that unfolds for a Colombian American family. That being said, it did take me awhile to get into the book at the beginning, but I switched to the audio version and that definitely brought the story to life. I wanted to love this one, but I wasn't a big fan of the main character's dramatic flare, so it fell a bit short for me.

This was a pretty charming read, although it took me awhile to get used to the format. Told exclusively from the voice of Luciana, the plot is told entirely through her side of phone calls to her older sister, Mari. You can gauge Mari's responses based on what Luciana says, but it means it is a fairly one-sided story and depiction of the family. There are bits where she is recounting conversations with others, so you can somewhat get a sense of the other characters, but this is SOLIDLY Luciana's story. She is a dramatic but compassionate teenage girl, dealing with coming out, changing family dynamics, and her grandmother's illness.

I wondered, about 30% in, if I should keep going because I was not loving this unique but challenging format, but I'm glad that I did. As Luciana gets more information regarding her family's history, everything became clearer to me. It would have been interesting to get Abue and Luciana's mother's perspectives, just to flesh out the storyline more (the mother comes across particularly terribly, but again - it's through the lens of her teenage daughter, so take it with a grain of salt).

It has a satisfying, bittersweet end, and I would be interested in a sequel - maybe told from Mari's end of the phone calls next!

I was intrigued by the description of this book by Melissa Mongollon. " A young woman reckons with her rowdy, unpredictable family and the revelation of their long-buried history in this wildly inventive debut."

I found the idea of this book to be highly fascinating. An entire book written as one side of a phone conversation. Very creative.

Luciana is the youngest of her Columbian American family. To say the the family is complicated is an understatement. The story starts with the evacuation of the area due to a hurricane. Luciana and her mother leave town leaving Luciana's grandmother, Abue, behind because she refuses to leave. Abue ends up moving in with Luciana and her mother and sharing a room with Luciana.

No matter what different techniques I tried, I could only hear Luciana's voice in a very frantic pace. I tried to literally slow down my reading so I might hear the main character in a more calm dialogue. But despite all of my attempts, I could only hear her rambling. I was exhausted by the pace of the story.

Possible triggers: Body shaming, parental fixation on weight and appearance.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Oh my gosh, a five star-er! Loved this book beyond words. A very interesting style where the main character has a series of conversations with her sister but the only dialog belongs to the main character. Modern day Florida, where questions of immigration surface, and questions of whether to acknowledge a daughter who just declared she is a lesbian surround the story of a dying grandmother. Told in hilarious prose, the struggles are downplayed with laughter. I absolutely loved this book.
Thank you NetGalley for a ARC!

A story told entirely through phone calls from younger sister Luciana to her older sister Mari. Luciana is often at odds with her mom and she is trying to deal with her grandma getting sick, all told via conversation with her sister. Overall, an interesting format concept, although it was hard to follow at times to determine who was speaking. Due to the formatting, the book felt like it could have been a little more concise to keep it from dragging.

A unique coming of age story. The author's choice of telling this story in the form of a phone conversation is very unique. To be able to tell the story in this manner is an incredible talent. Hard to believe this is a debut novel! A good recommend for HS students. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A truly enjoyed this. A very solid read that I think speaks to many readers. Really colorful and well developed characters and writing.

I almost gave up on this one when I started and realized the format what one side of a phone call — how could that possibly work? But the positive reviews and @whatsjennareading convinced me to persist, and I was very quickly sucked in by the narrator’s voice. I ended up absolutely loving how the story was told, and what these conversations told me about Luciana and her relationship with her sister, her grandmother, her mother and the rest of her family. It had me laughing at some points and in tears occasionally, and will absolutely be one of my favorite novels of the year. I partially listened to the audio, and it was perfection. Get your hands on a copy.

Once I got used to the format of this charming coming of age novel, I fell in love with Luciana and her family. The story is told as a series of telephone calls, but only from the side of Luciana, the youngest child in a large immigrant family in Florida. The feisty character of Abue stole the show - she's Luciana's grandmother and the keeper of family secrets. As Luciana cares for Abue, they both come into focus as strong, bonded women. I found myself feeling really proud of Luciana, and I would like an invitation to have dinner with this family, especially if I could sit by Abue! Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth Books for the advance copy of this book!

Thank you for this ARC!

A very moving story about a POC’s coming of age.
I really saw a lot of myself in these characters and their circumstances and found it to be a very compelling story.