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Surprise book mail is the best mail! @Gissy Thank you for the #LitsyLove reply and especially for the book, bookmark, stickers, etc. I so enjoyed having you for my swap partner in the #FoundFamily swap and sending these extras was the sweetest thing. YOU are the sweetest!

I enjoyed this short audiobook read by the author.

8th grade Ruthy Ramirez doesn't come home from school one day.

Years later, her sisters swear that they see their missing sister on a reality show.

Could it be Ruthy??

My only complaint about this audiobook is that the author used the word 'woman' when it should have been 'women' - not just once, but multiple times. Not sure if that was intentional, but it really bothered this grammar nerd.

As others mentioned, this was different from what I expected but I still enjoyed the story of 3 Ramirez women coping with the loss of Ruthy when she disappeared at 13 & the hope that drives them to track her down when they believe they see her on a reality TV show. Overall very light-hearted and humorous despite some tough topics, yet heartbreaking. The author narrates exactly how she probably envisioned for the reader to experience this. 3.5⭐️s

#Bookmail
#TBR

Slowly adding to my #aardvark collection!

It took me a minute after I finished this book to digest what I had just read. This book definitely wasn‘t what I was expecting but it was so good anyway. I definitely look forward to more from Claire Jimenez.

Ruthy Ramirez disappears at 13, but 10 years later, her sisters believe she has resurfaced on a trashy reality TV show. While following their efforts to reach to this woman, we also see the lived experiences of the women in the family—sisters and mother. I really enjoyed this.

A really amazing debut. Stories like this need to be told - about the many black and brown women who disappear and are never found, about society‘s morbid fascination with violent reality shows (lest we forget Jerry Springer 🤯), about crimes against women and the shame placed upon them for speaking their truth. I loved this book. Edited to add: this is laugh out loud funny at times!

The mystery here gave me serious vibes for a much older well known book, but it‘s too much of a spoiler to mention that title. A couple thoughts: It‘s so unfair, the trajectory of family‘s lives when a child is taken from that unit. And second, a small side story, I‘m left thinking about so many Americans that for a variety of reasons, regretfully did not learn to speak the language to which their parent(s) were born.

You think you‘ve been poked in the heart but really you‘ve been impaled while maybe laughing sometimes. Also, strong “this or that” game.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bursting with personality, this short book packs an emotional punch with a side of sharp social commentary. The Ramirez women were so vividly drawn - full of attitude and love, tough but tender. I loved the author‘s audiobook narration and thought her performance fully breathed life into the characters. 🎧

I should know better by now to trust book marketers to stretch the truth but by marketing this as a thriller, I think they have done the author and readers a disservice. This is more of a family portrait than anything truly suspenseful. However, I was touched by the honesty and authenticity Jiménez presented and will be on the lookout for future writing.

This was good but it felt that the story lost its center some of the time. I did know it wasn‘t a crime story about Ruthy‘s disappearance, but I thought the disappearance would be a little more integral to the stories of the remaining family members. It really felt like a series of linked vignettes about life in a NY Puerto Rican family - and as that, it was very good! But the Ruthy storyline felt oddly tangential despite the horror of the event.

God, I hated the quinceañera. But of course, my mother had imposed all of her missed opportunities and broken dreams onto our lives, as if she were forcing the pieces of one old puzzle onto a completely different other one.

3✨ First of all I‘m proud of myself for reading a new book that was just published! I was hoping for more mystery in this story, but it focused more of the aftermath when their sister/daughter disappeared. You do find out what happened at the very end, and it‘s not what was really expected. It does follow several points of view so listening to it could be confusing at times because they used the same voice.⬇️

Yes - I changed ALL but one of my #Aardvark guesses from yesterday. But as much as I wanted to be right about American Mermaid, this looks more likely!

Two Puerto Rican sisters from Staten Island think they have spotted their missing third sister on a trashy reality show years after her disappearance.

Family ✨ Snarky✨ Startling

For fans of The Jersey Shore (and shocking endings)

Been waiting to start this book 📕

I love getting ARC'S from work! This one is so timely while at the same time reflect how we all move through life. Ruthy goes missing and then she's found...kinda...on a reality TV show. The family needs to decide...do they go and find her or just keep on moving forward. If you're a fan of character driven reads (which I am) you'll need to add this to your TBR pile!

I don't think the marketing copy on this book quite reflects the content. It's much more slice-of-life than I expected, which ultimately wasn't bad, but I kept going "When are they gonna set off and head for Ruthy already??" If you like books that are more character- than plot-driven, this one will give you a lot to absorb. #historicalfiction #sorta #sliceoflife

Put this on your tbr. Coming out in March.

This is a great story about a Puerto Rican family who discover their long lost sister while watching a reality television show and decides to bring her home. This was a fast read full of emotions and humor. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.