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A review by melanietalksbooks
Barbacoa, Bomba, and Betrayal by Raquel V. Reyes
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Summary: This one is hard to summarize because so many things happen but I'll give it my best try. Miriam Quiñonez-Smith has two trips during this book, she was sent on vacation to see her parents to the D.R. with her son by her lovely husband but needs to go to San Juan, P.R. to film her popular show "Abuelita Approved." There are several mysteries happening at the same time in this book. In the D.R. everything that could go wrong at the property her parents manage goes wrong. In P.R. there are people taking advantage of the honestly really messed up laws for people from the mainland that do not apply to Puerto Ricans, on top of that it seems like someone is not only taking advantage of those laws but they are also forcing people to sell their property and gentrifying the area by force. Additionally, her friends' significant others might be involved in it. Miriam needs to figure out what real estate dealings might be causing the issues for her parents and forcing people to sell their property.
Review: I really like these books. I like the vibrancy of the characters, the mystery was a little easy but still really interesting, I like that we get backstory of the places that the character visits, I like the recipes, and I personally love the Spanglish. The fact that I like this book is reflected in the 4/5 stars score but I felt like too much was going on, which is why it did not get 5 stars. I do not think that we needed to visit two places in one book. I did not think that we needed to be introduced to two significant others to two of the main characters. I did not think we needed so many mysteries to be solved. It was too much sometimes but all the components were good if they were individually given to me.
Who do I recommend it to? Honestly I would recommend these books to anyone because it is a fun book but I don't know if everyone would enjoy it. I think this book is somewhat specific in the people who would enjoy it because I think you need to be open to other cultures and reading a language that might not be yours. I also think that you need to be okay with the social justice aspect of these books. However, to me it was a fun read and I rate based on vibes. I can't wait for the next.
Review: I really like these books. I like the vibrancy of the characters, the mystery was a little easy but still really interesting, I like that we get backstory of the places that the character visits, I like the recipes, and I personally love the Spanglish. The fact that I like this book is reflected in the 4/5 stars score but I felt like too much was going on, which is why it did not get 5 stars. I do not think that we needed to visit two places in one book. I did not think that we needed to be introduced to two significant others to two of the main characters. I did not think we needed so many mysteries to be solved. It was too much sometimes but all the components were good if they were individually given to me.
Who do I recommend it to? Honestly I would recommend these books to anyone because it is a fun book but I don't know if everyone would enjoy it. I think this book is somewhat specific in the people who would enjoy it because I think you need to be open to other cultures and reading a language that might not be yours. I also think that you need to be okay with the social justice aspect of these books. However, to me it was a fun read and I rate based on vibes. I can't wait for the next.