The premise of this book was delicious, diving into the long history of the textile industry in Southern California and the deeply held prejudices that persist in the world of fashion. It had the gothic elements, family secrets, and "good-for-her" energy that I love to see in thrillers these days.

The protagonist, Samara, ditches her journalism gig on the east coast for a dream job on the creative team of Antonio Mota, an iconic fashion designer who has just set up shop in the small, Californian textile town where her grandmother used to be a seamstress.

The pacing missed the mark for me, though, with some of the anxious "haunting" moments that the protagonist Samara encounters feeling a bit stuffed in, and some of the characters within Mota's fashion house felt a little flat.

That said, the way that Mota shifted his identity, backstory, and presentation based on his audience was handled really well: it's manipulative but understandable and hits on some of the ways that race, culture, and class impact the stories that we want to tell about ourselves, especially for a social climber like Mota who is trying to ingratiate himself to a predominantly white American elite. Rivera's handling of the class dynamics between factory owner and factory worker, designer and seamstress also felt real and important.

Ultimately, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to people who are interested in exploring those themes as they relate to latine-American culture at the margins of social power. While I think it would have benefitted from a little more editing, I'm impressed by Rivera as an author, particularly since this was her adult debut. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.