why? do? all? teens? in? books? have? to? do? some? sort? of? drug? but like, it wasn’t exactly the most extreme in this case The suicide, rape, and cutting in this book was very unexpected. When I got to those parts in the book it unsettled me because I wasn't expecting it; I guess you could call it a plot twist, but I don't really see it as that. It was more of an unpleasant surprise. I know people deal with these issues, and I have read books on these issues in the past, but for a reader that could have PTSD because of issues like these, and not know it would be in the book, it would not be the best situation. I just wish I would have known there was sensitive topics in this book is all. Book Award Winners". Tomás Rivera Book Award - Texas State University. 2019-11-01 . Retrieved 2020-02-01.

Anorexia is briefly and dangerously romanticized when a hospitalized teen's dangerous weight is explicitly given and she is still lauded for her beauty. This is the full passage, with the number hidden as a spoiler: Her dedication to her studies was also so good, like I loved her passion and drive to get out of the world she’s lived in all her life and reach her full potential. I loved that this book touches on topics of mental health and lgbt, it's a well rounded book that made Julia's story feel real and whole. I liked the way the book went from Julia at 15 to her going to college. Grief and Finding Yourself is a long process and I'm glad the author showed a large period of that time. The most potent theme throughout Erika L. Sánchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is that of secrets and lies. As the novel unfolds and Julia digs deeper into the secrets her recently-deceased older sister Olga left behind, she comes face-to-face with more and more unsettling truths about her family’s past. In the end, Sánchez ultimately suggests that some secrets are too painful to share—and that some lies are actually a mercy, meant to protect people from hurtful, devastating truths.

Finalist, National Book Awards 2017 for Young People's Literature

I still liked The Inexplicable Logic of My Life much better than this book. Even if that one had many stereotypes, at least the author wrote about things with some level of respect. Sánchez just rips off Mexican culture and explains why is so bad. okay, wtf, wow. I did not think I was going to like this at all bc a) what is that title & b) I never like these types of books. Lund, Elizabeth (July 17, 2017). "Why W.S. Merwin endures, and other best poetry to read this month". Washington Post . Retrieved 6 October 2017. If you follow me, by now you should be well aware that my reaction to “Dirtgate” pretty much amounted to . . . .

As of May 2022, the cast for I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter hasn’t been revealed yet, but since filming will commence in the coming months, we expect Netflix to make the announcement sooner rather than later. More than deserving of its National Book Award Finalist status, this novel is a stunning story of heritage, family and growing up. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first kiss, first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?Original review, 8/29/18: I wasn’t sure what to expect in reading this south side Chicago story, a first YA novel that has been very well-reviewed, and half way into it, was not liking the first person narrator Julia, who is sarcastic, arrogant, volatile, and sometimes downright nasty, which is to say she is one kind of teenager, crafted to seem authentic. But she doesn’t play well with others. She doesn’t even like most people. She is Mexican American (or, Hispanic, Latinx) but doesn’t like Mexican music, she listens to edgy/mainstream music. She wants to get out of the city and go to school in NYC and be herself! She’s not getting along with her parents, and especially with her amá. She is not your perfect Mexican daughter, though she does well in school. Let me breathe, amá!! Let me be me! I'm going to start for the portrayal of Mexico and Mexican culture. Every time I read books by children of immigrants I remember a question that my cousin, also a child of immigrants that had never been in Mexico, made me when I made a trip to the USA, "oh my god do you have X-box in Mexico?". So far, in the YA I've read the authors seem to believe all of the country is still living in 1900 or something like that, eating tortillas and menudo and tacos all the time. Erika L. Sánchez even decided to introduce narcos as a normal occurrence! This even felt worse because Sánchez wrote about a place in Chihuahua, my state. But what I loved most about this was Julia. She actually seemed like ... a high school student. Which, sadly, is actually a big accomplishment in YA. I loved how she wasn’t afraid to voice her thoughts and how she knew she couldn’t be the perfect daughter. I loved how she crafted that pathway for herself. I loved how despite coming off as rebellious to her parents, she had this deep rooted tie to her family and home country. Her visit in Mexico made me feel like I, too, was with my family in Pakistan. The feelings and diversity were crafted so well, I’m kinda tearing up.