March's books 2022

This was a busy month! but not so much for my reading list, to be honest... But, I’m still ahead of my goal and I’m really proud of that. I love that I have found great books and great recommendations, but above all I love that I have re-found my love for books, and this year is stronger than ever!!!
​I already have a lot of different TBR lists and I started a new one... I created a list of TBR books that includes ALL the Alfaguara winers. I had already read a couple and I loved them!!! So, I thought I would read all the other books... Alfaguara hasn't failed me with their recommendations so far, so I am committed to read as many of those as I can. I started the month with one of them and here is what I thought:
​
Contigo a la distancia:
This is an Alfaguara winner for a reason... I LOVED IT!! Gave it five stars and would definitely recommend. It is a little bit elitist and I wouldn’t read it with my class because there are a lot of references they wouldn’t probably get. Because it includes so many referenced to other authors, painters, museums, etc I think the author is very selective with their readers. Almost as if the author has chosen who is qualified to read this and that makes me feel especial, because I got a lot of the references... it makes me feel like such a nerd!! but a good kind of nerd!! I also think, that because of this, this book might get boring for some people.

I LOVE Cortázar and Borges and this writing style has the same vibe. The story is very well written; it connects the reader to the story, the historical context, romance, and all the challenges... that kind of connection is hard to achieve. It is realistic, therefore relatable... nothing like the last romcom trendy books I’ve read before.
If you love literature... I definitely recommend!

It Ends with Us
This is another trendy book that is not it! I give it 3.5 stars (to be nice). Once again, another book that portrays a toxic relationships. Why is this a thing?? Why are toxic relationships such a hit?? Yes, the overall message is good, but portraying these types of relationships where the women “suffers” and puts up with the guy for such a long period of time before the guy “changes” or before the women decides to leave, is toxic. No one should make this suffering so long, they should be able to notice the red flags, and authors should write about those, instead of writing about the women that constantly looks for excuses and forgives. Yes, in this case she chooses better at the end, but after sooooo long.
The is one thing I liked and found important, and that is that in the book no one is all good or all bad; we are human being and we live in gray areas; the author did portray that through the book. The character are well developed, but the way the book is written is painful to read. I can easily differentiate where the narrator is talking and when the author is jumping in with their own thoughts, and that created a disconnection of style and tone for the book. This was the biggest issue for me. I should not be able to hear the author’s voice when the main character is talking or thinking. I should “listen” to the main character and her voice matching her personality.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
I loved this book!!! This is one of the few that are actually worth the hype from Bookstagram or BookTok. I thought the book was very well written. It did take me a minute to get into the story at first, but once I got hooked it was very easy to keep going and read it quickly. The story is different, not your typical romance/suspense novel, which I like... I truly appreciate originality. I also likes that the author did a wonderful job with the character development. The more we get to know Evelyn we see all the nuisances to her personality; the whole story is not black and white; there is substance. The book definitely show empowerment in a different way, showing the struggles of being a women and also bisexual or gay in an industry that is so demanding and shaped by heteronormativity. Definitely recommend!!!
​

Happy reading!!!

Un abrazo,   
- Jimena