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kelly_e's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Author: Xóchitl González
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
I received a complimentary ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Theatrical • Electric • Haunting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by progeny of film producers, C-Suite executives, and international art-dealers, most of whom float through life knowing that their futures are secured, Raquel feels herself an outsider. Students of color, like Raquel, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.
But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After being captivated by Xóchitl González's writing in her debut, Olga Dies Dreaming, I immediately added Anita de Monte Laughs Last to my list of anticipated releases for 2024. I was graciously offered an ALC, which I tandem read with the book once it was released.
The audiobook, narrated by a full cast of Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg, and Stacy Gonzalez is absolutely fantastic. I would even venture to say the narration takes this book to the next level. The narrators really bring their characters to life and I could hear the emotion of the narrative in their voices. Because the story is told from multiple perspectives and in a nonlinear fashion it was definitely easier for me to tandem read than listen alone.
The pacing starts out on the slow side, yet it builds steadily to a satisfying ending. I will admit to being slightly caught off guard by the ghost element, but somehow it fit perfectly into the narrative. There is ample commentary on race and womanhood and when the two stories start to converge the story gets stronger.
I don't know that I enjoyed this one as much as her debut, yet it was definitely worth my time. It's easy to imagine Anita de Monte Laughs Last transitioning to the big screen down the road. This book isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it establishes Xóchitl González as a force in the literary world.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• art history
• strong female characters
⚠️ CW: toxic relationship, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, racism, sexism, misogyny, classism, death, murder, cursing, drug use, drug abuse, alcohol, infidelity, mental illness, eating disorder, anorexia, body shaming, fatphobia
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everything worth doing hurts at least a little bit."
Author: Xóchitl González
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
I received a complimentary ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Theatrical • Electric • Haunting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name has been all but forgotten—certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student is preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by progeny of film producers, C-Suite executives, and international art-dealers, most of whom float through life knowing that their futures are secured, Raquel feels herself an outsider. Students of color, like Raquel, are the minority there, and the pressure to work twice as hard for the same opportunities is no secret.
But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After being captivated by Xóchitl González's writing in her debut, Olga Dies Dreaming, I immediately added Anita de Monte Laughs Last to my list of anticipated releases for 2024. I was graciously offered an ALC, which I tandem read with the book once it was released.
The audiobook, narrated by a full cast of Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg, and Stacy Gonzalez is absolutely fantastic. I would even venture to say the narration takes this book to the next level. The narrators really bring their characters to life and I could hear the emotion of the narrative in their voices. Because the story is told from multiple perspectives and in a nonlinear fashion it was definitely easier for me to tandem read than listen alone.
The pacing starts out on the slow side, yet it builds steadily to a satisfying ending. I will admit to being slightly caught off guard by the ghost element, but somehow it fit perfectly into the narrative. There is ample commentary on race and womanhood and when the two stories start to converge the story gets stronger.
I don't know that I enjoyed this one as much as her debut, yet it was definitely worth my time. It's easy to imagine Anita de Monte Laughs Last transitioning to the big screen down the road. This book isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it establishes Xóchitl González as a force in the literary world.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• art history
• strong female characters
⚠️ CW: toxic relationship, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, racism, sexism, misogyny, classism, death, murder, cursing, drug use, drug abuse, alcohol, infidelity, mental illness, eating disorder, anorexia, body shaming, fatphobia
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Everything worth doing hurts at least a little bit."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Infidelity, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
anorexiamarcostorin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Classism
katielong84's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Classism
reneethebookbird's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Classism
kallsypage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.
In 1980s New York City, Cuban American artist Anita de Monte is a rising star in the art world just as the art career of Jack, her arrogant husband, is fading from the spotlight. That is until she is found dead outside of her apartment. Although her untimely death made waves, her memory, her art, and her name were soon forgotten by most.
In 1998, Raquel is an art history student battling with the feeling that no matter how hard she works, she is still seen as an outsider in the pretentious art world that is still largely uninclusive. As she works on her final thesis, Raquel begins to notice parallels between her own life and relationship with Anita's life and relationship.
The story is told by Anita, Raquel, and Jack in two different timelines. Xóchitl González does such a fantastic job of giving each of these characters their own unique voices through her writing style and the audiobook has fantastic narrators that bring the characters even more to life.
There were so many times I wanted to scream while reading (listening) this book and jump in the pages to shake some of the characters. If I had a physical copy of the book I probably would have thrown it a time or two (and please know I mean this as a high compliment!). I went through so many emotions while reading this book and it will be sticking with me for a long time!
In 1980s New York City, Cuban American artist Anita de Monte is a rising star in the art world just as the art career of Jack, her arrogant husband, is fading from the spotlight. That is until she is found dead outside of her apartment. Although her untimely death made waves, her memory, her art, and her name were soon forgotten by most.
In 1998, Raquel is an art history student battling with the feeling that no matter how hard she works, she is still seen as an outsider in the pretentious art world that is still largely uninclusive. As she works on her final thesis, Raquel begins to notice parallels between her own life and relationship with Anita's life and relationship.
The story is told by Anita, Raquel, and Jack in two different timelines. Xóchitl González does such a fantastic job of giving each of these characters their own unique voices through her writing style and the audiobook has fantastic narrators that bring the characters even more to life.
There were so many times I wanted to scream while reading (listening) this book and jump in the pages to shake some of the characters. If I had a physical copy of the book I probably would have thrown it a time or two (and please know I mean this as a high compliment!). I went through so many emotions while reading this book and it will be sticking with me for a long time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Minor: Suicide and Outing
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