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sandiereads's review against another edition
3.0
This is a solid debut about a teen girl in between worlds -- she's a middle-class scholarship kid at a posh prep school and she's got traditional Cuban parents who expect a lot from her. The only slight hiccup is that I've read several similar books (in terms of Latinx themes and even in terms of the band/music set up) this year, so I keep mixing it up with others I liked slightly less (like I Am Not Your Mexican Daughter). But this one I really enjoyed with the notable exception of the romance. I wish it hadn't been the stereotypical love triangle.
enne's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
This book was just?? So much fun?? I went into it not having a clue what it was about because I had enjoyed the author’s sophomore novel and I’m honestly so glad that was the case because this novel ended up defying whatever expectations I might’ve had for it. Essentially, this book follows a teen girl who becomes part of a band and all of the shenanigans that come along with that. It’s very chaotic and I loved every second of it.
I really enjoyed Victoria’s character. Not only because I was able to relate to parts of her character, but also because I loved how much growth we see her go through over the course of the book. She really realizes her self-worth throughout the story and I loved watching her slowly come into her own. Her confidence at the end?? Absolutely unmatched and we love to see it!!
I also really loved the band dynamic and how naturally it progressed!! (With the exception of one person, but,,, that’s beside the point). I thought their friendship had a really good arc and I love friendships in books in general, so having it be such a big part of this one was incredible!!
Last thing I want to talk about is the romance and no, I am still not over the fact that the love interest is named after a bookstore, thank u. I, too, want to fall in love with a boy named after a bookstore. But besides his name, I also really loved his dynamic with Victoria and her family! I also thought his character development was done really well!
Overall, this is one that I can definitely see myself recommending many times over!! I just think it’s an incredible read for whenever you need a pick-me-up.
This book was just?? So much fun?? I went into it not having a clue what it was about because I had enjoyed the author’s sophomore novel and I’m honestly so glad that was the case because this novel ended up defying whatever expectations I might’ve had for it. Essentially, this book follows a teen girl who becomes part of a band and all of the shenanigans that come along with that. It’s very chaotic and I loved every second of it.
I really enjoyed Victoria’s character. Not only because I was able to relate to parts of her character, but also because I loved how much growth we see her go through over the course of the book. She really realizes her self-worth throughout the story and I loved watching her slowly come into her own. Her confidence at the end?? Absolutely unmatched and we love to see it!!
I also really loved the band dynamic and how naturally it progressed!! (With the exception of one person, but,,, that’s beside the point). I thought their friendship had a really good arc and I love friendships in books in general, so having it be such a big part of this one was incredible!!
Last thing I want to talk about is the romance and no, I am still not over the fact that the love interest is named after a bookstore, thank u. I, too, want to fall in love with a boy named after a bookstore. But besides his name, I also really loved his dynamic with Victoria and her family! I also thought his character development was done really well!
Overall, this is one that I can definitely see myself recommending many times over!! I just think it’s an incredible read for whenever you need a pick-me-up.
raoionna's review against another edition
4.0
Cuban-American teen finds her inner bravery by joining a band. While this tale is definitely contempo-rom-com YA, it has a lot of charm and wonderful turns of phrase. And each chapter has an associated song (playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/raoionna/playlist/5Q048n5rAAfLNKrNHGajCt?si=KrOIbRXjSvmP75-EWP5KmQ)
brokebybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Reasons To Read The Victoria In My Head:
- Victoria is relatable, studious, rocker trapped behind anxiety and familial pressure. She's on track for Harvard. Has playlists for every event, occasion, and fantasy.
- Her BFF Annie is much the same, wants a change from the same old routine but has to push Victoria to do it for herself and progresses on her own path.
- You know how in Disney, there's always a shot of the guy falling for the girl? Well, here we get it from the Victoria's perspective. But she doesn't let looks overrule her common sense. I was so proud of her!!
- Victoria doesn't like Strand the playboy or let him slide and calls him out on his BS. That's my girl!
- Love how the romance plays out and ends in unexpected ways. Very understandable, confused with growing pains, but wonderful maturity and resolution. Perfect way to go out.
- Great honest worries and concerns about body image, dating, hooking up, and keeping up with your peers. Rumors and assumptions play a big role with a side plot with another bandmate and I love how it's all dealt with.
- Underage drinking and sneaking out. Okay, that sounds bad, but it happens. They do things responsibly. It's not the end of the world. And it's not preachy after school special either. Such a turnoff for kids.
- FUNNY! Oh my lord. I'm the type that has to look away/turn away from second hand embarrassment, but this book just made me laugh and didn't turn my stomach with their antics. Cutlet.
- Rep included: Anxiety (Victoria), Daughter of Cuban Immigrants (Victoria), Eclectic Cast: Indian, Biracial, Asian, and only 1 white dude while the rest of the white people are in the background, Lesbian Couple.
- It's Latinx Heritage Month! Victoria has to be apart of her cousins Quince and gets closer with her male dance partner and they discuss the tradition. Find out more by reading it now!
The Victoria In My Head is perfect for YA contemp fans looking for an adorbs romantic-comedy especially if you'd like a coming of age story with intelligent prep school kids soon to be rocker stars.This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon
odessagoldberg's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this was an amazing book and quite difficult to put down. It also remained with me far after I finished reading it, but I have one note. It seemed a tad anti-semetic. Levi Schuester, the clearly and explicitly Jewish character possesses almost all the negative Jewish stereotypes. He is incredibly neurotic, a constant laughing point and point of tension in the book. He is also rather snooty and inconsiderate at times. He also seemed all focused on the band, similar to how Jews are to be all focused on money. His mother, as well, was described with Jewish stereotypes. As a Jew, myself, this just brushed me the wrong way. Otherwise, I absolutely loved it.
lifeofaliterarynerd's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I love books with music. I find that they’re
always fun and guarantee a good time. This one is no different. We follow shy girl Victoria Cruz as she combats the monotony of her daily life by joining a band. We see Victoria’s personality and get to rock out along side her.
Things I Liked:
Victoria is a really relatable character. She’s bored with the monotony of her life and starts to want more, hence the band. She feels pressured by her family to get into a great school because that’s what they want for her. She experiences many firsts - boyfriend, kiss, detention - and we’re along for the ride. She is so very human. She makes mistakes and has regrets, but she also wants more but feels stuck.
I LOVED the music in the story. The band aspect was fun and really helped Victoria come out of her shell. Even beyond that she has a love for music that was great to see. I also loved that the chapter titles were songs. It created an instant playlist for the book - something I’m sure Victoria would love!
Things I Didn’t Like:
While I did think Victoria was a relatable character, she was also a little unlikeable to me too. Basically I had mixed feelings about her. She was immature at times and a little over the top with the teen angst. She is also a little self-involved, which I guess is a pretty typical teenager response to life, but it did make me like her a little less.
I wanted more at the end of the story. I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted to know what was going to happen with the band moving forward - now that Victoria has went after what she really wants; what is she going to do about college; and is she going to be more open with her parents? I would have liked to get a few more answers before the story closed.
This was a fun book that was a breeze to get through. I loved exploring Victoria’s firsts alongside her, even though she was frustrating at times, and the music was a highlight for sure. I’m happy that I liked the book enough to want more, and I think this is a fantastic debut from Janelle Milanes
I received a copy of the book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I love books with music. I find that they’re
always fun and guarantee a good time. This one is no different. We follow shy girl Victoria Cruz as she combats the monotony of her daily life by joining a band. We see Victoria’s personality and get to rock out along side her.
Things I Liked:
Victoria is a really relatable character. She’s bored with the monotony of her life and starts to want more, hence the band. She feels pressured by her family to get into a great school because that’s what they want for her. She experiences many firsts - boyfriend, kiss, detention - and we’re along for the ride. She is so very human. She makes mistakes and has regrets, but she also wants more but feels stuck.
I LOVED the music in the story. The band aspect was fun and really helped Victoria come out of her shell. Even beyond that she has a love for music that was great to see. I also loved that the chapter titles were songs. It created an instant playlist for the book - something I’m sure Victoria would love!
Things I Didn’t Like:
While I did think Victoria was a relatable character, she was also a little unlikeable to me too. Basically I had mixed feelings about her. She was immature at times and a little over the top with the teen angst. She is also a little self-involved, which I guess is a pretty typical teenager response to life, but it did make me like her a little less.
I wanted more at the end of the story. I was left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I wanted to know what was going to happen with the band moving forward - now that Victoria has went after what she really wants; what is she going to do about college; and is she going to be more open with her parents? I would have liked to get a few more answers before the story closed.
This was a fun book that was a breeze to get through. I loved exploring Victoria’s firsts alongside her, even though she was frustrating at times, and the music was a highlight for sure. I’m happy that I liked the book enough to want more, and I think this is a fantastic debut from Janelle Milanes
I received a copy of the book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
inahreads's review against another edition
4.0
It has been a long time since I last read a book, and I'm glad I picked this up because I really enjoyed it! The concept of the book is fairly familiar to me, since I love reading stories with characters in journey towards finding themselves and doing what they love. Despite the familiarity, the book managed to stand out in terms of the writing, and character dynamics.
I can definitely relate to Victoria in many aspects, and it was nice be able to identify myself with another character. Victoria's friendship with Annie felt really genuine, same goes with Krina and Strand. I love their banter and the whole dynamics of their friendship. I also love the family relationships present in the book. Victoria's parents may be overbearing but they mean well and most of the time they're pretty cool.
It’s worth noting that this book has Latinx representation and an #ownvoices for that matter. Bisexual rep was also present in the book, which was truly lovely for me because YES GIMME ALL THE BI CHARACTERS AND I’LL LOVE THEM FOREVER.
Another thing that I really loved about the book was the music aspect. Every chapter has a song dedicated to it and I love that most of the songs were familiar to me (Hello Hozier, The Wombats, The Black Keys, Sonic Youth, and Arctic Monkeys). It added an extra kick, as if I didn't have enough feelings for it. It was both exciting and scary for me to tackle the chapters with my favorite songs as the chapter header but the anticipation was worth it.
I had minor issues with the book, such as the pacing, but Janelle Milanes' writing style was superb that I was able to overlook them. I just wished there was more to the ending, especially to the band. Overall, this book was such a great read. I'm so glad I picked this book up and it totally helped with my reading slump. I totally recommend it to YA readers who are music fans as well!
I can definitely relate to Victoria in many aspects, and it was nice be able to identify myself with another character. Victoria's friendship with Annie felt really genuine, same goes with Krina and Strand. I love their banter and the whole dynamics of their friendship. I also love the family relationships present in the book. Victoria's parents may be overbearing but they mean well and most of the time they're pretty cool.
It’s worth noting that this book has Latinx representation and an #ownvoices for that matter. Bisexual rep was also present in the book, which was truly lovely for me because YES GIMME ALL THE BI CHARACTERS AND I’LL LOVE THEM FOREVER.
Another thing that I really loved about the book was the music aspect. Every chapter has a song dedicated to it and I love that most of the songs were familiar to me (Hello Hozier, The Wombats, The Black Keys, Sonic Youth, and Arctic Monkeys). It added an extra kick, as if I didn't have enough feelings for it. It was both exciting and scary for me to tackle the chapters with my favorite songs as the chapter header but the anticipation was worth it.
I had minor issues with the book, such as the pacing, but Janelle Milanes' writing style was superb that I was able to overlook them. I just wished there was more to the ending, especially to the band. Overall, this book was such a great read. I'm so glad I picked this book up and it totally helped with my reading slump. I totally recommend it to YA readers who are music fans as well!
cakt1991's review against another edition
5.0
Full review here: https://courtneyreadsromancesite.wordpress.com/2018/11/19/review-of-the-victoria-in-my-head-by-janelle-milanes/
alyxandriaang's review against another edition
5.0
Don't forget to join us on our liveshow for this book on April 29th at 4 pm EST at https://www.youtube.com/bookstormreads!