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mollywetta's review against another edition
3.0
NOT YOUNG ADULT. This is a m-m romance set in the Bronx. It's moving. My favorite part was the vibrant neigborhood, which seems to be a character in and of itself. Full review at wrapped up in books.
soupwitch86's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a cute coming of age novel about a boy coming to terms with his sexuality and SPOILER: love for his best friend (and crush on his boss / closest friend). I loved the character development where Chulito didn't think he was gay in the beginning even though he had crushes on guys to him standing up to his life long homophobic friends for himself and Carlos' love.
I loved them sharing each other's worlds with each other, I loved how the Bronx was like an additional character, I loved the nuanced relationships the young guys had with each other and also the one's they had with adults (I ALSO LOVE JULIO V MUCH, he might be my fave).
The only thing I felt was lacking was a bit more of the relationship between Chulito and his mother both in general and after he came out (and maybe even Chulito and Maria after he came out). I also for sure thought Maria and Carmen were going to end up together, lol, but no mention of either of their love lives.
ALSO, I loved the male intimacy moments of Brick while he was in PR, him telling his story was a delight.
I loved them sharing each other's worlds with each other, I loved how the Bronx was like an additional character, I loved the nuanced relationships the young guys had with each other and also the one's they had with adults (I ALSO LOVE JULIO V MUCH, he might be my fave).
The only thing I felt was lacking was a bit more of the relationship between Chulito and his mother both in general and after he came out (and maybe even Chulito and Maria after he came out). I also for sure thought Maria and Carmen were going to end up together, lol, but no mention of either of their love lives.
ALSO, I loved the male intimacy moments of Brick while he was in PR, him telling his story was a delight.
sarahannkateri's review against another edition
4.0
Chulito knows he has feelings for Carlos, but in his hood, people get ostracized or beat down for being 'patos'. Will he be able to admit who he is despite the dangers?
Chulito is a well-written and vibrant story, but the explicit sex scenes make this better suited to the adult section than teen.
Chulito is a well-written and vibrant story, but the explicit sex scenes make this better suited to the adult section than teen.
gjwilder's review
emotional
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? Yes
3.5
serendipitybitch's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rebec0lia's review against another edition
4.0
Just finished CHULITO. There were some lovely things about it. I think stories about gay boys in the hood are so necessary, and I was really rooting for Chulito and Carlos. I found Chulito's journey to be realistic too. I appreciated the details and the vividness of the Hunts Point neighborhood. I could envision it clearly in my head. The setting was vivid and beautiful.
However, this is *not* a YA novel. It's extremely graphic and has possibly more swearing than a lot of YA novels. There are graphic depictions of sexual acts that are very explicit, and i think that alone disqualifies it from being a YA novel. Would I feel bad recommending this to a mature teen? No. But a YA novel it is not.
This book is more like a 3.5 leaning on being a 4. What prevents it from being a 4 is the random shifts in tense throughout the story. They pulled me out and I found them distracting. I can't understand why an editor would let that slide. I also did not care for any of the other characters' POVs, not even Carlos. I can appreciate that the author is attempting to give us a more holistic view of the action is transpires, but it came too late for me. Carlos's point of view doesn't come until more than half of the book is over. I found that distracting and wished that the author had figured out how to present those scenes or similar ones from Chulito's POV.
By the end of the story, I was glad. I knew that Chulito was going to be OK. And I hope this book can get into the hands of boys in the hood that need a book like this.
However, this is *not* a YA novel. It's extremely graphic and has possibly more swearing than a lot of YA novels. There are graphic depictions of sexual acts that are very explicit, and i think that alone disqualifies it from being a YA novel. Would I feel bad recommending this to a mature teen? No. But a YA novel it is not.
This book is more like a 3.5 leaning on being a 4. What prevents it from being a 4 is the random shifts in tense throughout the story. They pulled me out and I found them distracting. I can't understand why an editor would let that slide. I also did not care for any of the other characters' POVs, not even Carlos. I can appreciate that the author is attempting to give us a more holistic view of the action is transpires, but it came too late for me. Carlos's point of view doesn't come until more than half of the book is over. I found that distracting and wished that the author had figured out how to present those scenes or similar ones from Chulito's POV.
By the end of the story, I was glad. I knew that Chulito was going to be OK. And I hope this book can get into the hands of boys in the hood that need a book like this.
notjay's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i’m not gonna lie, i finished this book a long time ago and forgot so i barely remember anything.
anyways the idea itself was good, ex friends and in the bronx dealing wit macho culture. it’s also nice to see a latino gay book. my main issue wit this book is the writing, felt like a wattpad book at some moments. also, the first sex scene was unnecessarily explicit, especially since he was 15….
i enjoyed the romance and i would recommend it tbh, jus the writing is a hard issue.
anyways the idea itself was good, ex friends and in the bronx dealing wit macho culture. it’s also nice to see a latino gay book. my main issue wit this book is the writing, felt like a wattpad book at some moments. also, the first sex scene was unnecessarily explicit, especially since he was 15….
i enjoyed the romance and i would recommend it tbh, jus the writing is a hard issue.
mscott's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed reading this book. Thought the story was well written, fully developed (including flaws!) characters, an engaging story line, and an ending that is both happy and sad. I could see another book with some of the characters. It was great to see a story written with Latino characters as the main characters so the experience for this reader was different--in the best way--and shows the vast diversity that is the LGBT community.
sireno8's review against another edition
4.0
A refereshingly romantic tale of coming of age and coming out in the South Bronx. Rice-Gonzalez' gift for dialog and his intuitive and direct prose style drop the reader effortlessly into the world of the book and the mind of its protagonist. And though the citizens of this world are recognizable, the author gives them such dimenion they're never predictable--making for a much more satisfying read. In fact, any or all of the other characters here could have had a book written about them but their stories and lives added together forges them into a much more formidable character -- the neighborhood. All the proceedings are swept up in the undercurrent of first love. This infuses everything with hope and visual poetry and downright excitement. What an expected pleasure to find a book that actually goes there without getting tripped up in sentiment, messages or good intentions.
ejimenez's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very uneven, to my tastes. Parts of it were charming, compelling, funny, and smart, and other parts were strangely banal. There were multiple excessive descriptions of clothing colors and brands, for example. There were also some POV issues that kept throwing me out of the zone.