Beautiful and touching collection of stories centering relationships among women of color in the southwest.

Full review to come. Love this in so many ways. A deeply searching and resonant collection of short stories.

In Sabrina & Corina, author Kali Fajardo-Anstine bears witness to the life experiences of Chicano and Indigenous peoples. The author utilizes a social justice lens in capturing themes of ancestral history, migration, Indigenous customs and values, and Chicana identity and empowerment, Through the interconnected stories centered on the characters Sabrina and Corina, readers are able to follow the trajectory of how their identities are transformed through geography, family, and multiculturalism.

I thought this was a solid collection. It did not jump out as a favorite for me, but I am glad to have read the stories.

I'm always on the lookout for #ownvoices stories, especially those of the indigenous experience, so when I saw this one I had to read it (plus, the cover is STUNNING). These stories were tough and emotional and so REAL, each with their own depth and power that I found myself turning the pages faster than I intended. At some point in the future I'll be re-reading this collection so that I can savor each and every word.

A haunting telling of the people in a Denver neighborhood. They don't want to leave their home, their roots, but they can't seem to get ahead either. This book leaves you thnking.

This is a beautiful debut short story collection by a writer who's worth watching. She shines a different light on a culture that we all think we understand well enough. And, in so doing, she makes us question our own biases and prejudices about that culture. There is some unevenness here because, likely, the stories have been written over a period of time even as the writing has been evolving, Nevertheless, this is a collection worth reading for a deeper dive into socio-cultural issues that we all need to understand and appreciate better.

As someone who lives in Denver, has had the author at our library for an author event, and even work in the library mentioned in one of the stories, I was amazed and proud to have such an amazing writer in our midst. These stories capture so many underlying forces regarding what it means to be a woman, a Latina, how to reckon with the forces of gentrification and loss, and countless other unique and universal themes. Her voice rings strong and true, and I can't wait for her other works!

Really good short story collection - emotional and well-crafted. The stories were heavy, but beautifully written.

A gorgeous collection of short stories celebrating women and their relationships. The stories are interlinked with themes of relationships between female friends, cousins, grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and other significant women in the characters' lives. Their relationships survive all manner of storms and are quietly emboldened by them, leaving the reader unexpectedly devastated.

An easy to read but sometimes very sad book about abandonment in all its senses. Painful at times but also really beautifully written.

Sabrina & Corina is a beautifully written short story collection focusing on trials faced by Latin women. While the focus is on women in the Denver area. Some of these stories are heartbreaking, but each took my breath away. I look forward to future works from Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Thank you NetGalley and One World for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is one of those dazzling ones, the ones that keep you enthralled with tight structure and the bright petals of atmospheric sentences and characters you care about immediately. Every story in here was a hit for me. Kali Fajardo-Anstine has created something gorgeous. These stories center Indigenous and Chicanx women, lovingly rendered and living their complicated, varied lives in present-day white supremacist America, often building up, laughing with, helping, and loving each other, in families and friendships. They mostly take place in Colorado, and the landscape is a constant presence, which the characters have mixed feelings about but for the reader it feels very grounding. These stories feel like perfect gems, both in craft and in content. Definitely don’t sleep on this one! Can’t wait to read more from this author.

I love short stories, there is a very specific art to be able to bring forth all the elements of a story into a compressed form. Kali Fajardo-Anstine does a wonderful job of telling such powerful stories. I liked that she did not hesitate to tell some stories for what they were stories filled with sadness and silence. Thoughtful read and very much a must.

This collection of beautiful short stories about Indigenous Latina women in Colorado was absolutely heartbreaking and yet, extremely hopeful. I felt a kinship with these women/children and their plights. I found myself thinking about these stories long after I had read them, they are the kind that stick with you and make you think about them over and over. The way trauma is described and dealt with is hard hitting and an important discussion topic. I hope to read more of Fajardo-Anstine's work in the future. I particularly enjoyed 'Sugar Babies' and 'Tomi', these two really stuck out to me in terms of pacing and writing.


Thanks to Random House and NetGalley, for this e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel was beautiful and transformative. Through eleven short stories, Fajardo-Anstine examines indigenous women and how their lives are influenced by crime, poverty and violence.

Corina and Sabrina are cousinsm whose lives on taken different paths. The stories revolve around these two women and how these different experiences influence their lives.

Fajardo-Anstine has firmly planted herself as a writer in the literary world with this novel. One of the best I've this year.

I thought these stories were brilliant. They all fit together so well and gave a sharp glimpse into the lives of mostly Midwestern Hispanic women. One story easily flowed into the next, and I basically read this in one sitting. I highly recommend it.

This is an amazing collection. I'm reminded of Interpreter of Maladies, in that I deeply cared about the characters, despite the quick clip of short stories.

My Takeaway
"Sometimes a person's unhappiness can make them forget they are a part of something bigger, something like a family, a people, even a tribe."
Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Sabrina & Karina

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Fajardo-Anstine is a magnificent and wondrous composer, and her stories were music to my ears. I hope she is working on her next book. Also, can we stop and goo-goo-gaga over the cover? Isn't it just incredible? I fell head over heels in love with the stunning cover. 😍 I mean guao (wow). The stories were about Latina women of indigenous descent from all walks of life and with a plethora of calamities. Most of the stories featured some melancholy, but with Fajardo-Anstine's touch, the women's tragedies were humane and perceivable. Two stories which stood out to me were Sabrina & Corina, cousins raised together who end up on drastically different paths. In addition, the story Remedies because when I was in the second grade, there was a lice epidemic at school and I became one of its unlucky hosts. My lice dilemma became legendary in my family. My mom tried all kinds of over the counter products, but the lice refused to hit the road! My mom's pride and joy was my hair and cutting it was simply never an option! Incredibly not one thing worked until she prepared a natural remedy (and a few prayers). I highly recommend this fantastic collection even if you're not into short stories. The characters and stories will stay with you long after you're done reading this gem.

Thank you to NetGalley and One World for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. You already know I purchased my copy!

The stories in this collection that were previously published are smart, sophisticated, prosaic, and painful. Truly brilliant pieces. Those that were unpublished prior to this book were less interesting, often meandering or lacking urgency. Overall, a strong collection.