I could not truly connect to this story despite my multiple attempts. I pushed through, but these characters weren’t ones that I fell for.

This book is really good! I loved the great bond this family had. Yola is a vivid main character. Her and her family leave Venezuela and flee to Trinidad. This is their journey.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At first I was exited to read this book with quirky character and humor at timem, but I really struggled with some of the authenticity and themes in this book. Im not sure it reflected the experience with much sensitivity or depth.

I loved and enjoyed this unique dark humor story which tackles a bunch of issues about alcoholism, illegal immigrant story, captivation and dysfunction family issues. It is a thought-provoking approach to looking at important matters and crucial issues.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my copy of One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie in exchange for an honest review. It published July 7, 2020.
I listened to part of this book on audio, and the narration was done really well!
This book was very interesting and had a great premise, however, I had a hard time with the R-rated language and if that is s0mething you have a hard time with you might want to approach this with caution.

A story to rally around. Here is family in its beauty and complexity. The death of Aunt Celia has left the family at 5ge mercy of the local mob head. The family must do everything the boss Ugly says to pay the debt. It at times funny ,exasperating and in Yola’s case a look at love through very different lenses.

Thank you for this arc copy of this book. It wasn't; my type of book but others may like it. I did enjoy the cover picture though.

I requested an advanced copy of One Year of Ugly, excited to read a novel that gave me some perspective on the experience of Venezuelan emigrants, and of life in Trinidad, in a "fun, fresh" style. My initial due diligence prior to requesting the book confirmed that the author was from Trinidad, which gave me some confidence that the perspective would be authentic.

However, when I finally opened the book to read it this week, I was immediately put off by the language the author used to refer to the main characters' home country, calling Venezuela a "socialist cesspit". Something about the tone of that first chapter set my teeth on edge. it didn't seem like language that a family would use after fleeing their home country, or would use about each other. It sounded like a sneering perspective of someone more socially and economically stable than the characters she was writing.

So I did some more in-depth research on the author, only to realize that Caroline Mckenzie is a white Trinidadian attempting to write from the perspective of Venezuelans, emigrants, debtors, people of color--people significantly less privileged than her. A story that might be compelling in the hands of an #ownvoices author instead feels condescending and exploitative, disrespectful to the characters, their country of origin, and the majority of the people represented in their new homeland. That's not even to mention the transphobia, ableism, and sexualization of Latine women that other reviewers have called out. This feels like classic colonizer writing, and it is not for me, which is why I did not finish this book, nor will I be doing so, nor will I be recommending this book to anyone.

thanks anyway to #NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an #advancedcopy of #OneYearofUgly.

I wanted to love this but I found it very over the top and didn't connect with the characters in the way I think I was supposed to.

I wanted to like this, but I just didn’t. I love the story idea but I just couldn’t get into it. I love immigration story’s, but this one was just not for me.

One Year of Ugly is a story about a dysfunctional family trying to pay off the debt of their deceased aunt. This is a dynamic family story full of culture and love.

The debit is owed to a man named Ugly. Ugly has the family doing many dreadful things for him that makes the story intense. Things got a little brighter at times when readers are introduced to Ugly's right-hand man, Roman.

The author touches on some heavy issues. It is raw and honest with a little bit of romance.

I tried to start reading this one, but couldn't get into it. The characters were a bit annoying, and I just couldn't trust them. I'm sure others will like this, but it just wasn't my thing.

Went into it wanting to like it but there plenty of eye-roll moments that made the book unenjoyable.

What a mix of feelings and topics - whirlwind of divergent emotions. A bit dark, likely offensive to some/many, but also makes you think and has a sarcastic humor.

Thank you so much to @SimonAndSchuster & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 14 July 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Yola & her family are Venezuelan illegal immigrants living in Trinidad. After her aunts death they find out that she owes a large sum of money to a mafia criminal named Ugly. In order to repay this debt, Ugly forces them to house other illegal refugees over the period of one year.

WHAT I LIKED:
- surprisingly humorous
- even though there were some excellent laugh out loud dark humour moments I didn't feel like this minimized the difficult topic
- Aunt Celia's diary entries were delightfully colourful
- this was the first time that I've ever read a romance featuring a mafia's kingpin right hand man

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted to understand Yola's families personal experience of living in Venezuela
- a lot of the characters archetypes felt very stereotypical (e.g. drunk men, sexy Latina women, a religious zealot etc).

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Her writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!

Yola Palacio and her family want nothing more than to settle in Trinidad and make a new life for themselves. Unfortunately, when he Aunt dies, they realize that they are now indebted to a man named Ugly until they pay off the debt. So begins the year of Ugly.....

This book was full of thinly veiled racism, stereotypes of immigrants, and a sad does of transphobia. I was so disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to anyone.

I didn't read the synopsis before requesting this book and I should have to be fair to the author. For me, One Year of Ugly was just not in my enjoyable realm. I think that someone that likes a hot & spicy read will really enjoy it!

DNF - did not finish. I could not connect with the writing style/plot so I decided to not pick this one up. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!