I was very excited to read this book because I love thrillers and I love seeing Hispanic characters in books. The first couple of pages intrigued me, I thought it was an interesting way of starting a book. Unfortunately, after a couple of chapters, the story had not progressed much, the characters started falling a little flat, and I feel like at times it resorted to harmful steretypes to create tension. The main character is borderline abusive or creepy due to his need to control his ex-girlfriend´s life. Overall, I could not finish it, I could not get past the uneasy feeling the main character gave me

this was a lyrical story although very long at times and over detailed but overall I liked this story about young love, redemption.

I had to DNF this book because it wasn't my kind of book at the end, i tried to finish but i think i reached the 40% mark & couldn't pass that. The writing was not really interesting for me.

A lyrical masterpiece telling the story of young love, redemption and the two cultures. Excellent book. Thank you for the review copy.

this was great story though very long at times. some parts were overly detailed and i wanted to move on. i didn't like the main character at times which usually i can get through but at parts i just had to put it down and come back

Fulgencio Ramirez is a broken man. The great love of his life, Carolina Mendelssohn, married another man more than twenty years ago. This tale of magical realism flashes back to the 1950s when Fulgencio first laid eyes on Carolina in the Texas border town of La Frontera to see how love was won against all odds and lost to a curse spanning generations. When Carolina’s husband’s name appears in the local obituaries, Fulgencio is fully prepared to do whatever it takes to win her back.

The fantastical nature of this story is reminiscent of a tall tale with a modern twist. Rudy Ruiz pulls you into the narrative with such skill that the magical elements don’t seem unlikely. There are ghosts and curses, superpowers and fantasies interwoven with racism and other realities of living in a small Texas border town.

I enjoyed the elaborate plot with its imaginative elements. It’s one of the most unusual love stories I’ve ever read. There was action, introspection, and a great quest to right a wrong. As a Texan, I appreciated how it highlighted the racial tensions experienced on the Texas border and beyond.

Read this one for a unique love story with magical elements that will consistently surprise you with outlandish plot twists.

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

Very delightful story, but a bit long. I wish it would have been a faster pace, but I enjoyed the diverse themes and magical realism.

I liked it enough but it was a little slow at parts. I’m a sucker for a long game story, though, and it reminded me in some ways of Love in the Time of Cholera. Thank you @blackstonepublishing for the audio and egalley.

''The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez' is a dual timezone story, where the reader sees Flugencio's teenage days in the 1950s as he battles against economic-disadvantage, and racism , whilst also falling in love with the pharmacist's daughter Carolina. The story also returns to the 1980s where he battles to reconnect with Carolina, after her husband passes away.

Firstly, I didn't finish this book. I could have lived with the slow-pacing, and the 2D characters. But I could not live with the sheer awfulness of Fulgencio's character.

It is bad enough that the sole reason he 'falls in love' with Carolina is because she's pretty. But, on-top of that he's also incredibly possessive, hot-headed, and toxic, which made him incredibly unlikeable character. He is the reason I couldn't finish this book. And the fact it's been written in the 21st century astounds me.

Secondly, can I just say that the way this book condemns toxic masculinity, but also makes the main character exceedingly toxic is laughable. Particularly because the book hands him a scapegoat by means of the curse as it explains his irrational teenage outbursts.

In summary, this book was awful, and that really disappointed me because the premise looked fantastic, and the magical realism is great. But you heard me. I can't go over it's awfulness again 😭

Rated: 1.5 stars

Thank you to netgallery for allowing me to read this book in-exchange for a honest review.

I was really anticipating loving this one, but unfortunately I had to put it down around 20%. I enjoyed the writing style, but I did not like the main character and his obsession with Carolina. Still, I would try another book from this author in the future.

This book was beautiful, I cannot think of a better way to describe it. It tells us the life of Fulgencio Ramirez (obviously) since he was a little boy.

Fulgencio is a Mexican boy that lives in La Frontera and the book takes us with him along his life. We see him grow as a person, achieve an education by merit alone, fall in love and fight for the love upon losing it to a maldición.

As a latina myself I usually hate any kind of book with a latino main character that takes place in the US, because oftentimes representation sucks. But this book was a masterpiece, the bilinguality wasn't overdone, I loved how the songs enriched the story and I LOVED how well the culture was represented. I had very low expectations for this book but I was truly blown away.

Thank you to Books Forward Friend for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Before I was even given the opportunity to feature this book on my account, I already owned a beautiful copy. ❤️ I mean, come on! A love story set on the border between Mexico and the United States??? My little Mexican-American heart was more than ready for it!
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When young love strikes the heart of Fulgencio Ramirez, he is determined to win over and provide for the girl of his dreams just as she deserves. The thing is, as the son of impoverished immigrants, these American Dream musings will be a little harder to achieve. Still, Fulgencio is dead-set on becoming the type of man that Carolina Mendelssohn will one day choose to marry.
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Unfortunately, when we meet Fulgencio thirty years down the line, he is not married to Carolina, but patiently awaiting the death of her husband. Through flashbacks to the 1950's, we learn how the pair met, fell in love, and ultimately fell apart. Now that her husband is dead, Fulgencio is ready to bring back the charm and redeem himself for past mistakes.
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Fulgencio is truly quite easy to fall for; he is intelligent, hard-working, and charismatic. So what went wrong with Carolina? So, so, much. 😔 While the author uses magical realism and an old family curse to explain how this couple's love was doomed from the start, he doesn't shy away from the generational trauma and how Fulgencio's machismo also played a BIG part in what ultimately destroyed their relationship.
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As much as I personally enjoyed reading this, I feel like it is meant for Chicanos, for us who are not just from here or there, but a little bit from both sides of the border. I loved the Spanish interspersed between the pages, the culture and beliefs that I could relate to, the music I heard in my household growing up, the people, the land, the hardships, the history...

However, if you don't identify with the culture, I feel that a glimpse into it and the love story portrayed in this book & brought to life by Rudy Ruiz, can still provide a tale worth reading.

In the 1950s Fulgencio fell in love with Carolina the moment he laid eyes on her. Fulgencio is from a Mexican family that lives in an impoverished neighborhood, and Carolina from a rich, upper class white family. Fulgencio works hard to win Carolina's heart and they have a whirlwind relationship throughout highschool and the beginning of college. But Fulgencio struggles with anger and it ends up driving them apart.

Fulgencio remains deeply in love with Carolina, even decades later and waits to take the opportunity to mend their relationship - once her husband dies. But first Fulgencio must rid his family of the curse that drove him to anger so long ago.

This story is full magical realism that leans to the paranormal and superstition. Fulgencio can see ghosts as well as have an affinity for herbal medicines. I wish that aspect of the story had been delved into a little more as the affinity for powerful remedies was never explained well. Overall I did enjoy the blend of cultural history and magical realism, but parts of it were slower to get through

Fulgencio Ramirez is the son of Mexican immigrants living in a Texas border town in 1956. Fulgencio wants the full American Dream and he sets his sights on Carolina Mendelssohn, the daughter of the local pharmacist. Fulgencio decides that he too will become a pharmacist in order to give Carolina the life he wants. Fulgencio gets a job at the pharmacy and gets himself into a better school. Fulgencio and Carolina's romance flourished despite the racism that others have towards them. However, Fulgencio's jealousy and rage that seems to carry through the men in his family wrecks what they have built. Thirty years after Fulgencio and Carolina broke up, Carolina's husband dies and Fulgencio attempts to build back what they once had now that he has broken the curse that has affected his family for generations.

The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez combines magical realism, historical fiction and romance to create a fairy tale-like experience. The story bounces back and forth between Fulgencio in the 1980's and the 1950's. At first, it seems like Fulgencio is unhealthily obsessed, overconfident and arrogant. While his determination in chasing the American dream is honorable, Fulgencio goes after it full force, thinking only about himself and not the consequences for those around him. However, as Fulgencio's family curse was uncovered, I understood his position better and was intrigued by the ghosts and Fulgencio's interactions with them. The most interesting parts of the story for me were the actions that Fulgencio had to take in order to break the curse and the measures he took to make it happen. While doing this, Fulgencio changed into someone with fortitude who cared about others and the impact that his actions have. One of my favorite characters throughout the process was Brother William, even when he was in spirit form. With a series of surprising twists and turns near the end, Fulgencio and Carolina's characters become complex and relatable. Overall, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez is a surprising story of an immigrant experience combined with magic and romance.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Enchanting from start to finish, the Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez was a book I could not put down. Mexican culture blended in with magical realism made a beautiful story come to life.

The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez was an absolutely beautiful read. The amount of passion Fulgencio has for the things in his life and his drive was astounding. At times I wanted to tell him to be careful and double check things, but of course that's what the whole book was about. With each new heartbreak in his life it had me holding my breath for when he would finally live again. I really liked the undercurrent of subtle magic throughout the book. No one really makes a big deal out of it, but it plays a lot into Fulgencio's character. For me, this was a 4.5/5.

If you like romance that never dies, adorable ghost friends, or have ever stalked the obituaries, this is the one for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Books Forward Friends and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing and Rudy Ruiz for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

This novel has all the ingredients to be loved and enjoyed- the love story, the mystery, the nostalgia. It has intriguing characters and twisted plot. However, that all did not work for me. At parts, I couldn't wait to be over the lengthly love story reflections from past to future, at times I was lost in timelines, and when finally the story reached it's culmination - the curse of the men in Fulgencio's family - it went too fast and was over in a flash.

I hope I/d enjoy Rudy Ruiz's work in future.

Content warning: child abuse, cartel violence, discrimination, hate crimes, alcoholism, physical violence, vehicular manslaughter

Fulgencio Ramirez is a renowned pharmacist in the border town of La Frontera. He scans the newspaper, waiting for news of a death. When it comes, we’re launched into the epic tale of his and Carolina Mendelssohn star-crossed romance, starting in the 50’s and onward. There’s tragedy, heartbreak, the dead not being truly gone, serenades with mariachi bands, roses blooming in winter, and the pursuit of the American dream. This book was a delight through all the twists and turns.

Bittersweet, deeply romantic, the dead are never truly gone in this work of magical realism. In fact, death might just be the beginning.

Where to even begin with this novel? It starts with one of my favorite set-ups: This dude totally needs/needed to die and let me tell you why. It’s a long journey until the reader finds out why the twenty-two lettered man needed to go. But what a journey it was.

Fulgencio is a deeply flawed man. I’d even go far to say he’s an idiot. There’s a fascinated aspect to his story, however, in the form of La Maldición, a family curse. But Ruiz never lets Fulgencio off the hook. The young boy turned man has full agency over his actions. This extends to his growth as well. As his relationship with the curse evolves, he still needs to work on himself. Magic won’t make things spontaneously better, but sometimes hope can give one that extra push.

The word “resurrection” in the story plays an important role in the narrative as well, in very literal ways. I loved Fulgencio’s cohort of dead compadres. He’s never really alone and has an entire support system of people both living and dead to support him. The lines between past and present are blurry as heck, and Ruiz makes it work so well.

A gripping journey from start to finish that also takes into the political tumult of its various decades.

this is actually pretty cool book, talks about magical realism and some other topics that I really loved that they were adressed by this book.