4.5 stars

Well this was a beautiful treat!

Beautifully written and poignant. Urban and dreamy at the same time. I especially recommend the audiobook, since all the hispanic accents of the characters makes it sound really authentic.

Even though this is a contemporary literary fiction (with some historical fiction elements) I also shelved this book as “Magical Realism”.. The lyrical prose, the whimsical storytelling and emotional imagery and the allusion of superstitions and tra use of dreams gave it the surreal undertones of a work of this genre. .

I'm not from the Dominican Republic, but I'm fortunate to have many friends and loved ones from DR and the representation of the Dominican culture seemed PRETTY AWESOME as well!

I know the main topics are gentrification, occupational inequality and other hardships DR immigrants have to endure, but to me the main theme of this book is family, especially motherly love. If there is a book that represents how incredibly dedicated Dominican mothers are THIS IS IT.

I loved every single one of these characters, and in return they made me fall hard for the story as well. But, I loved Eusebia, the most! I loved her unconditional love for her family and her courage to fight for them and everything she considered sacred like her traditions, her neighborhood and her home. Learning more about Dominican culture and history, especially of the American diaspora was the cherry at the top!

Natera’s debut novel, Neruda on the Park, transported me to a fictional Dominican neighborhood in New York City that felt a lot like the Washington Heights of Miranda’s In the Heights, my favorite Broadway show. I was waiting for the Piragua guy to walk through the scene! Each character was rich, complex, and multi-layered. Luz’s journey, searching for her direction, was relatable as she balanced the expectations of others and the need to be true to herself. Her mother, Eusebia, was so much like many of the Jewish mothers with whom I am familiar. It was fascinating to watch her from the inside as she deteriorated both physically and mentally. I really enjoyed the interjections from the Tongues, the sisters who were not named, but played the role of the Greek chorus.

The love story was interesting, but Hudson was not believable to me. He just seemed like a fantasy, not reality, and I’m glad that his love story with Luz concluded as it had.

Natera took 15 years to write this book, and the care and commitment that she took to craft interesting characters and a story that moved seamlessly through various points of view, was evident. I look forward to her next book and hope that it does not take quite as long to publish.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

A great debut novel by Cleyvis Natera, Set in New York in Nothar Park for 20 years. Luz and her mother and father arrived in New York from the Dominican Republic. Eusebia (Luz's mother) did not feel connected to the neighborhood but when a construction company comes in and starts tearing down the building across the way Eusebia will do anything to keep the neighborhood from destruction. I was interested in the story line of their life in the Dominican Republic and how they came to New York to have a better life for Luz. Luz in the end will have to make hard decisions and her parents have to trust her to make the right one. A beautiful story that has a original voice.

I really wanted to love this book but it fell a little short for me. The premise is really interesting, The Guerreros, along with their neighbors, are fighting the gentrification of their neighborhoods. Luz and her mother, Esuebia, are at odds with each other for much of the book, and so their tense relationship adds more fuel to the fire.
I'm not sure where it fell flat for me, maybe Luz's love interest? Maybe Esuebia's growing manic state and dangerous schemes that quickly got away from her? Maybe both?

A novel that entertains, educates, and hopefully makes the reader a better citizen is what this novel does. It is a must read! Neruda on the Park is a novel about Dominican Republic immigrants who live in New York City. Where they live is being "overtaken" by expensive condominiums. They cannot afford to live in this area any longer and panic ensues. The treatment of immigrants in the United States is explored as we get to know a family that has lived in the United States for many years. This is their home and yet they are still treated like outsiders. I loved this novel and think that you will as well. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for an advanced DRC.

This is a good story. I enjoyed the story line and pacing but again, seemed to lack appropriate editing. That said overall a good book. And timely.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for this free e-copy. This book was hard for me to get through. I'm sad to say it. I was excited about this book because I enjoy neighborhood and multicultural family dynamics, but the writing was clunky and confused, in my opinion. I'm glad there was some Spanish integrated in the dialogue, although there really could have been more. I would have appreciated more emphasis on the language interactions between the characters, especially since it was mentioned a couple times that the main character had "poor Spanish" skills and her mom and dad relied on her pretty heavily to read important documents. I like it when you know how and in what language characters communicate in, whether it be stated or written in the language itself. There was also an unexpected romance in this book that I simply was here for. It came out of left field for me and was very unhealthy and toxic. I understand why the author included it in the storyline, but honestly, I feel like the effect was too orchestrated and forced. The ending felt left open, and I was left with a sense of relief that the book was over. I can't say I would recommend it, but I know there are people out there that will appreciate more than I did.

I love a novel that explores the idea of home. Where is home - a place, an idea?

Neruda on the Park is a bittersweet novel about family, transitions, and much more. Giving off very You've Got Mail vibes - local girl falls for evil white corporation developer and the complexities that come with family. Layer on gentrification, an immigrant story, mother-daughter dynamics and you are in for a treat. This is such a great story about community.

Neruda on the Park was a very slow read for me, but I am glad I took my time because I did enjoy it. The realism presented in this book was a strength and a weakness. It was great in terms of the books strong and biting dialogue but occasionally it could be distracting in terms of execution, especially when a character was in conversation or thought and then they start to notice everything that is going on around them, which I get as a New Yorker, but as a reader it could be a bit of a disconcerting. With that said, Natera wrote a solid novel about the Dominican American experience in NYC, tackling issues such as gentrification, mental illness, immigration, classism and racism to name a few, in a unique way, often leaving the reader to ponder life's deep ethical and existential questions. Under Natera's skillful hand Luz and her mother Eusebia were well developed characters that I cared about by the end of the book. I was truly vested in their lives which always makes for a satisfying read.

A powerful read.

This book shows the struggle, the love, the community and social issues we are facing not only in our community but also within our own families. Luz's journey is one we all have to go through at one point or another.

Great debut novel for Cleyvis Natera.

As a nurse, I was having a hard time reading this book and not triaging the fall that occurs with one of the characters very early on. I was just waiting for a neurologic emergency to occur and that was so hard to read. Now that I can see the whole story, it does add a level of urgency to the tone if the book and that does elevate the theme. The characters were very complex and the story was well constructed .

Luiz Guerrero, an attorney who has just been 'fired'; her parents: Mami [Eusebia] who wants to stay in the neighbordood & Papi {Vladimir] who wants to retire home in Dominican Republic. This is an intense novel of secrets, trust, changes, gentrification.
Nerudo on the Park would be an excellent book group selection.
Read this debut novel to learn more about immigration, change, and neighborhood dynamics.

CW: hate crime, murder, death. colorism, fatphobia, fatphobic comments, body shaming, eating Disorders. use of the f slur, misgendering, suicidal ideation, self-harm, blood.

Oh God yall don't know how badly I wanted to love this book. A literary fiction novel about two Dominican women fighting against gentrification. I thought this was going to be my perfect book. Sadly, I was wrong.

Let me start with the good before I start ranting.

Natera's writing stunning. She has such a way with words. I tabbed and highlighted so many quotes that I will look back on them for a long time. I was thrilled to see so much Dominican culture in this. I felt so seen within the mentions of my cultural foods and the "dichos" that are widely known in my country. I saw my family in each member of the community. That is one of the many things I appreciate about this book.

Now the not so good.

This was a mess. While the writing was great, the plot and story building was lacking. It fell into this thing that tends to happen in some debut literary fiction novels. And that is trying to tackle a lot of different topics at once. The conversation and development surrounding gentrification were interesting until we got to the last third of the book. It took me on a rollercoaster ride of events that felt so odd and took me out of the story. It felt like the author was trying to make the story take a dark turn when I didn't need to. It felt like one of those overly dramatic movies. Where the first half of it is chill with a sprinkle of drama here and there. And then, all of a sudden, a hurricane of events occurs, and you're left wondering what's going on. That is exactly how I felt. The twists were shocking in all the wrong ways. Like I said, a whole mess.
Also, there was an unnecessary amount of fatphobic comments that made me feel so uncomfortable as a fat person myself.

I will be reading whatever the author releases in the future. I think that she has the potential of writing something amazing in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Neruda on the Park by Cleyvis Natera deals with the gentrification of a small New York City neighborhood and turns into warfare that pits mother and daughter unsuspectingly against each other. Luz achieved all the hopes a parent wishes for--a degree from a prestigious college, an up-and-coming legal career, a wealthy lifestyle, and more. She's even funding the custom-built home for her parents, so that they can return to their native Dominican Republic in style.

But their modest Nothar Park neighborhood is threatened with the building of luxury condos. Their own apartment building will be converted into costly condos that will not enable most residents to stay in the place they've called their own since Luz was a small child. Luz's mother Eusebia has a plan, though, to prevent all this upheaval that's infiltrating their homes. As the plan goes forward, the more ominous the book gets. And part of the problem is that Luz has become romantically involved with the developer behind all these changes.

At the start, I really enjoyed this book. The relationships between Luz's parents and herself shows an interesting juxtaposition between the haves and have-nots, the immigrants and the children of the immigrants. Luz's parents struggled through dire circumstances to get where they are, and, with all the achievements that Luz earns, she's well on her way to easy street. Between mother and daughter, their ideas do not dovetail, and Luz's relationship puts even more barriers between them.

This novel covers the battle of cultures, socioeconomic groups, and justice. Who is right in this whole scenario? Can Luz straddle both her upbringing and her current lifestyle? When it comes down to Luz assisting her mom in the plan to fight "city hall," as they say, will their very different decisions pull them apart?

Towards the end of the book, some things get really strange. The change wasn't very seamless, and suddenly, you're wondering what's going on. That sort of lost me. Plus, I didn't love the ending. It wasn't what I wanted for any of these characters because no one seems happy or settled. This book morphed from one of interest to one that didn't play out like I hoped.

Despite this, I thought the writing was excellent and the story did keep me interested. Also, I liked hearing about the Dominican Republic and the culture.

A thank you to Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't have much to say that hasn't been rehashed in the many other reviews, nor do I feel the need to summarize it again in my own (but similar) words. I can't say that fully connected with the characters, but I really appreciated the unique perspective on the timely issue of gentrification - something that not a lot of people give much thought to in mainstream America, but is a very real and horrible reality for the people it is happening to.

This book, written over the course of fifteen years (yes, 15!) was worth the wait. It tells the powerful story of Luz and her parents Eusebia and Vladimir Guerrero, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic into a NYC neighborhood called Nothar Park, a predominantly Dominican neighborhood.

This is the story of the struggles residents encounter when dealing with gentrification, but it’s also about love, loss, friendships, and the importance of family and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love.

Started out slow, but once it picked up, it was unputdownable!

3.5 but rounded up. This ended up being more of a family drama and romance than it was a novel about gentrification, but that’s okay! I mostly struggled with the relationship between mother and daughter and didn’t really feel it was reconciled or fully explored by the end. I suppose the fact Luz realized the her mother had been hiding trauma was liberating for both of them, but it didn’t quite feel resolved.

I also struggled with Luz being willing to put up with Hudson’s really gross comments, but I don’t normally like love stories so that’s probably on me.

Overall, this does capture the nuance of being in a changing neighborhood and highlights the beauty of culture and community that cities can cultivate at their best. And the writing is beautiful even if not every aspect worked for me.

This is another family drama that I really enjoyed. I loved how this book explored the idea of home and belonging and looked closely at the mother/daughter relationship. The author weaves together a very special story here. Literary in style with excellent prose, this is a slow paced book about a Dominican community. I personally really enjoyed the Spanish phrases sprinkled throughout - it brought memories of things I would hear on occasion growing up.

I have such mixed feelings about this book! We follow a Dominican family in NYC through this novel. Eusebia has sacrificed everything to support her husband and daughter, from survival in the DR, to survival in a new world with a new language, in NYC. Vladimir has taken his family from the Dominican Republic to find prosperity in America. But even though they have had a good life, his dream is to retire back in the DR with a beautiful new house he is secretly building for his wife. Luz has been on a trajectory to greatness, but when she is unexpectedly fired, she has the opportunity to examine her life and decide what she really wants.

But things are in an upheaval in the neighborhood. They are tearing down old housing and putting up expensive condos, which will force the whole DR population out. With a twist, Luz happens to be dating the man in charge of the new property. After a fall, things start to change for Eusebia and she has decided she will go to any lengths to save the neighborhood. But how far is too far?

My emotions in/about this book changed throughout the story. At times I felt invested. I loved the inside peek at the culture, food and relationships. At times I felt frustrated and annoyed. At times I couldn't believe a word I was reading. Overall I think frustration was my overall emotion. While I'm not sad I finished it, this was not an easy one to get through and that's why I'll give it 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel follows a Dominican family living, Luz and her parents Eusebia and Vladimir, in NYC in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood. The neighborhood, like so many others in NYC, is being gentrified and each of them handle it in their own way. Vladimir has dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic and is having Eusebia’s dream home built but Eusebia might not share that same dream. Luz is fired from her job at a prestigious law firm, is on the hunt to find another position but is burning the candle at both ends what she really wants? I highly recommend this book. It was such a great read!