There’s a lot to like about this book.

So often, books that have an activist slant can be in-your-face in a way that takes you out of the story. But Olga Dies Dreaming looks directly in your eye as it brings up issues like HIV/AIDS stigmas in Hispanic communities, U.S. imperialism in our treatment of Puerto Rico, the racism that undergirds our government’s response to cries for statehood or help in response to disasters like Hurricane Maria.

Gonzalez writes about all of these things, but in a way that doesn’t detract from the story of Olga, her Congressman brother Prieto, and their living and moving through the ranks of upper-crust Brooklyn society.

This book was really fun and hard to put down. It had drama, made me laugh, a good romance, and made some powerful points about what it means to struggle for freedom.


Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed here are mine.

If you’re looking for a book that has the perfect balance of struggles, perseverance, latinx rep, with a dash of romance, then this book is for you.

Set in 2017 following the devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico, In this book we follow Olga who is a famous wedding planner. We learn about her rise to fame through reality tv. It’s a true “rags to riches” story. Along the way we start to learn about Olga family and the dynamics that contributed to the person she has become.

We also learn about Olga’s brother a congressman who is closeted out of fear of not only what his sexual identity will do to his career but also how his family will perceive him.

This book is packed with activism, sticking it to the 1%, and shows what happens when family secrets become to much to bear

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I especially enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I found it difficult to put down. My only critic is how it ended. I’m not sure if I loved it, or hated it. It was a great read and I can’t wait to read more from this author

Trigger warnings: drug addiction, suicide, sexual assault, racism

Olga and her brother, Prieto, were raised by their grandma in Brooklyn after their mother left them to continue her beliefs in freeing Puerto Rico and their dad couldn’t overcome his drug addiction. Now, Olga works as a wedding planner for the elite in New York, while Prieto is a congressman who wants to use his position of power to improve life for the marginalized. Olga’s and Prieto’s lives are not as they seem on the outside, however. Things come to a head in 2017, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the devastation it wrought on Puerto Rico.

At first, I wasn’t sure about the writing and the story, but as I got to know the characters, I got wrapped up in this story. Gonzalez did a great job showing the siblings grappling both with their personal lives, and the way they are still dealing with the trauma of their mom leaving them, and their place in a society that does not value their people. I was shocked to learn this is the author’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what else she writes in the future! I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and Almarie Guerra, Armando Riesco, and Inés del Castillo all did a phenomenal job narrating the book. My only complaint would be that the everything seemed to be swept together at the end to fix in one quick scoop. Despite that, I highly recommend checking out this debut novel!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This story has it all- humor, romance, political and social commentary. The two main characters are a set of adult siblings from NYC struggling with their relationships as a result of the radicalization and subsequent estrangement from their mother. I read a lot of novels with heavy topics and this one is no different (see content warnings). It was impossible to stop listening to this one. I’m hoping to travel to Puerto Rico in early 2022 and I was looking for something to enrich my knowledge of the territory and its history. This was it. The narration was excellent, the storytelling was rich and left me with a lot to think about.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.

Recommended for: anyone who loves character driven novels, social and political commentary, strong female leads, or is interested in learning more about the U.S. and Puerto Rico’s complicated and important relationship.

Content Warnings: Emotional Abuse, Abandonment, Sexual Assault, Grief

A dramatic tour de force, 'Olga Dies Dreaming' paints a rich family drama around the Acevedo family. Olga and her brother Pietro overcome challenge after challenge in their pursuit of the American dream in a country their parents called home while trying to fight for Puerto Rico's independence in the 1970s and 1980s. African American and Puerto Rican struggles bring together friends from generations of protests and politically active minority youths through hurricanes Irma , Harvey, and Maria with interwoven stories as colorful as the streets of New York City. Told through the viewpoints of three living family members of the core of the Acevedo family and a few other side characters, we see the world through each of their eyes. An entertaining and eye-opening read that promises to provoke deep thoughts on who has access to the American dream and why.

Thank you for providing this audiobook for review. I like that we got a different perspective of hurricane Maria and the unique relationship that Puerto Ricans have with the US and the lack of support/resources that are given to the island. Olga and Prieto's relationship as brother and sister was interesting. The way they explored their parents' political activists' past and the way it influence their adult life was great. The New York backdrop was the perfect touch to see all the family drama, wedding planning, political radicalism, greed, entitlement, and love. This was a good read. I'm not sure we needed the storyline for the Dick character. He had a small part that connect the thread of the story and I think we could have had the same results in a different way. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. The first chapter really got my attention and I had high hopes for this book. However, each chapter was hit or miss for me—some were good and some were boring. Overall, the book was just ok. I listened to the audiobook and really loved the narrators.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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In Olga Dies Dreaming, you get a birds-eye view into the Acevedo siblings’ lives. Olga and Prieto’s stories weave back and forth between 2017 Brooklyn and through letters their mother wrote them after she disappeared when Olga was only 13, to fight for revolution and Puerto Rico’s independence. Olga is a wedding planner for rich people with too much money, and Prieto is a US representative. In 2017, Hurricane Maria hits, and their mother, Blanca, also appears back in their lives.
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Olga Dies Dreaming is extremely character-driven, which I love, because I really felt like I got to know both Olga and Prieto throughout the book. I can definitely see this being one of my top reads of 2022, and we’re not even there yet.
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An excellent novel by Xochitl Gonzalez, and it’s hard to believe it’s a debut. The narrators were also incredible. Kudos to Almarie Guerra, Armando Riesco, and Inés del Castillo.

I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn’t get into it. I think the problem was that Olga was just not likable for me, so I didn’t care what happened to her. I wanted to root for her, and I just couldn’t.

Olga Dies Dreaming is an excellent book with a tone that is unique, gritty, and real. I liked how this book continued to surprise me. It’s a love letter to what it means to be a sister and a daughter. Gonzalez has a strong, clear authority in the text that makes this book particularly powerful.

Didn’t know much about this novel going in, but I kept seeing it on book lists for most-anticipated in 2022. I thought the cover was gorgeous and a quick skim of the description piqued my interest (e.g. examination of the very notion of the American dream, what it really means to weather a storm).

The use of multiple narrators was effective, and I stayed engaged from start to finish. I enjoyed each character and how the story develops. I also learned more about injustices and what liberation could look like in Puerto Rico.

This is one for readers who enjoyed Mary H. K. Choi’s novel, Yolk. It also tackles complicated people and their familial and romantic relationships; hard choices; duty, purpose, and expectations. It is also set in New York and explores the ideas of success and home.

Many thanks to Xochitl Gonzalez, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a debut! I don’t read much fiction but the synopsis drew me in and it was worth it. I liked seeing the journey of both sibilants. Olga finally letting in love and Prieto finally living as his authentic self. And also some parents just really suck. Thank god for amazing extended families. Also good discussions on climate change, the dirtiness of politics, and the gentrification of neighborhoods of color. Pay attention to the trigger warnings. Trigger warning for rape, abandonment, drug abuse, death of parent.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with the audio of this story. Unfortunately, this book was just not something I personally enjoyed. I found the humor to be forced and the story line was not enjoyable. The main character seemed to be a character who was older and unsure of her place in life. The constant language when characters were conversing with each other was also tiring to constantly read. This in no way reflects on the writing or plot just something I personally did not enjoy. DNF AT 15%

I love books with dysfunctional families who love each other dearly, and this one did not disappoint! The story revolves around two siblings, who both seem to have it all together on the surface and struggle to keep their huge secrets from seeing the light of day. Both are flawed and morally gray characters who feel realistic in the ways they’ve gotten themselves into life-altering situations, and despite being very different from each other, they both struggle with tearing back their layers of trauma, guilt, oppression, shame, and grief to figure out who they each truly are underneath it all.

There was excellent representation, highlighting Puerto Rican culture and history and the oppression still being faced by its people. We also see themes involving radical protest, the perils of drug use, LGBTQIA+ stigma, gentrification, mental health, social/economic class differences, and the terror and aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria as they hit Puerto Rico.

I enjoyed the story and was invested in the characters, most especially the siblings and each of their journeys to self-acceptance. It was interesting seeing many of the same events and people through each of their eyes, especially as more secrets were revealed.

The different perspectives also help the reader to understand different viewpoints when it comes to oppression and grief and trauma. Two of the perspectives are from people who actively exploit others, even if they don’t realize that’s what they’re doing. Their actions are often self-serving, and their words are used to rationalize this while also working to manipulate others. The other two perspectives are from the exploited, and we see the different ways that a similar trauma has been internalized and dealt with (or not dealt with). I thought this writing choice brought a lot to the story and gave it more depth than the average family drama.

There was one aspect I didn’t love; I felt that there was a lot of build-up to the reckoning each sibling would face in their relationships with each other and with the others in their lives, but once we finally got there we were rushed to the end of the book. I would have loved to have a few more chapters of resolution and to see the steps each sibling took as they self-reflected, grew in their sense of self, and made amends to their loved ones.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the book and feel it was a strong debut novel; I look forward to seeing future works from the author!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced listener audiobook! The narration was excellent and I definitely recommend it!

This was a great story and another eye opening modern cultural family tale.
I love the brother sister dynamic in this novel, but also the everyday struggles they faced. I appreciate hearing the modern struggles and issues a minority race faces today and the book was quite eye opening.
Overall was very pleased with this sorry and Olga’s tales of love, affairs and mobster dealings.
Highly recommend as a discussion book.

Fantastic audiobook with great narrators! I love the complexity of the characters. Much like one's own family, they are infuriating yet endearing at the same time.

"But what's more important than love? "
Xochitl Gonzalez, (Olga Dies Dreamimg)

Olga Dies Dreaming audiobook is written by Xochitl Ginzalez and (narrated by) Almarie Guerra, Armando Riesco and Inez del Castillo.

Olga Dies Dreaming is an intense, but loving family drama with Olga (a wedding planner), Olga's brother Prieto (a congressman), various family members (grandmother, mom, dad, and aunt) plus Olga's romantic interests (Dick and Matteo). Yes, it's a lot to take in, but you quickly learn the characters.

The background is a Puerto Rican family trying to each come into their own through the trials of racial issues, politics, gender, illness, and family beliefs. It is heart touching, humorous, and deals with very tough topics. A few times I was a tiny bit bogged down trying to keep up with everything going on, but overall it's a very enjoyable audiobook.

Caution: Sexual content, illness and suicide

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced listening copy.
Olga Dies Dreaming publishing date is Jan 4, 2022

In her debut novel, Xochitl Gonzalez creates a family drama that incorporates racism, trauma, colonialism, and a rich history of Puerto Rico that is set before, during, and after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the Trump administration. The book then takes creative liberties to imagine a future where revolution on the island occurs. Using a family’s intricate personal history to personalize the struggles of being both Puerto Rican on the island and of Puerto Rican descent in the States, Gonzalez manages to integrate Puerto Rican history in a way that avoids reading like a textbook and provides context to both present-day Puerto Rico and the neighborhood of Sunset Heights in New York City.

Olga Acevedo is a wedding planner for wealthy socialites. She seamlessly navigates the world of the elite thanks to her Ivy League education. It was refreshing to read a story about a 40-year-old unmarried woman who is still figuring herself out. Olga’s success and drive for social-climbing stemmed from issues of abandonment she endured as a child.

Prieto, Olga’s brother, is a U.S. representative for their neighborhood. It comes to light that he has a secret life that is being used against him by investors who are eager to buy up property in Sunset Heights to create high-rise condos, drive up property taxes, and squeeze out the last of the immigrant population that has called the area home for generations.

Interspersed with letters from their mother that they both received individually, readers are able to get to know more about each of the siblings and the manipulation they endured from their mother.

The climax of the novel has both siblings coming face-to-face with their estranged mother in different ways. She attempts to force both characters to make life-altering decisions in the name of revolution.

The majority of the novel constructs the inner worlds of both Olga and her brother. From the lavish weddings to family dynamics to sexual relationships to the historical context, Gonzalez dedicated an immense amount of detail to this story. Overall, it is a gripping and entertaining read from start to finish.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for the ARC of this book! It started out intriguing and think it could have been great. I was turned off by the cheating with a married man, etc. I wanted to like the main character so badly but unfortunately it was made too hard.

Olga Acevedo is a high-end party planner living in NYC. Her brother, Prieto, is a NY politician. Both are strong, driven characters who are grappling with life choices and the absence of their mother, who has been writing them letters throughout the years. 

This was such a strong debut novel. I feel like I learned a lot about Puerto Rico when I finished reading and highly recommend this book to others. The author did a great job incorporating Puerto Rican culture and history into a storyline that contained challenging issues like racism, sexuality, addiction, white privilege, and family drama. While this story included so many present-day issues, the plot continued to move forward and flowed seamlessly. 

The one part of the book that I did not LOVE was the ending. It was just so fast, and I feel like we needed more pages to wrap up all the powerful storylines. 

Read if you are interested in: 
Dysfunctional families
Puerto Rico representation 
Wedding planning 
Closeness of siblings 
Brooklyn gentrification 
Books that will soon be a TV show