I had high hopes for What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez as a debut novel with such a beautiful cover. However, I had to take several pauses from the book in frustration as a few chapters started with “to understand what happened to Ruthy…” I found myself just wanting to get to the point but understanding I needed to know the background. Parts reminded me of a friend telling me about their day but stopping to tell all the side stories that may or may not even be relevant. I read this book on my kindle which I recommend so you can have the Spanish to English dictionary handy for a few phrases. The characters are well developed as each chapter is from a different point of view but I found the story lacking in how it came together. BUT when it finally came together I couldn’t put it down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #RuthyRamirez

Staten Island 1996: 13 year old Ruthy has gone missing without a trace. Her unexplained disappearance leaves behind a devastated family- her 15 year old sister Jessica, her 8 year old sister Nina, and her parents.

12 years later, Nina is newly graduated from college and back home. It’s the Great Recession of 2008 and with no career prospects, she’s forced to take a minimum wage job and move back in with her widowed mother, Dolores.

One night Jessica, up at night with her young daughter, is watching TV and spots who she believes to be their long lost sister Ruthy on a reality tv show, reopening multiple wounds that hadn’t truly healed, and sparking hope that Ruthy is alive.

Convinced Ruthy is alive and well, they make a desperate plan to find her and bring her back home.

This debut novel is ostensibly about the mystery of what happened to Ruthy, and though we get an answer at the very end, at it’s heart, it’s a story about women’s lives, the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York, and family dynamics.

Told from the alternating points of view of 4 women, mom Dolores, oldest sister Jessica, youngest sister Nina, and Ruthy herself, this debut novel is heartbreaking, smart and humorous.

Claire Jimenez’s writing is empathetic and engaging. She creates authentic and relatable voices and storylines that layer and resonate.

3.5 different then what I thought and stilted in writing. Maybe I’m not in the right headspace will possibly pick it up again in the future

This book really hooked me from the first page. Don't expect a fuzzy little Hallmark type of book. It' shows life at its worse and how it makes people over. None of the women are particularly likeable but it's understandable from what happened. Great ending.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez is a Family Fiction Story!

Thirteen-year-old Ruthy disappeared without a trace in 1996.

Twelve years later her two sisters, Jessica and Nina, are watching "Catfight", a trashy reality TV show, and see a woman called 'Ruby' who looks just like Ruthy right down to the red hair and beauty mark under her left eye.

Convinced this woman who calls herself 'Ruby' could be Ruthy, they make plans for a road trip to where the show is being filmed to take a closer look...

Reading the premise, I was excited for this one but it wasn't what I expected. I was looking for humor but it wasn't there. What I did find was an excess use of expletives and a pace that slowly rehashed the family backstory, chapter after chapter. I did continue to read because I was actually curious about what happened to Ruthy. It's what originally drew me in to this story.

As I continued, I didn't connect with any of the characters, who didn't seem to connect with each other. The characters felt mean-spirited, from Ruthy and her middle-school friends, to her sisters and her mother, and even her mother's friend. The constant conflicts felt over-the-top and impacted my overall reading experience.

I am, admittedly, an emotional reader. How I feel about a book relates back to how the book makes me feel. There was an underlying essence of 'anger' in this story that was unsettling to me. I felt a sense of relief when I finished.

There are many positive reviews and ratings of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez and I'm glad it has found an audience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Claire Jimenez for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

How can I sob at the end of book that cracked me up so much? Thank you to the publishers at Grand Central Publishers for an eARC ahead of the novel’s release in exchange for an honest review!

What Happened to Ruth’s Ramirez is a book that takes head-on the messiness of family, being in-between cultures, and the wide scope of generational trauma. It’s also a book that features a Puerto Rican auntie cutting the line at a club with her bestie from church; a No Sabo kid trying to mime to communicate with a customer despite having told her boss that she spoke Spanish; and even more hilarious scenarios courtesy of the women of the Ramirez household.

The book’s humor offers a humanizing touch to the awful things and circumstances that these characters face, and more importantly gives the narrative around missing girls back to both the girl herself and the women who are still looking for her.

Ruthy is more than a just another missing brown girl, but the book’s point is that all of these missing black and brown girls are so much more than a picture under a “Lost Child” poster.

What a powerful debut! I was all-in on the Ramirez family and its rotating quad of perspectives from the get-go; Claire Jimenez did a precise, poignant job crafting entirely different voices, circumstances, and stakes for all four women's separate points of view. (And whew, that ending!)

In terms of this book's genre and tone, I'd categorize What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez as leaning towards literary fiction with a mystery in it rather than anything thriller-related. It's certainly more of a character-driven novel than a plot-driven one, which I personally loved. On that note, I think this is a great book for those who are looking to go a little more literary with their reading but don't want to commit to something that's a billion pages long.

I also saw some reviews saying there was too much cursing in this. To be honest, I basically didn't notice the cursing at all; I'm not sure what that says about me (or the amount of time I've spent living in New York City), but personally, I thought that aspect was totally fine.

This one was a miss for me. The premise sounded so promising: claiming to be equally hilarious and haunting, a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island discovers that their sister, who went missing at thirteen (twelve years ago), may have just been spotted on a reality TV show and they devise a plan to find her and bring her home.

The violence, anger, and expletives throughout the book were so jarring that I almost DNF. The story is told through the different points of view of the three sisters and the mother. I usually find a character I can relate to or find interesting, but I didn’t like any of these women. No redeeming qualities whatsoever in my opinion. You might think, well this underlying tone of anger is a result of the tragedy they endured twelve years ago. But I don’t think so, they seem to be the same angry women, always arguing and fighting (literally) as they were when they were children. And the reality show was the worst kind of trashy reality show, which is maybe the reality show one ends up on after running away at thirteen and lives a hard life on the streets… I stuck with this one because I did want to find out what happened to Ruthy Ramirez, but even that reveal was anticlimactic. Thank you to @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for this early copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book captured my attention at the start. I was interested in learning more about the mystery and getting to know the characters .

However, I found most of the book slow going. While I could appreciate what the characters lived through., i never felt invested in their stories. The plot and chaaracter deveopment dragged.

The book came to life toward the end when the sadistic and exploitative nature of reality tv was given full rein.

I appreciate having the chance to read this ARC. This is my honest review.

thank you to the publishers for the e-copy. that opening page had me hooked since the start, if you want a fast read, with lots of depth in it, this is a good pick for you.
oh how much I wanted more from all the sisters and mother.
very much recommend.

The story is told from the perspectives of sisters Nina and Jessica, their mom Delores, and surprisingly, Ruthy; with chapters switching between them. The writer does a good job of having three distinct voices for the sisters. She also captures the crass essence of New Yorkers, which will be jarring for people not used to it. There’s a lot of cursing and slang. The beginning and the end are both very interesting and intense while the middle drags on. The writing gets sloppy, including the tenses, especially when Ruthy starts talking in third person. I was lured because I thought this book was true crime, but it’s not. It’s about generational trauma, the search for something (and someone) more, hope, denial, and the underserved. It’s clear why this is an anticipated debut novel in 2023, you just have to power through the low moments in the middle. I was genuinely shocked by the ending.

2.5 stars

Set on Staten Island and features three sisters. The middle child, Ruthy, disappears at age 13, and the Ramirez family is never quite the same. Fast-forward 12 years and Jessica is flipping through the channels when she lands on a reality tv show and it seems like she’s found Ruthy.

Jessica, now with a baby, is working at the hospital, and helps take care of her mother. Nina graduated from college but didn’t make it to medical school. Jessica asks her to move back home to do her part with their mother. She ends up with a mostly miserable job at a lingerie store at the mall.

Once they spot Ruthy, the sisters feel they have to go get her and bring her home. They plot a weekend trip to where the show is filming.

This family story never quite hooked me. I was curious enough to keep reading, but not really invested in the characters. There’s quite a bit of profanity and I liken it to a comedy show. Is that necessary to make it funny? In this case, to make it authentic?

There are some fantastic reviews for this book, so don’t let mine dissuade you if you like this type of raw family story.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is an instantly engaging story, filled with compelling characters. At its core, it's a story of a child gone missing and the women left to pick up the rubble while attempting to survive on their own. It examines familial trauma, identity, and deep pain while maintaining laugh-out-loud moments ("his corny ass' is still one of my favorites!), and reading like a group of friends telling their sides of the story. A must-read for 2023!

Damn. I am not one that solves a mystery along the way, I am typically surprised at the end. While that is true for What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez too, the story is no less gut-punching as a result. A beautiful narrative of growing up Puerto Rican in NYC and what it really means to fight for your family and fight to survive. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This is the story of a Puerto Rican family living in Staten Island, whose lives have been affected by their sister Ruthy's disappearance. This book is a general fiction read with a mystery embedded within it. If you think you are reading a solid mystery you are not. This is more about how all the characters developed throughout, and after, Ruthy goes missing. Yes, they are still trying to figure out what happened , but that is not the heart of the story. The Ramirez girls are the heart.

I absolutely loved the messiness of the Ramirez sisters as they navigated what it is like to be female, both in middle school and now as young women. And especially looking at how they develop in relation to other females, even though men have clearly impacted who they are, that's not really the story here. The book is told from alternating perspectives between the sisters and the mother. And similar to the girl's experiences in school it is interesting to read the mothers perspective, especially as she navigates her experience with the church and God.

This book brought me heartache and tears, as well as laughter at some of the ridiculousness, but I think it's a very important read with a lot of great discussion points. I hope readers aren't put off by the profanity throughout because I think this book has so much to say. It reminds me of similar complaints about The Hate U Give. I think it's a worthwhile question, are we judging the language or the actual characters and community.? I believe judgement was a theme throughout this book and that alone makes for a great discussion.

Wow. What an incredible debut. Claire Jimenez is on my radar now. This is a heartbreaking yet often humorous story. The scenes set in middle school were particularly well done (have taught MS for over 20 years). How teachers and classmates were portrayed was excellent. The heartbreak of MS friendships was developed nicely as well.

A 13 year old vanishes, and her family is left to wonder what happened. Then, years later, it looks like she is alive and on a reality show. This plot was intriguing, and the characters were very engaging. Truly, I could picture each person, their settings/scenes and dialogue were all so well written.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release Date: March 7, 2023

Format: eBook ARC on Kindle

I am overwhelmed by the sense of homesickness as I finish this book. I expected to see myself in one member of the family yet I found myself in pieces of all of them.

The author's ability to weave in laughter in a book where you're not sure if this will ever have a happy ending, while also digging into the depths of grief experienced by the women in this family. It's masterful weaving of the weight family dynamics have.

Despite the laughs, this is not a light read but the pacing of the book is well done and the multiple POVs blend well into each other while maintaining a cohesive story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Claire, and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity.

This is such a great debut. Amazing character voices that take you on an extremely satisfying emotional rollercoaster. I love a book that can make me laugh and cry in a single chapter, and this one definitely does. I really enjoyed it.

From page one, I was completely engrossed in the novel, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez' by Claire Jimenez. The novel follows the story of a Puerto Rican family from after their teenage daughter goes missing to the moment when they believe they spot her on a reality television show and what they decide to do as a result (no spoilers!). The narrator varies between chapters such that they are told by the (missing) Ruthy, her sisters Jessica or Nina, and her mother Dolores, and they jump in time tracing the events from the days leading up to Ruthy's disappearance to the present. This book made me laugh out loud at points, both at some of the witty dialogues and interactions between characters ("She'd shake her head no with each syllable, as if she were the one and only gatekeeper of good judgement") but also some of the juxtapositions that the characters find themselves in (e.g. the entirety of Jessica visiting church with her mom Dolores, as well as a chapter that opens with a hilarious prayer from Dolores that is concurrently a subtle critique on performative Catholicism). However, I would be hesitant to call What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez a humorous or lighthearted novel. The novel depicts a deeply grieving family, one that has never recovered and maybe has never accepted or come to terms with the gravity of their missing love one, and their deep-seated grief is evident in many of the memories they share and in their musings. Along with the clever quips, the book was also glimmering with wisdoms ("When people think you're nobody they'll say all sorts of stupid shit in front of you as if you aren't there.") and social observations ("The way that white folks talk about the disasters that happen to Black and Brown people for entertainment and applause"). Part of what I think made this novel so enjoyable is that mixed in with the storyline was a thoughtful social commentary on race, American culture (esp. the seedier sides) trauma, identity, and memory. As I am sure is clear, I do not have enough good things to say -- I could go on and on. Already pre-ordered and looking forward to reading through a second time. Looking forward to more from Claire Jimenez.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great debut! The ending breaks your heart.

<b>Trigger warning: Not described in detail but discussion of rape and molestation. </b>

Full review: Wow. I just don't even know what to say. I have never read anything by Claire Jimenez before, but definitely want to seek her out in the future. This book was heartbreaking. Following three of the Ramirez women (Dolores, the mother, Jessica, the oldest sister, and then Nina, the younger sister) they have been left to pick up the pieces after middle sister, Ruthy Ramirez disappeared when she was 13 years old. Taking place in 2008, the book follows the Dolores, Jessica, and Nina after Jessica sees a woman in a reality competition who she claims has to be her long lost sister, Ruthy. Now going by Ruby, Jessica is determined to find her and bring her back.

Yeah so that's a lot right? I mean at first I was like, um what is going on. But the book lures you in and you feel nothing but sympathy for everyone involved. I honestly liked Dolores and Jessica the most (and I still liked Nina) but those two right there really become the primary focus of the book. We also get points of view following Ruthy (told in the first person) on the day she disappeared.

Dolores I really enjoyed reading. She's old school, like my mom was. Also like my mom, I wasn't allowed to go to sleep overs. She was constantly thinking about keeping me safe. But sometimes the way she went about it, does mess you up. Dolores blames herself for Ruthy being gone, but she's telling herself she has kept her other two daughters safe.

Jessica feels caught I think. She's great at her job and I think wonders if she should want something else. A recent new mother she's scrambling to deal with that and with the guilt she feels about keeping a secret that could have something to do with Ruthy's disappearance.

I thought Nina read as oblivious as anything. I really don't know what was happening with her til we get to a turning point in her story as well. Ruthy's disappearance and then her father's death and her mother's reaction to all definitely affected her.

The writing was really good and so was the flow. Though the book bounces between all four women, it works.

The setting of New York in 2008, ah the memories.


The ending is a gut punch. You do find out what happened to Ruthy. It sat with me a long time after I finished.