✨ Review ✨ What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez

I started this as an ebook and enjoyed it but didn't get hooked -- then I restarted it in audio and was OBSESSED. I listened to the whole book in one evening! The author narrates the book and I loved it -- she really brought each and every one of the four characters to life.

This book is told through the eyes of the women in the Ramirez family -- the mom Dolores, the daughters Jessica and Nina, and Ruthy who went missing after school when she was 13. Years later, the women think they find Ruthy as a contestant on a reality show called Cat Fight. The book alternates through the first three women's points of view in the present and Ruthy's POV from the day she went missing.

The book seamlessly blends laugh-out-loud humor with grief, loss, and trauma. The book brings light to important issues alongside really clever writing. I'm so glad I went back to this book and please, please check out the audio.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Literary Fiction
Setting: NYC
Reminds me of: the audio especially reminded me of Angie Cruz's How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, especially for the blend of humor and serious issues

Read this if you like:
⭕️ multi-generational family dramas
⭕️ humor + grief + serious issues
⭕️ amazing audio
⭕️ Cat Fights

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez asap.

When I first read the summary of Claire Jiménez's What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez, I assumed it would be a fast-paced mystery of sorts. Unfortunately, this was not a fast-paced mystery, even though I felt driven to learn what happened to missing 13-year-old Ruthy Ramirez. The book begins and ends strongly, and I was totally engaged at times. However, if I'm being completely honest, while the characters were always intriguing, the plot was not. Overall, I enjoyed the book and rated it three out of five stars.

The characters in What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez were well-developed and skillfully portrayed, allowing me to imagine them clearly as I read. In particular, Nina, Jessica, and Delores had distinct voices that brought each woman to life for me; at times, I felt as though I were reading a journal rather than a fictional novel. The cursing/foul language appeared to be a problem for others, based on early reviews I read, but I found it to be completely natural and not irritating in the least. In my opinion, it made the characters feel more genuine. (However, this sort of language has never bothered me, so keep that in mind if you're considering reading this book.)

My problems with What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez stemmed primarily from the book's middle. It didn't bother me to learn I wasn't reading a mystery but rather a novel about a broken family who unexpectedly discovers their sister/daughter may be alive and well. The story focuses on the women's lives and relationships with each other. However, I rated the book three out of five stars because a significant portion of it was unfocused, and, as a reader, I lost the plot.

Since my issues with What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez stemmed from the story rather than the writing, I would read another book by Claire Jiménez without hesitation. This was my first time reading the author, and as I mentioned, I thought her character development and tone were excellent. However, I'm still undecided about recommending this book to others. Did I enjoy it overall? Yes. Are there other books that I would recommend before this one? Yes.

This book was a story that needed to be told. I enjoyed it. I also didn’t care about the curse words. It made the story and set a realistic tone of the area it’s set in.

The cover immediately drew me in and when I read the premise I knew I had to pick it up.

Although this one was a miss for me - the characters were hard to connect with. I didn’t feel immersed in the story, but proceeded to finish the story.

Unfortunately, I feel that the synopsis gave away the whole story which we don’t get until the end. The characters were unlikable in that they weren’t kind and the way they talked was hard to read.

The ending was sad.

I didn’t love it but I also don’t necessary hate it. I wouldn’t recommend to others though.

Title: What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
By: Claire Jimenez

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery

Red Flags:
***A LOT OF LANGUAGE***

Summary:
1996: After track practice, Ruthy, a beautiful red head with a butterfly birthmark, goes missing.

Twelve years later, Ruthy’s sister, Jessica is watching a reality TV show, which has a woman on it that looks just like Ruthy. The woman even has the butterfly birthmark. AS sisters, Jessica and Nina become obsessed with the idea that Ruby is Ruthy and binge watch hours of the reality show. The novel is told from several points of view.

Review:
I was read about the premise of this novel and was looking forward to readying it. However, the book was too much, yet lacking all at the same time. The novel had way too much language, and was lacking character depth. Unfortunately, this book had me dreading it. This is rare for me. If you don’t mind the language, reading about headstrong women, and family arguments with some serious drama, this novel is for you. I had higher expectations, which left me feeling disappointed.


Thank you Claire Jimenez, Grand Central Publishing, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#ClaireJimenez
#grandcentralpublishing
#whathappenedtoruthyramirez
#netgalley

My heart hurts in the best way. I carry these sisters, mother, family in my heart. I saw and could feel every bit of myself and my own Puerto Rican mother in this book.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Netgalley and Author Claire Jimenez for this ARC. I am voluntarily leaving a review. Oh how I enjoyed this book! Things that were mentioned throughout made me nostalgic and made me remember so many moments of growing up in a Puerto Rican family. The vaseline,the prayer candles,Valencia cakes...The story is told through different points of view and i honestly did not want to stop reading. The book is centered around the disappearance of Ruthy and how her sisters and mother have been dealing with it. If you ever saw the show "Bad Girl's Club",you will notice similarities in the reality show that is mentioned. I enjoyed myself and also felt like I was punched in the gut. You will not be disappointed with this book! Side note:yes,there is profanity and Spanish sprinkled throughout the story but it should not deter you from reading this book!

At turns desperate and witty, fresh and familiar, Jiménez’s debut taps into universal themes of familial relationships and shines a light on the lasting intergenerational effects of colonialism, violence, racism and tradition.

I really struggled with this book. I don’t think I was the appropriate audience. This felt like a very slow retelling of this families history and full of anger. I did not connect to it.

This novel focused on the Ramirez family and shined a light on the global issue of young, diverse women going missing. This family-centered storyline gave us multiple point-of-views of each of the women from the family and provided an interesting look at how a tragic event like this can impact a family. The book description noted humor in this story but I didn’t really get that while reading and latched more onto the underlying grief, love, heartache, guilt, and resentment these women felt towards other and each other, which I thought was impactful. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with these characters and the pace felt really off to me. These aspects negatively impacted my enjoyment of the story.

Thirteen year old Ruthy Ramirez went missing without a trace. Her mother never stopped hoping and grieving simultaneously. Her sisters, Jessica and Nina, tried to move on, but Ruthy’s larger than life presence was always with them. When Jessica catches a glimpse of Ruby – a cast member on the reality show, Catfight, she knows it’s actually Ruthy. After analyzing the show and actress repeatedly, she also convinces Nina to track down Ruthy with the while she’s still filming and bring her home to their mother.

Told from several POV, this book touched on many topics including discrimination, sexual abuse, death and family. There are many characters, and while we don’t really get to know any of them well I feel we get understand Jessica the best. Ruthy is actually a secondary character but the ending left me unresolved when it came to the others. I wish this story went deeper than it did. It is more of a book on family relationships and life than it is the psychological thriller I expected.

In What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez? a
Puerto Rican family living in Staten Island struggle to deal with the disappearance of 13 year old Ruthy Ramirez. On day she doesn't come home from track practice.
There is some reason to be hopeful; Ruthy is tough and doesn't take crap from anyone. She seems like the kind of child who might might say, "To hell with this" and run away. And then,
twelve years later a Ruthy lookalike appears on a reality television show Catfight. Have they found the long lost Ruthy?

Unfortunately, I never really connected with any of the characters. Perhaps if I were more familiar with Puerto Rican culture it would have been better. I felt like I was watching from a distance while the two sisters and mother argued incessantly. Not that there weren't displays of caring but that's not what stuck with me. Still, I really wanted to know what happened to Ruthy Ramirez and that kept me turning pages to the climactic ending.

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book broke me. It was all fun and lighthearted games until suddenly the book was over and I was sobbing. Definitely recommend!

I finished this a couple of days ago but I needed some time to figure out how I felt about it. It was so heartbreaking at parts, but also hilarious. I really did enjoy it, 3.5 stars is probably more accurate. I loved the relationship between Nina and Jessica, and really enjoyed Dolores and Irene - they were both so funny. I definitely recommend giving this one a chance, but check trigger warnings.

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. Quick read. A little disappointed by the ending or the lack of ending. Recommend.

Wow. I really enjoyed this novel. As a Puerto Rican woman, this felt written FOR me, but beyond that, this book does fiction featuring women so well. It sometimes feels like it's against women (with the number of times the B-word is used) but it's actually celebrating women in all their flaws and limitations. It is a work that explores how women can love and hate each other in the same breath, and how the patriarchy (and the fight that we experience in our lives) alienates us from each other. I loved the writing even though the women all felt like the same voice. This is a debut novel, that's impressive!

I enjoyed this story. The characters are well rounded and vividly portrayed. The pacing and the writing style keep the story engaging snd easy to follow.
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and the author for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest feedback!

Ruthy Ramirez went missing when she was 13, survived by her mother and two older sisters.

Fast forward 7 years, and the case has gone completely cold - until one day her sisters stumble upon a reality TV show with a contestant that looks just like their missing sister.

The ladies put together a plan to track her down where the show is being filmed and convince her to come back home with them.

Told in 4 different perspectives and 2 shifting timelines, each Ramirez woman gives her account of what happened back then.

——

Unfortunately, that is quite literally the entire plot of the book. Several of the chapters were just detailing the TV episodes where the women yelled and fought each other which drove me crazy and didn’t contribute to the plot at all. I thought more of the story would be tracking down Ruthy, but it’s not until about 75% through that they actually make the plan and go after her.

I thought the ending was completely rushed and anticlimactic. After you got through the whole book waiting to find out what happened to this young girl, you learn that she was killed by some stranger on one paragraph at the very end.

I wish I connected with this story and these characters more but it was a huge miss for me. 😢

The first two pages of this book are written so beautifully it is clear that Claire Jiménez is an author we will be reading for years to come. I have read those first two pages several times over and continue to be amazed at how clearly she paints a picture.

The ending of the book is a gut punch. I'm left with a sadness, a mourning, and a giant lump in my throat.

I won't soon forget this story. Or Ruthy, or Jessica or Nina, or Dolores.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought the book was honest and told a very true story. It was not what I expected, it was better.