A deeply powerful, raw debut novel of a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island who discovers their long missing sister is potentially alive and cast on a reality TV show, and they set out to bring her home.

All issues aside, this story was actually laugh out loud-able. I seriously loved all the Ramirez women, including the glimpses of Ruthy. I loved that the story intertwined everything that happened to Ruthy the day leading up to her disappearance. I can’t imagine the pain a family goes through with not having answers or updates to a loved ones disappearance. Despite the tragedy, Jimenez does a great job of catering to all emotions: grief, acceptance, and hope. At only 240 pages, I could’ve kept reading this story and seeing what happens after the ending. Something tells me Jimenez intended it that way though. Highly recommend if you want a coming of age, mystery, and YA feels type of book.

First & foremost, thank you to Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC - truly appreciated!

This was a quick & engaging read. I’m Puerto Rican, & I was definitely able to relate to the characters & the family dynamic.

Ruthy goes missing randomly one afternoon - years later, her two sisters mother are still searching for her. They see a reality TV show called Catfight - similar to the 2000s VH1 & MTV shows - & a girl named Ruby looks & acts exactly like Ruthy (at least what they would expect Ruthy to look/act like based on how she was when she went missing as a young teen years ago). The story is told from the POVs of the two sisters, Nicole & Jess, the mother, Delores, & Ruthy.

I really enjoyed the book. The storyline did get a bit confusing at some points but was able to recover quickly. It did seem like a huge, long buildup to a very small “climax” - I kind of wish we could have been given more regarding what really did happen to Ruthy. However, it didn’t ruin the book for me I still loved it! A great debut; looking forward to more from this author!


***this review was also shared on my Goodreads profile.

This review will be posted on my channel in my March Wrap Up video.

This was an exceptional debut. The rich Puerto Rican culture was amazing to read. Being a Puerto Rican myself, I felt that the family dynamics had a sense of familiarity and could resonate with anyone who is Latinx. It was powerful, compelling, and heartbreaking to see how the family dealt with the mysterious disappearance of Ruthy Ramirez. It shows how these circumstances can change a family and make them drift apart, yet bring them back together. The most touching and emotional part of this story was how the family still had hope, even years later. I felt the author was able to give a voice to each of the four women's points of view individually. I felt it was easy for me to connect with them because they felt relatable and like someone I know in real life. I was able to get their individual struggles, personalities, and how the disappearance of their daughter/sister changed their life.

The genre and tone of this definitely read more as literary fiction than thriller. There is a subplot mystery aspect, since we are wondering what happened to Ruthy Ramirez, however it definitely didn't read as a thriller. In my opinion, it did read a little YA at times, minus the curses. For some people the cursing might bother them because there is a substantial amount of cursing. However, being a Puerto Rican who lives in New York City, this was not a problem. It actually displayed the slang and words that are used here, which made me feel right at home.

My main complaint is that I wanted this to be longer. This story was so powerful that it left me wanting more. I felt like all four women’s voices needed to be heard and their stories shared in-depth. I wanted so much more for them than what the absence of Ruthy left them with. I wanted nothing but good things to come from everything they've been through, but didn't get that part. I would've liked to see where each character ended up after everything. However, I did like the fresh take on showing how this can affect the family dynamics, while also sharing other important topics ( generational violence, colonialism, loss, grief, motherhood, and sisterhood).

This an emotional read that pulls at your heartstrings, while also lightening it up with sprinkled in humor. It is culturally rich with a lot of heart. It left me excited to see what else this talented Latinx author comes up with.

While the book could’ve been longer in order to really explore the ideas here more, woof was this a gut punch. These characters had such a VOICE, and rang really true for me. They’re not wholly loveable, but they are real and fleshed out and understandable. I really appreciated what the book was saying about Black and Brown girls and their treatment (by law enforcement and as entertainment), and thought the ending was perfect. It’s one I’ll think about for a while.

Very slow and-- at least for me --lacked the promised humour I'd been expecting to find. I found it impossible to connect with the characters and I have to admit that I found the constant profanity off-putting. I don't know if the foul language was supposed to be where the humour was at but that's not my personal brand of humour.

I read this ARC and loved it!! I couldn't believe it was Jimenez's debut — it's a powerful and intriguing novel. It has it all - a road trip and the potential for reunions. I don't usually read mystery novels but this one was worth it.

Thank you to Netgalley + Grand Central Publishing for sending the e-ARC.

"What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez" follows a Puerto Rican family on Staten Island who are still mourning over the fact that 13-year old Ruthy Ramirez disappeared twelve years ago. After seeing someone who could potentially BE Ruthy on TV, the family form a plan to go see the lookalike.

I was not expecting this book to take me on the journey that it did. I'm gutted. What a beautiful book. The characters are vibrant and their personalities really drive the story. I'm a sucker for a book set in New York City so the references particularly warmed my heart.

Ok so this book could have had some serious potential. The synopsis made it seem so interesting, however, the synopsis was basically the book. I mean that as in the synopsis gave too much away and the book did not divulge the story much beyond its description. I also felt the humor was a bit dull and dry. There was quite a bit of swearing, which normally doesn’t take away from a story for me but in this instance it was over the top. The idea behind the story was great, the execution not so much

Ruthy Ramírez disappeared 12 years ago at the age of 13 without a trace. Her sisters swear they have found her on a reality show on tv. They reach out to her and get no response. They then join with other women in their lives on a road trip to find Ruthy.

First of all, the amount of language was very excessive. Expletives on every page…and while I get that that’s how this family talks…it felt brash and in my face and leaned too heavily on language to what felt like prove a point..?

I grew weary of the dialogue and pettiness and by the end, this just wasn’t for me. The storytelling of the families past was mediocre and I didn’t care for how the story was told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advance e-copy of this book.

Thank you to Grand Central for an early, gifted copy of this debut novel. What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez was a ride. For a novel centered on how to go on after a tragic event, it was darkly funny at times. I don't think I was expecting that but I am glad it was included. Grief looks different on everyone and can vary from minute to minute. I know I cope with some dark humor and I'm glad to see that represented in a book. The story is also heartbreaking. Any glimmer of hope after a tragedy like the loss of a family member where you don't know the circumstances has the potential to be the best/worst thing ever and I think that Claire Jimenez captured that perfectly in this book.

The Ramirez women are not to be f***ed with!!
This debut novel is heartbreaking, hilarious, and real. We follow narrations from each of the women in Ruthy’s family: her two sisters, Jessica and Nina, and their mother, Dolores. We get a solid picture of how this family’s inner dynamics and how they all feel about each other. The bond of sisterhood and motherhood can be a slippery slope with no one-word descriptions and this novel is the perfect display of that; the issues daughters can face with mothers, especially the things they would never say to their face but feel so deep down inside. This novel rang so true to the mother/daughter/sister dynamics and what it feels like to misunderstood by the people who know you best. Jessica, Nina, and Dolores ridicule women on TV for how they act on on reality TV show while also activity engaging and indulging in their actions is the epitome of human nature: sometimes its hard to look away and you might be more alike to the people you look down upon than you think.

The story gives light to the racial injustices that Hispanic women face and the inner workings of an immigrant mother raising her children to the best of her abilities whilst also dealing with her own familial/cultural trauma.

While we do find out what happened to Ruthy Rameriez, albeit not such a happy happening, the novel is beautifully wrapped up, giving evidence to the pleasure of living life in forward motion.

A heartbreaking book with comical moments interspersed to bring levity, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is exactly as the title suggests - what happened to Ruthy Ramirez? We follow two sisters and their mother as they follow a potential lead to find their sister who disappeared 12 years earlier, at only 13 years old.

The story weaves together the experience of being a family of first and second generation immigrants, trying to carry on with the unimaginable weight of the loose end of a missing loved one. The story switches POV each chapter and I especially came to love the chapter's from Ruthy's mom.

At only 240 pages, this one is a quick read that you can easily finish in a weekend.

I really wanted to love this book, but I felt that it didn't really hit the mark. The idea for the story and the family dynamic was interesting, but it felt like it dragged a lot for a shorter read.

Great debut by Jimenez! This novel touches on family, the bonds between women, love, secrets/silence, violence, and race. Told in alternating chapters by different characters, the story is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Jessica, Nina, and their mother, Dolores, have all dealt with Ruthy's disappearance in their own ways. Their unique voices shine through in their chapters.

"The Ramirez women of Staten Island orbit around absence. When thirteen‑year‑old middle child Ruthy disappeared after track practice without a trace, it left the family scarred and scrambling. One night, twelve years later, oldest sister Jessica spots a woman on her TV screen in Catfight, a raunchy reality show. She rushes to tell her younger sister, Nina: This woman's hair is dyed red, and she calls herself Ruby, but the beauty mark under her left eye is instantly recognizable. Could it be Ruthy, after all this time?

The years since Ruthy's disappearance haven't been easy on the Ramirez family. It’s 2008, and their mother, Dolores, still struggles with the loss, Jessica juggles a newborn baby with her hospital job, and Nina, after four successful years at college, has returned home to medical school rejections and is forced to work in the mall folding tiny bedazzled thongs at the lingerie store.

After seeing maybe‑Ruthy on their screen, Jessica and Nina hatch a plan to drive to where the show is filmed in search of their long‑lost sister. When Dolores catches wind of their scheme, she insists on joining, along with her pot-stirring holy roller best friend, Irene. What follows is a family road trip and reckoning that will force the Ramirez women to finally face the past and look toward a future—with or without Ruthy in it."

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez captures the all of the feelings involved with losing someone and trying to keep the family together.

In 1996, 13-year-old Ruthy Ramirez disappears after track practice. Her mother, Dolores, and sisters, Jessica and Nina, are devastated.

Twelve years later in 2008, the Ramirez women are still dealing or not dealing with the disappearance in their own ways. They aren’t exactly as connected as they used to be. Each person is like a planet in their own universe.

When Jessica believes that Ruthy is on a reality show called Catfight, she wants to bring her missing sister back. Jessica and Nina come up with a plan to travel to where the show is filmed in order to see Ruthy in person. Their mother and her friend Irene find out about the plan and tag along on the trip.

The trip is a catalyst for change in the family. They haven’t moved on or had closure on the disappearance. They hardly even talk about it but now talking about the situation is necessary for the family to heal.

Irene is sort of like that crazy aunt with the obnoxious accessories and working on getting her next ex-husband. Most families have one aunt that is almost too much. I might be the crazy aunt. The odds are like 50/50.

If you enjoy stories about families that talk about the joy and heartache of life, then you might like What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez. Also, if you like true crime and mysteries, you will love the book.

If you don’t like taking off your rose-colored glasses, then I recommend taking a chance on this book anyway.

I received this ebook from NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

This is the kind of book that grabs you from the first page and you just know it’s going to be good. It is a very quick read and I finished it in a day.

The Ramirez family is tough and messy. Through different points of view, we see how their family has fallen apart after one of the daughters goes missing at the age of 13. Included is what happened to Ruthy via her POV. 20 years later, the two remaining daughters think they found Ruthy… on a late night reality show called Catfight. Is it Ruthy?

I took a star off because I was really invested in the “what happened to Ruthy” aspect of the story and I felt it often went into the weeds too much in telling the other character’s stories.

This was one I finally gave up on about 50% of the way through. I loved the description of the book and I kept reading in hopes that I found find a connection with the story…maybe start to like a character or feel drawn into the story. Unfortunately this just didn’t do it for me. I enjoyed little pieces of Puerto Rico culture sprinkled in and appreciate social issues addressed, such as the lack of media attention a teenage of color may receive in comparison to a wealthy white person. I may try to pick this back up in a little while and give it another try.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel!

“The Ramirez women of Staten Island orbit around absence. When thirteen‑year‑old middle child Ruthy disappeared after track practice without a trace, it left the family scarred and scrambling. One night, twelve years later, oldest sister Jessica spots a woman on her TV screen in Catfight, a raunchy reality show. She rushes to tell her younger sister, Nina: This woman's hair is dyed red, and she calls herself Ruby, but the beauty mark under her left eye is instantly recognizable. Could it be Ruthy, after all this time?” (GoodReads)

Told in a conversational style using first-person POVs, we get into the heads of the three sisters and their mother. The story moved quickly, and I appreciated experiencing the Puerto Rican-American culture. However, the dialect was often sprinkled with Spanish phrases and words that weren’t explained, and I couldn’t figure them out in context.

Thanks, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing, for a digital review copy.

I really enjoyed this book but if you’re looking for a mystery, this isn’t it. Though there is a mystery at the center of the story — what happened to 13-year-old Ruthy when she disappeared over a decade ago? — this book is really more family drama with elements of coming-of-age.

Told from alternating perspectives from Ruthy’s two sisters, Jessica and Nina, and her mom, I thought each of the women in the story were complex and nuanced and very well drawn out. I thought the book did a great job of exploring family relationships and dynamics as well as social commentary in a really organic and natural way. The writing was good and even though the book definitely deals with heavy themes and topics, the style and the writing voice kept it light, and at times, funny. The banter between the women was especially entertaining.

I will say, I did get a little bored in the middle and some of the chapters seemed to be more like vignettes, telling about something fairly unrelated to the story, but it did come back around and pick up at the end.

I don’t want to say anything about the end but it was a little disappointing to me. I did, however, enjoy the book for the most part. It was a quick read that touched on a lot of important topics and the women of the story and their relationship were the best part.

Blending humor and heartbreak, this explores the lengths people will go to in search of the truth. Full review posted at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr293888