the debut novel from Claire Jimenez has plenty of voice and personality through the lives of Nina, Jessica, Dolores, and Ruthy Ramirez.

i enjoyed reading this, and finished it within a day (which goes to show how intense it was)! still, though, it was sometimes hard to remember that each Ramirez woman was distinct and individual in their voices, they sometimes flowed together and got muddled. I also felt that some topics uncovered from their past were revealed, then never mentioned or processed ever again. regardless, the ending hits you right in the gut, and you find yourself mirroring the feelings of especially Dolores and Jessica as you process Ruthy’s story.

this is definitely a debut worth reading, and it comes out this tuesday! thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this.

I was not sure about this book for much of the book. It’s short, quirky, laugh out loud funny, gritty and an intimate look at a mother and her two daughters who think they’ve found their sister Ruthy who disappeared at 13.

Most of the book is them grappling with the banality of their life, while balancing the revelation that they’ve found their sister. There’s commentary on working retail, working in oncology, mother daughter relationships, the erasure of brown and black women, and States Island history. Actually, it is quite impressive how much is crammed into this book without it ever feeling over the top, or boring.

I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit throughout this, and then two pages later wanting to cry. The ending blew my mind and then wrecked me.

What a fantastic debut novel!

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a story about a Puerto Rican family from staten island, shaken by the disappearance of one of their girls, Ruthy Ramirez. The story takes us through each of the characters grief and their refusal to give up hope that Ruthy can still be found, decades later.

The family suspects Ruthy to be a disguised tv show personality, a bit of a stretch of a storyline for my taste, but in its defense, highlighted a lot of issues with the portrayal of women in mainstream media that might ultimately affect how society fails to prioritize womens issues, like sexual/domestic abuse, disappearances of brown and black women and girls, and the like.

The ending was abrupt, but gutted me nonetheless.

I enjoyed the cultural insight given by the author of a hard-working Puerto Rican family living in Staten Island and set in the 1990's. This book was well written with great dialogue that I could actually hear in my head. The story was unlike any I have read before. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the digital ARC. This opinion is my own.

This book literally broke me. This is the first book I've ever read by Claire Jiménez, but by the way she wrote this book, I would definitely read more. From the very beginning, you're instantly hooked. This book takes place twelve years after Ruthy Ramirez goes missing. It follows Ruthy's sisters and mother as they navigate life without Ruthy. One day, Jessica (Ruthy's older sister) notices someone who looks exactly like Ruthy on TV. This encourages her to start looking for Ruthy again. The book is told from four different POVs including Ruthy herself, but with Claire's writing, it is extremely well written. The ending was incredibly heartbreaking. There were so many parts where I caught myself relating too much to these characters' lives. I love how each character was written. The tone throughout the book was so eerie and so impactful. Basically, it hit hard and I loved it (PLEASE CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE STARTING).

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for both the eARC and a physical ARC of this book.

This book was a bit outside of my typical comfort zone (I usually read primarily mystery/thriller/horror books) but i like a good emotional read every now and then and I thought this sounded like a story I could enjoy. I was looking forward to the mystery element of the story (i.e. what DID happen to Ruthy Ramirez? and is the woman on the screen really her?) but this turned out to be more a character-centered story that was less concerned about advancing the plot through the typical beats of a mystery story.

Can't blame the book for that - it just turned out to not really be a story for me! I can still appreciate the excellent writing, tone, voice, and character building. These characters jumped off the page and felt so authentic in their expressions of grief, resilience, and hope. If you like character-driven literary fiction stories, I would definitely recommend picking it up.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a compulsively readable novel about a small Puerto Rican family in Staten Island, New York. The story follows the Ramirez women, the matriarch and her three now-adult daughters. The middle daughter, Ruthy disappeared about a decade prior when she was a young teenager. The novel is told in multiple perspectives, with each voice being distinct and relatable. Though I didn't love all the characters, I appreciated their perspectives. It's sometimes very funny, but also emotional and heartbreaking. I look forward to reading more by Claire Jimenez!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Ruthy Ramierez vanished when she was 13. Twelve years later, her sisters spot a woman they believe to be their missing sister on the reality show Catfight. The story that follows is a bold, fresh look at grief, hope and how people cope with these things the only way they can.

Jimenez’s writing style is extremely informal. It very much feels like you’re reading the streaming consciousness of these characters, complete with filler words like “like” and “fuck” liberally sprinkled throughout. It took some getting used to and I can’t say I ever loved it, but the story itself was compelling even if the characters were less so.

This is about a 13-year-old girl named Ruthy who disappears after track practice one afternoon. The Ramirez family is hurt and grieving. Her older sister thinks she has spotted Ruthy on a tv reality show. Both of her sisters, her mom, and her mom's best friend head on a road trip to see if this is the real Ruthy. The characters are likable, realistic, and relatable. I love how they communicate with each other. The book cover is beautiful. The picture of Ruthy on the cover is from the back which I think represents her disappearance. The themes of the book are mother-daughter relationships, life lessons, love, dysfunctional families, race, and generational violence. I do recommend this book. I give this book 4 stars.

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez was a really good read! 13 year old Ruthy goes missing after track practice. This is a story about how her family deals with the aftermath. This generational drama was told from multiple POV’s - Mom Delores, sisters Jessica & Nina, and Ruthy herself.
I was fascinated reading the background of this family. Being a NYer myself, I could relate to alot of things that occurred. We often read about missing children but we never really delve into the perspective of those that are left behind.
I also loved that this story highlighted a Latina family, interspersing Spanish terms throughout. FYI…we do find out what happened to Ruthy by the end of the story. This was a fantastic debut novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

I loved the premise for this book. It’s a look at a Puerto Rican family trying to do their best in the years following the disappearance of Ruthy, sister and daughter to the characters that we get the POV of.

It’s an emotional rollercoaster and you spend the book hoping that they get a happy ending for their family. Each character is written with their own unique voice, but not so dissimilar that you can’t recognize a familial connection between them. It’s compelling and sucks you in from the get go, and you won’t want to put it down.

I may be in the minority here but I found this book extremely unpleasant to read. There was just a lot of pain and just plane meanness. The only time this family could come together is in a brawl. So at least they had that. The story centers on Ruthy, who disappeared. Her story is told convincingly as if from an 8th grader who hasn’t reread to edit. It was like reading how a middle schooler would speak if they hadn’t had a moment to think about how they are feeling. Authentic. The rest focused on her family. They think they have found Ruthy on the trashiest reality TV show I’ve ever heard of. Or maybe that’s how they are now. I haven’t watched one since the 90s.

The characters know the show is awful. They feel like they shouldn’t be watching such trash. Unfortunately, they don’t see the similarities between it and their own behavior. I felt the same reading it as they did watching. I just felt bad the whole time.

I wish there had been more Ruthy. When you finally find out what happened at that bus stop long ago, you know how and why, but it still feels rushed. As if dwelling on it would admit to having feelings and being weak.

Everything in reading this made me feel bad. I was looking for small moments of love or connection. I just couldn’t find them. I was looking for character development, but nothing that happened changed anyone at all. The book feels empty and hopeless.

When Jessica and Nina spot a woman on a reality tv show that looks and acts eerily like their third sister, Ruthy, who went missing 12 years earlier, they set out to find out if it’s really her and bring her home.

The concept of this book really intrigued me! I loved the different perspectives and seeing the story from different angles, and thought the use of the time period and location was well done. It really brought me into that world.

I just wish the book had been more about the disappearance and searching for Ruby. Going in that is what I was expecting of the book, but it almost seemed like an after thought. Many of the chapters were just revolving around the family’s day to day lives, which I found interesting, but didn’t feel like they moved the plot along at all.

While I enjoyed the different perspectives, I thought the voices weren’t unique enough, especially Jessica and Nina. There were many times I would forget who’s perspective it was from during their chapters. Their characters were different enough, but their actual voices were almost identical.

I also was somewhat confused with the Ruthy’s chapters. Each time we came back to it there was a different point of view, which I found really jarring and didn’t make sense to me.

Overall I thought the book was interesting, but not one I loved.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

I absolutely loved this story of women and family and culture. Told mostly in 2008 with flashbacks to 1996 (the year that Ruthy disappeared), the novel looks at the lives of these women in a Puerto Rican family living in Staten Island, and the 13-year-old daughter who went missing one afternoon. While the synopsis makes it sound fairly plot-driven (they see a woman on a raunchy reality TV show whom they are certain is Ruthy and go to find out), it's very much a character-driven story, as we learn about their lives and what made them who they are today. It's raw and emotional, and I went from laughing out loud to crying at the end. (Note: if you are offended by f-bombs and other language, this may not be the book for you). I loved the strength the women have shown in one situation after another in their lives, and how they stick together to continue on. I'm looking forward to what Claire Jimenez writes next! Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advance digital copy.

This book had an interesting premise, but it just didn't pan out for me. The story was disjointed and very boring. I thought this was an adult fiction, but it was written as if it was for middle schoolers with way too much cursing. I won't be recommending it to anyone.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read and review.

Pub date: 3/7/23
Genre: ownvoices, family drama
Quick summary: Ruthy Ramirez disappeared at age thirteen, devastating her family. But when her sisters sees Ruthy, now Ruby, on a reality show, they plot to bring her back into the family.

This is a quick read with plenty of humor, family, and heart! Author Claire Jimenez did a great job showing the reader how Ruthy's disappearance fractured the Ramirez family and continued to affect them years later. I loved getting all the perspectives from Jessica, Nina, their mother Dolores, and of course, Ruthy. One thing to note - this book is less about why Ruthy disappeared and more about the impact of her loss on the family. I think readers who enjoy family dramas may like this one! 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was immediately pulled into this story and the Ramirez family. Truly, when you read this you get so pulled into the mystery of Ruthy.

Ruthy Ramirez disappeared at age 13, leaving behind her mother, father and two sisters. Years later, her sisters Jessica and Nina believe that they found Ruthy on a reality tv show and decide to go find her.

There’s a lot to say here about violence against women, familial roles and the epidemic of lost (non-white) girls who get swept under the rug. It’s hopeful, heartbreaking and real.

Because this is a short book I would not recommend reading the full synopsis, it basically gives away the whole plot!

Sidenote: there were definitely some funny parts but I didn’t find it to be as funny as it proclaimed itself to be at the beginning of the novel! It was a lot more drama to me.

I received a digital ARC of this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own. The book will be released on 3/7/2023.

A more accurate title for What Happened To Ruthy Ramirez would be Who's Ruthy Ramirez as the book is less focused on the mystery and more on Ruthy and the women in her family as characters. This focus helped with the main theme of how often Black and brown girls go missing. Despite the dark subject matter, the book goes down easy thanks to the snarky humor throughout. However, the characters felt too distant and unremarkable, the prose and plot got boring because of the use of minute details and mundane scenes, and the story needed more narrative tension (the sisters were oddly unmotivated to figure out what was going on with Ruthy/Ruby until towards the end).

TWs: racism, misogyny, kidnapping, grief, discussions of sexual assault and exploitation.

Ruth disappeared at age 13 when she never came home from track practice. This book really gives a voice to her family in them still looking for her many years later.

I really liked getting to know Ruthy's sisters Jessica and Nina. I felt pulled into their world and struggles. I also got perspective from her mom's Dolores. The Puerto Rican culture was an intriguing draw and added some extra flair.

The Catfight show was definitely over the top, but crucial to the journey to find Ruthy. The sequence of events before disappearance from Ruthy's view helped with showing her personality and gave us a glimpse if what may have happened.

This book was different from what I normally read, but I found myself really enjoying it. It is coming of age meets mystery wrapped into one.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Not a fan and do not recommend this one. The characters felt familiar, but the plot was simply terrible. The entire book builds up to a predictable and disappointing end with less humor than previous reviews promised. Overall, I wish I had skipped this one.