I should've liked "My Name is Iris" a lot more than I did. It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why I didn't care for it much, but the word that keeps coming to my mind whenever I think of the book is "dry." The story failed to engage me like I wanted it to, I didn't like Iris all that well, and though I can appreciate Skyhorse's social commentary on immigration and citizenship, I never found myself invested in the story.

The book and I just never connected. It's a shame.


My sincerest appreciation to Brando Skyhorse, Avid Reader Press, and Netgalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions included herein are my own.

This was a tough read for me. Racism is ugly and this book sheds light on exactly how awful it is.
Good book but cuts to the core.

DNF 15% writing was clunky and unclear and seemed to have unexpected almost sci-fi aspects to it? Not the right fit for me unfortunately!

I really wanted to love this book. I adored how it centered issues with immigration in the United States, using magical realism and technology to draw attention to issues in American society. However, I did have one issue with this novel. With the way that it is written, readers will have to be bilingual in English and Spanish to read the story. There were large portions of dialogue, especially in the latter half of the novel that were entirely in Spanish. I understand that the main characters involved in those conversations needed to converse in Spanish but there was little translating of the messages into English. This made the text difficult and frustrating to read.

Really good look at contemporary xenophobia. The magical realism is a little wonky, but the premise behind the book is great.

My Name is Iris is a dystopian novel set in the not-so different future. Iris has always been the quiet Mexican daughter. Her mother raised her to speak English in school and strive for greatness. She has always struggled with her sister, who feels like she's erasing their heritage, but Iris is pleased with the life she has made for herself and her daughter. When the government introduces "The Band", a piece of technology that will help keep track of all your bills and also replace your ID, Iris is only too happy to sign up for one. Only Iris isn't eligible - though she is a US citizen, her parents don't have birth certificates. Soon, more and more new regulations pop up and second-generation immigrants are being threatened.

The eeriest parts of this book were the ones that felt all too real. The author did a great job of showing the fervent frenzy that a single instance can bring about and the lasting power of social media. In a pivotal moment of the book, Iris knocks over a display of laundry detergent in the local big box store. Immediately, everyone thinks it is an attack and nobody will listen to her as she explains what actually happened. From there the news spreads and snowballs, creating a dangerous world for those who don't have bands.

I really enjoyed this book and connected to it a lot, especially the struggle with finding the balance between the different parts of your heritage. I liked Iris' growth as a character, even though it took her most of the book to fully get there. I loved this author's writing style and will read their work in the future. I'll think about this book for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for a review copy.

A well written dystopian novel.A thoughtful look at the place of Mexican Americans in the US,I was totally engaged in the life of Iris as a wall appeared in her yard.questioning her place in society.A book that will keeping you thinking long after you read the last page. #netgalley#avidpress

"Ni de aquí, ni de allá."

This story will stay with me for years to come. There were so many things that were spot on. I absolutely loved the Spanish words that were in the story. Speaking Spanish was such a big issue growing up and even more so in today's society. While this book is dystopian, I feel like we are currently living and experiencing this NOW. The detention centers, oh my heart...This is when I felt for Iris. While I didn't always love Iris, I completely understood where she is coming from.
The narrator, Alejandra Reynoso did a FABULOUS job portraying Iris, and all of the characters. She hooked me in from the beginning and she breathed life into the characters. Outstanding narration.

This is a story that needs to be read/listened to.

A very special thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio, and TLC Book Tours for the complimentary copy.

My Name is Iris was a really interesting dystopian novel. I appreciated the author's take on nationality/citizenship, feeling like an "other" etc. Well done, writing was not too flowery but still beautiful

3.75 Stars

Up until halfway through, I thought My Name is Iris would be a five-star read for me. Per the publisher, it’s a “riveting literary dystopian novel set in a near-future America where mandatory identification wristbands make second-generation immigrants into second-class citizens.” The wristband storyline, though, is secondary to the magical realism element, in which a wall—which somehow seems alive—suddenly appears in Iris’s yard. It quickly becomes apparent that the wall is tied up with themes of race, identity, belonging, and motherhood in an interesting way that, for me, harkened to The School for Good Mothers.

The wall raises a lot of interesting questions that aren’t (or aren’t fully) answered by the conclusion. Add to that the somewhat chaotic ending, where I finally got some of the emotional engagement I’d expected throughout the novel, but it was quite rushed, and I craved more.

To put it simply, I enjoyed a lot about the novel, but I think it’s one of those instances where narrative intentions and results don’t entirely align, at least not from my readerly perspective.

The role of Mexican Americans in the history of the United States is a complicated one, and this book brings that role into the view of many of us. Iris (born Ines) struggles to fit into the "white world" that she dreams of, but the roadblocks put up against her are heavy. The appearance of a wall in front of her property intensifies her struggle as most of her rights are removed. Though provoking writing!

This was pitched as for fans of Exit West and that is spot on. This is more dystopian/less magical realism, but I was drawn in from the first page and never lost interest. While this dystopian felt a little too close to reality, I still highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This novel has potential, but lacks focus. I was really invested based on the cover and description, but I was expecting much more of a dystopian novel based on the description. I actually checked the summary multiple times while reading to make sure I was reading the novel I thought I was reading because the first 10-12% was focused on the divorce of the main character

I'm also fairly sure that the ARC is missing the ending of the novel because it just sort of ends with no context as to what happens. It also has a lot of Spanish with very few context clues and my Spanish is rusty, so I feel like I probably missed a few things, especially things that were more colloquial/slang.

Like I said, this novel has potential. I'm hoping that I received an early version of the ARC since it's been in my backlog for a while and that the final version has some of these issues ironed out because at this point, I need to know what happens to Iris and her family. I'm going to wait to post my review on Instagram until after I can verify if changes have been made to the final version.

When I found out that Brando Skyhorse was publishing a new novel, I was on board right away. I loved his first book, The Madonnas of Echo Park.

This one didn't disappoint. Iris (Ines) is a first generation US citizen- she has her birth certificate, but her parents don't have US birth certificates, as they were born in Mexico. This shouldn't be important. But it is.

As a "Great Idea"- a bracelet that holds everyone's personal information, soon to be required by all citizens of California for all activities, including drivers licensing, banking, even grocery shopping and restaurant seating, comes into being, Iris fully supports it. Until she can't get one.

And she finds herself, a US citizen with a college education, out of a job, with a wall growing in her yard. Suddenly, the woman who had it all has to come to terms with her history and with the history of her home state. And it ain't pretty.

This was well written- honestly, the metaphors were pretty hit-you-over-the-head-obvious, but that's okay. Sometimes that's needed.

The bracelet started out as a good intention- to help find missing children, prevent human trafficking, and have all one's info in one spot (like a cellphone).
But we all know where good intentions lead, especially when we don't think them through.

Therefore, this was a cautionary tale. The negatives: The characters were a bit one-dimensional. Pretty sure this was intentional- the story was about the story and the message, after all.

Thank you to the author Brando Skyhorse, Avid Reader Press and Simon and Schuster, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of MY NAME IS IRIS. Thank you also to Goodreads giveaways for the gifted hadback copy.

This is the story of Iris Prince. She attempts to pull her immigrant family together through their own struggles while resisting racism in their city to varying degrees of intensity, everywhere they go. These repeated experiences of exclusion seem to collect in force and lead up to the ending, which is equal in intensity and opposite in tone and internal logic to this long journey. The ending embraces a surreal form and logic, as if to weird the form of magical realism counter to the very idea and existence of racism.

But before this, the story builds up to this, challenging the logic of the racist story world. First there is the wall in the protagonist's yard, which just shows up out of thin air, grows even though it has no builder, and though it doesn't belong to the protagonist, it still causes her harm. There are also the Bands, compulsory digital watches all US citizens must wear, which are violent and horrible, and again, show up out of the blue and impact the protagonist and other characters close to her in a brief and significant way.

The ending is magical realism at its symbolic finest. It perfectly ties off this braided story about family, racism, and belonging.

Rating: ⌚️⌚️⌚️⌚️ / 5 Bands
Recommend? Yes
Finished: July 17 2023
Format: Advance Digital Copy, NetGalley; Hardback, Goodreads giveaways
Read this if you like:
🦄 Magical realism
🟰 Social justice
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Family stories
🛰 Dystopian
👧🏽 Strong female characters

hank you, TLC tours & Simon & Schuster, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.25

My name is Iris was charged with so much that at moments I felt overwhelmed... but in a good way. This dystopian with a touch of Magical realism story is about our MC Iris Prince, a first-generation Mexican American who has spent her entire life doing what she needs to do (according to her mother) to live up to the American Dream.

Recently divorced, Iris feels she has a second chance at a life she forever dreamed of. Together with her 9-year-old daughter Mel, they move to an upscale mostly white neighborhood where everything just seems right and perfect because her neighbors are people who follow the rules & that is exactly when her "perfect life" starts to crumble.

As soon as she moves into her new home, a magical wall appears in front of their home that only her and her daiughter are able to see. Then a new law goes into effect. All individuals will get an electronic wrist "Band" that will make life more convenient and safer (according to the government UNITY MEANS ONE BAND) To be able to access this bands, you must provide proof of Parents Citizenship. Iris's parents are undocumented making it impossible for them to access this bands, jeopardizing Ines "perfect life & future" and so Your story begins...

This story takes place in the POV of a Mexican American with dark skin. The brown community would easily identify with this take and will feel seen and less alone. Brando Skyhorse did an incredible job at painting the harsh reality for many in the USA, this story was packed with Gender pay inequality, Racism, Classism, Colorism, Crime against Mexicans, Systematic & Institutional racism, Immigration, identity crisis... I mean, this book had it all in one.

I feel that this story may not resonate with many and that's totally OK, this story is for those who feel alone, hopeless and unsafe in a place where they shouldn't. I LOVED the use of Spanglish and Spanish within the story. I felt more connected with the characters and gave it that *authentic* touch it needed. Loved the Mexican-Spanish dialogue/slang between the families and friends, It had me LOL at some points.
(IRIS PRINCE: EVEN I KNEW NOTHING BROUGHT OUT A WHITE PERSON'S INSECURITY MORE THAN A SIMPLE CONVERSATION IN A LANGUAGE THEY CHOSE NOT TO LEARN IN HIGHSCHOOL)

Another thing I loved about this story is how the author was able to touch on a taboo topic that cloud the Latino community and that is -How divided we are; how harsh/racist we could be with one another and how this is not talked about and it's completely excusable and pulled under the rug as long as it fits your own narrative.

This novel is a reflection of the reality POC are currently living under. This is a love letter to finding who you truly are and loving the shit out of you for it. This is about Family and what matters most because at the end of the day We are where We came from and we shouldn't have to be ashamed or discriminated for it.

Iris is recently divorced and moved into a new house where a mysterious wall appears on her front lawn. Meanwhile, a new law is making it increasingly more difficult to function without have a "band" issued by the government requiring proof of parents' birth in the United States.

I couldn't continue with this. The weird descriptions of the female orgasm (is this author gay? He just came across as having no awareness of or respect for this subject on which he was speaking). Coupled with the overwhelmingly negative portrayal of childbirth (again, it just comes across as ignorant and disrespectful of the female body). Really grating and I can't continue to read this content or promote it to my audience, 90% of whom are female.

My Name is Iris is a beautifully written novel. There is social commentary, but it doesn't bombard the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.