Oye by Melissa Mogollón is a vibrant and evocative exploration of culture, identity, and love, with a refreshing narrative that pulls you in from the first page. The author’s rich storytelling and authentic voice make it a truly engaging and thought-provoking read.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I really liked this family drama that is written in the most unique way! I didn't know what to expect going into it, but the narrative style was really cool and I've never read anything like that before! Luciana is the younger daughter in a Columbian American family. She becomes the voice of reason when her sister Mari leaves for college, her mother getting ready to evacuate the family due to a hurricane, and her grandmother, Abue, refusing to leave. When Abue becomes sick, Luciana must continue to help her family while dealing with their eccentricities. This entire book is told through phone calls Luciana makes to Mari. While we never hear Mari's side of the phone calls, Luciana paints a picture of what is going on with the family while airing out her own concerns and frustrations. I really liked Luciana as the main protagonist. I really liked her coming of age story and I loved that all of her emotions came across so as the reader I felt all of them. Abue is the most eccentric character, and I loved that through her, we get to learn the family history.

The structure of the novel really blew me away. I truly have never read anything like this before and this books lends itself to a fantastic audio narration. The audiobook was so fun to listen to and the production was done so well. There were times when I laughed and times when I teared up. This was truly a fantastic read and I would highly highly recommend the book, especially the audio!

Oye, Melissa Mogollon's debut novel, is a humorous exploration of identity and family dynamics through the eyes of 18-year-old Luciana, who navigates young adulthood while caring for her sick grandmother. Oye is a tender coming-of-age tale.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

While I certainly enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book that were new to me, the “Oye” story itself wasn’t that memorable to me. The importance of family and community I could appreciate, but the plot left me wanting for more. 3 stars ⭐️ for this one. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

Oye is a coming-of-age story rooted in Latinidad, finding yourself and navigating family problems and drama. Luciana is the story's narrator, set up as one-sided phone calls to her sister, who recently left for college. Feeling neglected as the only child remaining at home, she complains about her struggles with her mother accepting he illnesses, her grandmother's illness, her struggle with her sexuality, and so much more. The storytelling is set up captivatingly and evokes a feeling of nostalgia at certain points.

This is a creative way to tell a messy family history. The main character, Luciana keeps her sister away at college informed of the family happenings. The reader is privy to the conversations but never really gets the sister’s responses. One of the major family events is the grandmother’s illness and how the family dynamics play out from the illness.

Luciana is in high school so the reader gets to see her thoughts about high school, family, and sexuality. This is a multi-layered book.

I simultaneously read and listened to the book. Elena Ray narrates the audiobook skillfully.

I was sent an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, Penguin Random House.

I so wanted to love this book, but each time I try it just didn’t work for me. I will continue to look forward to reading other titles by Mogollon.

Oye is a coming of age novel written in conversations with the main characters mom, sister, and grandmother. It is sometimes hard to follow who she is talking to, but Luciana is a great character who learns to love who she is and be more accepting of herself.

3.75 for me. I really enjoyed this one. it’s written in a series of one sided phone calls from one sister to another as she deals with life, and her grandmother falling ill. It’s about love and the possibility of loss.

The format of this book is so brilliant. It is basically told as phone conversations but we only get one side pf the call. It makes for a story setting where we deeply empathize with our main character, Luciana. As an eldest daughter and child of immigrants, I felt that this book spoke to an unhealed part of me and felt like a soothing balm. Truly an inspiring read from beginning to end and I can’t believe it’s a debut. Hopefully we get to get more from this author. I can’t wait for her next book.

Book 27 of 2024 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Hogarth and Melissa Mogollon for an ARC of Oye, by Melissa Mogollo, in exchange for my honest review.

Oye by Melissa Mogollon had been on my list for a minute. Our protagonist, Luciana Domínguez, is a Colombian-American teenager living in Florida. The reader learns of her and her family’s story through listening to her side of phone conversations with her sister, Mari.

While I enjoyed the concept at the beginning and the end, and you could definitely track Luciana’s growth and maturity as one can in good coming-of-age stories, the middle could have been pared down a bit in my opinion. I think most people remember being teenagers, and the big feelings that come with going through puberty. While things are sometimes dark, there’s also the flip side - things and events that are great, and I would have liked it if that had sprinkled in a bit more throughout the book, for Luciana.

As a Latina, I love reading books written by Latinas with Latina leads. Representation is strong here: this might be the first book I’ve read with a Colombian-American protagonist, who’s also a Lesbian.

3/5 ⭐️ - I’d love to read more of Mogollon’s books - especially as she uses different methods to tell stories. 🇨🇴 📞👵🏼 #NetGalley #Oye

Thank you Hogarth for a copy of Oye!

“Yes, hi, Mari. It’s me. I’m over my tantrum now and calling you back . . . But first—you have to promise that you won’t tell Mom or Abue any of this. Okay? They’ll set the house on fire if they find out . . .”

Oye is unique - structured as one-sided phone calls! Unfortunately, my brain had a hard time adapting to the unique format, so I had to DNF at about 30%. I hope to pick this up again one day, but on audio!

I wanted to give this five stars. I just felt it was missing conversations in context. A lot of the conversations that are one-sided. As a Latina, I do feel seen and heard. The story was very relatable. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

A young woman reckons with her unpredictable family. It was perfect on audio, given that the entoire story takes place in one-way phone calls. This is a family story, one of a large Columbian-American clan and one of natural disasters and aging and loss. It's a coming of age and a coming out story as well.

I'm not sure how to describe the format for this. This entire book consists of our FMC Luisa having one sided phone calls with her older sister who is away at college.

It starts with the evacuation for Hurricane Irma and goes from there. Through these phone calls Lusia cycles through her emotions and fills her big sister on the declining health of their grandma, the arrival of visitors, the frustration of being left alone to deal with their mom, her hesitance of being openly gay, and so much more.

Readers will be taken through generations of strength, struggle, and dreams of the women in their family.
From the orphaned Great Grandmother born in Columbia, to abuse their grandmother suffered as a young child that helped shape her into the dramatic, beauty obsessed, fiesty woman she is today, to the immigration of their mother and eventually we see the sisters who have opportunities unlike the former generations.

Big sister is an overachiever living the American Dream. And then we have Luisa. Who as a high school senior has finally decided that maybe she should try to graduate.

This read like a Telenovela. The mix of Spanish and English instantly had me in a choke hold and thinking of my own Grandmother and Aunt and the different interactions I had with them growing up.

The family secrets are scandalous, dark, and sad. But the women in this family are resilient.

I empathized with Luisa's frustration of being a translator and mediator. How at only 17 she had to accept the fact that her grandmother was drying and refusing treatment. I understood how scared she was and the anger she felt of having to endure this alone.

But as a mother and a woman who came from generations of reliant woman who have taught me not to cry over what I can't control; I understood the big sister's choices.

I really liked this story. It gave me all the feels and made me wish I could hear the voice of my grandma and aunt one last time.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND, ESPECIALLY ON AUDIO

3.5 stars

The cover is breathtaking! I love it. The format of this book took me a minute to get into, as it is a one-sided convo between sisters. I alternated between audio and print for this book, and the audio helped me understand who was talking and when. The print version often used italics when others were speaking, though also when MC Luciana "Nana" was speaking. So it was all a little confusing. Once I understood the voices, I found them very compelling and grew to love Abue.

At its core, this was a really touching story about knowing you are about to lose a loved one. But it also incorporated teenage angst, sibling rivalry and difficult families. It also had a good dose of humor. I enjoyed the snippets of Spanish throughout. This was an enjoyable read/listen, though hard to follow at times.

The writing style of this book is so unique and unlikely any other book that I have read. Luciana is an 18yo girl who tells a story through talking to her sister on the phone. We only hear her side of the conversation. It covers topics like hurricanes, Rick Scott, cancer. It is a coming of age tale told in a really creative way.

What a unique book! This book is told through one way phone calls between sisters as their grandmother goes through cancer treatments. I thought the characters were very believable and the writing was touching! Definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was hard to get into it's a different format but once you get used to it it's very good - love having books about a Columbian family! - it's a sweet coming of age story I love grandma most of all- pick it up for a good wholesome read!