Dnf—the whole not using quotes thing threw me way off. But nevertheless, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted arc.

Oye is a hilarious story of a Columbian American family evacuating Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irma. There's Luciana, the youngest, who is in high school;Mari, her sister the college student; their mom Elena, and their grandmother Abue.What's unique about this book is the entire book is a phone conversation between Luciana and Mari. There are italicized sections that discern that one of them is talking to someone else at times, so sometimes it's hard to get the gist of what's going on but you eventually figure it out and roll with it. 
The girls talk about boys, their problems, how Luciana resents that Mari is away at college and doesn't have to deal with Mom and grandma, and how they are going to convince Abue to evacuate. You see, Abue is not going anywhere. There are some really funny exchanges between the grandmother and Elena, such as "Elena? Hello? You need to get here. There are a bunch of men in the same outfit in my lobby. Tell them I don't want whatever they're selling. --That's the National Guard, Mom, open the door".As they finally decide to drive to a cousin's house inland, Luciana becomes closer to Abue and finds out some of her secrets, after a health crisis is revealed. This book touches on many themes: politics in Florida, the curtailing of gay rights, mother daughter relationships, and family trauma. The author does all of this very well through the voices of her main characters Luciana and Mari. However, its Abue you'll be rooting for throughout this book as her difficult backstory is revealed. Once you get past the unique format of this book, it's a fun ride. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Mogollon does next.

This book was HYSTERICAL. I had a hard time putting it down. The book is written from the perspective of Luciana, a soon to be graduating senior who is struggling to accept her own identity, while she is on the phone with her sister Mari. You really only see Luciana’s (or Nana’s as she is called) perspective and have to assume how her sister is responding based on the conversation. The main focus of their conversation is on their family matriarch or abuela- Abue and her ailing health. Abue is an absolute RIOT; she’s such a funny, strong, lovable character with a lot of complexity to her life story.

This is a book about family, culture, and connections that will have you emotional- both with laughter and tears. Highly recommend.

My rating for this book was 4 out of 5 stars.

Through phone calls Luciana gives her older sister Mari updates about what's been going on with the family. It starts with not being able to get their grandmother out of her apartment with the incoming hurricane to her mother choosing to see it as a family vacation. Soon Abuela moves in and the crazy stories start. Luciana becomes her grandmother's caretaker as she tries to finish high school and wonders if it's time to come out to her.

I loved that each chapter title is a common idiom among Latine families. The flow of the novel is hard to grasp at the beginning but once I understood it was told through phone conversations, it was smooth sailing.

This book tells a complete, fulfilling, well-rounded story, which is particularly impressive because it consists entirely of dialogue (which is mostly, but not always, one-sided). Luciana's voice is engaging and makes her story feel immersive and compelling. Her journey was a satisfying one to follow. Having dates or timestamps at the beginning of each chapter would have made the timeline clearer regarding how much time is passing. Although this is Luciana's story, I did want to know more about what was happening with one other character specifically--I was hoping for an in-person conversation between the two at the end of the book, but I understand limiting the chapters to phone calls only. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a story about someone learning to stand up for themselves when everything in their life is in upheaval.

DNF. I really wanted to like this and it seemed right up my reading alley when I was invited to review it by Random House. However, the format was a great idea but the interjections of other conversations made it hard to concentrate.

It took me a while to get used to the non-traditional format and style, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I love generational stories about strong women, their struggles, growth and triumphs, and this one fits the bill.

High school senior Luciana shares drama, fears and concerns about family members in one-sided phone conversations with her sister Mari who is away at college. Luciana misses Mari terribly and accuses her of being self-centered without seeing that she is centering herself throughout the first part of the story, in exactly the same way as her sister.

Everyone is nuts - in a nice way. Loud, opinionated, sometimes angry, goofy…and hilarious. They are all lovable characters, doing their best to survive and thrive despite generational trauma. Dark family secrets are starting to leak out, bit by bit, and Luciana is trying to figure out how she fits into her family’s story and how she fits into her own life.

Abue…the girl’s grandmother, is the central figure in Luciana’s life. While Luciana and Abue are very, very close, Luciana has a love/hate relationship with her controlling mother, and while she misses her sister, she resents her for leaving and feels abandoned by her.

Through all the drama, trials and tribulations she is experiencing, Luciana learns to love herself. She finds her voice and strengths and grows into herself.

In the end, this story is about love.

*The four star rating is because I'm not a fan of the one-sided phone conversation format. The story was great, though!

Thank you to Melissa Mogollon for a great story. Keep telling your stories and sharing them. Thank you to Penguin RandomHouse, and NetGalley for letting me read the ARC and share my first NetGalley review also shared on Goodreads and Facebook

I found the structure of this book very difficult to navigate. The promise of a good story is there but the delivery makes it very difficult to,find.

Hey! Oye! Oh, that’s Melissa Mogollon’s debut novel. Oye. It is unlike any novel I’ve ever read. Yes, I’m talking about its structure, which is without a doubt, unorthodox. It’s basically a series of one-sided phone conversations between teenage Luciana and her older sister Mari. There are other voices, too, which are set apart by italics. I found this quite confusing much of the time, as it was often difficult to discern who was speaking.

Oye is described as “a coming-of-age comedy.” Initially, as Luciana and her mom prepare to evacuate because of the hurricane that is bearing down on Florida and Abue (from abuela: grandmother) refusing to leave her home, I found little humor. The first time I laughed out loud was when Luciana is on the phone to Mari from the road and refers to the governor, Rick Scott, as Voldemort, the uber-villain from the Harry Potter series! “Dude! “Luciana says that a lot.

Her mother wants her to make something of her life, to have adventures. Luciana just wants to go back home once the danger has passed. Mom wants to go sightseeing. Eventually, they do return, and what they find is not good. Abue is facing a major health crisis.

As the story evolves, we learn much about Abue’s past. She endured much as a young girl and as a wife and mother. Now, as she faces a life-threatening illness, her daughter and granddaughter struggle to understand why she focuses only on her hair and makeup. When her daughter arranges to have Abue’s sister, Luisa, come to help care for her, Abue raises Santo infierno – holy hell. In time, Luciana learns the entire story from Luisa and from Abue herself. It’s almost unbelievable, but it explains much about why Abue is the way she is, how she feels about her family, and how she is dealing with her impending death.

Luciana, too, has family issues. She has come out as a lesbian, and her mother avoids the issue. She doesn’t tell her grandmother, thinking she has enough on her plate. She and her sister have been close, but now that Mari is busy with college, she feels that Mari does not have time for her. She’s busy dating frat guys, going to parties, and traveling with her friends. Luciana lashes out. She pouts. She gives her the silent treatment, avoiding her phone calls for days and weeks at a time. She misses her sister and doesn't understand why she won't come see her and Abue. To her credit, however, the younger girl becomes even closer to her grandmother and spends a good deal of time getting to know her better and advocating for her.

Initially, I didn’t think I would like this story as well as I did. The format was cumbersome – it would do well as an audiobook with a good reader or multiple readers or as a stage production. The conversations ramble at times. However, there is a good deal of substance as well with universal themes and conflicts. The family issues go back to the time of Abue’s ancestors. Personal identity, health-wellness-death and dying. Religion. I loved the Spanish titles for each chapter. I’m glad I gave this book a chance.

Muy bien. 3-1/2 estrellas redondeadas. 3-1/2 stars rounded up.

I received a digital copy of Oye in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Melissa Mogollon.

So real, funny, and heart wrenching.

It took me a couple chapters to get used to the one-sided conversation confessional former but it actually really helped me understand Luciana, the family relationships, and what kinds of gals creep up from not knowing the whole picture by being told from one perspective.

It can be difficult to make fiction and tragedies like these carry the appropriate weight and mundanity and reality while still
maintaining the gravity and sometimes off-the-wall dramatic coincidences, but Mogollon does it. I felt attached to this dysfunctional
family. I also felt that despite things like cancer or abusive childhoods being able to happen to anyone, this story tells a uniquely Hispanic, Colombian, if at times purposefully and skillfully exaggerated version.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oye is a "coming-of-age comedy" staring Luciana, the youngest sibling in a large Colombian family. Luciana has never had to take a leading role in her family, until now she has been able to get away with anything. She never had to take responsibility for anything or anyone but herself. With her older sister away, the responsibility of the family falls on her. She's now having to step up into a role that she was never prepared to take in the family mostly trying to take on the role of caretaker to Abue, the family matriarch.

Oye was a good book, but for me the reason why this doesn't get a higher rating is because of the way it is written. I think the idea is that you feel like you are sitting in the room with Luciana and can hear everything that she is saying on her side of the phone but it is all kind of mixed together at times can be difficult to follow. I did love the descriptions of the characters, especially Abue. I think everyone's personality really comes through in the writing. Overall, a good book if you can get used to the style of storytelling.

4 stars

This is a tried-and-true motif but in a completely original feeling format, and any incoming qualms I had about that format - a series of phone calls - were instantly eliminated by remarkable character development and unwavering investment. I was engaged with this read throughout.

Luciana, the m.c., is the one whose calls readers observe throughout the novel. These calls are consistently placed to Luciana's older sister, Mari, who has somewhat recently gone off to college. At home, Luciana is finding her way. She's trying to grapple with household life minus her older sister, navigate her queer identity in a household that is not entirely enthusiastic about this fact, and manage family-related challenges, including but not limited to Abue's health and a variety of wild family secrets.

Luciana has such a clear voice, and this is obviously especially important for a character readers access in only this unusual way. Her life circumstances are extremely relatable, and her sense of isolation in that space will also be an easy point of connection for many readers. The relationship between the sisters comes through in such a powerful way. Because the conversations are one-sided, the spaces, the specific listener's interpretation, and the educated guesses on the readers' parts are all fundamental to understanding how much the characters struggle but also fundamentally love each other.

As much as I love Luciana, it's Abue who becomes the scene stealer in many ways. Interestingly, that's still a testament to Mogollon's characterization of Luciana since Luciana's recounting of Abue's reactions, stories, and beliefs are the way readers access this character, too.

I enjoyed so much about this book, and I wanted more of it. I can't wait to see what this author does next, and I will absolutely recommend this one to folks who enjoy a good coming of age tale (and maybe would like to see that outside of YA), readers who enjoy engaging with family dynamics (particularly but not exclusively between sisters), and those who are interested in some great play with form.

This is a very unconventional novel that grows on you. I received an invitation from Hogarth publishers and Netgalley to check out the DRC. And so I began reading it and initially I was like, “what is this, what’s going on?”

But I started falling into the groove and became very invested, involved, and interested. Basically this story unfolds over the phone. Luciana is calling her sister Mari, who is away at school, and keeping her informed on what’s going on with her, their mother and grandmother.

The calls are interpreted from Luciana’s perspective, so you don’t get dialogue, just Luciana’s voice that keeps her sister updated on all that is going on. The way the novel progresses in this way is quite comedic and increasingly engaging. I couldn’t stop reading, especially after the Grandmother took sick, and her back story began to fill in, the tone of the novel takes a turn towards sadness but ends on a somewhat satisfying note. Thanks to Netgalley and Hogarth/Random House for an advanced DRC.

A decent book but not for me. The plot lacked a few key elements to keep me fully immersed in this book.

The style of how the story is told in this book is quite unique...a series of phone conversations. If you liked hiding and eavesdropping on families phone calls then this book may be right up your alley.

I enjoyed it and can't wait to recommend it to my bookclub!

It touches on A LOT of topics and I found it to be a great story!

I really liked the storyline, but the style of the entire book being a one sided phone conversation didn't work for me. I found it harder to follow and the flow was really clunky.

Oye was a book that I could not get into. I had trouble following the conversation as to exactly who was who and what was going on. Very hard to follow a one sided conversation. This was just not my type of book to read.

As hurricane Irma was ready to hit Florida everyone was told yo evacuate As this family leaving phone messages and texting the youngest daughter and mother were leaving for safer places keeping others up on their progress . They find that the grandmother would not leave her apartment. All worried about her. Luciana kept the calls and texts going. Lots of alls and texts sent and received till the danger was over and they found the grandmother very ill. Luciana stayed with Abur tending to her and still keeping the others updated by phone and texts. Abue ,the grandmother never recovered as the story goes, she decided how she wanted the end to be . Lots of repeat messages and phone calls!

Oye!

This was fun. A bit challenging at first when it comes to the narrative style. But, once I got the hang of it, it was immersive. Even familiar.

Stylistically this was a riot, and story line overall was a winner. Not my go to genre but as a Latina, and fellow chismosa, this was escándalo!

This book was a beautifully written story following Luciana (Nana) during her senior year of high school as she navigates family dynamics and balancing all the secrets (whether hers or those of her family).

The entire story is told as phone conversations with her sister (Mari) but we only get Nana’s side of the convos. It took a second to find my footing but once I did, we were off!

Luciana is written so beautifully. I found myself emotional at times and laughing out loud (literally) during others. Mogollon perfectly navigates the emotions that come with all that Nana is going through.

I couldn’t put this book down and I was so sad to have it end.

Looking forward to more from this author!!