⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can not express how amazing this book is! I'm so glad I got approved on @netgalley for the audiobook! The story itself is so clever! I absolutely loved Olga Dies Dreaming, but this one... just wow! I appreciate @xochitltheg and her ability to weave in different perspectives and story lines, and this is probably why I loved this so much! Let me start by saying all the characters were great, even the ones I disliked...they served a purpose! We meet Anita & Jack...what a duo! Tumultuous, passionate, yet toxic?! Then we meet Raquel and Nick, who in the long run correct some wrongs and grow from the past. However, Anita is by far my favorite! I don't know if it's because @thecrusher007 narrated her part perfectly, but she made transmitted all of Anita's emotions.
Next...the inclusion of Anita's culture and how it not only influences her life but that of Raquel was brilliant! Then, of course, the introduction of Santeria was so clever and made the story take an interesting turn! So as not to give too much away, let me just say, pre-order, request it, buy it because this one is one that I will reread!

Well Anita certainly did have the last laugh. This story is told from two POVs Anita de Monte, a Cuban American artist on the rise, and Raquel, a third year art student. The story goes back and forth from 1985 and 1998 and their stories end up tying together beautifully.

It took me a while to fully get into this book, but once I was in, I was hooked. I love the way Xóchitl González uses her voice to tell the stories of strong powerful women of color. If you haven’t read her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, add it to your TBR immediately.

Huge thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the free audiobook! Make sure to check out this book on March 5!

It took me awhile to get into this story but I am happy I finished. First off the voice acting was marvelous and I attribute finishing the story because of the narrators. I thought this book was just going to be a drama fueled back and forth, which is sort of is, but it offers a whole lot more and covers experiences that need to be read. Thank you Xochitil Gonzalez for bringing Cuban art into current literature. I never heard of Ana Mendieta and I am inspired by her and riddled with sadness by her early death, completely senseless.

This story is about Anita de Monte, based off of real life Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, her art career and the end of her life. Jumping narratives to 1990's we meet Raquel, an academic student pursuing a thesis in art history. Through back and forth story-telling eventually the storylines overlap in such an unexacting way and I totally loved it. I don't want to spoil any more.

I would recommend this title to adult readers (18-27) who don't mind a bit of romance, like a little drama, and magical realism.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for providing us readers/listeners with this title.

Xochitl Gonzalez writes another novel of deep, developed, and passionate female characters in this dual timeline with two narrators, female artists, who struggle against the privilege to rise in the artistry world whose lives seemed to follow the same path.

I enjoyed both female characters as they were developed as their own personality, Anita a fiery and more intense personality and Raquel more logical and practical so both narrations had strength. At times, the audio version flared dramatically very quickly leaving me lost at how things escalated so fast and left me wondering if I would have interpreted it the same way if I had read it myself.

It did take me a little more time to get into this one, picks up a lot about 65% of the way in, but I enjoy Xochitl’s storytelling. If you liked her previous writings, pick this one up too.

“ 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯”

This is my kind of book. Unhinged woman, f@ck the patriarchy, deep dives into sexism, gender roles, all against the backdrop of the art world.

Two women’s stories told in two different timelines converge not only in unlikely parallels but through the world of art. Gonzalez writes an interesting and provocative second novel that had me in her grips.

This story looks at the correlation between art and women of color, how institutions have suppressed women’s artwork, especially those of minority. Anita’s story is set in the 80’s, she is an artist married to another artist, but she lives in his shadow, and he wants her to stay there. Raquel in the present is doing her thesis on Anitas husband, yet to discover Anita’s presence in his twisted story. Through these dual time lines we see how very little progress has been made, how much has been suppressed and how we need to and can alter this conversation.

Gonzalez doesn’t hold back, there is anger and bitterness, karmic retribution, and beauty bursting in these pages, in these words. Sharp and engaging written with deft precision, Gonzalez is absolutely my new auto buy author.

The audio narration on this is superb, sublime, it’s theatrical and engrossing, all three narrators brought this story to life the way it deserves.

I had absolutely loved Olga Dies Dreaming and Xochitl Gonzalez's writing so this was a highly anticipated read for me. I am absolutely amazed by how fantastic this was. Gonzalez made me laugh out loud and had me feeling really angry multiple times.
Thehe audiobook, the audiobook is just something else. The narration by Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg and Stacy Gonzalez is ABSOLUTELY amazing. This one was so much more than someone reading a book out loud. These people were living all the emotions of the book. I definitely recommend picking this up as an audiobook!
I am so thankful to Macmillan Audio for letting me experience this book on audio!

I listened to the audio version of this book (which included a whole lot of screaming) narrated by Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg and Stacy Gonzalez. The narration was rich with the accents of Cuba and Puerto Rico.

I really don't know what to think about this book. It is a dual timeline and multiple characters narrate. It goes from 1985 to Anita and her husband, to 1998 to Raquel who runs across Anita de Monte's name when researching for her thesis. I was hanging in there until about mid-way through when there is the death of Anita de Monte. The end of Anita, right? Apparently not. The form in which she returns to the story was very confusing.

It is a great story exploring the exploitation and invisibility of artists who belong to different cultures, and especially women of different cultures. It's a lesson that should be explored and not forgotten. The lesson Raquel learned about how the world viewed her and how wrong she was to stay with a man who disrespected her so much is vital. There's a lot of things of import pointed out in the story. Go Anita! Go Raquel!

Triggers are physical violence, verbal abuse and racial inequalities.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

WHEWW CHILE! I am still thinking about this book days later, unable to fully describe how I feel about it, but here goes...

Method: audiobook
Rating: 5+ ⭐
Narration: 5⭐
Diversity: YES

If you want a book that makes you FEEL, this book is for you. This book is frustratingly REAL, provocative, and having you go through all the emotions! Reading this book is like watching a car accident (before, during, and after), wanting to look/walk away because it's devastating but you can't because you just have to know what happens.

I think almost every woman has dated a man like Jack/Nick, which is sad. A man who's attracted to powerful, passionate women, but their insecurities take over. This book has dual timelines from the '80s, following Anita de Monte and Jack. Also in the late '90s, Raquel, an art history student at a prestigious university, who's life starts to mirror that of Anita's. There are three points of view, switching between Anita, Jack, and Raquel. Whoever voiced Anita's character NEEDS AN AWARD. She had me oscillate between love, hate, and empathy for Anita. The writing is superb. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. The narration was beautiful.

I absolutely loved the strong female main characters, especially Anita. I listened to an advanced listeners copy of this book and could not speed this one up without feeling anxious- the voice of Anita and the voice of Jack are always high energy and loud. However, It was the perfect team for the couple they represented. I loved these overlapping stories and enjoyed the setting being in the art and academic worlds. I have already recommended this book to several people. This is one of my favorite authors and this book met and exceeded all of my expectations.

Trigger warning: It is good to know that there is very strong language throughout the book.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release date: March 5, 2024

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect going into this book, but I loved it. Absolutely loved it. It's one of those "I support women's rights and their wrongs" kinda books. The only reason this lost a star for me was because it took about 20% of the book to really draw me in, but once it did I was there.

🎧 Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez 🎧

Thanks Netgalley, MacMillan Audio and Flatiron Books for this advance audiobook.

I really loved this one! From the first few minutes I was totally hooked, in large part due to the incredible narration by Jessica Pimentel as Anita.

This story plays out in dual timelines in the art world - one in the 80s with Cuban artist Anita de Monte and her struggles to be recognized as an artist in her own right, and the latter one in 1998 with Raquel, a Puerto Rican art history student at a mostly white Ivy league school, who is also struggling to deal with the privileged, white male-centric art world she is immersed in. When Raquel learns about Anita's death and realizes the repercussions it had in her own life, she starts to see a lot of things differently.

The art world, classism, racism, feminism, mixed in with a college coming of age story, all with a dash of a rage-filled ghost, made for a very unputdownable book for me. The writing conveys so much emotion and pulled me in to the story. I was rooting for Raquel and shaking my head at some of her decisions along the way, but then remembering that she was just a person coming into her own self in her early 20s.

I definitely recommend this book - the pub date is March 5!

Really raw and beautiful work by such a talented author. Gonzalez's writing is like no other. The audiobook was great as well.

A much bolder and darker novel from the author's earlier Olga Dies Dreaming. A difficult read but hits with both barrels and very well done. I did not care for the narrator.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a powerful story that's even better in audiobook form! This story details the life of artist Anita de Monte and the various sordid characters in her life who manipulate and exploit her voice and art, paralleled with upcoming Ivy League young artist Raquel. It is a well-told story that examines race, society, and gender norms, while we as readers are taken on a wild roller coaster of love interests, parties, and art gala affairs. I highly recommend!

I loved the author's previous book, "Olga Dies Dreaming," and was eager to get my hands on this book by the same author. This novel takes place in different time periods with two main characters who are not related but are both artists.

I enjoyed the story and was interested to learn that it is inspired by the life of Ana Mendieta, who died tragically in 1985, the same as the main character in the novel. This is not a spoiler since it is revealed in the publisher's description.

The book was emotionally intense, and the author did a great job portraying the relationship dynamics and works of the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and highly recommend it.

Enamored with Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, I was thrilled to receive an audio ARC of her second book, Anita de Monte Laughs Last. Filled with believable, realistic, sassy dialogue and smartly designed characters, this novel captured my attention from the get go.

Anita de Monte, a talented, beautiful and articulate artist of Cuban descent marries Jack Martin, an older white artist, with a high standing in the art community. All is well until Anita’s work begins to be noticed and gains momentum. Her career takes off while jack’s stagnates, turning him into a frustrated emotionally and physically abusive husband who is determined to dominate both his wife and the art world. When Anita dies under questionable circumstances, Jack returns to his stellar reputation and thrives as an artist.

Years later in an Ivy League university, Raquel, finds herself studying art history and digging up forgotten and unknown information about Anita. Her relationship with rich, almost aristocratic, Nick, mirrors much of Anita’s story. When Anita’s ghost appears to help Raquel right past wrongs the book spins off to an often amusing but essentially serious direction that tackles some very deep rooted social issues. Is the art world a domain where men dominate ? Should the world be a place where men dominate? Why are physical and emotional abuse tolerated, even expected by women? How can minorities, specifically Latinas, navigate a class system dominated by wealthy upper echelon Caucasians?

Filled with memorable characters and enormous passion, this is a book that is hard to put down, The author has a lot to say about society and fills her protagonists with intense opinions and feelings. As Raquel uncovers buried secrets, she develops into a more confident and capable woman. The ghost of Anita cheers her on and helps her along until the story ends right where it should.

Told in three voices, the threads of each of three narrators are interspersed with their three points of view The audio version is not simply read, but is dramatized, sometimes a little too loudly and a little over the top for my preference. Yet the moods were contagious. This story is historical fiction and is based on the life of Ana Mendieta, who I am now motivated to research. It is a bit of a murder mystery as well. The supernatural slant is not one I usually enjoy but was perfect for this plot. 4 1/2 stars rounded to 5 for a book I strongly recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for selecting me to receive an advance readers copy. Publication date is March 5, 2024.

This is an incredibly smart and thoughtful book that touches on areas of race, gender, and class. It packs a punch, but is softened somewhat by other themes that exist throughout the novel, including love and art. Additionally, ANITE DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST executes one of my very favorite literary tools, which is alternating timelines/POVS. In this case, we read from Anita and Raquel, and each are equally thought-provoking, mysterious, and interesting.

ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST did a great job of balancing humor and tragedy, moments of lighthearted fun with heavy topics that have the potential to take the wind out of you. I don't know how Gonzalez pulls it off.

4 stars!

Will any reader ever look at little mice the same way again? Gifts from our guardians rather than pesky rodents.

Raquel and Anita's stories weave from the 70s to the late 90s. Each woman claiming space and extricating themselves from unhealthy romances.

The author, Raquel, and Anita each reach back into history and bring forward a past that is purposefully neglected and then buried. Anita reaches back into her ancestral land and builds a connection that is elemental. Raquel reaches back and unburies Anita's story. And X. Gonzalez pulls Ana Mendieta out of the archives of history.

Where women of color are pushed to the margins, Gonzalez centers Anita and Raquel's stories. Their value, talent, passion, and energy deserve to be amplified.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last is an excellently rendered novel, ghost story, and scathing commentary on the art world. Xochitl Gonzalez looks at the erasure of the artist and how art can be silenced and forgotten. It is mystical and beautiful.

Vacillating between the dead Anita and all she carries with her from 1985 and beyond, and the living Raquel in 1998. Raquel’s story unfolds in art school. Studying the more famous and still living husband of Anita. In these sections, comparisons to Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou can be made. The art school, the gatekeeping, the standard of upholding white artists. Raquel begins a relationship with a wealthy white artist and she begins her own erasure to fit into the world she’s strived to be accepted in.

The look at Anita’s work and the description of the pieces is beautiful and striking. I love books with art at the center. It’s a skill to make pieces come alive through words alone. To create masterpieces, fictional or otherwise, blossom in the brains of your readers.

Readers may or may not know of Ana Mendieta and Carl Andre. I wouldn’t have known of the real-life comparisons to Anita had I not read Clair Dederer’s Monster and her chapter and Carl and Ana. Viewing the book through this lens adds weight to the novel and its message.

I loved this book and immediately read Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Gonzalez is an author I am late to the party on but I will be reading everything she writes next.

Thank you, Macmillan and Netgalley, for the advanced audiobook.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last should me a must listen for all audiobooks readers. The story follows two women navigating the art world and it's culture of white supremacy. The perspective of Anita felt like getting the flipside of Yellowface and was perfectly snarky, direct, and honest. Raquel brought a reflective and vulnerable voice into the conversation. And when their paths collide - this book takes off.

I am grateful to have been granted access to an audiobook ARC from #NetGalley and Macmillain Audio. There are three narrators on this books, and they bring this complicated story together perfectly. I could not more highly recommend this!