I seem to be in the minority on this one. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I never connected with the narrators. I found the delivery to be whiny and kind of annoying. I may try picking this one back up as a physical book in the future to see if I respond differently. This was a dual timeline set in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s following Anita de Monte, a Cuban artist that is married to a while artist and set in the 1990’s following a student, Raquel, who discovers the work and life of Anita de Monte. A lot of people really enjoyed reading this one. It felt odd that there was no acknowledgement to the artist, Ana Mendienta, that this was clearly about based on the detailed facts throughout the story.

After loving Olga Dies Dreaming, I was excited to read Gonzalez's next novel, and this didn't disappoint. The book switches perspectives between two strong, complex Latina women, Anita - a Cuban-American artist living in 1980s NYC, and Raquel - an Ivy League student of Puerto Rican descent, from NYC, and experiencing real culture shock and outsider status at her school, where her lower economic status and skin color make her feel other. Gonzalez is excellent at depicting scenes of microaggressions and none of the characters felt like stereotypes to me - even Nick, the wealthy, outwardly successful white boyfriend - while so many of his actions and statements made me cringe, it's only as a reader that I get the privilege of saying "Run away, Raquel!!" Because we all have friends who have dated people who were wrong for them, and it's hard when you're in the relationship to see the warning signs. I appreciated how the relationship was depicted, even if it made me angry on Raquel's behalf.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for a smart novel about identity, coming of age, and female empowerment. The audiobook was also perfectly performed - I LOVED the performances.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Dear Anita de Monte Laughs Last,
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed you! I was expecting to enjoy your characters, but you had a lot of other things that I loved about you! The supernatural element and the three different narrators were definitely the highlight of your story for me. Not only having three different people narrating the characters, but each section really captured the distinct voices of each of them, giving them depth. While it is difficult to think of a book that happened while I was alive as historical fiction, you did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the mid-80's and late 90's so perfectly. Anita and Raquel were beautifully balanced counterparts and I enjoyed seeing how one woman's decisions influenced the others. Mesmerizing and poignant.

When an artist dies, who gets to tell their story? 

This question is not new. Really, who gets to tell the "correct" version of any story or history for that matter? It feels that history is always skewed to show the version of the ones who "won" - the majority, or those who lived on. 
Have you heard of Ana Mendieta? I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't. I had never heard of her until I read this novel. Mendieta was a Cuban American artist in the 80's who died after falling down from the 34th floor of her NYC apartment. Or was she pushed? The prime suspect was her husband --minimalist sculptor Carl Andre. He was acquitted of her murder after a trial and went on with his art career with impunity while Mendieta's art was largely forgotten. 

ANITA is in part, an homage to Mendieta, recasting Mendieta as Anita, and her husband as white, art-darling Jack Martin. Gonzalez knits together two stories, decades apart, and draws parallels between the experiences of two Latinx women: the story of Anita in the 80's NYC art scene and the story of Puerto Rican student Raquel Torres who moves away from Brooklyn to attend a New England college in the 90's. Torres is influenced by her white professor to write her thesis on Jack Martin. Raquel stumbles upon the story of Anita de Monte and uncovers a life and art, marginalized by a larger community. 

Anita and Raquel's lives are intertwined in many ways, with both women battling for validity in the predominantly-white spaces of art and academia. I love how the author conveyed Raquel's insecurities. In many ways, I felt like Raquel. We both went to mostly-white colleges at around that same time. And when you feel like a fish out of water, you start to question yourself, your identity, and what you want in life, trying to balance it all. Damn, that scene with those bitches (IYKYK). 

Folks, you are in for a treat. This novel was so freaking powerful and intricately plotted with a touch of the fantastical. I love how Anita, literally haunts the story no matter whose POV we're in. Anita cannot be contained! Kudos to the author for her skillful writing and making sure the characters of Anita and Raquel shine through with their own unique voices. And speaking of voices, Jessica Pimental, who narrates Anita's chapters, was such an amazing actress channeling all that rage. Highly recommend the audiobook! 

All the superlatives to Xochitl Gonzalez, who will forever be an auto-buy author for me. Wow. I loved Olga, but I think I love this more. Thank you @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for the ALC.

I found the theme and story of this novel so engaging and interesting. I was hooked and felt gripped by the multiple POV of Anita and Rocquel. Specific to the audiobook, I felt the reader did a fantastic job and brought me into the story. I did feel a bit drawn away from the story when Anita turns into a bat. Additionally, knowing that the story was based on the true life of Ana Mendiet and hearing that the family was not especially happy about some of the ways she's being portrayed was difficult to process. I felt a bit conflicted because the themes of art and cultural significance felt so important and I'm glad stories like this are being told.

I just felt that - especially knowing the backstory and also that the author was writing a semi-autobiographical story about her own experiences, it just felt a bit ... flat? I'm not sure what the word I'm looking for is, but it felt like I couldn't stay as engaged with the material though I found it an overall good read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio copy of “Anita de Monte Laughs Last” in exchange for my review.

This is my first title from Xochitl Gonzalez and I’m very impressed! This is easily a 4 star book on its own, but the narration pushed it over the top! The voices carried so much emotion and added to the cultural authenticity. The characters, storyline, and development were top notch!

I have no notes. This book is superb! If you’re on the fence, do yourself a favor and just get it.

I adored this audio version. While I’m not one to normally purchase audiobooks, this one would be worth it!

For fans of art, gender, race and strong females… this book was amazing! I have no doubt that this will end up on the best of 2024 lists.

This story was so good! From the beginning, I was hooked. This is a story of love, power, and art. I love the author’s writing style and the way she switched back and forth in time. She story is told in past first person pov from Anita’s and her husband’s perspective and in present pov from Raquel’s perspective. Anita is a bad a**, spicy Cuban woman and I loved listening to her perspective as she spoke with such fire and passion. While Raquel was more tame but watching her come out of her shell and advocate for herself and Anita was so inspiring. The narrators were phenomenal and embodied the characters well. Especially the narrator who played Anita. Seriously *chef’s kiss*! I would recommend this book 10x over. I believe this will be my favorite read this month.

🦇Literary Fiction
🦇Paranormal Activity
🦇Social Issues
🦇Nonlinear Timeline
🦇Multiple POV

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillianaudio for an advance listen.

Unfortunately I was not a huge fan of this book. I felt Raquelle's story line did not correlate with Anita or Jack's at all. I understood the point the author was trying to make with men and women in the art world but I think the execution missed the mark. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC!

Absolutely LOVED the audiobook. Seamless transition from listening to reading, although I found myself gravitating toward the audiobook strictly because of the gorgeous delivery. Sharp and funny and searing in all the right places. What a feat for Xochitl Gonzalez.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Macmillan audio for this free ALC! 🫶🏼

Admittedly, I did not love Olga Dies Dreaming, but I wanted to give Gonzalez another chance with Anita de Monte Laughs Last and I’m so FREAKING glad I did because Y’ALL this book was so entertaining and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished last week!!

This book explored and discussed classism, racism, art, academia, and sexism through the lens of two Latina women, Anita and Raquel, as they navigate the art scene which is majority white and privileged.

The audiobook for this novel was outstanding. Stacy Gonzalez, Jessica Pimentel, and Johnathan Gregg put on an incredible performance and really brought this story to life! I would highly recommend the audiobook!

Read if you like:
- Multiple POV
- Dual timeline
- Strong character development
- Feeling all the emotions
- Elements of magical realism
- Full cast audiobooks

I loved Olga Dies Dreaming and was thrilled to listen to a copy of Anita de Monte Laughs Last. This book is insightful, funny, spicy, and deals with class, gender, and race in the art world. Which artists get celebrated, noticed, and credited for their work? Art history lovers will enjoy this one and the narrators make this a performance not to be forgotten. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advanced listener copy of this novel. The opinions expressed below are entirely my own.

Recently, the NYT published an article about the actual artist that this book is based on, Ana Mendieta. (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/02/st...) I have included the relevant bits below for those who can't access it, but I suggest looking into Ana Mendieta herself, since she's the one who deserves recognition.

In the article, it states that, "Lately, the Ana Mendieta estate is concerned about two new projects. ... And this month, Xochitl Gonzalez will publish “Anita de Monte Laughs Last,” a novel that follows an art history student who feels an uncanny connection to a Cuban performance artist named Anita who fell 33 stories from her New York City apartment in 1985.

Reading an advance copy of the book last fall, Ms. Mendieta noticed that several details in Anita de Monte’s back story appeared to correspond with her aunt’s. The likeness was so profound, she said, that the “line between fact and fiction” was blurred.

Ms. Gonzalez, who is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, said she felt as if she shared a “cultural lineage” with Ana Mendieta when she discovered her work as an art student at Brown University in the 1990s. Her character Anita was meant to be a homage to the artist, she said, not a direct analogue: After Anita falls in the book, she turns into a bat.

Ms. Mendieta protested the notion that her aunt was “forgotten” in the ’90s, a characterization of the fictional Anita de Monte included in the book’s marketing materials. And she was frustrated that Ms. Gonzalez had not contacted the estate before writing, and then selling, her novel."

In fact, there is no afterword given that acknowledges that this book is entirely based on Ana Mendieta - from her husband to the very clear descriptions of her art. I wouldn't have known about this if it hadn't been for the reviews on Goodreads pointing out the similarities and the NYT article. I would have expected Gonzalez to try bring light to Ana Mendieta and her tragic death instead of writing something that feels as if she is sensationalizing it and using it for her own profit.

I really enjoyed the narration of this book. It had multiple narrators. Anita de Monte's voice was so dramatic and it added in a positive way to to the story.

Overall the story was very interesting and provided commentary both on the author's personal experiences with the art world and the power of white men in the art world. I enjoyed that aspect of it. The middle part of the book lost me a little bit (maybe could have been less chapters on the male character) but the ending picked right back up and I really liked the story and what I learned from it.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Historical fiction / murder mystery

Thank you #partner @macmillan.audio for my #gifted audiobook

Anita De Monte Laughs Last
Xochitl Gonzalez

Listen.... this might be a controversial statement, but there are some books that are just better on audio, and this is one of them! 🙌🏼 And that's not to say this book isn't excellent in its own right, because it absolutely is, but hot damn! This book + this audiobook performance = outstanding!!!!

📖 In Gonzalez's sophomore novel, we're introduced to two Latina artists, in two seperate timelines over a decade apart, as they make their mark within a world that makes them work twice as hard for half as much.

📌 Swipe to read more

💭 This book is bold, fiery, feminist, and I L.O.V.E.D. it! I loved the combination of an 80s-90s murder mystery with dark academia vibes, as well as the important social commentary on sexism, racism, tokenism, and privilege within the art world. Gonzalez triumphantly examines the racialized and genderized power dynamics in relationships, specifically within art and art commerse. She bases this book, in part, on her own experiences at Brown University, and on a real life case that mirrors Anita's.

I loved Olga Dies Dreaming, but this one is spectacular!

🎧 The icing on the proverbial cake is the dynamic cast of narrators who performed their asses off! Such emotion! I could feel Jessica Pimentel's rage seeping through my headphones! 🔥 Friends, if you listen to audiobooks, you don't want to sleep on this one.

Narrators:
• Stacy Gonzalez
• Jessica Pimentel
• Johnathan Gregg

📌 Available now!

📌 @reesesbookclub & @bookofthemonth pick!
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35% into the book my jaw was :O

All the thoughts of this book that I loved so dearly as a Latina. There’s so many themes present in this book. I appreciated that it was made clear that coming to the states isn’t always the path a person wanted, but the path they needed when home couldn’t be home anymore. The ever present racism and micro aggressions of the time period were so well written. My grandma and mom grew up in these timeframes and so much of what they and I have experienced is captured.

It was so cool seeing Anita be what Raquel needed in terms of representation in art, but they were both what my family and I need in terms of seeing ourselves in books. The discovery of people who look like you in a field of passion is everything.

Raquel’s mom reminded me of my moms & is dynamic! Always keeping it real. I’m ashamed to admit that I related to Raquel’s embarrassment of how White folks come to understand her family. I’ve healed a lot since then, but as a child in school I rejected any parts of my ethnicity. No Mexican music, food, no Spanish unless it was to my grandparents etc. It’s many peoples lives experiences to reject their own culture before someone else can make that choice for them. A very toxic way to do the opposite of reclaim!

The parallels between characters was amazing.

I’ve had a limpia! Mine was exactly like the one in the book. I really enjoyed that piece being informational and authentic.

Content warning: disordered eating. Domestic violence

Thank you netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook! I’d recommend this book in any format but the voice actors were amazing!!

This story was engrossing with feminist themes, strong female characters, and a touch of magical realism.

I loved Anita from the beginning. She was fire and emotion and rage, her persona was very compelling. As an immigrant, I connected with her the most, she was sent out of Cuba as a child by her parents. Missing it dearly and not having the same connection to America. When she has to chance to come back to Cuba, she realizes she no longer belongs there anymore, and that really resonated with me personally.

Raquel was such a mirror to Anita’s life. Entering a world of upper white society at the fancy art school and being questioned about her success because of her race. There was a lot to unpack there from the toxic relationship to the micro aggressions from her peers. I loved her arc in the last third of the book, it showed growth and acceptance, and finding her voice through the women that came before her.

Jack was the definition of toxic masculinity and I hope bats haunt him for the rest of his life 😂

I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time to come, reflecting on the messages and characters, it definitely has staying power and should be discussed in relation to women’s studies and lives.

Narration in this audiobook was truly outstanding. Jessica Pimentel stole the show as Anita, she was animated, emotional, and entertaining. Stacy Gonzalez as Raquel brought a younger, vulnerable voice to the story. Jonathan Gregg performed the few chapters for Jack and I also thought he showed great emotion for the character. A fantastic performance by this cast throughout the whole book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚 :: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

Story premise: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ending: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audiobook: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book, and in particular, the audiobook, had me FIRED UP! Xochitl Gonzalez is an absolute master of writing complex and brilliant characters who inspire and challenge, endear and endure.

It's the 1980s and Anita de Monte's star is rising in the art world. But the world -- and her husband, Jack Martin -- aren't ready to see her soar. When her life is "mysteriously" cut short, the mark she was in the process of leaving, starts to fade. More than a decade later, a young art history major is searching for her place in the world of academia and art. Raquel is fed a white-washed version of the past and to her great shame, she eats it up. Anita and Raquel's stories are told in parallel until they intersect. It is at this intersection that they both find themselves and their place in the world and in history.

In Anita de Monte Laughs Last, Gonzalez tells a fictionalized story of the real life and death of Cuban artist, Ana Mendieta. Let me tell you, the very second I finished this book, I went down a very long, incredibly fascinating rabbit hole into the life and works of Mendieta. I highly recommend you do, as well.

While Raquel's quest and de Monte's rise and tragic fall both drive the plot, it's all in service of a larger story. It's the story of women, particularly women of color, fighting for a seat at the table. It's the story of women fighting against being seen and treated like the art they love -- as commodities to be consumed, possessed, controlled. It's the story of the complicated and painful swim against a racist and patriarchal current. It's the story of the shame that follows when we fail our sisters, our selves.

Gonzalez' use of narration allows for the most striking alternating perspectives. Anita's personality is captivating, her laugh rumbles off the page (and thunders with the INCOMPARABLE audiobook narration by Jessica Pimental). Raquel is finding her voice, her power. Gonzalez dabbles into magical realism that feels less like magic and more like the only possible reality! While this is one of my absolute favorite genres, I can say absolutely anyone who loves a touch of the unbelievable will fall in love with this story and Gonzalez' writing.

I am in awe of what Gonzalez created in this novel. Gonzalez captured me with Olga Dies Dreaming and she's keeping me, a forever fan, with Anita de Monte Laughs Last.

Any book that can give me goosebumps is a 5 star read for me. At first, it was a little slow for me, but this is not my usual genre, so I kept going- and it was worth it.

I had no idea about this being based upon an actual artist, Ana Mendieta, and upon seeing that, it makes me want to find out more about her. I love that this story not only opened my eyes to events and people that have been swept under the rug, but felt immensely empowering.. although we have made small strides as women to be more seen, we have made minimal effort even still to recognize minorities in America and the richness they bring to the communities and the world as a whole.


I think this was an eye opening, beautiful book. I received the ALC of this book for my honest and willing opinion of Anita De Monte Laughs Last and the narrators were FABULOUS and did the characters so much justice!

Bravo, bravo, BRAVO to everyone involved in this book. I have never read this authors works before but I am running to go get what I’ve clearly been missing out on.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

We, the readers, accompany Anita and Raquel, two women of Cuban descent, in two different timelines - one in the 1980s and one in the 1990s. Both are trying to break into the art world, confronted with misogyny, racism, classism, complex relationships, and challenges in making space in the white dominated art and academia spheres. Parallels emerge between their stories and we find ourselves in tension between the two timelines, wondering if they will intersect and if Raquel will be able to transcend and avoid the destructive power dynamics and devastating fate that befell Anita.

What I loved:
🌺 The character development is vivid and whole. I felt like I was getting to know real people. Raquel is young and unsure of herself, and I appreciated her growth and self-discovery. Anita is a force of nature and I was captivated by her voice, full of passion and rage, even a bit unhinged at times.
🌺 The dual narratives, told in different perspectives with Anita in first person and Raquel in third person, was effective. I appreciated the contrast of Anita looking back and revealing the how and why she is what she has become, with Raquel's linear journey of coming of age and finding identity.
🌺 The magical realism element was a creative device to tell Anita's story. The supernatural dimension sets this book apart from conventional fiction. It was also sometimes kind of fun, while other times emphasizing Anita's heartbreak and frustration.
🌺 The audiobook narrators were all fantastic! I especially enjoyed the theatrical presentation of Anita's character. If you are one who enjoys audiobooks, I highly recommend you check out this one.

Minor critique/things to note:
👻 While I appreciated the chapters of Anita's husband Jack's perspective, I'm not sure I needed them to understand his motivations and skewed view. It didn't detract, though.
👻 Some readers may want to check content warnings for fat-shaming and eating disorders

Highly recommend! Out 3/5/24.