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.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Audiobook narrated by Jessica Pimentel, Jonathan Gregg, and Stacy Gonzalez
12 hours and 45 minutes

I was very excited to listened to this audiobook because I loved her debut, "Olga Dies Dreaming." It exposed me to multi-cultural conflict and gentrification in New York City, and I felt I learned a lot about Puerto Rican culture. If you haven't read her debut, I would recommend it highly - it didn't receive the attention it deserved in my opinion, so I am mentioning it here.

This book is about inequity in fine arts, about how the art world has been dominated by male artists and female artists have not received recognition historically. I am an artist myself, so this is not a news to me, and I am glad that the author exposed this issue and delivers important messages. It's good to hear that Reece's Book Club picked this up as well, and hopefully more people talk about this, so lesser known artists can get attention. The novel is written from three viewpoints - Anita De Monte, a Cuban artist active in NYC in 1980s, John, her husband who is also an artist, and Raquel, who is an art history student with Puerto Rican origin learning about American art history. The book bounces back and forth between different view points and time frame, which is at times confusing, but the author does a good job to simplify the storylines so that it's not too complicated. I felt the story dragged a little and could be edited down. The ending felt too convenient for me but essentially impactful. Being an artist, I tend to be more critical on books written about artists. Also, I listened to the audiobook - and the narrator who portrayed Anita's character was over-the-top for me, almost making fun of latina typecast. The way she keeps mentioning "Anita De Monte" reminded me how the narrator of "Glory" in NoViolet Bulawayo keeps on saying "Jidada." (a good audiobook by the way). I think it's done to emphasize the point, but too much is never enough. I might have liked this book better if it's an physical book which would also have helped with following the time frame.

Lastly, it wasn't mentioned on the audiobook, but this story is highly likely a tribute to Ana Mendieta, who is a Cuban artist (as well as Iowa and NYC) in 1980s. She died under suspicious circumstances. Her sculptor husband, Carl Andre, was charged but later acquitted. Incidentally Mr. Andre passed away in January of this year. I hope an acknowledgment would be made for the publication of this book.
There is another important question this book asks - can you love artworks when you know it was made by morally-gray artists? The art world is full of them, or maybe the world in general. I feel we are all monsters at times.

An advanced copy of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and MacMillan Audio. My opinions hereby are my own. Thank you!

Anita De Monte Laughs Last is a historical fiction novel set in different timelines, each focusing on different characters. The first is set in the 1980s, and the focus is on the artist Anita De Monte, a Cuban immigrant living in New York. Here we follow her relationship with white artist Jack Martin, and her navigating the art world being a Latina in a predominantly white industry. The second is set in the 1990s, and the focus here is on thrid year art history student Raquel who decides to write her thesis on Jack Martin.

I listened to the audiobook that three people narrated, each reading the parts of the three primary characters. I think the narrator for Anita did a great job of voicing Anita's passion for her art and her will to live. Her voice was strong and clear, mirroring Anita's character. It didn't take long for me to feel connected to this character because the narration was so captivating.
I dont have strong feeling towards the narrator for Jacks character, I think it was fine: nothing stuck out to me. I was not too fond of the character, and that was the author's intention, meaning they did an excellent job at getting me to understand that he is not a good person and should not be rooted for. He didn't get many chapters in the novel, which I appreciate, and the chapters that were his were interesting to me even if I didn't like him. I like that we get both perspectives of the marriage because it builds layers and complexity to the story. I will mention here that there are themes of domestic violence in this book. Some short scenes in the first half portray it on the page, but it is nothing too graphic.
Finally, the narration of Raquel's character was also well done. Like Anita, Raquel is incredibly passionate about art, and the narrator did a good job showing that to me. Sometimes, I wasn't fond of this narrator, but it was more me problem than the narrator.
Raquel's character interested me because I saw much of myself in her. Also, being Latina, I could understand her in many ways, which led me to connect with her. Sometimes, she bothered me, but in the end, I realized it was all a part of her journey, and those mistakes made sense for her character by the end of the book.
I think Gonzalez's intertwining of these two stories was truly well done. I enjoyed seeing the parallels in both stories, the characters' growth, and the mistakes they learned from. The ending was satisfying and neatly concluded. I can't wait to read another book by Gonzalez because they have an evident gift for storytelling.

Thank you Netgally and Macmillan Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advance copy. This audio was FANTASTIC. Loved the narrators and I don’t know if I would have felt the same level of passion and fury if I had been reading it on my own. Totally recommend that.
The character of Anita is based on the real life artist Ana Mendieta. Their stories and their art work are very similar. I hope there will include an author’s note discussing Ana. Look her up, read her Wikipedia page, go down the rabbit hole.
This story was thought provoking. It was also a bit infuriating. The men in it were giant narcissistic egotistical babies. For every demeaning thing they did and said to the women around them, I got more and more angry.
The setting was all about art, art history, academia. With dual time lines, you’re immersed in this world. Highly recommend if these are your interests. And also if they’re not.

I really wanted to like this book based on the blurb. It seemed right up my alley especially with the strong feminist vibes, but I just couldn’t get into it. I do think that the feminism message was important along with the story of racism and misogyny. I listened to this one, rather than read a print version, so this review is based on that, but I found the book to be rather jarring switching back and forth between the points of view. I also found one of the narrators to be a bit much for me and not to my liking, I just didn’t enjoy her voice portrayal so couldn’t get immersed into the character. I found the voice to be so distracting and overly dramatic that I couldn’t stay focused during this point of view, and I couldn’t wait for these chapters to be over. Unfortunately, it was Anita’s character, which was a large portion of the book.

For me this was a case of the narrator not working for me, but I would go back an dread the print version at a later time.

Thank you to Macmillian Audio and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 5, 2024

Wow… just wow.
Xochitl’s story telling captivated me from page 1. I was so invested in this book that explores feminism in a misogynistic world of art.
You follow Anita and artist circa 1980’s and Raquel an art student in 1998 who find themselves in very similar situations of oppression. Their intertwining stories are told to us in dual timelines and pov’s which is my personal favorite. The story takes a fantasy twist that I did not see coming but very much enjoyed. What I loved most is the way the story is told in a very poetic way when it comes to Anita’s portion of the book, I was mesmerized by Jessica Pimentel’s (best known for her role in orange is the new black) narration. I truly recommend the audio for this one💕
This novel comes out on 3/5/25 and it’s definitely one to read/listen asap!
Thank you so much @macmillanaudio, @netgally and @xochitlgonzalez for this advance readers audio!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

🤍literary fiction
🤍feminist
🤍dual timeline/dual pov
🤍historical fiction
🤍fantasy elements
🤍art academia
🤍horror elements
🤍classism/racism/sexism/misogynistic dynamics and politics