After admiring and learning so much from Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's memoir/essays The Undocumented Americans, I was eager to read her debut novel, Catalina. The titular Catalina is an undocumented student at Harvard. The novel follows a year in her life, as she moves toward graduation with no ability to work legally in the United States. As an elite college student, the world of unpaid internships is wide open to her. Catalina is a dynamic character, and I loved the time I spent in her world as she navigates coming of age and life as an undocumented American. She doesn't want to be a poster child for undocumented Americans, but she still offers a window into that reality to both characters and the reader. I'm happy to be a Cornejo Villavicencio completist and am already eagerly awaiting reading her future books.

This is a poignant coming of age story about a senior at Harvard who is undocumented, grappling with the tragedies in her family and the truths of her childhood, while also grappling with the unknown: what comes next, after graduation? It was really interesting and a quick read.

Catalina is a brilliant illegal immigrant from Ecuador whose parents died so she came to the US to live with her undocumented grandparents. I have mixed feelings about this novel. Bits and pieces of it were compelling, fascinating reading offering insights to the lives of undocumented migrants. Keep your head down, don’t call attention to yourself, and this smart girl finds herself going to Harvard. She doesn’t fit in anywhere and even with a Harvard degree, her future is limited. I have no way to know if my disconnection from her life is due to her status, her age and/or my age but I often found myself completely lost trying to relate to her. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy.

I wanted to love this. I mean, a girl that is undocumented and has the drive to make it! I loved the grandparents and how this is sadly a very real case for many in the states. However, where I usually connect with books/issues surrounding legal status in the states, i struggled connecting with Catalina. Will still most definitely read rooms by this author!

Catalina is a Harvard senior. She was abandoned by her parents and now lives with her misogynist grandfather and lost grandmother. They are all in the U.S. without legal immigration papers. Catalina's uncertain future could include tragedies but maybe love and freedom, too, especially when she infiltrates the school’s elite subcultures. During this year, can she save her family and herself?
This story is succinct. But I never quite got the jist of it. I do like that Catalina is a human who makes mistakes. And she's not afraid to be true to herself.
I do support DACA, a theme of this book.
Likewise, some of my favorite quotes include:
"While I was away at school, my grandfather had gotten even better at his silent treatments toward my grandmother. I felt bad for him. He never admitted he was sad, because if he was sad about this, then he had to be sad about everything, and how much sadness could one man take?"
"You know, human bodies aren’t hot all the time.” Facts!

*Catalina* follows a Harvard senior grappling with the pressures of being an undocumented American as graduation approaches. Caught in a personal crisis, Catalina navigates her last year of college in a fictionalized memoir that reflects her feelings of being a ticking time bomb.
As a fan of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s nonfiction, *The Undocumented Americans*, I was eager to see how her lyrical prose would translate into fiction. The writing is captivating, offering an intimate glimpse into Catalina’s struggles, shaped by trauma and often leading her into turmoil. However, the narrative felt a bit disjointed, resembling a series of essays rather than a cohesive story, which hindered its flow.

Villavicencio’s experiences during Obama’s second term and the DACA debate add depth to the story, particularly around identity and the “dreamer” experience. Yet, some moments felt repetitive, echoing themes from her memoir, which distracted from the narrative.
I appreciated how the book discusses Latin American culture and the complexities of identity, especially through Catalina’s interactions with her grandfather and commentary on academia. The ending ties the themes together nicely, but I wished for more development in certain areas to enhance its impact.

I thought this was going to be a different story than what it was, but it was still very interesting! It would switch to Catalina’s thoughts versus reality of what was actually transpiring. I had to adjust to that, but once I did, it was easier to read.

I also found it extremely sad a lot of times. Something that happens towards the end of the story was heart breaking for me…

Catalina had resilience and spunk throughout, and I had to admire her for that, as others in her situation/circumstances may have faltered! Knowing that your existence, your very being, is questioned by others would be hardest of all….

Thank you to Net Galley for an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

In Catalina we follow a senior at Harvard who is an undocumented American and is running out of time to decide what this will mean for her after graduation. Catalina is having a bit of a crisis as she feels like the clock is ticking down to something she can’t fully cope with. Throughout this novel, we follow her last year of college in a fictionalized memoir detailing the highs and lows of feeling like a ticking time bomb.

Personally, I loved Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s non-fiction book, The Undocumented Americans, so I was really curious to see how her lyrical prose would translate here into literary fiction. This new book actually shares a lot with her memoir: both have that captivating writing that keeps you turning pages, and offers a deeply personal look at a character barely holding it together. Catalina is clearly shaped by trauma, and we see how it leads her into one problem after another. She’s often reactionary but also suffers in silence, making her both fascinating and frustrating. You want to understand her better, but she keeps so much bottled up. It definitely fits into that “messy 20-something, no plot, just vibes” genre. However, the book felt a bit disjointed, more like a series of essays than a cohesive narrative, which made it hard for the story to fully come together for me.

Another thing that stood out was how much of the author’s life seemed to come through in the book. It’s set during Obama’s second term, around when Villavicencio was a student at Harvard and DACA was a big issue impacting dreamers across the U.S. This context adds a lot of depth around identity and the “dreamer” experience. At times, though, the narrative felt like it overlapped too much with her memoir. There were moments when I felt like I was re-reading passages from The Undocumented Americans, which made it feel a bit repetitive. Perhaps this could be because both use pretty similar writing styles; I didn’t go back and check her memoir for evidence of this. Regardless, it took me out of the story a bit and made me question what is something new being presented to me here? How is this different to her memoir? And the differences felt marginal.

Yet, there was something I really enjoyed about this book and this was how Latin American culture, history, and identity are discussed by Catalina and her grandfather. It’s interesting to see people try to tell Catalina what being Latin American—or even Ecuadorian—should mean to her, especially in a political sense. There’s some sharp commentary on academia, too, particularly on how scholars sometimes approach studying other cultures with a white savior mentality. Additionally, the types of misleading interactions with faculty who never really make it clear how they feel which can make for odd relationships. I felt this thread of exploring and understanding identity built nicely and was woven in well by the end. The ending of this book in general succinctly brought the themes together and made me finally have that a-ha moment of understanding what the author had been building. Yet, I wish certain parts of the story had a bit more development to really make the ending more impactful.

Overall, this book feels like a long-form fictionalized essay touching on a lot of topics. Some of these themes may really connect with readers, while others might feel a bit inaccessible. I still love Villavicencio’s writing, but this book felt too close to her memoir for me to fully enjoy as a distinct piece of fiction.

This reminded me of The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey with its portrayal of, as Holden put it, the "phoniness" and the pointlessness of social contrivances when you are living with serious existential issues and mental turmoil and people are just continuing on with their bullshit.

Catalina is in the middle of it all at Harvard, the "center of the center" to quote Slumdog Millionaire, and yet she is listless and disgusted. Catalina's college girliness felt so real and embarrassingly relatable, but she has a legitimate reason to hate the world and have an attitude. She's undocumented, she's dealing with actual problems, and whatever she accomplishes at Harvard won't even matter because she's legally unable to get a job.

Catarina is a senior at Harvard, soon to graduate. She is also a Dreamer who has a hard time planning for an unknown future which is more like a carrot dangled in front of her face. Thoughtful and provoking.

This book brought me to tears. But not until after I put it down and sat to write this review. And I think that’s the true power of Catalina and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing. Catalina’s story is written with such quick-paced nonchalance that the heavy hits of Catalina’s many traumas don’t land until they’re long over. And if that isn’t a perfect metaphor for life within the immigration system, I don’t know what is.

Cornejo Villavicencio writes the story of an undocumented Harvard student with both the nuance and nonchalance of an undocumented Harvard student because Cornejo Villavicencio was one. On the one hand, Catalina is a self-destructive, impulsive, and rebellious early twenty-something who is trying to figure herself out and on the other hand, Catalina is a bright Harvard student whose success will pave the way for the DREAMers who come after her. But she’s not interested in being anyone’s poster child. Until maybe she has to be. But even then, maybe not.

In Catalina, the immigration system is simultaneously omnipresent but also as fickle as Catalina herself. Catalina describes it perfectly: “It was hard to believe something this exciting was happening to us. Not in a good way. In fact, it was the worst possible scenario coming true. But the violence in our lives was an accumulation of many indignities over time. Except for the colorful indignities, our lives were dull. This would actually move the plot along. I realized I’d been training my whole life for this moment.” Within immigration systems, nothing happens until it does and often those affected realize they’d been subconsciously prepping for it through the mundanities of daily life.

As someone who lived for nearly a decade with immigration processes as constant companions, Catalina struck a chord. If you’re interested in a representation of a life with immigration, this is a must-read. I will note that the writing is stream of conscience so it may be a tough read for those of you who are into more plot-driven stories, but also it’s less than 200 pages. For me, it was well worth sticking with it.

(Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!)

Did not finish, unfortunately. I was interested in the characters but I couldn't keep track of the stream of consciousness writing.

I really enjoyed Catalina. The novel is short, and covers 4 seasons of Catalina's final year in college around 2010. An undocumented young woman from Ecuador, she goes to Harvard before the DREAM act is passed. She seems to have a lot of advantages - very smart, talented, charming, but a lot of disadvantages compared to her classmates, not understanding all their references, and then a real inability to find a job after college due to her status. This really brought to life the struggle that many DREAM-ers faced and still faced, but in a very relatable, entertaining way.

This was fine! I do think Villavicencio is a phenomenal writer, but I thought it was a bit strange that her fiction voice and nonfiction voice read so similarly. Like I almost wished I was just reading a collection of essays instead? There was not much plot, but it didn’t feel “vibey” either like some other campus novels do, so it mostly just felt like a very long essay. I really enjoy her writing but I do think I’d be more eager to read nonfiction from her in the future.

An impressive debut by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, I am excited to read whatever comes next. Felt like a great piece in conversation with The Idiot by Elif Batuman.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. This novel is a raw and emotional exploration of family, trauma, and identity. Villavicencio’s lyrical writing pulls you into Catalina’s journey as she confronts her immigrant family’s struggles and uncovers painful secrets. What stood out most for me was her fearless approach to tough topics like mental health and grief, which added depth and intensity to the story. However, the non-linear narrative made it a bit hard to follow at times. Despite this, Catalina is a powerful and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in deeply personal and reflective storytelling.

A stream-of-consciousness coming-of-age story about the dream of America, this debut novel opens in the summer before Catalina Ituralde's senior year at Harvard. Born in Ecuador, the lone survivor of a car accident that killed her parents, she was sent as a child to the US to live with her also-undocumented grandparents. Now, before she can come of age, she's got to figure her shit out. As a young person impacted by DACA and the DREAM Act, Catalina's got to figure out where to aim her voice. And that is where author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio shines -- character and voice. Catalina's voice charms, flusters, humors, shames, and rips the seams. Her inner monolog weaves in sharp commentary on class, racial divisions, and America's immigration system as she infiltrates and embeds within the elite subcultures of Harvard. 

[Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

This story is timely and provides a story for others in this country with similar status. The writing style is a bit different than I am used to and different than what I prefer for my own reading enjoyment. However, the writing style may prompt reflection as readers read this story. I do think I would recommend to upper high school students as they explore their own future plans. Thank you to NetGalley for an early ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Villavicencio's debut The Undocumented Americans was so powerful. Catalina has a different feel (almost a stream of consciousness) but via a
fictional memoir explores some of the same themes, particularly the challenges of being an undocumented American.

*My review in full will only be shared on Goodreads and a mini review shared on Instagram. I do not give full reviews for books 2 stars and under as to respect those who have given favorable reviews.

I definitely felt like "it's me, I'm the problem" as I was reading this story. What I mean by that is as a reader, I felt like the story itself was fine but I had some issues with the formating- there are no chapters, just parts with almost endless streams of consciousness. You get one event of Catalina's life in detail and then the next few paragraph are throw backs and then the next is back to the present. The dialogue between Catalina and those around her I felt was rather inpersonal. I felt unattached to all of the characters in the story, including Catalina our protagonist.

Catalina is an undocumented American living in the mid 2000s-2010s and after unbelievable odds has found herself at Harvard- in the Anthropology department. I was rather drawn to this aspect of the story as I am an archaeologist and very familiar with at least some of the context of the story. Catalina lives with her undocument grandparents as well and is an orphan, having come to the US as a child. Mid-story, misfortune strikes and her grandfather is facing deportation.

I felt all of Catalina's relationships odd- it seems she was very reactionary. She would say things and do things (bait?) to get a rise or reaction of others, including her friends and family around her that made me uncomfortable. Some of the lines though were beautiful and I could definitely see fans of Rooney or Mellors really identifying with this book.

It just sadly wasn't meant for me and that's okay!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and One Word Random House Publishing for the copy!