I loved this book. Our protagonist, Catalina, is a smart and confident student at Harvard, but in the background of her whole life is the knowledge she and her grandparents are undocumented from Ecuador. This knowledge complicates the normal millennial hot mess narrative, but only a bit- she is still sort of a hot mess, but she is careful not to step a toe out of line and to constantly be aware of how to make her way in the world. The writing is wry and comedic, but still packs a huge punch. Catalina is unafraid to call out the fetishization of Latin America by the elites around her, and is constantly aware of the privileges they have that she doesn't. Clever and cutting in equal measure.

Some favorite lines:
"I don't really think American cuisine is about flavor, it's like a stand against communism."
"The rest of the world is plundered and bombed so rich white people can eat Caesar salad with each other and be inane."
"Unless it is read, a book is just an object. There are no holy texts without believers to read them."

Highly recommend this wonderful book.

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is a really powerful and raw book that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s about a girl named Catalina who’s just trying to figure out her place in the world. She’s dealing with a lot of personal and family struggles, and the book dives deep into things like identity, culture, and mental health.

I loved how real and honest Catalina’s story felt. The writing is beautiful but still super easy to follow. It’s not always an easy read because some parts are tough to get through, but I think that’s what makes it so impactful. You really feel connected to Catalina’s journey and the way she’s trying to find hope and strength through everything.

The book is also really good at showing the complexities of family and relationships, and how people deal with pain in different ways. It’s definitely a book that makes you think, and it doesn’t give you all the answers, but that’s part of what I liked about it.

This book takes you deep into the thoughts and actions of a young woman who is undocumented and what happens to her in a year's timespan. I found this to be very interesting and eye-opening. It's definitely a roller coaster of emotions. I recommend to those who enjoy character-driven reads and books with immigration as a theme.

I want to start off by saying. Catalina is an essay at heart.

Written in four distinct parts, with an introduction and an epilogue, Catalina chronicles DACA student Catalina Ituralde’s senior year at Harvard University. Catalina is a talkative, shrewd, and irresistible protagonist. Her wit and self-awareness deepen our understanding of how small slights and epic challenges shape an immigrant’s life. The novel is narrated by Catalina through a continuous, conscious stream of thought in each section, allowing the reader to feel as if they are truly inhabiting her mind. This approach blurs the line between fiction and personal essay, making the story feel both free-flowing and intimate, as well as clearly structured and deeply reflective.

With this novel, Cornejo Villavicencio has a clear intention to inform the reader about life as an undocumented immigrant in 21st-century America, subtly persuading the reader’s subconscious against anti-immigrant rhetoric—especially pertinent during this election season. Though the novel is fiction, it is evident that Cornejo Villavicencio draws from elements of her own life, as Harvard’s first documented undocumented graduate. The novel carries the essence of The Bell Jar, which Catalina herself references multiple times in the latter half of the story.

Catalina pushes the boundaries of both the novel and the essay. It challenges traditional forms and invites the reader to see beyond labels, whether those labels are “essayist,” “immigrant,” or “student.” Through Catalina’s voice, Cornejo Villavicencio delivers a powerful narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. I had a hard time rating Catalina but ultimately decided to give it 5 stars on GoodReads as it sparked a desire to perform a full deep-dive literary analysis. I highly recommend this novel as a book club choice.

This is a coming-of-age story told through the multifaceted view of the title character. Catalina is a curious, witty, and endlessly enquiring Harvard University senior who is all too aware of the change in her “dreamer” status once she graduates in the Spring. “Catalina” is fiction that includes some of Villavicencio’s immigrant experiences. Her first book, “The Undocumented Americans” (Random House/One World, 2020), is a nonfiction account of her experience as one of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard. Both books are exceptional. They capture immigrant living experiences regularly portrayed in media at the extremes, glossed over into romanticized stories of triumphs.

Thank you to Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, Random House/One World, and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to One World and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available now.

Bouyed by zingy one liners, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's Catalina is a raucous coming of age. As she navigates class, immigration status, pop culture, and more - Catalina must find her place in the increasingly confusing world of the wealthy and powerful at Harvard. The whole story reads as one monologue and I found myself laughing out loud at parts of Catalina's experiences. I loved the family dynamics in this book, the balance of tender devotion and guilt many immigrants navigate. Sometimes, I would get thrown off by Catalina's meandering thoughts, but as a whole it was a bemusing read.

The Undocumented Americans was a book that I highly recommended, and I was intrigued by the premise of Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, which, while a work of fiction, has similar thematic elements. This campus novel takes readers to Harvard, as protagonist Catalina navigates the liminal space between worlds as the outsider looking to belong, struggling with identity.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I recently read Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, and while I appreciated its ambition, I found it somewhat lacking in cohesion and depth. The novel follows Catalina Ituralde, an undocumented Harvard student navigating her senior year, grappling with personal and familial challenges.

Villavicencio’s portrayal of Catalina’s internal struggles and the external pressures of her undocumented status is compelling. However, the narrative often feels disjointed, with subplots that seem underdeveloped or tangential. For instance, Catalina’s interactions with elite campus societies and her romantic entanglements are introduced but not fully explored, leaving me wanting more depth and resolution.

Additionally, while the novel aims to critique liberal academia and its hypocrisies, these observations sometimes come across as surface-level, lacking the incisive analysis I anticipated. The pacing, too, is uneven; certain sections meander without clear direction, which affected my engagement with the story.

That said, Villavicencio’s writing shines in moments of introspection, and her depiction of the immigrant experience is poignant and authentic. Yet, as a whole, the novel doesn’t fully coalesce into a satisfying narrative, leaving several thematic threads unresolved.

In summary, while Catalina offers valuable insights into the life of an undocumented student, it falls short in delivering a cohesive and impactful story. I hope to see more structured storytelling in Villavicencio’s future works.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How did I just realize that Karla Cornejo Villavicencio wrote another book?! She's been on my radar since I read The Undocumented Americans and this book did not disappoint.

Catalina is a campus novel at its best—stream-of-consciousness prose set in the last year of a Harvard undergraduate, narrated by the titular Catalina—English student and undocumented migrant—unsure of what life will look like post-graduation. In witty and perceptive narration, Catalina describes growing up in Queens with her grandparents after her parents pass away in a fatal car accident in Ecuador. She reflects on past experiences as an intern and student, surrounded, but never truly perceived by, a predominantly white cohort of peers, instructors, and managers. With a looming graduation and a sudden deportation notice for her grandfather, Catalina spirals into self-destructive behavior that threatens to consume her.

I really enjoyed the wry humor throughout this story and the perspective of an undocumented migrant is not one we see often enough in literature. If I had one nit, it would be that the resolution and most of the character growth seems to happen off-page in the epilogue. Perhaps a slightly more extended arc would see Catalina developing and growing from her experiences.

"Catalina" by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is a raw and thought-provoking read that dives into identity, immigration, and the complexities of life as a young woman in America. The writing is sharp and unapologetic, and the author’s voice is bold, offering a unique perspective on the immigrant experience. However, at times, the narrative feels disjointed, jumping between personal anecdotes and broader societal commentary. While some moments are deeply emotional and relatable, others feel a bit too fragmented. Overall, it’s a powerful book that sheds light on important issues, but the structure and pacing make it hard to fully connect with at times.

I loved this book the same way I loved Elif Batuman's The Idiot. They are both detailed, almost diary-like stories recounting the lives of young women at elite universities. While in lesser hands the detail could bog down the narrative, Cornejo Villavicencio lets the detail become the narrative. Things happen, yes, but the real joy here is living in Catalina's head: her worries, her crushes, her real and imagined problems. This one was a great read--let yourself marinate in the prose and you won't be sorry.

I really like Villavicencio's voice. I couldn't separate it from her main character’s voice, however, and I while I was interested in her exploration of core themes in NF and F, I would have liked more experimentation

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s #Catalina is a book I intend to offer heavily to AP Lit students looking for an independent read in the spring.

Catalina is a student at Harvard preparing to graduate. Her future is far more uncertain than other classmates’ because she and her grandparents are living in the US as undocumented migrants from Ecuador. Her voice is compelling. As someone with two college age daughters who works in a high school, her internal monologue is authentically spot on: her indecision, her internalized judgments from others, her reckless decision making, the balance of being what others expect and being true to herself all ring true. This makes her reality, so different from most of our AP students, so much more accessible. There is a lot packed into 200 pages and deserves as much conversation and discussion as it sparks.

This novel pairs well with the collection of essays: Magical Realism by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal

My favorite book of 2024. Beautiful character study and a story that absolutely needs to be told. It deserves all the hype it gets.

This book blends elements of magical realism, psychological drama, and social commentary. The novel centers on Catalina, a woman struggling with a history of trauma, lost identity, and systemic injustices. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, whcih I personally struggled with. However the book's emotional depth leaves a lasting impact.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and One World for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Catalina is a Harvard student who was born in Ecuador and is undocumented. She lives with her grandparents in Queens, and they are also undocumented. We see her struggles as she gets ready to start her life, but even with the Harvard diploma, cannot move forward in the US with this legal status. Will she be able to stay in the US? Will she and her family be targeted and kicked out of the US? It’s fiction, but based on the true story of the author. And it is very timely with the current political climate, a very scary time for immigrants trying to contribute to the US economy and culture, while being accused of awful things for no reason. Glad I read it. #catalina #karlacornejovillavicencio #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #lovetoread #bookstagram #politicalnovel #readersofinstagram

I tried to get into this book on three different occasions and each time was the same. I just couldn't get through the long winded rambles of Catalina. The paragraphs changed in a rapid manner, which left me rereading and rereading pages to see if I missed something. This book has so much potential as it would follow the journey of an undocumented American.

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.