I really wanted to love this as I really liked the author's debut (but nonfiction), The Undocumented Americans. This book, her first novel, is what I understand to be a fictionalized memoir, so it is kind of her own story? But not? Either way I found the book, essentially, boring and slow. I couldn't really connect with Catalina and her story was told in such a way that it was almost difficult to follow. I can appreciate the writing but overall I did not enjoy this.

The writing style was difficult for me to get through. I can’t put my finger on it. The synopsis for me didn’t match what the book was. I found Catalina very hard to like as a character.

The writing was strong in this one but I couldn't really get into it. An interesting premise, but ultimately not for me.

This was not the book it was promised to be. Instead this poor little poor girl - an illegal immigrant cries over all her losses while getting a free Harvard education. She uses people and begs the reader to feel sorry for her all the time saying "F**k you!" To the universe and the people who try to care about her.
I'm not sure what the author wanted me to feel for Catalina. First, I had a lot of heartburn over an illegal getting a full scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities simply because she was an illegal. Second, I didn't like how she took advantage of her friend's dad like she was entitled to use his prestige and influence. Lastly, I was taken aback and offended by her insinuations that her grandfather had incestuous intentions toward her with no evidence to back it up.
I was not compelled to root for her. I hoped she would've been deported along with her grandfather. Even in her attempt to stop her grandfather from being deported, she only cared about herself.
Definitely would not recommend this book

All I have to say about this novel is that it was incredibly offensive to me, as a woman in my twenties. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good unhinged-feminine-rage protagonist. I can even appreciate "no plot all vibes", so long as there's A POINT to it all and I actually LIKE the protagonist. Catalina is the most insufferable main character, not even because she has main character syndrome but she's just awful in ways that are just unredeemable. I was physically cringing and did in fact contemplate tossing the book in the fireplace a few times, just so I could rid the world of a single copy of this garbage.
The beginning was the only part I found fun, when we get to know her family's complicated history and her mindset heading into university. But from there, everything goes downhill and it is not a fun ride for the reader. Her grandparents were frankly the only characters I cared about, and Catalina treats them like shit and the author does them dirty in the last third of the book.
Catalina's visions of grandeur? Dramatic and childish. Her manipulation of relationships and hatred for men? Shocking in its execution. Her utter disregard for her family when that's supposed to be the driving force of the novel?? The synopsis was a lie and mismarketed as a comp for "The Idiot". I didn't sign up for any of what I actually got. The Denny's scene should have been enough to make me DNF but it got even more delusional up until the very end.
What I will say the novel had going for it was that it was such a propulsory narrative that I binged it in a day. I was definitely intrigued. But more in the sense that I was witnessing the most devastating natural disaster and couldn't make myself run for my life. I got swept up and annihilated by it. I sincerely hope that no reader goes into this with hopes of a fun campus coming-of-age story or a moving picture of the struggles of undocumented immigrants (both of which were PROMISED by the synopsis), because who? Where? I obviously received the wrong novel, and honestly, my only saving grace is the fact that I got to read it for free. But, sadly, even free was too much to pay for this reading experience...

I love Karla's writing and after her previous work, The Undocumented Americans, she easily became an auto-buy and auto-read author for me.

In her first work of fiction, Karla tells the story of Catalina, an undocumented student at Harvard that's hoping for DACA to be passed. Much of Karla's own life seems to influence this story as she was also an undocumented student at an ivy league school. This character-drive story examines how the US looks at undocumented individuals and how hard it is for them to survive her and still be grieving for their homeland, at times. Not only is Catalina's story told but we also get a glimpse of her grandparents, who are her guardians. We see how hard it is for her grandfather to maintain a job when he's undocumented and what it's like for her grandmother to receive dental care when she doesn't qualify for federal assistance being undocumented. Catalina is thrust into a world where she doesn't always fit in with her native culture and living in the States with few knowing her undocumented status. She is trying to find her own way to survive. Much like The Undocumented Americans, I feel like this is something that should be widely read by others.

Thank you to One World for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

This book started out intriguing but then seemed to became slower and lack directions. It felt hard to follow at times.

I really enjoyed this book! Catalina was such a well written character, and the audiobook narrator did such a great job with her voice.

This novel is a short one, a little over 200 pages, 6 hours on audio, but the story is powerful and doesn’t feel bloated or drawn out, it’s succinct and every part feels carefully crafted.

Might be adding this to one of my favorites for the year! I’d definitely recommend picking this one up.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Catalina is a brilliant Dreamer living with undocumented grandparents. She is in her final year at Harvard and struggles to complete her final projects. Catalina seems to fit right in with her more fortunate classmates, including her boyfriend, the son of a famous celebrity, who helps her with final project. She looks back at her experience at Harvard, describing some of her reading assignments. In one passage, she says she “rolled her eyes” at the writings of Gloria Anzaldùa. As a Latina from the “border crossed us” group, I felt a wee bit offended by that line because Gloria A. was an activist whose pen opened doors for other Latinas, including the more recent immigrants, who sometimes don’t understand the long history of Latinx people in this country, beginning in the 1500s, long before the United States existed. Overall, this book very well portrays the struggles and uncertainties the undocumented face in the U.S.

When Catalina was 5 years old she was sent to New York to live with her Grandparents whom she didn’t know. After some adjustments for all of them Catalina soon learned that to make her way she had to be the best. Every though her Grandparents could not afford college she was so smart and hard working that she was able to get a scholarship to Harvard. There was one “secret “ that the family knew but never talked about, they were undocumented! No matter how much they worked or learned a Visa was beyond their grasp.
This is a real story about the struggle of the Dreamers of today.

I will not be sharing a review on my Instagram page because I didn't totally love this book, nor did I understand its purpose. I wanted to love it, I loved Undocumented Americans and while this was a complete departure I could see so much potential. It isn't getting the greatest reviews so I didn't want to add another sub-par review to the mix. I will continue to read books by this author though.

I read this book in only one day because once I started I just couldn’t put it down.

This book follows Catalina through one year at Harvard and all of her ups and downs and everything in between. Through all of her struggles she never gives up and doesn’t stay inside a box that others try to force her into.

This was a very inspiring novel and I couldn’t help but root for Catalina to persevere and overcome.

This is an odd book. I appreciate that it was randomness out of the mind of a young college woman in her early 20s, but it was odd. The randomness was weirdly placed and was truly, well, random. Then the story started staying in place so you could follow a narrative. While I still don't know a lot about this character, I am intrigued by her plight. I am glad a book is bringing light to the life of an illegal immigrant, a DREAMer, and shows them as the humans they are.

A stream of consciousness that details our narrator's experiences as an undocumented undergrad at Harvard where her biggest worry (and it's a very big one!) is how she will get a job post-graduation. Though there were times were I felt like things got a little too chaotic I was left me with so many thoughts!!

Catalina was an interesting, thought provoking, but sometimes frustrating character. I loved her family and how they loved and supported her. The writing style is far from my favorite due to the stream of consciousness writing. With that writing style, my attention started to drift. 2⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s debut novel, “Catalina” (Random House/One World, 2024), 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.

Her exploration of exclusive portions of the upper echelon of Ivy League culture, including The Signet (Harvard’s arts and letters society) and writing awards, juxtaposes prior racial and immigration experiences in the United States, as well as the tragic loss of both of Catalina’s parents when she was a child.

In her review for the Washington Post, Marcela Davison Aviles recognizes “Catalina” as a “singular, owned, undaunted achievement” as well as Villavicencio’s “bel canto.”

“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 and her time collecting other narratives in Flint, MI, Miami, FL, and New York City. "The Undocumented Americans" was also nominated for a National Book Award.

Both books are exceptional. They capture immigrant living experiences regularly portrayed in media at the extremes, glossed over into romanticized stories of triumph or tales of Charles Dickens-esque pity and pathos. Instead, we see fully-rounded people with nuances, joys, and anxieties.

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

Follows a year in the life of Catalina Ituralde, a Harvard student and granddaughter of undocumented immigrants, as she infiltrates elite circles. This is written in a stream of consciousness manner that gets chaotic at times. While I tend to like this style, interesting plot threads would be introduced, then quickly abandoned. This book deals heavily with Catalina's fears about securing a job as an undocumented immigrant, with this secret coloring the way she views the world around her. don't think I've ever read this POV in fiction before! Truly a book that's
"no plot, just vibes." Lots of sad girl lit energy here, although it was less of a campus novel than I was expecting.

CATALINA is a riveting read and one I enjoyed immensely. I loved Catalina's family and learning their history; I cared as much about them as I cared for Catalina and her experiences leading us into the future. I especially appreciate how it weaves familial and cultural history throughout the story, providing even more depth and layers, as Catalina's experiences at Harvard play out in the present. I'll definitely recommend this to colleagues and to writing students. I also look forward to using it as a mentor text in one of my fall novel writing classes.

I always appreciate a book that broadens my knowledge about people in situations that I am aware of but have never personally experienced. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio has written an extremely relevant and interesting account of the struggles faced with many in our country. The characters were interesting and relatable. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks #NetGalley #RandomHouse

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Catalina is a fresh take on a campus novel, sans a typical white female narrator. We follow undocumented Harvard student, Catalina, as she navigates school and a precarious home life.

Villavicencio's characters are well defined, multi-faceted, and real to a fault. Catalina is exact flavor of pretentious, youthful arrogance that drives me up the wall, The story started off slow and really took off in the last third, but Catalina's narration was almost stream of consciousness, which I found somewhat difficult to follow. I also found the devastation of the ending to be in stark contrast to the tone of the rest of the novel. Villavicencio's prose was sharp and gorgeous, just like her previous nonfiction. I anticipate reading this again, hopefully on audio, to see what else I can get out of Catalina.