It’s all told in first person, in almost a stream-of-consciousness kind of way. And it has a certain snobbishness to it, in the way that (some) college kids often do. Like, Catalina wants to sound smart, and debate literature, and that sort of thing.

But also, she is in the country illegally. As are her grandparents, who raised her. She was sent to them when she was five, and knows no other life. She has gotten into Harvard, but will she even be able to get a real job after graduation, with no Social Security number?

So, despite her snobbishness on some topics, she is also dealing with real issues. Ones that a lot of her peers – especially the legacy students, who are at Harvard because their parents went there – would not be able to sympathize with.

There are only a handful of actual “chapters,” if you want to call them that. The book is basically broken up into seasons of one year. So even though each section is long on its own, the book moves fast. There are a lot of little observations quips that made me laugh out loud.

And there is an actual story, too. Some of the important stuff doesn’t even happen until we’re nearing the end. Either way, it’s compelling to just kind of drop into someone’s life – sometimes superficial, sometimes turbulent.

Catalina is a story of an undocumented young woman from Ecuador. At an early age Catalina lost her parents in a tragic accident and was sent to New York to live with her undocumented grandparents.

The story of an undocumented person in the U.S. isn't new, but each account is unique, such as in Catalina. She is whip smart and finds herself navigating a social and academic life at Harvard while harboring her secret. Finding romance and acceptance is walking a fine line. How is it possible to be accepted to a university such as Harvard when undocumented and what does the future hold? I was squarely in Catalina's corner and holding my breath. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio wrote a fine novel; it's hard to believe this is a debut.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/One World for the arc.

Catalina is raised by her grandparents in Queems after her parents died tragically in Ecuador. Catalina and her grandparents are all undocumented which plays a large part in their lives.

When Catalina gets into Harvard, she feels like she made it. But it seems like wherever she goes she can’t escape her reality.

I had a hard time with this one. The timeline was hard follow between flashbacks, present day and day dreams.

About halfway through when Catalina finds out what her grandfather has been keeping to himself I found myself a bit more interested but it never fully took off for me.

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is a phenomenal literary fiction debut with luscious prose and wry humour that I think many readers will enjoy. We follow Catalina's coming of age story during her time at Harvard as she navigates life as a senior student, about to graduate. Diving deep into a unique perspective of a DACA student at a prestigious school, we follow Catalina as she faces obstacles in finding a job after graduating and creating meaningful relationships with those around her. The wit is bitting, the character analysis true to the mark. I believe anyone who read The Idiot would enjoy this book as it has similar themes.

This is very similar to The Idiot in a lot of ways, although unlike Selin (whose earnestness and love of philosophy was at times somewhat unbearable for me) Catalina is a hilarious hater (which I love and feels much more aligned with my own college experience). This novel also had the perfect amount of quiet devastation that I think I will be thinking about for a while -- truly would highly highly recommend it when it comes out in July!

This is an odd little book with a lot of ramblings by Catalina about her life and adventures and feelings and thoughts. Some of it seems extremely disjointed and scattered while some of it gives us an insight into her mind. There were a bit too many off-color references, scenes, and words for me, which I could have done without. Things were a bit confusing at times too, so although I thought I would enjoy this book it just wasn’t what I was looking for. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

A beautifully written coming-of-age novel! While reading it I was continuously rooting for Catalina, but some points in the book did fall short for me. I think it was maybe a bit chaotic, but I think there are certain people who would love this book.

Villavicencio's book The Undocumented
Americans was one of the most impactful and important books I read last year so I was beyond excited to get my hands on her debut fiction novel! Coming-of-age stories are my favorite and this is like one l've never read before!

Catalina is an undocumented student's coming-of-age story that was so dramatic and chaotic that it held all of my attention from beginning to end! The stream of consciousness style felt like a whiplash of emotions, in the best way!! I was equal parts heartbroken for her experience and also laughing out loud at so much of her absurdity and randomness! And I loved it!! As fun as it was, the novel also covers the raw and real side of an undocumented family and the tough choices and sacrifices they face daily. I invite you to pick up this novel when it comes out next week! You are in for a chaotic, messy, thrilling but resilient and insightful experience!

Catalina is the story of a 'dreamer', a child of undocumented immigrants living in the US. Being raised by her grandparents (also undocumented), she attends Harvard but will be unable to gain employment upon graduation. She thinks about this all the time while struggling with typical coming-of-age issues and that is the focus of this book. For me, the story was rambling and disjointed--I had trouble following the narrative and had to reread sections to reorient myself. The novel did give me lots to think about and I plan to pick up the author's first book, The Undocumented Americans<, for perspective.

Catalina is an excellent fiction debut by Villavicencio. The novel tracks as year in the life of Catalina, a brilliant undocumented immigrant at Harvard, Catalina navigates love and heartbreak through her experience as an immigrant with her grandparents in America. The story is told against the backdrop of the DREAMER movement and DACA and the tension and anxiety about deportation is palpable throughout Catalina’s journey. Catalina is a singular voice and many parts of this novel made me laugh with her observations. At its heart, this is a coming-of-age tale for a modern generation and Catalina is similar to Holden Caufield.
I loved this book and would recommend it if you like coming-of-age stories or multi-cultural fiction. An exciting new voice to fiction!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After her parents tragic death, Catalina Ituralde was sent to live with her grandparents in Queens NY. When Harvard selects Catalina as one of their golden children, she is happy but still plagued by her curious and probing mind.

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicenicio is one of those special books that everyone should read. Covering her four-years at Harvard, we meet interesting characters, have awkward romances and failed interactions, all while staying perfectly Catalina.

It's a hopeful and deeply funny story about one woman trying to be everything, including what SHE wants.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a short book that was hard to connect to. I do like a lot of autobiographical novels, but this felt too thinly veiled. Maybe I'm misinterpreting that. I loved Villlavicencio's first book, so i'll likely still look out for her writing in the future.

Catalina, the fiction debut of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, follows the titular narrator on a stream of consciousness year in the life at Harvard while she tackles the big questions of her role in the world, what to do with her life post-college, who to spend her time with, and how to consider these constructs as an undocumented person with an undocumented family, where everything is more layered and carries greater risk.

Sometimes we describe books as all plot, sometimes we describe them as no plot just vibes, and Catalina is forging its own path with what I’m hereby calling no plot all voice. This book is biting, smart, meandering, and vulnerable, with an almost anthropological commentary from a narrator who is pulling no punches. Many will compare this book to The Idiot and of course they will, but they are very different reads, though maybe for a similar audience. (also, can we talk about this cover!)

I found Catalina to be a character full of heart, no filters, insecurity, and sass... the good girl with a secret badness that leads her astray but on her own terms. It is an interesting dreamer perspective that begs to be heard more, a way of young American life that is as isolating as it is free. She is a contradiction of terms as a character and the millions of dreamers she represents. This book will stay with me awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | One World for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Catalina takes the reader on a journey of an undocumented Harvard student. Catalina’s parents were killed in an accident when she was only a baby. She was raised by her aunt and uncle for a few years until she was sent from Ecuador to the US, where her grandparents were living with undocumented status. Her grandparents gave her the best they could, as is evidenced by her attendance at Harvard.

This novel starts at the beginning of her last year at Harvard where she is struggling on how to secure a job without “papers” after she graduates. She wins awards and gets job offers but then what? Add to it her grandfather’s immigration woes and her entanglement with a wealthy Harvard boy (who wants to teach her about her Latin roots) and his father (a Harvard Alum) and you get a glimpse into the life of this one young woman, a dreamer, hoping for a way to save herself, her family and build a life of stability.

However you feel about illegal immigration, it is heartbreaking to read about the challenges of the kids who come here and have no other home than that of the US. Deportation isn’t the answer for these kids. But limitless immigration is also not feasible. I appreciate that this is one woman’s story and there are so many others with different stories and different circumstances.

Many thanks to @oneworldbooks and @netgalley for a digital review copy of this novel.

It was mostly vibes but good vibes. This book felt so real like I was sitting down to hear one’s life story. While the subject matter is not an upbeat one, it still felt very comforting and easy to relate to being Ecuadorian as well. I think we need more stories like this one in mainstream media and I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to Random House and PRH audio for free review copies of Catalina.
This is an excellent book, the writing style and character exploration invited me to step back, think in more expansive and nuanced ways about first gen students where I teach, the ones I advise, the ones feeling alienated... ones trying to have a voice heard. My connection with this book is indeed influenced by work and my desire to be a better advisor and educator, this book matters. I think it will be a welcome addition to a course I teach in diversity and adolescence/early adulthood.

A few notes, despite my thoughts that overall this book is bold and brave, and needed... It can also be a hard read in places with the narrative style, some shifts in pacing near the end (it works but pacing shifts can be distracting), and also that at times not being able to fully connect with a character can feel difficult. And yet... I think of this as being what is is like to be first gen, to feel out of sync, hard to connect with the world around you, having a pace that may not be one that is familiar; I think the author in her way enables those feelings to come through and that is impressive.

Imagine a world in which talented voices don't have to fight to have access, the voices we haven't heard from yet/won't hear from because of deferred or unavailable dreams.

I wanted to love this book because I enjoyed the author’s debut novel, The Undocumented Americans, but this was not for me.

Catalina follows undocumented immigrant Catalina through her senior year at Harvard as she awaits the political decision of what’s to happen to the DREAMERS and as she steps into adulthood.

My main issue with this book was the ending. It felt out of place and weird (?) for the book and didn’t really help close the story out. When I finished, I thought to myself, really? That’s it?

I was also not very drawn to any of the characters as we are simultaneously given both nothing about them and everything that’s the matter with them.

I think I would have liked this book more if it wasn’t so obviously tied to the author’s personal life (the main character feels to be the author just in a made up scenario this time) and if there was more of a point/conclusion/closure to the book at the end.

DNF @14%

I didn't like the writing style. It was a stream of consciousness story being told by the main character.

I really Enjoyed this book! I went In blind having no idea what the story was about but was pleasantly surprised by the writing and the heart I felt towards Catalina. I’d read this author again for sure. Thank you for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.