Villavicencio’s nonfiction debut, “The Undocumented Americans,” was a sensitive depiction of undocumented Latinx people. Her eagerly anticipated first novel follows Catalina Ituralde, an undocumented immigrant in her final year at Harvard. Catalina recognizes that she cannot be legally employed upon graduation and her current job is an unpaid internship in media. “Usually, the only people who could afford to do that sort of thing — move to New York for at least three months and live there without making an income — came from some kind of money, which kept that world small.”

But Catalina is not wealthy. Her parents were killed in a car crash when she was a baby and, after living with her aunt and uncle in Ecuador, she now lives in Queens with her undocumented and underemployed grandparents, Catholics, who renounced the Catholic Church when “they no longer wanted the blood and gore,” and became Jehovah’s Witnesses.

For her first three years at Harvard, Catalina sought to remain invisible but, as a senior, “There was catching up to do. I felt like I was emerging whole and without a backstory, like Athena born from Zeus’s forehead fully formed.” Disheartened by her inability to obtain legal post-grad employment, Harvard had sent Catalina to the best immigration lawyer in New York who advised her that her only options were marriage or legislation. She has routinely followed the dismal path through Congress of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. She has thoughts about everything from the indignities of being undocumented and not being able to “do what we want to do,” like travel home when a close family member dies, to the limited career options available to the poor (“What Goldman Sachs was to Harvard seniors is what the U.S. Army was to me and my high school classmates”).

While I could appreciate the challenges that Catalina faces as she tends to her aging grandparents and navigates an uncertain future, the novel did not engage me. Despite her intention to “catch up” in her senior year, Catalina seems detached from her life, aloof from her friends, with the exception of Delphine, a Puerto Rican who also was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, and her budding romantic relationship with Nathaniel, the son of a famous director and an aspiring anthropologist, bored with her classes, and uninterested in her senior thesis. Perhaps it is her lack of confidence in her future that leaves Catalina seemingly adrift. Thank you One World and Net Galley for an advance copy of this thoughtful novel.

I couldn't help but hear Cornejo Villavicencio's nonfiction voice, with her previous work The Undocumented Americans, pierce through this novel. While certainly on purpose, it somehow made me a bit detached from the fictional aspects of the novel to feel as immersed as I would have liked. However, of those moments, Cornejo Villavicencio does spotlight important themes in the narrative that made me collectively invested in Catalina's relationship with the real world bursting her bubble while at Harvard, whether ICE or deportation of family members always looming. But ultimately, I found this best illustrated in Villavicencio's nonfiction work.

This is great writing but wanders a bit too much and lost me as a reader. Felt it was very similar to her memoir in style

There is much to like about Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's Catalina; the characters are compelling, and the contrast between New York and Harvard is well done.

Stream of consciousness narration runs a risk of getting lost in the sauce, and Catalina occasionally succumbs. Fantastic elements, like Catalina's grappling with her desires, can be overshadowed by belabored prose that feel straight out of an Ivy league creative writing workshop (which, perhaps, they are). It is possible to read this as Catalina's self-editing, demonstrating her desire to fit in at Harvard, but to me it felt like a huge bolder in the stream of consciousness.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Catalina Ituralde's story is a frenetic journey that captures her ups and downs. As a first-time reader of this author, I was initially drawn in by the cover. While not the best book I've read this year, I felt a strong connection to the character.

As someone with DACA, Catalina's worries about her future and navigating a prestigious university while undocumented resonated deeply with me. I remember constantly checking for DACA updates, hoping for positive news.

Villavicencio tells Catalina's story in a stream-of-consciousness style that, while expressive, sometimes distracts from deeper themes. Catalina's thoughts and daydreams give the narrative a vibrant, contemporary feel, though it can be challenging to follow at times. Moments of laughter and deep introspection were well delivered, despite occasional difficulty staying engaged.

The novel excels in depicting Catalina's emotional journey through Harvard, blending humor with harsh realities. While I admired her determination, there were times I found her character a bit unlikable. The characters, including Catalina with her witty insights, felt authentic yet some aspects felt underdeveloped.

Overall, "Catalina" is a poignant exploration of identity and ambition wrapped in an entertaining narrative. Villavicencio's blend of humor and serious themes may not satisfy those seeking a tightly structured plot, but fans of character-driven stories will find Catalina's journey compelling and thought-provoking

Catalina is the golden child, a powerhouse, and a force of nature when it comes to just about anything. Her grandparents raised her after a terrible accident in Ecuador that took her parents' life. Growing up with them in Queens, all she can focus on are the constant immigrant phantom hands pushing her to be more, more and more. She is undocumented and deportation can happen at any second. But she might as well make the most of what she can.

I picked up the book even though it is not my typical genre and I am so glad that I did. Villavicencio's writing style is so rich, decadent, and visceral. It did take me a bit to get used to the staccato of emotions depicted by Catalina in the beginning, but once I was familiar with her stream of consciousness it was impossible to put the book down. Her commentary throughout her experience at Harvard, her love life, and her Latina identity is utterly snarky and hilarious. I also adore the characterizations Villavicencio has created for the characters. Reading their caricatures makes me feel as if I know them in real life.

I would say that the synopsis didn't do the book justice. Romance isn't really the focus of the book. It's much more about the interstitial feelings, the bottomless pit of pursuance, and what it means to love in a foreign language. The book is a shorter read (just under 230 pages) but it did not feel like it's missing anything. And surely I won't be forgetting about Catalina Ituralde.

Thank you NetGalley for the vibrant contemporary ARC!

This was very interesting book about this girl calle C a t a l I n a. She was originally from Ecuador and when she was 5 years old.She was sent to america Live with their grandparents. Her grandparents were undocumented and people only had to take jobs where they could.. She grew up very much love but she want to know why her parents were not there for her. She made it to harvard and then she realized how different this world was. She was real, go get . Learn a lot about her culture at school for boy named nicholson. Grandfather faced it deportations. She had a fight for him to stay here. This is a great book has really Happy ending.

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was truly a remarkable story.
This is a fresh, thought-provoking, well-written, and inspiring novel

Thank You NetGalley and Random House | One World for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Catalina is about to start her fourth year at Harvard. She’s been interning at a magazine, one slot on her path to becoming a writer. She’s also an undocumented immigrant, and that fact has made her life after graduation hazy. It’s the early 2010s and still a bit out from the passage of DACA; Catalina is terrified of revealing her status. With this hanging over her head, Catalina is also stumbling through her final year in ways that will look familiar to anyone who’s made it to the end of their degree and has no idea what they’ll do.

I read The Undocumented Americans in 2020, which was Cornejo Villavicenco’s work on day lobourers, mixed with her own experience of being undocumented. It was stunning. Catalina feels a bit like the flip side of that; details about Catalina’s life line up with Cornejo Villavicencio’s and it’s hard not to see some truth in Catalina’s story. This is a fun campus novel. It’s also an examination of the complexities of immigration, class, and poverty. Catalina is brash and funny, and she’s also fearful and isolated. It’s a short but interesting read.

Catalina is a brief stint in the mind of our main character, Catalina, as she finishes college at Harvard. It’s part My Year of Rest & Relaxation, part light academia fiction, and wholly difficult to put down. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing is succinct and compulsive. I wanted to spend another year in the mind of beautiful, complicated, confident Catalina.

My biggest complaint is that the ending is incredibly abrupt. Catalina would’ve benefited from another 20 pages, at least, of concluding remarks, but it ends precisely the way that it began - with just another of Catalina’s thoughts. I also think that Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing style & pace is going to really work for some people or really NOT work for others, but I thoroughly enjoyed both.

Thank you to Netgalley & Random House for this digital copy of Catalina.

This is one of my favorite books of 2024. I don't love campus novels, but I 'm so glad I didn't let that steer me away from Catalina. Cornejo Villavicencio explores so many dynamics at both a micro and macro level here and I was instantly invested. Don't let the somewhat been there done that synopsis fool you, this is different and this is GOOD.

I had trouble getting into this I must admit, and going further with it didn’t alleviate that at all. This does not read like a typical novel in my humble opinion. It is more of a memoir or diary if you will, about an undocumented girl’s last year in college, Harvard actually, which is a feat in itself based on her circumstances. Catalina lives off and on with her undocumented grandparents who fled Ecuador and raised Catalina after her parents were killed. Read the publishers description, it is more thorough than I care to go into here.

It doesn’t really have a distinct plot. She shares her senior year experiences with us readers about her uncomfortable and troubled feelings about America and the dreamers, the DACA population, what it means to them and what road blocks they encounter in their journeys.

This got a little too political for my taste, making me feel reluctant to pick this up and continue at times. It is a short book and I had totally different expectations of it. I am a latina, born and raised here in the states. I am familiar with some of her concerns but I’ve had it up to here with this topic. Since I read primarily for entertainment, I can’t say this was an enjoyable read for me. I feel the author has potential and wish her the best in future endeavors. 3 minus, maybe even 2+ is my star rating.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read and post my honest opinions of this work.

If you enjoy stream of consciousness and don’t need plot to push you through a novel, this one might be for you. I hesitate to really critique such a book, as much of Villavicencio’s focus is on her/Catalina’s experience as an undocumented Dreamer attending Harvard on scholarship. Since this has not been my experience, I am sure there are things I am missing as I read that might resonate with others.

While the reader still cares for Catalina and her family (the also undocumented grandparents who raised her), this novel is almost entirely character-driven, with very little momentum coming from plot. I appreciated social commentary throughout, experiencing what is might feel like to be in Catalina’s shoes in such a place as Harvard, and the many challenges of walking through the world in a woman’s body.

An undocumented immigrant from Ecuador who came to New York to live with her grandparents as a child after her parents died, navigates Harvard. The book does a great job showing the complexities of trying to succeed while undocumented. However some of the choices she makes in terms of relationships/friendships were perplexing to me.

Literary fiction is a hit or miss for me, and this was a miss, but I don't think it's a bad book. It just didn't speak to me and though it was easy to read, I wasn't getting much from it.

I thought the blurb sounded interesting. Catalina Ituralde is a senior at Harvard but she is undocumented, coming to the US from Ecuador. I have no idea how she got into Harvard on a full ride. She can't get a job or loans because she has no social security number. I was really put off by the writing. It was first person rambling. Perhaps if I liked Catalina more I would have enjoyed this more but I didn't feel the character was developed at all. Actually I felt the same about her grandparents. Obviously there are more higher ratings than mine so in the right hands this book is fine. It did nothing for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House One World for providing me with a digital copy,

This is the story of Catalina, an undocumented immigrant who comes to the US via Ecuador after her parents die in a car accident. She lives with her grandparents in NYC where she explores what it's like to be an undocumented American on the cusp of DACA and the DREAM act. Constantly in fear of her future employment, she gets accepted into Harvard, and thus begins her witty observations about the world at large and the lives of rich, privileged, white Americans.

Catalina's incessant stream of consciousness covers the horrors of femicide in Latin America, the disappeared peoples of Columbia, Guatemala and other countries, and other atrocities committed by European conquerors. She soon meets a rich benefactor in the form of her boyfriend Nathaniel, whose father is a well known industrialist. He, Bryon, wants to make a video collection of her experiences in the US to compare to her Latin American heritage. There are a few subplots like this that don't really go anywhere. One of the main plot points involves her grandfather possibly getting deported and her fight against that. There are a lot of historical references here and her grandfather is her sole educator for all things Latin American. "We watched enthusiasm for fascism take over western countries one by one with my grandfather at the head of the dinner table explaining how to handle men who want to be kings." Lots of great passages like this, but not much happens in this book, there is no resolution to several plot points, It's more of a look into Catalina's mind and she navigates life and self and tries to determine her future. She's smart, witty, and a bit of a narcissist, so it's entertaining at best.

Catalina is a story about an undocumented immigrant who attends Harvard unravels. In addition to her studies, she has to worry about whether DACA would be passed, whether her grandparents would be deported, and how she could ever get a job without papers. This was an interesting read and I learned more about our Dreamers and what they went through on the unknown journey to citizenship. I enjoyed this topic the most, despite there being several subplots around Catalina’s relationships. How Catalina unravels was less interesting to me. While understandable, it was hard to watch..
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Catalina is atouching book of what it's like to be a "Dreamer Kid." The story revolves around Catalina and her undocumented grandparents who are raising her. She is a student studying at Harvard and gets a job in publishing and also is looking to fall in love. Catalina is a very likable character and you root for her throughout the novel as well as get frustrated with some of the decisions you wish she didn't make. We learn from her what it's like to live under something called the DREAM ACT which may or may not pass as a bill so Catalina can stay and work and live in the US after she graduates. A problem arises in the novel where her grandfather dosn't answer a letter from immigration which can mean serious consequenes for them all. You experience people who want to help her if things go wrong and people that have prejudices and could care less what happens to her. This novel is only 224 pages so you can finish it in a day. There is a lot to unpack in this novel but the writing style is very easy to undertand and even though there is a back and forth in time I never felt lost or frustrated like other reviewers. I would recommend this book for people who like to read youn up and coming writers who write about issues of the day. Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the read,

Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (publication day July 23, 2024) is a novel about an undocumented young woman from Ecuador, Catalina, who was brought to the United States at 5 years old to live with her grandparents in Queens, and goes to Harvard.

I think some people will absolutely love it. Catalina is a smartass, a survivor, a perceptive young woman of color in the most privileged of privileged white places--Harvard--and an unpaid intern in publishing. At the same time, she is an orphan who had to adjust to life with her grandparents in the U.S. after having only known her aunt and uncle. She sneaks alcohol from her grandfather's stash and at the same time says she feels nothing for them. She follows the political progress of the DREAM Act (it's set mostly in 2010-2011) religiously because it's her future. Her grandparents are Jehovah's Witness, which also leads to conflict with her attitude and life as a college student.

I was intrigued, and kept reading, but I didn't really like Catalina. I don't always want to read about "hot mess" protagonists, and Catalina is truly a hot mess. At the same time, she has had tremendous pressure placed upon her, so it's not surprising that she acts out.

My grandparents lived hunched over, arms linked; climbing up in this world meant standing on their backs, and they let me know it. “All of this is for you,” my grandfather would say as my grandmother massaged Tiger Balm into his hands. “As long as you get an education, everything will have been worth it.”

Midway through her senior year and while she's clinically depressed, her grandfather, the sole wage-earner of the family, gets a deportation order that he ignores, until Catalina gets the mail and finds a "Notice of Automatic Removal" -- he has failed to appear and he will be deported. It may be too late, but she has to help.

Scattered throughout are powerful insights about being a descendant of the indigenous people of the Americas, like this one:

Going to the American Museum of Natural History as a local has always been a bit of a mindfuck. You cannot remove tourists from the experience because they are part of it. Watching busloads of white American children make their way through the halls of annihilated peoples made me feel like I was on an amusement park ride in hell.

I've seen Catalina on a couple of "Most Anticipated" lists already, and I would expect it to be critically-acclaimed. It's well-written, and deserves any accolades it receives. It's also completely weight-neutral, which I appreciated. It will probably also be popular with book groups, as it will catalyze lots of discussion. But Catalina -- both the character and the novel itself-- were too chaotic for me to really appreciate. I am glad that I read it, though, and would recommend it if it sounds interesting to you at all.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-Galley in exchange for an honest r