Reviews

Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet

Only show reviews with written explanations

who_the_hell_is_jess's review against another edition

5.0

Fkn scarface-flavored moby dick this book is so iconic

I especially liked how meta it was and how the omniscient narrator was able to make commentary about izzy and the whale and also about the whole genre. I liked that the narrator made fun of the way books by latinx authors are marketed too. It's really obvious that crucet loves miami and the people who live there.

kerriboland's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I liked this book at the beginning but then got pretty bored pretty quick. The ending did nothing for me at all. I should have cared a lot more about Izzy, in one way or another. 300 pages is a lot of pages for one main dud of a character.

tamtasticbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My real rating is probably more in the 4.25ish mark, but I'm rounding it up because the ending had me reeling, and I think I loved this book.

What a wild trip this story was. All you need to know is that Izzy, the main character and unauthorized Pitbull impersonator, has just been sent a cease and desist by Pitbull's legal team. So, naturally, Izzy decides to cut a new path by becoming more like Tony Montana from Scarface. He finds an odd bond with Lolita, a captive orca whale in a seaquarium venue.

And that's all you need to know. Go into this book expecting as little as possible, because this is one of those stories that defies expectation. Being inside Izzy's thought process as he grapples with memories that he'd suppressed coming back feels so depressing yet hopeful. He tries so hard to not try hard through this whole book, wanting to be cool and make something of himself, but he can't help but care. I really liked his character, for all his flaws and immaturity. He messes up a lot, but he's determined.

Such an interesting, weird, wild story! Loved it.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

annatsp's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I'd put this at about 3.5 stars, to balance out personal enjoyment and more writing/research needs.

Right. So I picked this up from Edelweiss because I've been looking at ways different people write about their own experiences and places in fiction. Call it semi-research. The description sounded interesting enough, so why not?

Personally, I kind of got a little bored midway through because Izzy is dumb (Though, if he isn't, where's the story?) and Lolita... well, the orca never gets anywhere. It meanders a lot in a way that doesn't really interest me; it's not a plot or type of book I'd normally be raring to read. The ending was weird (what's with the letter? lol), but what caught me was the bit before the end. The resolution for Izzy's search for his past, the repressed memories, the way it all unfolds. Also, it's very magical realism in the sense that you never quite know what's real or not at some places.

But as a study in voice and in not pandering to monolithic, imagined white reader, I love it. I may not understand all the Spanish (?) that punctuates the narrative and the dialogue, but it holds the attention, it captures me, it makes me want to know more. Though I'll do without the iguanas and alligators.

In conclusion, if you're Cuban-American this might resonate with you more. Or, I guess, if you live in Miami.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.