This was a really interesting look into the trans Latine community in New York City, with Ojeda guiding the reader through the joys and struggles that are unique to this particular community. Ojeda heavily draws from his/her own experiences to craft these stories, so much so that I feel it’s almost misleading to say that this short story collection is fiction. It sometimes read like a memoir in which he/she took many creative liberties. Furthermore, I wouldn’t quite call these short stories, so much as they were interconnected vignettes that captured the intimate lives of those on the margins of society. For this perspective alone, I think Las Biuty Queens is well worth picking up.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find the writing especially engaging, which I think was in part because the stories were a little too short; most (if not all) of them didn’t give the reader enough time to think about this vibrant and beautiful community. Ojeda brought up a number of fascinating points that could have been further explored, ranging from sex work to immigration, and I really found myself wishing more could have been said on these topics and how they intertwine with being trans.