3.5 stars that I’m rounding up because I really enjoyed the “twist,” if you want to call it that.

The writing itself was sort of dense and repetitive for me, so I didn’t love the style of the storytelling. But the idea of what Elena knows vs what she thinks she knows was handled so well. As Elena shares her memories about Rita and Mimi, I started to question her judgment. Rita is obviously the focus, but Elena’s opinion that Mimi didn’t want Rita to marry her son did not mesh with any of the memories she had of her. It started to feel like a projection of Elena’s own feelings.

I was very intrigued by Isabel’s story when it was introduced - it made me raise a brow. And I appreciated how it was concluded. I think it’s connected in that bodily autonomy and control are a theme, as well religious authority over choices about our bodies.

But the book is quite short and feels like it tried to tackle a lot, so I was left a little dissatisfied.