Hello, lovelies! I’m here a
little early to share my review of the novel Like My Mother Before Me by Naley
Gonzalez. Spoiler alert: I loved this book! Other than that, I’ll try my best
to avoid spoilers.
I’ve been a fan of Naley’s for
some time and, when I signed up to become an ARC reader, I was hopeful. It
wasn’t long before I had my very own copy downloaded to my Nook and ready to
go. I was honored to be among those chosen and, having just finished reading yesterday,
I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions.
Firstly, here’s the blurb to give
you an idea of this New Adult novel:
(Summary from Naley Gonzalez's website)
Spoiled and self-centered daddy's
girl Alizé Salvas spends her time texting with friends, cutting class to get
high, and playing volleyball.
When Alizé witnesses a horrifying
sight of a skeletal woman vanishing from her father’s study, she's certain
she's losing her mind. She quickly goes into denial, but her avoidance only
makes things worse. Now, plagued by horrible visions and other unwelcome
specters, Alizé finds her world spiraling out of control—effecting the lives of
the people closest to her.
Pursued by a personal demon, she
must overcome her selfish habits and embrace the truth about her family's past,
and herself, or suffer the same fate as her mother.
Now for my thoughts.
The story as a whole was solid.
There was enough happening outside of the main plot to invest me in the
characters and their lives, as well as watching them deal with real-world
problems alongside this monster and confusion. It made the story a little more
real and added a depth of emotion that I appreciated.
The characters themselves were
supremely written, with their own personalities and reasonings. Alizé was a
relatable, ordinary girl trying to achieve her dreams who was treated unfairly
at times. I felt myself being frustrated with her, being elated with her, just
feeling everything she felt as she tried to come to terms with the drastic changes
in her life.
Veronica was beautiful in her
otherworldly form, there’s no other way to describe her. I wasn’t sure how to
feel about Martin at first, but I fell for him even with his persistence. Ezra
and Estelle felt very real with the things they dealt with and, though they
weren’t exactly main characters, I loved their parts in the story. Zoraida was
my favorite character and that’s all I’m going to say about that!
The monster was terrifying, absolutely
horrific. I swear I’ll be having nightmares about this thing. Aside from that,
I loved the use of Spanish, the Latin culture, and all of the food mentioned
that sounded delicious!
All in all, I would highly
recommend this book. While I was reading, I could see the story playing in my
head like a movie, and for me that’s the best it can get. I received an eBook ARC,
but I fully intend to get a physical copy for my shelves.
You can find links to Like My
Mother Before Me and Naley Gonzalez’s social media below!
Love always,
Lori Fayre
Preorder LMMBM:
https://www.naleygonzalez.com/likemymotherbeforeme
Website: https://www.naleygonzalez.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naleygonzalez/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/naleygonzalez
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNaleyGonzalez/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCawSppswttLyZ0WNRKs8Tnw
