Review: One Year of Ugly

One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Have you ever read a book and could clearly picture the actor in your mind who you thought would play a specific character? That is what happened with this little gem of a book. From the moment that Roman was introduced, I imagined Manny Montana (Good Girls, The Mule, Graceland). With that being said, this book had a little bit of everything - family, love, illegal immigration, human trafficking, birth, etc. It was interesting in the fact that it followed a family who moved to Trinidad from Venezuela illegally to get away from their crumbling county and had done so as an entire family - aunts, uncles, cousins, the works. After an aunt passes away the family discovers that some debts needed to be paid and the family sticks together to make sure that they are, well, really they have no choice due to Ugly and his crew breathing down their necks.

The story is told from the point of view of Yola, the 20-something daughter, and the manuscript that was written by the dead aunt, which gave this book a very unique perspective. Enter Roman, Ugly’s right-hand man. He may be Ugly’s enforcer but that doesn’t stop Yola from feeling the attraction between them. Honestly, so many things happen to this poor family that you just can’t help but route for them to come out on top. It really is an eye-opening book that amongst the humor really tugs at your heartstrings.

I seem to have read quite a few books on immigration this year. Coincidence or is the universe trying to tell me something?

A good book and I recommend it if you have the chance.

I received this book from NetGalley. 

Edit: I had posted this review in all my normal posting places, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram, and someone (an immigration attorney) kindly pointed out to me that it is not "illegal" to enter another country without the proper papers but it is considered "undocumented." They made a comparison to someone getting a speeding ticket, that if I were to get a ticket I am not illegal, what I did was illegal but I am not illegal. It is all in the wording. I am learning so much about this subject this year. 



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