One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie

One Year of Ugly by Caroline Mackenzie
UK Publication: May 2020
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]

This ARC was provided by Harper Collins UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Two word review – F**king hilarious

Synopsis from Goodreads: A fun, fresh, timely debut novel about the uproarious adventures that befall the Palacio family during their disastrous illegal residence in Trinidad that poignantly captures the complexities of dysfunctional families and passionate (but sometimes messy) romance.

After fleeing crumbling, volatile Venezuela, Yola Palacio wants nothing more than to settle into a peaceful new life in Trinidad with her family. And who cares if they’re there illegally—aren’t most of the people on the island? But life for the Palacios is far from quiet—and when Yola’s Aunt Celia dies, the family once again find their lives turned upside down. For Celia had been keeping a very big secret—she owed a LOT of money to a local criminal called Ugly. And without the funds to pay him off, Ugly has the entire family do his bidding until Celia’s debt is settled. What Ugly says, the Palacios do, otherwise the circumstances are too dreadful to imagine.

To say that the year that follows is tumultuous for the Palacios is an understatement. But in the midst of the turmoil appears Roman—Ugly’s distractingly gorgeous right-hand man. And although she knows it’s terrible and quite possibly dangerous, Yola just can’t help but give in to the attraction. Where, though, do Roman’s loyalties lie? And could this wildly inappropriate romance just be the antidote to a terrible year of Ugly?

Combining the spark of Junot Diaz with the irresistible wit of Maria Semple, One Year of Ugly brilliantly explores cross-cultural struggles and assimilation from a unique immigrant perspective and introduces us to an extraordinary new voice in contemporary fiction.

My Thoughts: I am not sure what I was expecting when I went into this book but it wasn’t what I got and that is a good thing.

Told from the point of view of Yola (sister, niece, daughter, lover and all round bad-ass) this is a heart-warming (but also hot as hell) story of family and finding your place. It is a story of illegal immigrants (refugees) the Palacios have escaped Venezuela for the relative security of Trinidad only to find that while they may have a nice house they have no rights under the law and no-one to protect them from Ugly who is determined to exploit their circumstances. Ugly however hasn’t reckoned on Yola and her bad-ass ability to solve problems, he also fails to factor in Celia who although she is dead before the story starts is still very much alive and kicking from a character point of view.

Who would like this? If you like your characters bad-ass, you are fully on-board with swearing and smut and want a book that will make you laugh while also showcasing important social issues then what the heck are you waiting for.

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