Olga Dies Dreaming: A Novel
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- Create Date：2022-01-16 11:20:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Xóchitl González
- ISBN：1250835550
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Summary
A blazing new talent debuts with the story of a status-driven wedding planner grappling with her absent mother， her glittering career amongst New York’s elite and her Puerto Rican roots in the wake of Hurricane Maria。
It’s 2017， and Olga and her brother， Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo are bold faced names in their hometown of New York。 Prieto is a popular Congressman representing their gentrifying， Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan’s powerbrokers。
Despite their alluring public lives， behind closed doors things are far less rosy。 Sure， Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the 1%， but she can’t seem to find her own。。。until she meets Matteo， who forces her to confront the effects of long held family secrets…
Twenty-seven years ago， their mother Blanca， a Young Lord-turned-radical， abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause， leaving them to be raised by their grandmother。 Now， with the winds of hurricane season， Blanca has come barreling back into their lives。
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history， Xochitl Gonzalez's Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption， familial strife and the very notion of the American Dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm。
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
It’s 2017， and Olga and her brother， Pedro “Prieto” Acevedo are bold faced names in their hometown of New York。 Prieto is a popular Congressman representing their gentrifying， Latinx neighborhood in Brooklyn while Olga is the tony wedding planner for Manhattan’s powerbrokers。
Despite their alluring public lives， behind closed doors things are far less rosy。 Sure， Olga can orchestrate the love stories of the 1%， but she can’t seem to find her own。。。until she meets Matteo， who forces her to confront the effects of long held family secrets…
Twenty-seven years ago， their mother Blanca， a Young Lord-turned-radical， abandoned her children to advance a militant political cause， leaving them to be raised by their grandmother。 Now， with the winds of hurricane season， Blanca has come barreling back into their lives。
Set against the backdrop of New York City in the months surrounding the most devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico’s history， Xochitl Gonzalez's Olga Dies Dreaming is a story that examines political corruption， familial strife and the very notion of the American Dream—all while asking what it really means to weather a storm。
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
Reviews
Tayler Washington
，
Phenomenal writing， phenomenal storyline。 I love a character driven story and this really did it for me。 Pa’lante。
Vince Caparas
，
4。5I found this debut novel absolutely delightful。 Olga and Prieto are Puerto Rican siblings just trying to make their way through the world。 Olga is a successful wedding planner to the elites of Manhattan while Prieto is a young and up and coming Congressman。 Growing up in New York， their parents were members of the Young Lords， formerly a street gang that evolved into a protest movement championing Puerto Rican independence。 Their mother， always the more militant， abandons the family to pursue 4。5I found this debut novel absolutely delightful。 Olga and Prieto are Puerto Rican siblings just trying to make their way through the world。 Olga is a successful wedding planner to the elites of Manhattan while Prieto is a young and up and coming Congressman。 Growing up in New York， their parents were members of the Young Lords， formerly a street gang that evolved into a protest movement championing Puerto Rican independence。 Their mother， always the more militant， abandons the family to pursue a more radical agenda。 Now， in the days leading up to and after Hurricane Maria， which devastated Puerto Rico， she’s back。This is a great novel about a fascinating family。 The first half of it reminded me of some of the best domestic familial dramas， a la Jonathan Franzen， with a distinctly Puerto Rican identity。 Olga and Prieto are beautifully written， complex characters。 You get a sense that debut novelist Xochitl Gonzalez had a lot of fun in crafting them。 They feel personal and lived in。 Despite some of the book’s sometimes heavy themes， there’s a lot of humour as well。 The second half of the book reads more like a political drama。 What’s really impressive about the book is how deftly Gonzalez is able to weave modern Puerto Rican history into the plot。 As a Canadian I’ve always known that Puerto Rico was a “territory” of the United States， but I never really understood how exploitative that relationship was and how little voice the citizens of Puerto Rico have in the American political system。 I also didn’t know how cataclysmic Hurricane Maria was to the island nation and how it has spurred a huge solar energy movement。 There’s a queer storyline that features in the latter half of the book that I felt a little conflicted about。 Spoiler alert。 Prieto is revealed to be a gay man who’s secret love life becomes an inflection point when he is suddenly diagnosed with HIV。 While it is handled with sensitivity and honesty， I think it also felt a little stereotypical。 I think Gonzalez does a great job in illustrating how homophobia is internalized in people of a Latinx background， it felt a little clunky and not fully realized。Nevertheless this is an outstanding debut novel that highlights a community of people that are not normally centred in the mainstream。 Excited to see what else Gonzalez comes up with in the future。 。。。more
Vanitha
，
I didn't think I would like this book from reading the blurb， but I was surprised by this book。 I had Google at my side for much of this read， to translate， provide context for historic moment or movements I was unaware of。 This type of alternate political future is the type that would have gotten me politically active and on the cause in my later teenage years when I was sure that my actions would have a great impact on the world。 I enjoyed the writing style， the timeline moving along with lett I didn't think I would like this book from reading the blurb， but I was surprised by this book。 I had Google at my side for much of this read， to translate， provide context for historic moment or movements I was unaware of。 This type of alternate political future is the type that would have gotten me politically active and on the cause in my later teenage years when I was sure that my actions would have a great impact on the world。 I enjoyed the writing style， the timeline moving along with letters， the perspective shifting with the different characters。 。。。more
Robin Castle
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Excellent book club pick。 This is a book that examines motherhood， roles we assign ourselves and roles others assign us， and family。 It is written in a voice that feels like your bestie is whispering it to you over cocktails。 Do yourself a favour---either buddy read this book or read it with your book club。 You'll be talking about it for years to come。 Read this for my podcast。 So very glad I did。 Excellent book club pick。 This is a book that examines motherhood， roles we assign ourselves and roles others assign us， and family。 It is written in a voice that feels like your bestie is whispering it to you over cocktails。 Do yourself a favour---either buddy read this book or read it with your book club。 You'll be talking about it for years to come。 Read this for my podcast。 So very glad I did。 。。。more
Renae
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holy fucking shit。
Madeline
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oof。 I really expected to love this， but the tone was weirdly very YA and super exposition heavy。。。 the humor and language felt so forced and cringe-y， and the plot felt straight out of a scooby-doo episode with one-note upper east side villains and a face off in the radicals' mountain strong-hold。。。 literally nothing in this book worked for me。 oof。 I really expected to love this， but the tone was weirdly very YA and super exposition heavy。。。 the humor and language felt so forced and cringe-y， and the plot felt straight out of a scooby-doo episode with one-note upper east side villains and a face off in the radicals' mountain strong-hold。。。 literally nothing in this book worked for me。 。。。more
Julie
，
I have mixed feelings about this book。 It was very slow moving in the beginning， and actually when I got close to half way through I almost gave up because nothing had happened yet to make me want to keep reading。 There was a lot of politics， which if you like that then maybe this book is for you 😂 but too much for me to fully even understand。 A lot of moving parts and they didn’t necessarily all flow well together。 I did， however， enjoyed learning about Puerto Rican roots and I appreciated Olga I have mixed feelings about this book。 It was very slow moving in the beginning， and actually when I got close to half way through I almost gave up because nothing had happened yet to make me want to keep reading。 There was a lot of politics， which if you like that then maybe this book is for you 😂 but too much for me to fully even understand。 A lot of moving parts and they didn’t necessarily all flow well together。 I did， however， enjoyed learning about Puerto Rican roots and I appreciated Olga’s story/how she grew into the woman she became。 。。。more
Jose
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One step closer to the Great Puerto Rican Novel。In an age where it is fashionable to fight for social justice， champion causes， and critique institutions that enable systematic discrimination and white supremacy among other things， it is difficult to observe the plight of your people as absent。 In Gonzalez's debut， I heard it。 Capitalism。 Imperialism。 Elitism。 Classism。 Racism。 Revolution I hear the raw and authentic voice of someone that gets it and grapples with all these complex themes。 Vivid One step closer to the Great Puerto Rican Novel。In an age where it is fashionable to fight for social justice， champion causes， and critique institutions that enable systematic discrimination and white supremacy among other things， it is difficult to observe the plight of your people as absent。 In Gonzalez's debut， I heard it。 Capitalism。 Imperialism。 Elitism。 Classism。 Racism。 Revolution I hear the raw and authentic voice of someone that gets it and grapples with all these complex themes。 Vivid portraits of the Puerto Rican experience， from the perspective of 'Nuyoricans' in Brooklyn， New York。 A love letter to an island that exists as the oldest colony in the world， to a people whose struggles and suffering do not receive as much attention on mainstream media as they deserve， to a dream that we hope one day will see the light of day。 This is a fiction novel steeped in the testimonies of real people and real issues whose conclusion has a journey long ahead of it。 While I came in as a reader expecting a story from the perspective of Puerto Ricans around the time of Hurricane Maria in the summer of 2017， what we have is a scathing and powerful commentary on the American political order that suppresses the lives of downtrodden black and brown people and a permeates a seemingly indifferent society。 Now， it is not a perfect novel with arguable pacing issues， some mixed decisions on writing and narrative， and an overburdened plot。 However， what it does have me thinking about is the potential that not only this author has， but an entire community of voices out there who have not yet articulated their own stories。 A radical debut that gives many the delightful opportunity to have their heritage represented and acknowledged proudly in detail as well as giving a welcoming hand to anyone curious about Puerto Rican representation and affairs。 4。25 / 5⭐ 。。。more
Huertanicole34
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I can't wait to read more books from this author！！！ Even more so more books about Olga！ I can't wait to read more books from this author！！！ Even more so more books about Olga！ 。。。more
Elyse Walters
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In "Olga Dies Dreaming"， the sarcastic tone 'jumped' into my face from the get-go！ The first story about napkins at a wedding was dreadful （story and humor） --"The Hoarder" didn't move me either --"November 1990" was a little better--Olga was 13 -- beginning to learn about the world -（the reality） --between Puerto Rico and the United States relations。。。。and the understanding about her mother: radically abandoned her children for a political cause。 July 1917 -- "Morning Routine -- the story gets In "Olga Dies Dreaming"， the sarcastic tone 'jumped' into my face from the get-go！ The first story about napkins at a wedding was dreadful （story and humor） --"The Hoarder" didn't move me either --"November 1990" was a little better--Olga was 13 -- beginning to learn about the world -（the reality） --between Puerto Rico and the United States relations。。。。and the understanding about her mother: radically abandoned her children for a political cause。 July 1917 -- "Morning Routine -- the story gets darker -- and mostly stays darker with a little lightness -fluff interweaving。 The story improved a little to "Sunset Park" -to 2025 （more wedding chatter again） --The tone between the light and dark - silly & serious- felt awkward to me。I was happy for the book to end -- while also wishing Olga happy contentedness with her life。a low 3 stars 。。。more
Brittany Pham
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3。5 stars
Anuradha Goyal
，
I think I had too many expectations from this book since it was supposed to be one of the Best Books of the Month by Amazon。com so was quite disappointed at the way it turned out。 I found the book to too long and too descriptive。 The author is obviously giving a voice to the troubles of the Puerto Ricans but if you are writing fiction it is not meant for such serious reading and holds no interest for the general readers。 The book could easily have been shortened by a good 100 pages I thought。
Julia Prescott
，
amazing amazing amazing。 this book is a powerful novel interwoven with real life events （Hurricane Maria） and the history of the Puerto Rican people。 Gonzalez writes about the complexity of family， secrets， capitalism， and migration。 this book taught me a lot and reminded me to say educated on Puerto Rico - an island that is largely and sadly left out of education and media。 this book will stay with me for a long time。
Mary McBride
，
4。5A great story of a Puerto Rican family in present day Brooklyn。 Olga and her brother Pedro were raised by a loving grandmother and close family- deserted by a mother with a cause of her own。 Great backstory on the plight of Puerto Rico and it’s people。And how Olga and Pedro yearned for their people and community to not be forgotten。Loved it。
Kate T
，
I really enjoyed this！ It's a great mix of a romantic comedy + love letter to NY combined with history about Puerto Rico。 At times the language was a bit forced to help explain Puerto Rican history， but I learned a lot and was very invested in the story as well :） I really enjoyed this！ It's a great mix of a romantic comedy + love letter to NY combined with history about Puerto Rico。 At times the language was a bit forced to help explain Puerto Rican history， but I learned a lot and was very invested in the story as well :） 。。。more
Samantha
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3。5⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Complex read Importante topicFirst chapter/into was incredible captured readers attention
Sara
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Audio。 1。25x。 Excellent narration。
Lorri Steinbacher
，
This is a story of liberation--national and personal。 On the personal side， it is liberation from societal expectations， liberation from familial expectations， liberation from your own past holding you back。 This book has two sides--Olga and her family's story， peopled with characters you care about， and a story about Puerto Rico， its political struggles， its status as a not-quite-a state， not-quite-another country， the ways the US has let them down， and exploited them again and again。I learned This is a story of liberation--national and personal。 On the personal side， it is liberation from societal expectations， liberation from familial expectations， liberation from your own past holding you back。 This book has two sides--Olga and her family's story， peopled with characters you care about， and a story about Puerto Rico， its political struggles， its status as a not-quite-a state， not-quite-another country， the ways the US has let them down， and exploited them again and again。I learned a lot， while thoroughly enjoying Olga's story。Recommended for book groups。 。。。more
Jillian
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This was a very character-driven story with varied narrative viewpoints that really drove the development of the story。 The ending felt abrupt after so much build-up， but left me satisfied overall。 （Dec 2021 BOTM pick）
Antonia
，
The character of Olga was so compelling。 I was deeply invested in how things turned out for her。 Given how ignorant I am on Puerto Rico's history， it was a fascinating read。 The character of Olga was so compelling。 I was deeply invested in how things turned out for her。 Given how ignorant I am on Puerto Rico's history， it was a fascinating read。 。。。more
Kaylee
，
Olga and her family make up such a unique cast of characters。 Their stories are captivating and complex。 Yet， by the end of the novel I felt like the Acevedo family got lost in the plot。 Writing: ✏️✏️✏️Impact: 💥💥💥💥Characters:👤👤👤Plot:🧩🧩Experience: 🎉🎉🎉
MaryBeth's Bookshelf
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This is a debut novel？ Are you serious？ This book completely blew me away; it's raw， real， gritty， and timely。Olga and Prieto Acevedo are every parents dream children; Olga is a wildly successful wedding planner and Prieto is a successful congressman。 But， behind the facade， their lives are anything but perfect。 Their mother abandoned them when they were children， Olga struggles to have a fulfilling love life， and Prieto has secrets that he is keeping that threaten his political future。 When Hur This is a debut novel？ Are you serious？ This book completely blew me away; it's raw， real， gritty， and timely。Olga and Prieto Acevedo are every parents dream children; Olga is a wildly successful wedding planner and Prieto is a successful congressman。 But， behind the facade， their lives are anything but perfect。 Their mother abandoned them when they were children， Olga struggles to have a fulfilling love life， and Prieto has secrets that he is keeping that threaten his political future。 When Hurricane Maria bears down on Puerto Rico， their mother emerges back into their lives in ways that will test their relationships with each other and those around them。This book is so much more than what I was anticipating; I thought this was going to be a light， cute story about a young woman looking for love （from a partner and a lost mother） while she helps others plan their happily ever after。 It is so much more than that。 It's about Olga and Prieto's struggle to be their true， authentic selves in the face of expectation and loss。 It's about who we are and where we belong。 I loved the relationship between the siblings。 Olga and Prieto are close， but have their own demons and secrets that will ultimately test them in ways they didn't expect。 Sprinkled throughout the book are letters to them from their mother that helped reveal their relationship with her; while she abandoned them physically， she remains a presence throughout their lives。 A huge part of this book is the events before， during， and after Hurricane Maria and the horrific lack of response from the US government and the impact of that on all of their lives。I really can't rave about this one enough。 It's a bit slower than most of the books I read， but I think this allowed me to truly appreciate the beauty of Gonzalez's writing。 If you have read this one I would be interested to hear what you think。 。。。more
Kate
，
A fresh story with a satisfying ending。
Christine Scott
，
Fantastic debut that I couldn’t put down。 I cared deeply about the adult siblings Olga and Pietro， even when their decisions are questionable。 I also learned so much more about Puerto Rico。There were so many issues packed into this book that it may have been too much。 Childhood trauma， drug abuse， HIV/AIDS， homosexuality， radicalism， abandonment， emotional abuse， rape， blackmail and I’m probably missing some more。 But honestly these were handled lightly and carefully and this did not feel like a Fantastic debut that I couldn’t put down。 I cared deeply about the adult siblings Olga and Pietro， even when their decisions are questionable。 I also learned so much more about Puerto Rico。There were so many issues packed into this book that it may have been too much。 Childhood trauma， drug abuse， HIV/AIDS， homosexuality， radicalism， abandonment， emotional abuse， rape， blackmail and I’m probably missing some more。 But honestly these were handled lightly and carefully and this did not feel like a heavy book to read。The theme that made me think more was about pushing yourself to be seen or choosing to hide。 Olga and Pietro are very public figures in their adult lives and this book unpacks why。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
I really didn’t like this。 The pacing was weird， time jumps a lot， and it was really confusing。 Not a lot happens but also it tries to do too much。 It also covers some really dark stuff in I think too casual of a way。CW: suicide， addiction， death of a loved one， sexual assault on page， racism
Sherry
，
The dust jacket summary does Olga Dies Dreaming a total disservice。 When I read it before starting the book， I thought it would be focused on Olga and Matteo in an “always the bridesmaid （wedding planner）， never the bride” sort of way。 When I finished reading this sweeping， beautiful， funny， emotional， intergenerational epic， I revisited the summary and was disappointed in how the book summary markets the love story。 The real love story is the self-love and acceptance journey Olga （and Pietro） e The dust jacket summary does Olga Dies Dreaming a total disservice。 When I read it before starting the book， I thought it would be focused on Olga and Matteo in an “always the bridesmaid （wedding planner）， never the bride” sort of way。 When I finished reading this sweeping， beautiful， funny， emotional， intergenerational epic， I revisited the summary and was disappointed in how the book summary markets the love story。 The real love story is the self-love and acceptance journey Olga （and Pietro） experience。 Even though the pacing felt inconsistent at times and a bit rushed at the end， I savored every page， highly recommend。 。。。more
meli
，
as someone who lived through hurricane maría and all its—still ongoing—effects （and of the island’s continuing colonization）， the book’s depiction of them was very accurate， realistic， touching， and so so so heartbreaking。 it has some really good commentary on the independence movement， colonialism and neocolonialism， and gentrification。 it does do something， though， that i consider a pet peeve: emphasize the fact that puerto ricans are “american” in order to explain why we should be treated fai as someone who lived through hurricane maría and all its—still ongoing—effects （and of the island’s continuing colonization）， the book’s depiction of them was very accurate， realistic， touching， and so so so heartbreaking。 it has some really good commentary on the independence movement， colonialism and neocolonialism， and gentrification。 it does do something， though， that i consider a pet peeve: emphasize the fact that puerto ricans are “american” in order to explain why we should be treated fairly。 it’s also， at times， a very diasporican take on puerto rican politics， but that’s not the author’s fault because of course it’s all she knows since that’s how she was raised。 blanca was an undeniably terrible mother。 however， i really didn’t like the fact that the independence movement and its supporters seemed to have been sort of… villainized？ in the book。 i understand it， and maybe i’m overanalyzing it， but it didn’t sit right with me。 on a side note， love love love the relationship between olga and matteo， and just… matteo in general。 he and papi were my favorite characters。 all the characters， though， were beautifully written， complex， raw， and imperfect。 it was a delightful experience to watch them evolve and grow and thrive。 all in all， it’s a good starting point if you want to learn more generalized information about the mistreatment， colonization， and abuse of PR。 it mixes fact and fiction in a very intriguing way， and it doesn’t sugarcoat or whitewash puerto rican history and politics。for most of the book， i genuinely thought it was going to be pro-statehood propaganda。 i’m so so SO glad it wasn’t。 though there were definitely some moments where it read like that， the last 10% or so totally turned it around。 so excited to read more from gonzález！！ 。。。more
Holly
，
A bit slow to get started， but I was rooting for Olga （and Prieto！） until the very end。 Funny & insightful while forcing you question the very idea of the "American dream，" especially as it relates to marginalized communities。 A bit slow to get started， but I was rooting for Olga （and Prieto！） until the very end。 Funny & insightful while forcing you question the very idea of the "American dream，" especially as it relates to marginalized communities。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
Rom com？ Family drama？ Political thriller？ Just what is this book？ Definitely uncategorizable （although I'd say not rom com despite the romance）， but somehow， this blend of elements weaves together into a story that takes you on a journey covering three decades and a cast of flawed characters that by turn annoy you and enchant you。 Kind of like family， really。 Relatives you cheer on before slapping the back of their heads for stealing your favorite dress。 The only people who truly understand you Rom com？ Family drama？ Political thriller？ Just what is this book？ Definitely uncategorizable （although I'd say not rom com despite the romance）， but somehow， this blend of elements weaves together into a story that takes you on a journey covering three decades and a cast of flawed characters that by turn annoy you and enchant you。 Kind of like family， really。 Relatives you cheer on before slapping the back of their heads for stealing your favorite dress。 The only people who truly understand you。 And will still let you through the door， faults and all。 Unless it's your mother， of course。 Now that's a different， complicated， frustrating relationship。 And with the power to leave you with lifelong wounds。 （Not my Mum， though！ Thanks for being so great， Mum！！）I love reading books that open up new cultures and perspectives for me and Olga Dies Dreaming really delivered， welcoming me into the world of a New York-based Puerto Rican family。 I'll never watch a news story about Puerto Rico the same way again。 I also noticed how Spanish words were not italicized in the book， allowing them to blend more seamlessly in the conversations。 A small but interesting editing decision that I thought worked well in showing how the characters combined both languages without conscious thought。 Meanwhile， speaking as someone whose husband did indeed wear socks with tevas （once） during our early days together， you made the right decision， Olga！Once you've finished reading this， pair with a listen to Bookreporter Talks To interview with Xóchitl González。P。S。 I pity the poor brides who read this one and suddenly add "quality of napkins" to their list of worries！ 。。。more
Lora
，