“Hey sunshine”
Is what Mr. Ethan Winston of Historically Inaccurate would say!
Hi readers! Remember last week when I shared some of my favorite quotes from Historically Inaccurate? Well today I’m sharing my review for the novel. I received an advanced readers copy of Historically Inaccurate in exchange for my honest review thanks to the team at Colored Pages Blog Tours.
Historically Inaccurate is a new adult story by debut author Shay Bravo. Historically Inaccurate was originally on Wattpad but is now going to be published for the masses. This novel features diverse characters, a Black love interest, College clownery, and finding yourself.
Summary:
It’s been a year since Soledad’s mother was deported. Now Sol and her father are adjusting to a life without her. Sol decides to fill the void in her heart by joining her college’s history club, but she doesn’t expect to have to break into an old house and steal a fork in order to join. On the night of Sol’s initiation, she successfully retrieves the fork but is caught by Ethan Winston, a current resident of the house. Sol has no other option than to jump out the window and pretend the night never happened. But Ethan is also a student at Sol’s college, and the two grow closer after the awkward encounter.
Thoughts:
I felt this story was slow at some parts, but the humor and witty writing more than made up for it. Additionally, I felt the story dove into the heartache of having a long-distance parent and the strain that may put on the child mentally.
“ I never expected you to be a perfect daughter, I love that you’re imperfect.”
Shay Bravo Historically Inaccurate
Soledad jokes that she doesn’t consider herself a good student early on in the book, but by the end, her mother is calling Sol out on the stress she put herself through. Sol’s biggest wish is to legalize her mother, but new laws have made the process even longer, so Sol convinces herself the burden is all on her.
Furthermore, this story has so many diverse characters. It’s a story set in college, so there should be! Has anyone else noticed the lack of diverse characters in some of the college fics you’ve read? Sol’s best friend, Diane, is Black and a lesbian. Additionally, Diane’s character felt like a true best friend and not like a token.
Sol’s other BFF and chaotic partner in crime is Carlos, another Mexican American college student. Sol and Carlos’s friendship is one of the best things in the book. I love to see best friends who are just friends. Yes, I’m specifically talking about those books with BFF love triangles.
Lastly, Ethan Winston— the love interest— is great. He’s not quick to forgive Sol for breaking into his house and invading his privacy just because she’s attractive. Like Sol, Ethan expresses attraction to both men and women but doesn’t feel comfortable labeling himself as anything other than straight. Again, circling back to the theme of finding one’s self.
The very last thing I want to touch on is race. This book touches upon race a few times. But the scene I would like to discuss is when Diane and Sol decide to eat at a Mexican restaurant, and Sol is mistaken for a waitress. Diane is quick to come to Sol’s defense, and later on, Sol acknowledges that she’ll never go through the “same hardships that Diane and Ethan go through being black.” Although this moment is brief, I thought it was great that the author touched upon it because it brought an extra level of reality into the story. Microaggressions are something that are common, especially now. Additionally, as the BLM continues to grow stronger, I think it’s important to look out for each other just like Diane did.
I give Historically Inaccurate three stars and I recommend this book if you’re interested in a new adult read with some entertaining plot points.
Content warnings for this novel: mentions of ICE and deportation, microagression and misgendering
Until next time readers keep living in libros,
Gaby
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