You can guarantee that any new release by Annette Chavez Macias it will result in me crying my eyes out and clutching my soul with the emotions it brings. “WHEN WE WERE WIDOWS” did exactly that.

In this book, we meet 3 generations of women, Yésica, her mother Ana and Ana’s mother, Mama Melda. Ana and Mama Melda move in with Yésica after some repairs are needed in Ana’s house that will take several weeks to complete.

This book touches the topic of grief so well and beautifully. The emotions are so well written and thought out that I ached for all of these women, who regardless of where they were in life or what stage of grief they were in, could be felt so well off the pages.

Yésica recently lost her husband and we get a deep inside look and different views of her grief that aren’t always visible to everyday life and the stories behind the grief. She is navigating like as a new widow, but still is holding on to a pain that came from when her husband was still alive.

She has a strained relationship with her mother, and touching through that subject was very relatable and well thought out and I enjoyed having the story told in the POVs of Yésica and Ana. I left we were able to completely see why the relationship was so strained and the author did a great job capturing the depths of those feelings of having that type of relationship and being able to see it from both sides.

The depth that went into this book with grief, trama, relationships and new romances and old flames and so many other aspects in life especially in a Hispanic household were laid out so perfectly in this book.

This is my 3rd book by Annette that ive read and each one gets better and better.

A well written story that highlight the complexities of the mother and daughter relationship. I’ve always admired the authors writing style and getting the perspective of each character. This story will make you cry and bring you smiles. Definitely my new favorite book by the author. I recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you so much net galley for the e arc.

This was a beautiful story about mother daughter relationships both navigating grief.

I loved the dual POVs I feel like it made me understand what each of them were feeling.

Oh this story was beautiful! It pulled all the hearings and was just wonderfully written. What a great book! Highly recommend

I absolutely loved this book!!! It makes me feel like I’m reading about family or like I’m part of the story and author gave me that same feeling with “Big Chicas Don’t Cry” & “Too Soon For Adios”.
Also, the way that I enjoyed reading about the character development from beginning to end was top tier. There were so many different issues that were mentioned throughout the book but they made them seem so real and relatable.
Another thing I absolutely loved was the recipes at the end. During that chapter when the family was cooking together, it made me feel like I was in the kitchen with them. Such a great addition to the story. Such a great book that deals with, spousal loss, infertility, mother/daughter issues, family drama, second chance romance, friends to lovers, so much more. A definite must read!!!

This is a very powerful book, for many reasons. Personally, I'm a fan of stories about family dynamics and grief, so I was completely drawn in when I read the premise. I was not disappointed! Such an achingly beautiful story about loss, complicated relationships, food (like I was hungry reading this!) and all that with beautiful writing that's not at all difficult to read. I thought it would take me a lot longer to read, but the story flies by as you become more and more invested in the lives of these three widows.

The overall feeling of the story is also a bit hopeful, so it's not as depressing as it sounds, just a very realistic book that I think unfortunately, everyone will be able to relate to in some way.

I'm so glad I picked this up because I needed to read something that would really make me feel something, and it definitely did. I grew to care a lot about these characters and the feeling of family they built. It's clearly not a cozy read, but at some point it started to feel that way due to the familiarity of the topics covered in it.

*Thanks to NetGalley uk, the publishers and the author for the ARC*

Three widows under one roof contend with loss, grief, ire, and a hurtful family past. Poignant and powerful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters and the plot were believable. I recommend this book.

This is truly one of my favourite reads of this month. The plot and pacing just flowed plus the solid characters and world-building only enriched this story.

I loved meeting Yesica, Ana, and Mama Melda in "When We Were Widows." Their storylines and relationships were palpable and authentic. It's notable that plenty of thought was put into each of these characters as their stories developed and progressed throughout the book.

This book gives great insight into grief, generational trauma, family secrets, rekindled friendships, romance, mother-daughter relationships, and the pressures faced by first-born daughters. I really resonated with the eldest/first daughter scenarios and appreciated that a book addressed them at different stages of life. I also appreciated the various stages of grief and the benefits of group therapy covered throughout the book. I am glad to see more Latine authors including the use of therapy to address mental health concerns in their storylines.

Including the historical piece of the Chavez Ravine was the perfect touch for this book. It really added to the depth of the characters and it tied with the ending so well. I, like the author, learned about this part of LA history as an adult, and I continue to be saddened by it. Annette definitely did this particular storyline justice and hopefully more readers take something away from it.

If you have read anything else by Annette Chavez Macias before, you know there will be some focus or mention on food and this was no different. I felt as if I was cooking/eating right along with Yesica, Ana, and Mama Melda. I appreciated the recipes at the end, too.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. It is a beautifully written work.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annette Chavez Macias, and Montlake for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

Decent fast paced read. First read by this author, I actually never heard of her before. Good work and decent writing.