This is the Only Kingdom
Jaquira Díaz’s Ordinary Girls was everywhere in 2019, and I do mean everywhere: it got glowing reviews from Oprah, Publishers Weekly, Time, Bustle, and of course, Book Riot. It is a gut-punch of a memoir about Díaz’s difficult childhood, but also her triumphant coming of age.
Her latest, This is the Only Kingdom, is high on my TBR, and was one of Jamie Canavés’ picks for the Best Books of 2025. “With a focus on mother-daughter relationships, this is a deeply felt, layered generational drama and coming-of-age novel. Maricarmen’s life changes as a teen in Puerto Rico when her mom throws her out after overhearing her confess her love for a boy she was forbidden to date. Decades later, her daughter Nena finds herself in Miami trying to understand generational trauma. This was one of the very few 2025 releases that I was highly anticipating that actually delivered, and just like Díaz’s memoir, I felt this book inside my bones.”