Title: Flores and Miss Paula
Author: Melissa Rivero
Publisher: Ecco
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Category: Fiction
A tender, piercing portrait of a mother and daughter learning how to love each other through loss.
Flores and Miss Paula by Melissa Rivero is a deeply moving exploration of grief, identity, and the tangled, inescapable bonds of family. Told in the alternating voices of Flores and her mother, Miss Paula, the novel offers a rich, dual perspective on love and loss. It shows what is said, what is left unsaid, and how two people can live under the same roof yet struggle to truly understand each other. Rivero’s prose is both lyrical and unflinchingly honest, capturing the ache of unfinished conversations and the quiet resilience of starting over.
Flores is a woman searching for herself in the wake of loss, while Miss Paula wrestles with the weight of her own past, her regrets, and the expectations that come with being a mother. Their relationship is messy, layered, and painfully real, with moments of tenderness laced between their struggles. While the novel occasionally lingers in introspection and slows its momentum, the emotional depth is undeniable, making every moment of growth feel earned.
Readers who enjoy intimate, character-driven fiction will find Flores and Miss Paula a poignant and rewarding journey. Rivero’s insight into the complexities of family and identity makes this a novel worth adding to your stack, one that lingers in the heart long after the final page.
Nerd Rating: 🤓🤓🤓🤓 -A beautifully layered portrait of love, grief, and the fragile connections that hold a family together.
Let’s discuss: Do you enjoy novels told through alternating parent–child perspectives?
Find more about Flores and Miss Paula on Ecco.