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What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
- Narrated by: Claire Jimenez
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
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Publisher's summary
A powerful novel that's "hilarious, heartbreaking, and ass-kicking" (Jamie Ford), of a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island who discovers their long-missing sister is potentially alive and cast on a reality TV show, and they set out to bring her home.
A March Indie Next Pick! Belletrist, Phenomenal, and Readers Digest book club pick! Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award!
The Ramirez women of Staten Island orbit around absence. When thirteen‑year‑old middle child Ruthy disappeared after track practice without a trace, it left the family scarred and scrambling. One night, twelve years later, oldest sister Jessica spots a woman on her TV screen in Catfight, a raunchy reality show. She rushes to tell her younger sister, Nina: This woman's hair is dyed red, and she calls herself Ruby, but the beauty mark under her left eye is instantly recognizable. Could it be Ruthy, after all this time?
The years since Ruthy's disappearance haven't been easy on the Ramirez family. It’s 2008, and their mother, Dolores, still struggles with the loss, Jessica juggles a newborn baby with her hospital job, and Nina, after four successful years at college, has returned home to medical school rejections and is forced to work in the mall folding tiny bedazzled thongs at the lingerie store.
After seeing maybe-Ruthy on their screen, Jessica and Nina hatch a plan to drive to where the show is filmed in search of their long-lost sister. When Dolores catches wind of their scheme, she insists on joining, along with her pot-stirring holy roller best friend, Irene. What follows is a family road trip and reckoning that will force the Ramirez women to finally face the past and look toward a future—with or without Ruthy in it.
What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez is a vivid family portrait, in all its shattered reality, exploring the familial bonds between women and cycles of generational violence, colonialism, race, and silence, replete with snark, resentment, tenderness, and, of course, love.
A Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by Elle • USA Today • Today.com • Ms. Magazine • Good Housekeeping • Bustle • The Week • Goodreads • Bookriot • Pop Culturely • SheReads • Litreactor • Electric Lit • The Mary Sue • People Español • Zibby Mag • Debutiful • Her Campus
Best Books of March by Shondaland • Ms. Magazine • Popsugar • Bookriot • Debutiful • Powell’s Book Blog • TIME 100 must-read book of 2023 • Booklist Top 10 debut of 2023
Critic reviews
"Narrating her own work, Jiménez smoothly delivers the raw and honest dialogue. She embodies each of the indomitable Ramirez women, effectively conveying their sorrow at losing Ruthy and the pain that subsequent trauma brings to their lives. Short chapters revealing Ruthy’s 13-year-old self, interspersed between her family’s perspectives in the present, will keep listeners hooked . . . Jiménez’s prose and narration shine in this engaging and powerful debut novel exploring identity, trauma, and enduring familial bonds."—Library Journal
"A rollicking, heartfelt tale of family, grief, and intergenerational healing."—Elle
“A funny and heartbreaking examination of sisterhood, generational trauma and the bonds that hold families together.”—Today.com
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Heavy topics handled well but just fell short 4 me
- By AudioBookHoe on 07-30-17
By: Maria E. Andreu
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Reprieve
- A Novel
- By: James Han Mattson
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On April 27, 1997, four contestants make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Lincoln, Nebraska, made famous for its monstrosities, booby-traps, and ghoulishly costumed actors. If the group can endure these horrors without shouting the safe word, “reprieve,” they’ll win a substantial cash prize - a startling feat accomplished only by one other group in the house’s long history. But before they can complete the challenge, a man breaks into the cell and kills one of the contestants.
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Can't recommend.
- By Josh Mitchell on 01-19-22
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Nero
- Made Men, Book 1
- By: Sarah Brianne
- Narrated by: Aaron Landon
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Nero is the king of Legacy Prep, living a life of power. Elle is the school's punching bag, living a life of fear.
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two words...Amazing and hott!
- By Jenee's Reviews on 09-15-15
By: Sarah Brianne
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Orange Mint and Honey
- By: Carleen Brice
- Narrated by: Cherise Booth
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After grad school, Shay Dixon feels like she's had enough for awhile. Inspired by her spiritual adviser - a soul-soothing blues player named Nina Simon - Shay calls her estranged mother Nona for the first time in years, and shocks herself by asking if it would be okay to come home for a while.
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One For The Money
- By DiaRose on 09-25-17
By: Carleen Brice
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Not So Pure and Simple
- By: Lamar Giles
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 11 hrs
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Del has had a crush on Kiera Westing since kindergarten. And now, during their junior year, she’s finally available. So when Kiera volunteers for an opportunity at their church, Del’s right behind her. Though he quickly realizes he’s inadvertently signed up for a Purity Pledge. His dad thinks his wires are crossed, and his best friend, Qwan, doesn’t believe any girl is worth the long game. But Del’s not about to lose his dream girl, and that’s where fellow pledger Jameer comes in.
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W BOOK
- By jesus cuello on 05-06-22
By: Lamar Giles
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The People We Keep
- By: Allison Larkin
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Little River, New York, 1994: April Sawicki is living in a motorless motorhome that her father won in a poker game. Failing out of school, picking up shifts at a local diner, she’s left fending for herself in a town where she’s never quite felt at home. When she “borrows” her neighbor’s car to perform at an open mic night, she realizes her life could be much bigger than where she came from. After a fight with her dad, April packs her stuff and leaves for good, setting off on a journey to find a life that’s all hers.
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Absolutely loved this book!
- By chatteycathi on 08-09-21
By: Allison Larkin
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Domestic Violets
- A Novel
- By: Matthew Norman
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned 35, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day. The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords....
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What a rollicking ride!
- By Pamela Harvey on 08-13-11
By: Matthew Norman
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To Be With You
- By: TJ O'Shea
- Narrated by: Amy Deuchler
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Leah Vasquez and Victoria Lockwood should not fall in love. They're smart enough to know a star-crossed lovers situation never works. Leah's a loner from the poor side of town, working two jobs, and aching to leave their sleepy hometown in her rear view forever. Victoria lives in a mansion with her overbearing parents, surrounded by friends and known to none of them, living what others consider a charmed life. When Leah rescues Victoria from a freak rainstorm, they discover an unexpected understanding, and an undeniable spark.
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Prose that transcends the genre
- By Bettina on 04-16-24
By: TJ O'Shea
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32 Candles
- A Novel
- By: Ernessa T. Carter
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Davie—an ugly duckling growing up in small-town Mississippi—is positive her life couldn’t be any worse. She has the meanest mother in the South, possibly the world, and on top of that, she’s pretty sure she’s ugly. Just when she’s resigned herself to her fate, she sees a movie that will change her life— Sixteen Candles. But in her case, life doesn’t imitate art.
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2 High Fives - for Monkey Night
- By Nevada on 10-03-12
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Smash It!
- By: Francina Simone
- Narrated by: Zakiya Young
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv’s heart is interested in three different guys — and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she’s not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?
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Good Coming of Age Story
- By dametra07 on 08-24-21
By: Francina Simone
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The Time Traveler's Wife
- By: Audrey Niffenegger
- Narrated by: Fred Berman, Phoebe Strole
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Clare and Henry have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was 36. They were married when Clare was 23 and Henry was 31. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.
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One of my favorite books
- By Joey on 01-13-08
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Three-Fifths
- By: John Vercher
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Pittsburgh, 1995. The son of a black father he’s never known and a white mother he sometimes wishes he didn’t, 22-year-old Bobby Saraceno is passing for white. Raised by his bigoted maternal grandfather, Bobby has hidden his truth from everyone, even his best friend and fellow comic-book geek, Aaron, who has just returned home from prison a hardened racist.
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Good BUT not as good as it sounded
- By jaymie thomas on 12-13-19
By: John Vercher
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The Untelling
- By: Tayari Jones
- Narrated by: Michele Blackmon
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Aria is no stranger to tragedy. Fifteen years ago, a family outing took the lives of her father and baby sister, leaving remaining members of this fractured family struggling with their own guilt - real and imagined. At 25, Aria believes she can reinvent herself through her planned marriage with all its promise of a family of her own. Her infertility changes her life as swiftly and irrevocably as the urban landscape around her.
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Don’t waste your time!
- By shasha on 09-18-20
By: Tayari Jones
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Point B
- A Teleportation Love Story
- By: Drew Magary
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When the corporate monolith PortSys brought porting to the masses, CEO Emilia Kirsch and her son, Jason, accomplished what every other start-up company had failed to deliver. They really did change the world. They reversed climate change. They created a multitrillion-dollar industry out of thin air, curing economic woes across the globe. They made it so that anyone could be anywhere simply by touching a screen...including the man who murdered Sarah Huff. Now, Sarah’s 17-year-old sister, Anna, is determined to hunt the bastard down. But there are a few problems.
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Sherry Potter’s only got one spell: portkey
- By aaron gilbert on 11-02-20
By: Drew Magary
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Fascinating
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What listeners say about What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez
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- Maryanne T.
- 05-24-23
The Voice Sells This Book!
5 stars for What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez! Most of those stars are for the voice in this book which was so vibrant I literally felt like the characters were talking to me. The author's attention to the most mundane, everyday life event really makes the reader feel like you are there - on the bus trying to advocate for a little old lady who got off on the wrong stop or trying to do a blood draw on a patient in the nursing home who has dementia and is telling you that you were basically a "fast" girl in middle school or just trying to make it through your shift at the overpriced lingerie store where you struggle to fold the fancy thongs! It's hard to believe this a plot driven novel as the character development is so delightfully well done you don't even actually need the plot. Until the end. And, I think that is where other reviewers may have detracted a star because they did not get the resolution they had imagined. I am definitely a reader who appreciates resolution and I probably detract more stars for an unsatisfying ending than for any other reason. But this book does have resolution and it's tied up in the characters that you very quickly fall in love with. I loved the sisters and found their fighting and bickering so much more believable than the sisters in Hello Beautiful which to me - fell a bit short. Comments like, "Bi**ch looks like Elmo" had me laughing out loud and wanting to hang with these girls and their mom who had survived the ultimate loss - that of one of her daughters as a teen and was still kicking a** and taking names. There were strong themes of sibling rivalry and the sisterhood as well as the perfectly played Staten Island and Puerto Rican culture and growing up as a minority female and what is expected of you. In spite of the heavy event that happens in chapter one (the middle sister just disappears after school one afternoon) I found this book so funny and touching and actually slowed the speed of my audiobook down because I did not want it to end! I can't say enough good things about this book. Yes, there is a very heavy thing that happens, but the story is really about the family that survives and how they survive together. Loved it!
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- amanda
- 12-29-23
Not what I expected
I loved this story and the characters, at first I thought oh this isn’t the way I expected the story to be told but then found I couldn’t stop listening.
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- Harris
- 03-15-23
Beautiful story about strong women
I loved this book! The story line was quick, witty, and sparkling. I appreciated how each character got to share their insights. I learned a thing or two from Miss D for sure! Great authentic narrating by the author,too. This is a true New York novel!
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- Dorothy
- 04-21-23
Just terrific!
This is an incredibly creative, brilliantly written novel. It’s an absolute delight, which one wouldn’t expect given the basis of the story. The author beautifully narrates each of her wonderful and lovable characters.
A real jewel of a listen.
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- Literary Scene
- 08-18-23
A tender yet fun story about family and hope
A wonderfully written novel whose characters are relatable and endearing. Fast-paced and often comical, this story had me laughing and cursing out loud as well as crying. The author lyrically writes scenes that have you enmeshed in the culture and characters. One of the best books of the year.
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- Anonymous User
- 05-30-23
Pleasantly Surprising
After listening to the small sample snippet, I knew I had to listen to this book. I am half Puerto Rican, and grew up in the city of Chicago. I related to this book so much, Listening to all the struggles, and the toughness they had to endure, but still being able to love so hard. The struggles of not speaking Spanish fluently, but still being heavily influenced by the music, with references to Marc Anthony, and La India. The struggles with trying to provide a better life for the next generation. It was well written, and the narrator understood the assignment! She read the characters so well. It was like listening to my tias and tios talking. If I had one complaint, it would be that I wish maybe there was more than one narrator. Only because since I was listening to it, it was hard to remember which character's part she was reading. The book was short, but it told a beautiful, albeit sad, story.
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- KJNuri
- 06-14-23
Please! No author narration.
Through Audible’s superb recordings, we are accustomed to performances not readings. The author reads this novel like a spoken word poem. Which it is not. Her regional dialect is distracting and at odds with her NewYurican characters. The story is told in four voices. The audio would have benefited greatly from four readers, not one. This recorded book is a miss Audible.
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- Bethany
- 11-21-23
So good
I listened to this book more than any I’ve listened to. Every minute I could I had this on. It’s good, it’s real, it’s funny, suspenseful and I won’t ruin the ending. I hope more of her books are on here.
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- Loretta E Collins
- 12-31-23
Masterful at merging comedy and tragedy in a great story.
Loved it! This story is really about the complexity of female relationships. I loved the interactions between characters. The narrator really brought the richness of the characters. I almost downloaded the kindle version and so glad I went with the Audible one. The thing I felt was so amazing was that ALL of the main female characters were strong. Typically there is a juxtaposition of a weak one. My only dislike is that the overall book is so short. I wanted the story to go on. I hope the author considers writing a sequel.
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- Yuri
- 03-12-23
Relatable
I could not stop listening. The narrator perfectly portrayed each character. As a latina, I don't often find books that are relatable to my world. This book was like listening to family. I felt for these characters.
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3 people found this helpful