All the Broken Girls is one of those books in which I entered with a bit of trepidation as I am really not that interested in romantic suspense type books. Luckily, the romance is not front and center of this book, which allowed me to focus on some of the other interesting things I was learning about, like the Cuban-American culture and Santeria. But while I thought the book started off pretty strong, there were some parts that could have used some tighter editing, plus I wasn't always a fan of Mari as she could be abrasive and pretty rude at times.

First of all, Mari. While I loved how Mari cared about the girls and wanted to help them, pushing authorities to do more, there was this abrasiveness about her character that bothered me constantly throughout the book. As a reporter, she was pushy, but sometimes she stepped over the line and was a bit rude to people when it was not necessary and unfortunately, it did get on my nerves after a while. The author tried to compensate by giving her these vulnerable moments, but for me, they didn't really work all that well as it made me feel like Mari was being more manipulative than real.

I don't really feel like any of the other characters had any development and were rather one-dimensional. However, I did like the focus on family and difficult family relationships as well as the religious aspects of the Cuban-American culture as I don't know a lot about them so I found them enlightening.

While the plot was interesting and somewhat complex, the pacing is a bit erratic with this subplot that keeps interrupting the main plot. I almost wondered if the author was going in a different direction at one point and decided to change the plot and not go there at this time which is why we have this main plot with another subplot running through it. So, while some parts moved rather quickly and were quite interesting, other parts dragged on and were bogged down by meaningless details; this is often where characters were introduced for no reason that I could see or little purpose, adding to the confusion. Or where family drama erupted, again for reasons to just fill space, but added little to the actual plot, or had to do with the subplot that went nowhere. Does that sound confusing? Because it was.

Verdict
All the Broken Girls left me feeling a bit in the middle with regards to this book. There were actually some really interesting aspects to the story and I did like the overall mystery, even if it took a while to muddle through it. And while I wasn't a fan of the main character, I did like some of the relationships I could see forming and am invested enough to want to learn more about her family. I did think the plot was all over the place and could have used some tightening up, but the ending makes me wonder if the author changed direction for the book and has now decided on a sequel? Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the ending as I thought this was a standalone, but that ending was a bit of a disappointment. It was strong enough overall though, that I would probably read another book if it was released.

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All the Broken Girls tells us the story of Mari Alvarez, crime reporter, and single-minded pursuer of the truth. I hesitate to say one can be over-zealous in pursuit of the truth, but if anyone is, it’s Mari. Mari is back from suspension after recklessly accusing a politician of murder. Her employer is being sued by that politician and her supervisor has ordered her off the crime beat. But then there is a particularly lurid murder in her neighborhood and she’s right there, so of course she must stop, heedless of how she risks her camera operator’s job as well.

There she meets the detective working the case, Garcia. Sparks fly and the dose of antagonism surely means he will be the romantic interest. What follows is a serial killer mystery that only Mari, with her deep connection to Santeria and Cuban culture, can solve. In Florida.

All the Broken Girls is full of romantic suspense tropes. Mari and Garcia are a match made in romance publisher heaven with their bickering and instant antagonism masking attraction. Mari is the plucky girl reporter whose headlong search for truth puts her in danger. The arc of their relationship was obvious from the first paragraph.

I thought the mystery was fair. We had all the clues Mari had and any information that would be outside our experience was explained by her. So the connections of the murders to Santeria were made evident as they were recognized by Mari. The murderer, motives, and discovery were fairly well-done.

My problem was with Mari and her voice. There was such heedlessness and disregard for other people on her part that it didn’t make sense that people were so loyal to her. Take her camera operator. She put his life and career at risk, but he remains a loyal friend? Why? What has Mari done to ever earn that loyalty? She’s a bulldozer and that might make a great reporter, but it doesn’t win friends or garner loyalty. Because she is so self-centered, the other characters are flat and one-dimensional and this makes the book fall flat for me.

I received an e-galley of All the Broken Girls from the publisher through NetGalley.

All the Broken Girls at Entangled Publishin
Linda Hurtado Bond author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/11/all-the-broken-girls-by-l... ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I liked the rich culture influence that the author brought to the story. However, I did find myself not connecting as strong to the characters which is a shame. I mean Mari's determination to solve the murders and what if any there is a connection to her mother's murder years ago is felt. Yet, I did not feel that the other characters helped to elevate this strong desire.

This in turn caused the story to move along slowly for me. To the point that I would sometimes get easily distracted and find myself having to reread pages to see what I missed. However, I stuck with this book and the story does pick up speed after the halfway point. Which made it easier for me to stay more focused on the story. Overall, I did like this book and would read another one by this author. ( )

OH, MY WORD, WHAT AN INTRIGUING BOOK! I fell in love with Mari, rhymes with sorry Alvarez the returning crime beat reporter from her unwarranted suspension. The only bread winner of the home she shared with her grandmother and her younger sister. Murders were committed in broad daylight with only a broken female doll as the only clue. I was pulled into this story from the first as I tried to keep up with the clues, AND I NAILED HIM WITH THREE CHAPTERS TO GO!!! ( )

Murder and the ever-present threat of the evil eye create an atmospheric story of danger and dread.

All The Broken Girls was a fantastic thriller of a mystery! Mari, the disgraced reporter, had my complete and immediate sympathy. I admired how she kept her head up when all her coworkers were eyeing her, and her boss blamed her for the lawsuit when she knew she had the goods all along. I loved her relationship with her abuela and was fascinated by the inclusion of her practice of Santeria traditions, rituals, and belief system. I liked that Mari was clever and figured out the clues quicker than her police contacts. I felt her heartbreak as she identified with the two Rodriguez sisters and later discovered the betrayal of family members. I enjoyed the sprinkling of Spanish in her thoughts and dialogue throughout the story.

I also liked the police detective, Antonio ‘Tony’ Garcia, and the tension and eventual chemistry between the two main characters were fabulous. His family was delightful, especially his mother. I loved how she was so in charge of the family and her son. I liked how they and Mari’s family were such an integral part of their neighborhood.

The setting in West Tampa was unique, and I enjoyed the geographical mentions and the tantalizing inclusion of the market and other real places. The descriptions of the Cuban-American community were both colorful and comfortable. The subtle references to traditional foods and dishes teased me to find the nearest Cuban-influenced restaurant quick, fast, and in a hurry.

The action is constant, and I had trouble finding a good stopping point to put the book down. Consequently, I couldn’t leave the story alone for long; it was that absorbing and exciting. There was a sense of urgency to see what happened next. There was that feeling that whoever was behind the murders was watching the heroine, and something terrible would happen. With a creepy stalker dude hanging around somewhere just out of sight, mysterious and puzzling notes cropping up, and the ever-present threat of the evil eye, the story had a continuous atmosphere of danger and dread.

I recommend ALL THE BROKEN GIRLS to readers of mystery and thrillers who like strong female protagonists and those who would enjoy the Cuban-American flavor of its West Tampa setting. ( )