Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez | Blog Tour

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez was a stunning and ferociously feminist novel about a rising soccer star who must put everything on the line for her career. Set in Argentina, this #ownvoices novel has a distinct voice that shouts loudly about injustice, passion and love. It’s empowering, gorgeously written with a protagonist I immediately fell for.

I was lucky enough to get an eArc of that thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours, so thank you! As you’ll see, I adored this novel, so you should really add it on Goodreads and buy a copy from your local indie, Hive, Waterstones or Amazon! Hope you enjoy reading this review! Sasha ❤

What I liked: 

-Camilla! I loved everything about our main character. She’s so fierce and ambitious. I love how she put her aspirations above everything. She shouldn’t have had to choose, but I love that it showed her choosing her own destiny, her own dreams, over everything else. She is SO strong, a wonderful character in every way.

"I’d leave this house the first chance I got, but not by chasing after a boy, including my brother. I’d do it on my own terms, following my own dreams, not someone else’s."

-The feminism! Furia discusses feminism in many ways, which I love. Not only is there a central feminist plot about Camilla pursuing her soccer dreams despite the sexism in the football industry and the expectations that she, as a girl, shouldn’t be doing this sport, but Furia also brings up sexism in other forms, showing the reality of life for girls in Argentina. This book discusses domestic abuse, misogyny and sheds a light on the fact that so many young girls and women go missing or get murdered in Argentina, with no one to look for or avenge them but their family and friends.

-The prose! Furia is absolutely gorgeously written, lyrical throughout and creating an atmosphere seeped through the page! The palpable heat of summer, the stifling confines of being a woman, the pressures Camilla feels from those around her, the butterflies in her stomach around Diego – all of it transferred right to the reader, so that we felt we were right there with Camilla. 

-The setting! I’m part Argentinian but I’ve never been there myself so I loved how vividly the author built the barrios, cities and streets of Argentina in a way that made me almost homesick. As I said, Yamile Saied Méndez has a real talent for building atmosphere and setting. I also liked the Spanish incorporated into this book, I don’t speak it myself but I got a little teary when Diego says to Camilla “sana sana colita de rana” when she’s hurt, because my Abuela and mum used to say this to me when I was hurt, so that was a little piece of culture I could connect to, even if it was small. 

-Female friendship! I loved Camilla’s friendship with Roxana, how they always had each other’s backs, as well as with the rest of their football team! I liked how every female character was nuanced, even side characters, and how they weren’t without their flaws, and didn’t have to be perfect to deserve protection and love.

“We’d made the space. We’d filled in the cracks of the system and made room for ourselves where there was none. No one had given us anything. We had taken it.“

-The romance! Me, enjoying a heterosexual romance? Who would have thought! But I did, I really liked Camilla and Diego’s rekindled love and how clearly they cared for each other and connected. I loved how real their romance felt, not rushed and still a little awkward, despite how long they’d known each other.

What I didn’t like as much:

-I genuinely can’t think of anything, so you should really read this book! I didn’t understand the football scenes and references, but that’s completely on me.

-I loved the storyline and mentioning of the missing women in Argentina and I appreciate how it was there because it is an every day reality and it’s important to recognise that, but I do also wish there had been a little more development of that plot line, in some way.

Overall Furia was a phenomenal novel that sport fans are bound to adore, fiercely feminist and bursting with gorgeous writing and vivid imagery. I deeply recommend this book!