I have a lot of thoughts regarding The Gallery of Unfinished Girls, but I’m not sure how to put most of them into words. This is a magical realism novel about growing up, figuring yourself and your future out, and the ups and downs of art and being an artist. Karcz did a good job balancing all of these themes alongside numerous sad events, and those are respected rather than used only for shock value. It’s especially good for a debut novel.

However, most of this book just...didn’t work for me. I liked Mercedes, Angela, and Victoria. Especially Victoria. Karcz nailed the uncertainty surrounding high school graduation (I still live that life) and the way that affects relationships. And the way Mercedes had a crush on her friend, unsure if said friend was queer? Relatable. Fair warning, if you’re going into this expecting a f/f romance the way I did: you aren’t going to get one. While personally I found that a bit disappointing, I will admit that such a choice fits better with the rest of the story.

As for everything else, I don’t know. I liked the way the Estate was written and the magic surrounding it, but parts of it didn’t make sense. The plot twist at the end of the book didn’t make much sense to me either, though that’s just as likely to be an issue with me as with the book. The sad events I mentioned earlier didn’t really have an effect on me; I recognized that they were sad, but I wasn’t bothered by them. I didn’t really care about any part of this book, if I’m being honest.

I’m not sure what else to say. I didn’t love or hate The Gallery of Unfinished Girls; it’s a book I read and that’s that. I’d recommend it to those interested in it, but I’ll likely forget about it in a few months.

Representation:
• Puerto Rican bisexual protagonist
• Potentially queer Italian-American prominent side character
• Queer minor side character

CW: death of a family member