Oye

A Novel

By: Melissa Mogollon

Narrated by: Elena Rey

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A coming-of-age comedy. A telenovela-worthy drama. A moving family saga. All in a phone call you won’t want to hang up on.

“A portrait of love, heartache, and hilarity that transcends its medium.”—Elle

“Brilliant . . . Melissa Mogollon did not come to play.”—Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST • LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE AND THE CROOK’S CORNER BOOK PRIZE

“Yes, hi, Mari. It’s me. I’m over my tantrum now and calling you back . . . But first—you have to promise that you won’t tell Mom or Abue any of this. Okay? They’ll set the house on fire if they find out . . .”

Structured as a series of one-sided phone calls from our spunky, sarcastic narrator, Luciana, to her older sister, Mari, this wildly inventive debut “jump-starts your heart in the same way it piques your ear” (Xochitl Gonzalez). As the baby of her large Colombian American family, Luciana is usually relegated to the sidelines. But now she finds herself as the only voice of reason in the face of an unexpected crisis: A hurricane is heading straight for Miami, and her eccentric grandmother, Abue, is refusing to evacuate. Abue is so one-of-a-kind she’s basically in her own universe, and while she often drives Luciana nuts, they’re the only ones who truly understand each other. So when Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, receives a shocking medical diagnosis during the storm, Luciana’s world is upended.

When Abue moves into Luciana’s bedroom, their complicated bond intensifies. Luciana would rather be skating or sneaking out to meet girls, but Abue’s wild demands and unpredictable antics are a welcome distraction for Luciana from her misguided mother, absent sister, and uncertain future. Forced to step into the role of caretaker, translator, and keeper of the devastating family secrets that Abue begins to share, Luciana suddenly finds herself center stage, facing down adulthood—and rising to the occasion.

As Luciana chronicles the events of her disrupted senior year of high school over the phone to Mari, Oye unfolds like the most fascinating and entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped on: a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel that celebrates the beauty revealed and resilience required when rewriting your own story.

Cute but a bit aimless

The story was cute and had great moments, and the voice actor did a GREAT job (10/10); however, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing choices. While I understand it brought a sense of realism, there were WAY too many “LOLs” that made listening a bit challenging and dragging. I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going either. It felt like someone narrating a chunk of someone’s life where you got a lot of the trivial day to day life stuff and not as much “plot”. I was hoping for more in terms of a novel, but it wasn’t bad listen while at the gym. I found the audiobook MUCH better than reading the actual book.

Wonderful

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the narration and laughed out loud many times! I've been telling my friends how wonderful it is!

Telenovela

I loved everything about this story; narration, characters, story line everything. It reminded me of my grandmother and her sisters and their stories and drama. Absolutely fabulous.

A Captivating Listening Experience from Start to Finish

I was completely entertained the entire time I listened to this book! From start to finish, the story kept me hooked, and I found myself eager to hear what would happen next. The narrator was absolutely enthralling—she brought so much energy and emotion to the performance that it felt like the characters were jumping out of the speakers.

What truly stood out was how vividly she captured each character. Every voice felt distinct and full of personality, making it easy to stay immersed in the story. Whether it was humor, tension, or heartache, the narrator delivered it all flawlessly. This audiobook was not just a story—it was an experience. Highly recommend!

Emotionally Intimate

Recommended. Creatively different perspective of writing and sharing a story. Many emotions along the way.