First published 2022
Chiquis Rivera tells her own story in Spanish, and she does not flinch. Her mother, Jenni Rivera, one of the biggest names in regional Mexican music, died in a plane crash in 2012. The loss alone would have been devastating. But Jenni had also excluded Chiquis from her will after a painful misunderstanding between them, leaving their relationship unresolved at the moment it ended forever. Chiquis stepped up for her younger siblings while processing grief no one could see clearly from the outside. She fought to build a music career that stood apart from her mother's towering legacy. Toxic relationships cost her time and energy. A marriage she committed to fully fell apart when a secret surfaced. Through all of it, Rivera writes with directness and occasional humor. She moves from a performer full of self-doubt to a Grammy winner, and from an entrepreneur who made expensive early mistakes to a businesswoman who studied those failures and grew. She also examines what the Rivera name means to her now and what she is building toward. This is an account of how grief, betrayal, and living under constant public scrutiny formed the person she chose to become.
Genres: biography, american, autobiography, contemporary, memoir, family-drama
Vibes: candid, emotional, empowering, introspective, reflective, resilient
Tropes: found-family, overcoming-adversity, personal-growth, second-chance
Period: 2012
296 pages · Kindle Edition · Atria Books
Content warnings: death, toxic-relationship