Last Night in Brooklyn: a coming-of-age story about ambition, status, and race.

It's 2007 and twenty-six-year-old Alicia Canales Forten is living in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Her mother is Puerto Rican, and her affluent father is Black. The two never married. Alicia is engaged, but it's a long-distance relationship, and she is questioning the direction of her life. She becomes fascinated by her charismatic neighbor, La Garza, a fashion designer who is determined to succeed. After observing her parties from across the street, Alicia is invited to join in and is captivated by La Garza's world. Alicia's cousin Devin, a Wall Street banker who is married and a former love of La Garza, also falls under her spell. As their lives change, so does the neighborhood, which is undergoing gentrification.

Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez is a modern-day, Gatsby-inspired story. Alicia becomes seduced by the wealth and glamour she sees around her while trying to figure out what she really wants. With the 2008 market crash looming, the future is uncertain. Brooklyn, where I grew up, plays a significant role in the novel. It is perhaps the most poignant character of all, knowing how much it has changed over the years in the name of progress. Having alternated between reading and listening to this worthwhile book, I felt that the audiobook narrator Elizabeth Rodriguez greatly enhanced Gonzalez's impressive prose. 

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Contemporary Fiction | Literary Fiction.

Publication Date: April 21, 2026.

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