Reviews

Yerba Buena: A Novel by Nina LaCour

slugluv's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars—this was a lot heavier than I expected! I really liked the story & think it was well thought out in that regard. I felt pretty annoyed with the characters’ politics though, just shaking my head sometimes at their musings that could have used a good dose of communism. I wish it had more of Thankam Matthews’s All This Could Be Different in it. And it was definitely corny at times / a little overwrought writing style wise. I’m glad to have read it though; an interesting sapphic story that was worth reading.

amelie161's review against another edition

emotional relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

clarasreadings's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

halleymalley1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

spicy_meringue's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

es_blackwood's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

so beautifully written !!!! i listened to the audiobook and got the names of all the characters confused i’m so sorry

cmloia's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a much needed break from the string of romances I've read recently (this is still a love story though!). Beautifully written and dynamic characters. I cried within the first 50 (?) pages. 

My biggest issue was the chapters were soooo long, which is a personal pet peeve and doesn't actually really have any effect on the quality of the book.

***quotes***

"Most people go to college for a degree, she told herself. She went for an education." (56) 

"There was only so much grieving allowed when it was over someone who was never really hers." (134) 

"At points throughout the day, she found herself wondering if she could have had this, with him, all along. Had he always been willing to spend hours and days with her?" (175) 

"Somewhere in the last hour lay a misunderstanding, but what exactly it was she didn't know. How to recover from it, impossible to tell." (237)

sam_inthestacks's review against another edition

4.0

“She'd been a flower. Snipped from the root, quick to wilt, temporary. She'd existed to be lovely and to be chosen. No one had expected her to last.”

This book is made up of two intersecting stories, that lead two woman to each one another.

Sara Foster lived a life fo tragedy up until she hit 16 and couldn’t take it anymore. She ran away from home, wanting to bring along her younger brother, but he wanted stay at home with their father.

The other woman is Emilie. She is kind of just wandering through life, not really sure where she belongs or what she wants. She ends up waking for a florist, and does flower arrangements for restaurants, including Yerba Buena, where her path eventually crosses with Sara’s.

The timeline of this story could be a bit confusing at times. There were time jumps, and just movement across timelines, that weren’t specifically state. This didn’t bother me, but it was strange.

I ultimately rated this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

My short summary of my feelings on this book. The cover? Cute. The dedication? BEAUTIFUL. The prose? Stunning. The plot? Meh. Clearly the writing was enough for me to keep the ranking pretty high.

If you like contemporary literature that is focused on beautiful writing and characters, and less on plot happening then this is the book for you. I’m glad I read it, and I think I will remember FEELINGS I had while reading it, but I don’t know if I will remember any specifics.

reverendmix's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

chellebell048's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0