Scan barcode
a_ab's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
4.5*s (see P.S.) but otherwise I liked this book well enough to round up.
I had thoroughly enjoyed this book: I loved the writing and the mixture of experiences and cultures, and a realistically shown disorienting feeling of navigating too many new experiences at once with some of them only partially understandable or not understandable at all. It's probably a universal immigrant experience, but also not exclusively immigrant. I also loved the characters and how realistically young, yet complex and expertly sketched they were.
Unexpectedly, I found the book surprisingly stressful — the characters are young and make somewhat predictable, but entirely avoidable mistakes, which, in this case, luckily, aren't too disastrous, but I still found myself bracing for impact every time I knew that "train" was heading for a crash.
This was realistic, which adds to the book's overall quality, but it's also a reason why I might hesitate to come back for a reread too soon.
P.S. Neo's behavior is a bit red flaggy, which Ana is too inexperienced to recognize and nobody else observes enough of to call it out. That's a potential trainwreck that extends beyond the book's last page and the reason why I would not consider this book's ending a particularly happy one.
I had thoroughly enjoyed this book: I loved the writing and the mixture of experiences and cultures, and a realistically shown disorienting feeling of navigating too many new experiences at once with some of them only partially understandable or not understandable at all. It's probably a universal immigrant experience, but also not exclusively immigrant. I also loved the characters and how realistically young, yet complex and expertly sketched they were.
Unexpectedly, I found the book surprisingly stressful — the characters are young and make somewhat predictable, but entirely avoidable mistakes, which, in this case, luckily, aren't too disastrous, but I still found myself bracing for impact every time I knew that "train" was heading for a crash.
This was realistic, which adds to the book's overall quality, but it's also a reason why I might hesitate to come back for a reread too soon.
P.S. Neo's behavior is a bit red flaggy, which Ana is too inexperienced to recognize and nobody else observes enough of to call it out. That's a potential trainwreck that extends beyond the book's last page and the reason why I would not consider this book's ending a particularly happy one.
juller's review against another edition
3.0
I love that the story is told from the perspective of a high school student that is learning English. Of course, as the title implies it is a romance novel that will have a ring of familiarity to it if you are familiar with An Affair to Remember or Sleepless in Seattle.
deschatjes's review against another edition
4.0
What a lovely book about the language learning process - something I think ESL learners & their teachers would enjoy.
I loved the audio version with the “Wah Wah Wah” substitutes for when the class / protagonist didn’t understand the words.
Thank you to Libro.fm for the arc
I loved the audio version with the “Wah Wah Wah” substitutes for when the class / protagonist didn’t understand the words.
Thank you to Libro.fm for the arc
ursularosien's review against another edition
5.0
If you are teen immigrant in the USA and speak spanish - devour thus book - all the feels-
lulu_reads_books's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bema's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an instant 10/10 from the first few chapters. I literally started writing my review so early because there was so much I loved that I wanted to include!! Its a short, cute read.
Neo is bae❤️
Neo is bae❤️
shannon_bailey's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
puddleshoes's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
speterson47's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying