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hemmel_mol's review
1.0
I am at 75% and bored during the whole book. I missed the emotions between the characters. All drama came from some OTT side character.
Follow my reviews at https://hemmelm.blogspot.com/
Follow my reviews at https://hemmelm.blogspot.com/
mal_bookdragon's review
5.0
I will be reading this solely based on the fact that it’s based in Ithaca!!! Upstate really doesn’t get a lot of love in novels.
Also, knowing the author loves IAD by Kresley Cole helps.
Also, knowing the author loves IAD by Kresley Cole helps.
sara11_reads's review
4.0
Both characters are great and have real issues that need to be worked out. The food descriptions made me wish this food truck existed in my city. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
indiekay's review
4.0
I don't have much to say about this one but I definitely enjoyed it, and will read the rest of the series.
librarydancer's review against another edition
3.0
It's an incredibly sweet story, and I love the Afro-Caribbean story line. I did get confused quite a number of times with which characters where speaking/thinking, and who all the different friends were, but I am having trouble focusing due to Covid fatigue (not illness, just life).
linda_1410's review against another edition
DNF @ 16%
This had potential, but it quickly started going downhill for me. The basis of the attraction is physical and it's expounded on relentlessly. Then the way Nesto and his family and friends were talking about all the white people around them started to grate on my nerves. On top of that, there were multiple characters being introduced in every single chapter; this isn't A Song of Ice and Fire. And then many of those characters were very conveniently connected to or in important positions that would just so happen to help Nesto with his pesky evil witch problem.
The flirting was cute but it wasn't enough to keep me going.
This had potential, but it quickly started going downhill for me. The basis of the attraction is physical and it's expounded on relentlessly. Then the way Nesto and his family and friends were talking about all the white people around them started to grate on my nerves. On top of that, there were multiple characters being introduced in every single chapter; this isn't A Song of Ice and Fire. And then many of those characters were very conveniently connected to or in important positions that would just so happen to help Nesto with his pesky evil witch problem.
The flirting was cute but it wasn't enough to keep me going.
rainbowjawn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
amris's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
bookishrealm's review against another edition
5.0
This took me a while to read because I wanted to savor every single page. I'm so ashamed that it's taken me so long to start this series, but I'm so glad that I picked it up. 4.5 Stars. CW: racism, xenophobia, homophobia, religious bigotry and trauma
American Dreamer follows main characters Nesto and Jude after Neso makes the life changing decision to quit his job and start his food truck business in Ithaca, NY. The pair meet when Nesto opens up his truck outside Jude's job at the library. While the two try to fight their attraction due to the goals they've set forth for themselves, it's clear from the beginning that they won't be able to pass on the opportunity to build something together.
What Worked: So many great things happened in this book. I loved the intricate details of Nesto's food truck. It wasn't something that was just placed in the background, but really played an intricate role in both the plot and character development. My dad is Jamaican so seeing how Herrera created this blend of food that illustrated unity amongst Caribbean nations was both refreshing and fun. Then there was Jude and the library. My heart simply gushed at this food and librarian romance. It literally was everything I never knew I needed. Seeing Jude's passion not only about the library as an institution, but also in relationship to the community's youth damn near brought tears to my eyes. Libraries and librarians mean so much to their communities so I appreciated Herrera acknowledging their impact. The pacing of the story was excellent. It was clear that Herrera took her time plotting out how both Jude and Nesto's pasts would both assist and harm the development of their relationship. For me, this led to their relationship feeling extremely organic/realistic. The two face their fair share of conflict especially with homophobia and racism, but they find ways to continuously support and validate each other as humans. Jude's story really really hurt my feelings. He is truly the epitome of "you never know what someone is going through." To read a character who wants to give so much to people after being hurt by those who should protect him nearly brought me to tears. His reasons for not easily trusting Nesto and the relationship made so much sense by the time the novel comes to an end. By then I truly commended his journey and character growth.
What Didn't Work: MISTY. She could have gotten these hands at any point in the book. Honestly, I know that this is a romance between Nesto and Jude, but she didn't get a great enough punishment for the hell she put them through. By the time I got to the end of the book and she makes her last appearance, I was pissed that she lowkey got away with the bullshit. It is true to real life, absolutely! But I wanted a freezing cold dish of revenge plotted for that woman. Clearly, this wasn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, but she really didn't pay for the crimes she committed.
Overall, this was such a great read! I'm pretty sure this is my first time reading Herrera and it definitely won't be the last. I'm really excited to see what the rest of the series has in store.
American Dreamer follows main characters Nesto and Jude after Neso makes the life changing decision to quit his job and start his food truck business in Ithaca, NY. The pair meet when Nesto opens up his truck outside Jude's job at the library. While the two try to fight their attraction due to the goals they've set forth for themselves, it's clear from the beginning that they won't be able to pass on the opportunity to build something together.
What Worked: So many great things happened in this book. I loved the intricate details of Nesto's food truck. It wasn't something that was just placed in the background, but really played an intricate role in both the plot and character development. My dad is Jamaican so seeing how Herrera created this blend of food that illustrated unity amongst Caribbean nations was both refreshing and fun. Then there was Jude and the library. My heart simply gushed at this food and librarian romance. It literally was everything I never knew I needed. Seeing Jude's passion not only about the library as an institution, but also in relationship to the community's youth damn near brought tears to my eyes. Libraries and librarians mean so much to their communities so I appreciated Herrera acknowledging their impact. The pacing of the story was excellent. It was clear that Herrera took her time plotting out how both Jude and Nesto's pasts would both assist and harm the development of their relationship. For me, this led to their relationship feeling extremely organic/realistic. The two face their fair share of conflict especially with homophobia and racism, but they find ways to continuously support and validate each other as humans. Jude's story really really hurt my feelings. He is truly the epitome of "you never know what someone is going through." To read a character who wants to give so much to people after being hurt by those who should protect him nearly brought me to tears. His reasons for not easily trusting Nesto and the relationship made so much sense by the time the novel comes to an end. By then I truly commended his journey and character growth.
What Didn't Work: MISTY. She could have gotten these hands at any point in the book. Honestly, I know that this is a romance between Nesto and Jude, but she didn't get a great enough punishment for the hell she put them through. By the time I got to the end of the book and she makes her last appearance, I was pissed that she lowkey got away with the bullshit. It is true to real life, absolutely! But I wanted a freezing cold dish of revenge plotted for that woman. Clearly, this wasn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, but she really didn't pay for the crimes she committed.
Overall, this was such a great read! I'm pretty sure this is my first time reading Herrera and it definitely won't be the last. I'm really excited to see what the rest of the series has in store.