bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This was such a beautiful romcom! Key West was where the author spent her adolescence, and I just find so much enjoyment in reading about settings that are so clearly special to the author! Sara Vance, a social media influencer from New York City, arrives in Key West for a family vacation and is expecting her boyfriend Ric to arrive. However, he no-shows and she breaks it off with him for being unreliable, among other things. She bumps into Luis Navarro, local firefighter, and asks him if he’d be available to “step in” for Ric since this vacation is meant to be stress-free for her mother Ruth, who just entered remission after fighting cancer. Luis, whose nickname is “Saint Navarro,” has no problem helping Sara, but over the next week, these two start to fall hard for the other and it no longer feels fake. *chef’s kiss* to the execution of this trope, because I loved the tension!
I thought this would be a super light & fluffy beach read, & while it still technically fits the bill for that, Priscilla fleshed out these characters and their arcs so well! I was not expecting Sara’s ED journey, mentions of therapy, and her general ideas of her self worth to come up. The desire to simply be “seen” and loved for who you are, rather than being tended to as a project to be fixed, is SO REAL OMG! I really related to Sara’s inner thoughts as she attempted to use what she’s learned in therapy to stay present and focus on the positives, rather than spiraling and looking for subtext! My overthinking brain felt for her🥺
I also was not expecting the devastating reality of Luis’ loss and heartbreak over six years ago. I thought the representation of fraught family dynamics was incredible; the tension and sadness between Luis and his brother Enrique was palpable, and the way their other family members discussed the estrangement felt quite authentic too.
Overall, while the romance was so much fun and a beautiful story, I appreciated the family dynamics just as much! I thought both the Navarros and the Vances felt realistic and I loved every scene with them. I am so excited to get to know more of them in depth as I continue this series
Steam rating: 1.5/5 — lots of foreplay / hot & heavy make out sessions described but Priscilla closes the door/fades to black 🥲
cw: eating disorder, car accident, death of a loved one, estranged family members, infidelity, betrayal, mentions of cancer (in remission), death (the MMC is a firefighter & unfortunately sees so much loss in his job), injury detail, feelings of low self worth, self regard and self love
This was such a beautiful romcom! Key West was where the author spent her adolescence, and I just find so much enjoyment in reading about settings that are so clearly special to the author! Sara Vance, a social media influencer from New York City, arrives in Key West for a family vacation and is expecting her boyfriend Ric to arrive. However, he no-shows and she breaks it off with him for being unreliable, among other things. She bumps into Luis Navarro, local firefighter, and asks him if he’d be available to “step in” for Ric since this vacation is meant to be stress-free for her mother Ruth, who just entered remission after fighting cancer. Luis, whose nickname is “Saint Navarro,” has no problem helping Sara, but over the next week, these two start to fall hard for the other and it no longer feels fake. *chef’s kiss* to the execution of this trope, because I loved the tension!
I thought this would be a super light & fluffy beach read, & while it still technically fits the bill for that, Priscilla fleshed out these characters and their arcs so well! I was not expecting Sara’s ED journey, mentions of therapy, and her general ideas of her self worth to come up. The desire to simply be “seen” and loved for who you are, rather than being tended to as a project to be fixed, is SO REAL OMG! I really related to Sara’s inner thoughts as she attempted to use what she’s learned in therapy to stay present and focus on the positives, rather than spiraling and looking for subtext! My overthinking brain felt for her🥺
I also was not expecting the devastating reality of Luis’ loss and heartbreak over six years ago. I thought the representation of fraught family dynamics was incredible; the tension and sadness between Luis and his brother Enrique was palpable, and the way their other family members discussed the estrangement felt quite authentic too.
Overall, while the romance was so much fun and a beautiful story, I appreciated the family dynamics just as much! I thought both the Navarros and the Vances felt realistic and I loved every scene with them. I am so excited to get to know more of them in depth as I continue this series
Steam rating: 1.5/5 — lots of foreplay / hot & heavy make out sessions described but Priscilla closes the door/fades to black 🥲
cw: eating disorder, car accident, death of a loved one, estranged family members, infidelity, betrayal, mentions of cancer (in remission), death (the MMC is a firefighter & unfortunately sees so much loss in his job), injury detail, feelings of low self worth, self regard and self love
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Injury/Injury detail
kbairbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Cute! This is such a fun, fresh, tropical beach read that was full of funny, heart warming, sexy, and heart pulling moments. I love the personal growth in the characters and the heart to hearts that were had. It was hard to read about the familial struggles but I liked how all of it was dealt with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Death, Suicide, Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood and Drug use
morganperks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Cancer and Mental illness
Minor: Drug abuse, Blood, Car accident, Death, Infidelity, and Self harm
eicart_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Eating disorder
Minor: Car accident, Death, and Infidelity
100_pages_hr's review
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Another amazing book from Oliveras! I'm fairly new to the Latinx Romance scene but she has quickly become a favorite!
From the meet-cute all the way to the end I was hooked. I actually really like it when both the guy and the girl have a lot to work through in their personal lives.
I'm not a huge fan of duplicity, but it wasn't really their goal in this book to lie so much as help each other out I actually rather enjoyed it. It had a huge "The Wedding Date" vibes and that is one of my favorite movies.
I loved the theme of familia throughout this book. I loved that Luis never missed mass or family dinner.
I loved visiting Key West. I loved the historical sights, the beaches, the food, and everything. It totally made me wish I could go right now.
One of my favorite parts were the very realistic and authentic character flaws of so many of the characters, but especially Sara and Luis. No spoilers, but I really got invested in reading as they grew and worked through some of their hang ups. I also appreciated the very real struggles they were dealing with. I like books that don't sugar coat issues.
I cannot wait to read book two and any other books Oliveras writes!
From the meet-cute all the way to the end I was hooked. I actually really like it when both the guy and the girl have a lot to work through in their personal lives.
I'm not a huge fan of duplicity, but it wasn't really their goal in this book to lie so much as help each other out I actually rather enjoyed it. It had a huge "The Wedding Date" vibes and that is one of my favorite movies.
I loved the theme of familia throughout this book. I loved that Luis never missed mass or family dinner.
Spoiler
I also loved that Sara spoke Spanish. It is always fun when a white girl shocks the Hispanics (I know because it is one of my favorite things to do).I loved visiting Key West. I loved the historical sights, the beaches, the food, and everything. It totally made me wish I could go right now.
One of my favorite parts were the very realistic and authentic character flaws of so many of the characters, but especially Sara and Luis. No spoilers, but I really got invested in reading as they grew and worked through some of their hang ups. I also appreciated the very real struggles they were dealing with. I like books that don't sugar coat issues.
I cannot wait to read book two and any other books Oliveras writes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, and Self harm
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