Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

85 reviews

skan's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

The beginning of this book is very slow and it took a while to get used to LaCour's descriptive writing style. Honestly, I nearly DNFed at that point, but it does get better. I preferred one of the MCs over the other (especially at the beginning), but the narration split between the two felt very uneven, which also contributed to my dislike. That said, the book got much better once the two characters got together. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Drug use and Murder

greatestheights's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

This was so lovely in many ways, and Nina LaCour is as skilled a writer as always, but something felt a little lacking here. There were elements of the story I needed more of for everything to fully resonate and come together for me — but the characters were beautifully rendered, and I want nothing but good things for them. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent

hello_lovely13'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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

caoxtina's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Infidelity

cheye13's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

Something about this read a little young to me. Maybe it was because we started with one of the characters at 14, maybe because we don't get the full "reveal" of Sara's home life until so late, I'm not quite sure.

And it's not strictly a romance, so it makes sense the story focused more on other elements of both women's journeys, but I didn't feel a connection between them at all. It read as though they were the only queer women in the vicinity (i.e. in the book), so they may as well date.

It was a decent story, and very well written, but I didn't find that it offered anything exceptionally unique.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Pedophilia, Blood, and Alcohol

two underage characters perform sex acts for money mostly off-page; an underage girl seriously considers sex work for a time

dreezy's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Addiction and Death

Minor: Drug abuse and Death of parent

rachbake's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Drug use

Moderate: Death and Infidelity

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

rayannotates's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

okamihi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Sexual assault

lalesbianlune's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

To me, Yerba Buena is less a romance and more a story of family, connection, and persevering to find oneself. The romance between Sara and Emilie was lovely, but it allowed the book to explore how two people from different backgrounds and trauma may come together - with all the emotions and failures and successes that may entail. I enjoyed the nonlinear/multiple perspective style but it did often feel unbalanced. Some of the early plot with Sara also felt a little overdone, but overall I appreciated it this book.

“She recognized a love letter when she saw one.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

Minor: Violence