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bookcasey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
There were parts of this book I did not enjoy, not because they weren’t well written but because they were not easy. This is a bittersweet book that will tear at your heartstrings, but it’s a beautifully woven story down to the smallest details.
Do check the content warnings.
Do check the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia and War
This book contains heavy themes, but challenging topics are references and emotional responses more than graphic representations.shoohoob's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.75
This book feels like warmth. The way that Emilie and Sara kept finding each other was as beautiful and tender as it was heartbreaking and tense. I loved how they fell in love with each other, how Emilie began to find her voice, how Sara began to heal from the past. The ending was bittersweet in a way too: not necessarily happy and satisfying but not without hope.
I loved the side plot of Collette and how her and Emilie grew closer. This book felt like a love story to romantic, platonic, and familial relationships.
My only issue is that I felt the beginning and ending chapters could have been longer. It felt like so much happened in such a short amount of time (especially at the end with Sara going back to her hometown) that it would have been explored more. These were such pivotal moments and I wanted more!
All in all, a fantastic read. I think Nina Lacour is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors.
I loved the side plot of Collette and how her and Emilie grew closer. This book felt like a love story to romantic, platonic, and familial relationships.
My only issue is that I felt the beginning and ending chapters could have been longer. It felt like so much happened in such a short amount of time (especially at the end with Sara going back to her hometown) that it would have been explored more. These were such pivotal moments and I wanted more!
All in all, a fantastic read. I think Nina Lacour is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Pedophilia, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
heyitssones's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, and Grief
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I would not call this a romance novel. This was more of a moving in-depth story about two women deeply who have gone through so much trauma that they each think they are beyond repair.
Sara, after finding her best friend and girlfriend Annie, floating dead in the town river flees her home in a panic. Emilie at a young age has watched her sister over dose and is dealing with her own feelings of abandonment by her family.
Yerba Buena follows both women through their lives as they grow and over come deep seeded trauma
The events both women go through during the book ends up bringing them close, but also flinging them a part. LaCour captured the essence of what it means to suffer and find your way, no matter what cards life has set you.
Personally I felt shock after shock when each new traumatic life event was revealed for Sara and Emilie. Right up till the very end. And honestly the ending 50 pages is what made it a good book for me. PLEASE CHECK CW/tw
Cw/tw
Over dose
sexual assault
Addiction
Drug use
Adultery
Death
Sara, after finding her best friend and girlfriend Annie, floating dead in the town river flees her home in a panic. Emilie at a young age has watched her sister over dose and is dealing with her own feelings of abandonment by her family.
Yerba Buena follows both women through their lives as they grow and over come deep seeded trauma
The events both women go through during the book ends up bringing them close, but also flinging them a part. LaCour captured the essence of what it means to suffer and find your way, no matter what cards life has set you.
Personally I felt shock after shock when each new traumatic life event was revealed for Sara and Emilie. Right up till the very end. And honestly the ending 50 pages is what made it a good book for me. PLEASE CHECK CW/tw
Cw/tw
Over dose
sexual assault
Addiction
Drug use
Adultery
Death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
brandys_library's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Blood
kath_reads's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
3.25
A free ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve enjoyed Nina LaCour’s writing for some time now, but admittedly I haven’t kept up much with her recent works, so hearing about Yerba Buena was an exciting surprise. Following her shift from young adult to adult writing feels oddly fitting and personal—I first read one of her novels as a young teenager, maybe even a pre-teen, and now I too am, at least legally, an adult. Unfortunately, though Yerba Buena is poignant and beautiful, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
I’ve enjoyed Nina LaCour’s writing for some time now, but admittedly I haven’t kept up much with her recent works, so hearing about Yerba Buena was an exciting surprise. Following her shift from young adult to adult writing feels oddly fitting and personal—I first read one of her novels as a young teenager, maybe even a pre-teen, and now I too am, at least legally, an adult. Unfortunately, though Yerba Buena is poignant and beautiful, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Writing-wise is where the novel primarily shines—it’s been some time now since I last read LaCour’s earlier pieces, so I can’t really recall enough to compare (not that I would be too inclined to if I could), but her style here reads very cleanly and smoothly. Each sentence flowed well, and there was a definite neat balance of showing and telling. The writing is somewhat subdued and laidback, if looked at as a whole, but that adds to the general quiet warmth Yerba Buena exudes.
In substance, Yerba Buena does have a great deal to offer. It’s a very human work, driven by character and emotion. The handling of trauma and healing in particular is very thoughtful and compelling. A great deal of heavy subject matter is present—some of which I wish I had known about in advance, though it fortunately doesn’t affect me too severely—but it’s treated with care, and the note on which things end is a soothing yet realistic one. There is closure, but it is acknowledged and shown that recovery isn’t a simple, linear process. I do wish that some things and their aftermath had been touched upon more, but I’m overall satisfied with how these themes are depicted.
While romance ends up being an important element in Yerba Buena’s narrative, I’d actually hesitate to classify it as a romance outright, which I consider a positive. Its focus ends up primarily just being people’s lives and bonds, including but not elevating romantic relationships. The portrayal of complicated family relationships, from loving to distant to both at once, was interesting and engaging as well.
To speak on the romance in specific, though: Sara and Emilie’s dynamic is very understated and well-written. It doesn’t actually feel like the “star-crossed” type of connection the blurb cites, just two troubled people who have managed to find each other and choose to work toward a relationship, which is super refreshing and nice to see. It’s a fairly minor thing to take note of, but I also liked that it was far from either’s first relationship (even if I have mixed opinions on Emilie’s prior romances). The development itself is a little rushed, but it slows effectively enough to appreciate and enjoy. With a tad more buildup, it would definitely rank as one of the best relationships I’ve seen in fiction as of late.
Getting involved in the characters’ lives and stories was easy enough, but ultimately, I feel that I lack understanding of who they truly are. Their hardships and struggles well outweigh the softer, quieter moments, which makes their exact characterization hard to get a grasp on. This is perhaps the point, as finding identity is a major theme, but it kept me from investing in full. There are some side characters I wish had been delved deeper into as well; though the cast is broad enough in theory, no particular characters are really explored in great detail. With how character-driven the novel is, this is likely its most glaring flaw.
The pacing also felt a bit strained in places; I had some trouble keeping up with the timeline, although this admittedly could have been on my part more so than the book’s, as I got through it far faster than I expected or planned. I did like that certain backstory scenes established early on were embellished upon later, but I’m not certain that their actual inclusion to open the novel was the most effective choice. Some loose ends remain by the conclusion as well, but I wasn’t actually especially bothered by most.
Yerba Buena is a well-written piece with a number of intriguing themes and things to say, but I found it to fall flat in some areas. I enjoyed my time with it—perhaps a bit too much, if my reading speed is anything to go by—but ultimately was not able to take as much from it as I anticipated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Blood
Non-graphic overdose from a non-perspective character. Mild descriptions of corpses. Caretaking of a terminally ill relative, including hospice care and other depictions of end-stage illness and process thereof. Past relationship between professor and former student. Pedophilia/CSA (coercion of minors to have sex with an adult) is not shown but is unambiguously discussed.