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thenovelmaura's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I wanted to love this book and I'm kind of surprised that I didn't! Can I say before starting out that I'm obsessed with this book cover? Setting aside my review, props to the designer because it is gorgeous.
There were a lot of well-done and lovely elements to this story: the complicated relationships between Rosa and her mother and her grandmother, her grandmother's mixed feelings about her homeland of Cuba, Rosa's need to live up to everyone's expectations while struggling with her identity, grief and how we honor the memories of our loved ones, and the power of a supportive community. Spanish is used throughout the book without a side-by-side English translation, and all the food described here sounded delicious.
My two biggest problems were the pacing and the way the "curse" is never addressed. The Santos women constantly alluded to the curse but no one ever laid out what it is and what it meant to them. My understanding was that any men they fell in love with would end up drowning? But that didn't explain why Rosa herself hadn't gone to the beach in her 17 years of life, despite growing up in a port city in Florida. What's more, she just randomly decided to start going to the boardwalk (even before she falls for Alex) and everyone in town was shocked, but no one explained why it would be an issue. The pacing was all over the place; at first, too many characters were introduced too quickly, Rosa agreed to plan an entire wedding for two people she didn't seem to know that well, and the story dragged in the middle and end.
Maybe another reader could overlook these issues and enjoy this lighthearted story, but I found them too distracting! I do own another book by Moreno so I plan to give her another try at some point.
There were a lot of well-done and lovely elements to this story: the complicated relationships between Rosa and her mother and her grandmother, her grandmother's mixed feelings about her homeland of Cuba, Rosa's need to live up to everyone's expectations while struggling with her identity, grief and how we honor the memories of our loved ones, and the power of a supportive community. Spanish is used throughout the book without a side-by-side English translation, and all the food described here sounded delicious.
My two biggest problems were the pacing and the way the "curse" is never addressed. The Santos women constantly alluded to the curse but no one ever laid out what it is and what it meant to them. My understanding was that any men they fell in love with would end up drowning? But that didn't explain why Rosa herself hadn't gone to the beach in her 17 years of life, despite growing up in a port city in Florida. What's more, she just randomly decided to start going to the boardwalk (even before she falls for Alex) and everyone in town was shocked, but no one explained why it would be an issue. The pacing was all over the place; at first, too many characters were introduced too quickly, Rosa agreed to plan an entire wedding for two people she didn't seem to know that well, and the story dragged in the middle and end.
Maybe another reader could overlook these issues and enjoy this lighthearted story, but I found them too distracting! I do own another book by Moreno so I plan to give her another try at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
robinks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.75
A beautiful story about family and diasporic connection. I loved getting to dive into Port Coral and the Cuban-American experience through Rosa’s eyes. There was so much magic and romance throughout the story, and I even teared up towards the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Medical content and Pregnancy
gabbyharvey5's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
riella_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was such a cute read! Like some other reviews said, it had big Jane the Virgin vibes and Gilmore Girls, and I love both of those shows. I loved the whole premise of saving your small hometown, and this book was full of culture and adventure. This was also written beautifully. It was written very similar to With The Fire On High, so if you like the way that was written I think you'd enjoy this one as well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
juliafrat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
_booklover_16's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
Ahhh!! Este livro foi um dos melhores que li até agora!
A história começa com uma reunião entre os habitantes de uma vila costeira da protagonista relativamente ao possível cancelamento do festival comum dos habitantes. O local onde o mesmo ia decorrer seria na marina, mas, devido aos planos para a construção de novos apartamentos, todo o festival está em causa. Até que Rosa, a personagem principal, tem uma ideia genial e, em conjunto com o Alex, Alejandro, alguém que apareceu de repente na vila , ficam encarregues de preparar toda a situação.
Para além de se desenvolver um romance(não insta-love yey!!) entre os dois, o livro é muito mais do que isso. Existem amizades, uma comunidade onde todos se conhecem e há entre-ajuda, dinâmicas familiares afetadas por uma “maldição” da família Santos em relação ao mar, caça ao tesouro, e, por fim, um coming of age relacionado com o caminho pós-secundário e o aceitar da sua identidade cubana-americana.
Li este livro via audiobook e gostei bastante da voz da narradora,pelo que li em pouco mais de 24h enquanto fazia tarefas domésticas. O audiobook está disponível gratuitamente no Spotify por onde ouvi com o auxílio da extensão do Chrome para aumentar a velocidade.
Uma leitura que aconselho a todos!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent