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cupcates's review against another edition
4.0
taylor swift 2023 reading challenge
⤑ betty: a book with a name on the title
⤑ betty: a book with a name on the title
ceena's review against another edition
4.0
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
This was a treat to read.
The writing is so well, the atmosphere of the book surrounded me and truly made me visualize the colors and sounds of the community. Everything is so colorful and held such joy, while any less than joyous moments were also detailed well.
The thing is, even though there are some sad or anxious moments, the main takeaway I have of this book is just how sweet it is. There is a huge sense of family, both those by blood and those of the community we accept.
I liked Rosa as a character as well. She thinks she has her life planned out for her, but in the face of change realizes she has to come up with new plans. She is a planner and willing to try new things. She also mentions a lack of romantic interests in the past, but does say she has crushed on both guys and gals. Her romance with Alex is adorable and sweet, while also potentially cursed making her waffle about what to do. Alex is charming though and I did wish we had more of him in the book. But more of him would have meant less time for family matters.
Because romance isn't the main part of this book, I truly think it is about family and learning how to move forward in life without having to leave your past...if that makes sense.
And while I will gush about how cute an sweet this book is, it also took my emotions for a ride. I wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter or so of the book -- I thought it dragged some-- but it rounds out the story and the topic of the curse -- another reason why I also mark this book as magical realism.
I definitely recommend this one to people looking for a summer read, or something about identity and family.
This was a treat to read.
The writing is so well, the atmosphere of the book surrounded me and truly made me visualize the colors and sounds of the community. Everything is so colorful and held such joy, while any less than joyous moments were also detailed well.
The thing is, even though there are some sad or anxious moments, the main takeaway I have of this book is just how sweet it is. There is a huge sense of family, both those by blood and those of the community we accept.
I liked Rosa as a character as well. She thinks she has her life planned out for her, but in the face of change realizes she has to come up with new plans. She is a planner and willing to try new things. She also mentions a lack of romantic interests in the past, but does say she has crushed on both guys and gals. Her romance with Alex is adorable and sweet, while also potentially cursed making her waffle about what to do. Alex is charming though and I did wish we had more of him in the book. But more of him would have meant less time for family matters.
Because romance isn't the main part of this book, I truly think it is about family and learning how to move forward in life without having to leave your past...if that makes sense.
And while I will gush about how cute an sweet this book is, it also took my emotions for a ride. I wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter or so of the book -- I thought it dragged some-- but it rounds out the story and the topic of the curse -- another reason why I also mark this book as magical realism.
I definitely recommend this one to people looking for a summer read, or something about identity and family.
jenndazzle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
- 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
3.75
readingwithrae's review against another edition
4.0
despite taking forever to finish due to me being lazy af, this was super adorable!
full rtc!
full rtc!
24hr_yabookblog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
martareader's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, however I don't think I read it the right way.
I read it in 4 days and I feel like, to purely digest a beautifully written magical realism story, I need to give it more time.
We follow Rosa Santos while she's struggling with life choices along with her family curse.
I loved the homely feeling that the book's setting had. Seeing all the different people from the town getting together to discuss stuff was adorable and I really enjoyed those scenes.
The romance part was also adorable, even though I feel like everything happened too fast and was a bit insta-lovey.
I would really recommend the book though, it is a great summer read!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, however I don't think I read it the right way.
I read it in 4 days and I feel like, to purely digest a beautifully written magical realism story, I need to give it more time.
We follow Rosa Santos while she's struggling with life choices along with her family curse.
I loved the homely feeling that the book's setting had. Seeing all the different people from the town getting together to discuss stuff was adorable and I really enjoyed those scenes.
The romance part was also adorable, even though I feel like everything happened too fast and was a bit insta-lovey.
I would really recommend the book though, it is a great summer read!
ashurq's review against another edition
4.0
For other reviews and more, please visit my blog: What's She Reading?
TL;DR – This book will make you wish you had an abuela. The Cuban culture is so authentic throughout that it makes my heart hurt.
My ethnicity is a mixed bag. I’m a quarter white, half Chinese, and a quarter Hispanic. The grandparent I grew up closest to is my mom’s mother who was born and raised in Panama. Rosa’s abuela, Mimi, reminded me so much of my own grandmother. I could see her doing and saying so many of the things that Mimi did. There are more similarities as well that I’ll address later on. Seriously though, this book made me feel so much more Hispanic than I actually am. During and after reading I found myself gesturing at things to my husband with my lip/chin. I never do that!
First, I just want to say that I absolutely adored this book. It was so close to being a five star read for me! I thought Rosa was a really enjoyable character right off the bat and I loved her dynamic with all of the other characters. She was so interesting and really felt alive for me. I also loved the dynamic and tensions between Rosa, Mimi, and Liliana (Rosa’s mom). All three women were incredibly strong in different ways. I enjoyed that the author was able to portray that differing strength in women. Women can be strong, even if they’re not all strong in the same way.
Secondary characters were amazing! They all felt like they had depth to them and I felt they contributed to the story in an important way. I especially enjoyed Rosa’s best friend and the viejos. Please, I would follow their Instagram in a heartbeat!
The atmosphere of the book also felt so real. The weather was almost another character and I loved how that played into the slight magical/mystical thread throughout the book. It was all very fun. The weather also contributed to the raw emotions that came out at times. There are a few scenes throughout this book where the emotion is just so heavy. Despite that, this isn’t a heavy book and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a Summer read.
Slight spoiler ahead:
Anyway…I highly, highly recommend this book. I appreciate the call for diversity in YA, but a lot of times I think it’s done poorly or in a way that’s inauthentic. That is NOT the case with this book. If you want to read diversity in YA, then this is the kind of thing you should be reading.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Language: Mild
Violence: None
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild
Note: I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
TL;DR – This book will make you wish you had an abuela. The Cuban culture is so authentic throughout that it makes my heart hurt.
My ethnicity is a mixed bag. I’m a quarter white, half Chinese, and a quarter Hispanic. The grandparent I grew up closest to is my mom’s mother who was born and raised in Panama. Rosa’s abuela, Mimi, reminded me so much of my own grandmother. I could see her doing and saying so many of the things that Mimi did. There are more similarities as well that I’ll address later on. Seriously though, this book made me feel so much more Hispanic than I actually am. During and after reading I found myself gesturing at things to my husband with my lip/chin. I never do that!
First, I just want to say that I absolutely adored this book. It was so close to being a five star read for me! I thought Rosa was a really enjoyable character right off the bat and I loved her dynamic with all of the other characters. She was so interesting and really felt alive for me. I also loved the dynamic and tensions between Rosa, Mimi, and Liliana (Rosa’s mom). All three women were incredibly strong in different ways. I enjoyed that the author was able to portray that differing strength in women. Women can be strong, even if they’re not all strong in the same way.
Secondary characters were amazing! They all felt like they had depth to them and I felt they contributed to the story in an important way. I especially enjoyed Rosa’s best friend and the viejos. Please, I would follow their Instagram in a heartbeat!
The atmosphere of the book also felt so real. The weather was almost another character and I loved how that played into the slight magical/mystical thread throughout the book. It was all very fun. The weather also contributed to the raw emotions that came out at times. There are a few scenes throughout this book where the emotion is just so heavy. Despite that, this isn’t a heavy book and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a Summer read.
Slight spoiler ahead:
Spoiler
This book hit me especially hard because my grandmother just passed away last month in a way that was similar to Mimi. It was kind of sudden and like Liliana, my mom was the one there performing CPR on her own mother until the paramedics arrived. There were some other similarities as well that I won’t go into. It just felt eerily similar to me. When Rosa was dealing with Mimi’s death, I felt it so hard. I saw myself in Rosa and parts of my mom in Liliana. The emotions felt so real and it’s obvious that the author has lost someone close to her. I still forget some days that my grandma isn’t around anymore. I hope, like Rosa, that I can one day make that pilgrimage back to my grandmother’s homeland. The sacrifices that she made to come to America amaze me every day and I would literally not be here without her. I love you, Llaya.Anyway…I highly, highly recommend this book. I appreciate the call for diversity in YA, but a lot of times I think it’s done poorly or in a way that’s inauthentic. That is NOT the case with this book. If you want to read diversity in YA, then this is the kind of thing you should be reading.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Language: Mild
Violence: None
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Mild
Note: I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
nhi_nguyen's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5
A three-star rating is a bit low for me. But I just couldn't get into the right mood to read this. I had a hard time wanting to pick it up. Maybe under different circumstances, my view of it will change completely. Rosa wasn't relatable. She had an interesting background (being from Cuba and all), and I enjoyed watching her find out her true self. But I had no connection to her along the way. The plot didn't draw me in. Though, the plot twist at the end was not expected. I thought the romance would be a big part of the plot. From the title and synopsis, I thought this was going to be a cute summer romance to drown out the winter days.
But it wasn't.
The romance wasn't that important in the plot. Without it, I think the book would've been just perfectly fine. After finishing this book, I was left wanting more than what I was given. If the romance is going to be a part of the book, it should be consequential to the plot somehow. Alex's and Rosa's relationship was cute, but it didn't contribute much.
I loved Rosa's journey of finding her true self. I thought that was very well done. I don't completely hate the book. There were some quirky parts about it that I enjoyed, like the dialogues and Rosa's relationship with her Abuela. But it just wasn't for me. :)
A three-star rating is a bit low for me. But I just couldn't get into the right mood to read this. I had a hard time wanting to pick it up. Maybe under different circumstances, my view of it will change completely. Rosa wasn't relatable. She had an interesting background (being from Cuba and all), and I enjoyed watching her find out her true self. But I had no connection to her along the way. The plot didn't draw me in. Though, the plot twist at the end was not expected. I thought the romance would be a big part of the plot. From the title and synopsis, I thought this was going to be a cute summer romance to drown out the winter days.
But it wasn't.
The romance wasn't that important in the plot. Without it, I think the book would've been just perfectly fine. After finishing this book, I was left wanting more than what I was given. If the romance is going to be a part of the book, it should be consequential to the plot somehow. Alex's and Rosa's relationship was cute, but it didn't contribute much.
I loved Rosa's journey of finding her true self. I thought that was very well done. I don't completely hate the book. There were some quirky parts about it that I enjoyed, like the dialogues and Rosa's relationship with her Abuela. But it just wasn't for me. :)
catebethh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
solly's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
This was fun and cute but I don't have much more to say about it. Alex was a little autistic-coded at the beginning so I was like
This was fun and cute but I don't have much more to say about it. Alex was a little autistic-coded at the beginning so I was like