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A review by skye_era_books
The Road Sometimes Taken by Ambar Cordova
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
Thank you so much to the author and Luna Literary Management for this arc in exchange for an honest review! This book comes out on January 15th <3
I just adored Manny and Cara. Manny was truly, as Cara says, a puppy in human form. Such a sweet angel of a man. The definition of a man written by a woman. Him being in love with her since they were kids? I’ll sob rn. I love that Cara was able to find her voice throughout the book and find her self worth. The road trip was fantastic, and they even stopped at The Wilds in Ohio (my home state <3) so I was very excited about that.
Side note,Manny punching Cole is my new Roman Empire. I will never not think about it. Fantastic. No notes.
Even though I did LOVE this book, I wish I had read the first two in the series before reading this arc. I know it can be read as a standalone, but I feel like I was missing some context between the other characters. Or not context, but connection? Idk, I just wish I had read the others first — but I do plan on reading them now!!
Lastly, the things I would change :( The first half of the book I feel could’ve been cut by like 30-50 pages. There was a lot of unnecessary storytelling that I felt myself skimming over. Another thing: Manny has a very sweet nickname for Cara — Carita. I love this nickname, I do. BUT. He calls her this… NINETY-EIGHT (98) times throughout the book 🤧 it felt like every time he spoke to her he was saying Carita or Cara or some variation of her name. Which can be very very sweet, don’t get me wrong, but my goodness that was a lot.
Besides that, I HIGHLY recommend this book and honestly all of Ambar’s books because I adore her and her writing.
I just adored Manny and Cara. Manny was truly, as Cara says, a puppy in human form. Such a sweet angel of a man. The definition of a man written by a woman. Him being in love with her since they were kids? I’ll sob rn. I love that Cara was able to find her voice throughout the book and find her self worth. The road trip was fantastic, and they even stopped at The Wilds in Ohio (my home state <3) so I was very excited about that.
Side note,
Even though I did LOVE this book, I wish I had read the first two in the series before reading this arc. I know it can be read as a standalone, but I feel like I was missing some context between the other characters. Or not context, but connection? Idk, I just wish I had read the others first — but I do plan on reading them now!!
Lastly, the things I would change :( The first half of the book I feel could’ve been cut by like 30-50 pages. There was a lot of unnecessary storytelling that I felt myself skimming over. Another thing: Manny has a very sweet nickname for Cara — Carita. I love this nickname, I do. BUT. He calls her this… NINETY-EIGHT (98) times throughout the book 🤧 it felt like every time he spoke to her he was saying Carita or Cara or some variation of her name. Which can be very very sweet, don’t get me wrong, but my goodness that was a lot.
Besides that, I HIGHLY recommend this book and honestly all of Ambar’s books because I adore her and her writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence, and Gaslighting