A review by gwensreading
American Love Story, by Adriana Herrera
5.0
I received an ARC from Netgalley and I am happy to give my honest review.
I have read all of this series and I am in love with this author's writing. I was so happy to be given this advanced copy and it did not disappoint.
Patrice is an immigrant from Haiti and a recent PhD grad. He accepts a position in Ithaca at Cornell University, the same town that his best friend Nesto (from the first book) lives and works. The summer before this book Patrice has a short affair with assistant district attorney Easton but doesn't really pursue more when he moves back full time.
Easton wants to continue a relationship with Patrice and struggles with the guilt of feeling entitled. He is white and his family has money but all he wants to do is to fairly represent the judicial branch as an ADA. He is under major stress covering for his DA boss who is on medical leave but still meddling.
Patrice is very involved on Black Twitter and as an advocate in his community. Tensions come to a head as young men of color are being pulled over by law enforcement at an alarming rate in Ithaca. Patrice and Easton know that something needs to be done but they are at odds because of their beliefs and jobs. The angst was realistic and I was rooting for them to work together to find a solution.
I identified a lot with Easton as someone who wants to do good work at the expense of my energy levels. He worked long hours and hard to fight for his underrepresented clients. He owned his mistakes and tried never to take advantage of the money/status his family afforded him. I really liked him with Patrice who was grumpy, closed in, and passionate for his community. I'm glad they got through their differences and made leaning on each other a priority. That epilogue was great too.
I have read all of this series and I am in love with this author's writing. I was so happy to be given this advanced copy and it did not disappoint.
Patrice is an immigrant from Haiti and a recent PhD grad. He accepts a position in Ithaca at Cornell University, the same town that his best friend Nesto (from the first book) lives and works. The summer before this book Patrice has a short affair with assistant district attorney Easton but doesn't really pursue more when he moves back full time.
Easton wants to continue a relationship with Patrice and struggles with the guilt of feeling entitled. He is white and his family has money but all he wants to do is to fairly represent the judicial branch as an ADA. He is under major stress covering for his DA boss who is on medical leave but still meddling.
Patrice is very involved on Black Twitter and as an advocate in his community. Tensions come to a head as young men of color are being pulled over by law enforcement at an alarming rate in Ithaca. Patrice and Easton know that something needs to be done but they are at odds because of their beliefs and jobs. The angst was realistic and I was rooting for them to work together to find a solution.
I identified a lot with Easton as someone who wants to do good work at the expense of my energy levels. He worked long hours and hard to fight for his underrepresented clients. He owned his mistakes and tried never to take advantage of the money/status his family afforded him. I really liked him with Patrice who was grumpy, closed in, and passionate for his community. I'm glad they got through their differences and made leaning on each other a priority. That epilogue was great too.