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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
This book really resonated with me after having the privilege of going to Haiti this school year. I love the humor in this book and the strong family dynamics. Ideal for 8th grade and up.
There were some things that I liked. I have never read a book featuring a character from the Haitian community so it was nice to see an author provide representation. The cover art is beautiful. The story was okay, but too long.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book, but a dark plot point near the end really threw me. I will discuss that more later on, but first, I really enjoyed the structure of the book. I don’t normally enjoy journal style books but this did it for me. I found it a little confusing on audio but that’s normal for me, YRMV. I enjoyed her journey with her family.
Now into the plot point that threw me so much I don’t really know how to rate the moods in this book. Which is particularly frustrating cause I read this book as part of storyboard’s onboarding challenge and specifically found it searching by moods. I was surprised the plot point was even included because it seems to not fit the genre. But I was even more confused when it just continued as if it still was this romantic YA novel.
It’s not a romance YA novel IMO. It is a YA and it’s very good but please check trigger warnings and be aware that it could be very jarring. But maybe it is just me, because most of the reviews don’t seem to mention this or touch on it and I assumed the trigger warnings were for things that happened off page and not during the actual book.
I explain what the plot point was below, it’s not super detailed but it does contain some spoilers.
A character drowns near the end of the book, it’s awful and it’s not brushed off exactly, but it’s so close to the end of the book there’s not really time to process it. And it’s a very sweet character and the protagonist is responsible for it in multiple ways
02/2025
Now into the plot point that threw me so much I don’t really know how to rate the moods in this book. Which is particularly frustrating cause I read this book as part of storyboard’s onboarding challenge and specifically found it searching by moods. I was surprised the plot point was even included because it seems to not fit the genre. But I was even more confused when it just continued as if it still was this romantic YA novel.
It’s not a romance YA novel IMO. It is a YA and it’s very good but please check trigger warnings and be aware that it could be very jarring. But maybe it is just me, because most of the reviews don’t seem to mention this or touch on it and I assumed the trigger warnings were for things that happened off page and not during the actual book.
I explain what the plot point was below, it’s not super detailed but it does contain some spoilers.
02/2025
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Dementia, Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Alcohol
Dear Haiti, love Elaine is a delightful YA novel written by sisters Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite.
Like me, both are Miami natives so right away I knew I wanted to read their book. They are the daughters of Haitian immigrants.
Alaine Beauparlant is a teenager who is having difficulties fitting in at high school and is suspended.
She is then assigned a volunteer immersion project, and she decides to complete her work in Haiti where her family originated. Alaine’s mother, Celeste Beauparlant is a TV journalist who begins behaving suspiciously.
As mother and daughter end up in Haiti where they visit family, we are able to see Haiti through Alaine’s eyes when she sees it for the first time. At the same time as Alaina completes her school project she works on breaking a family curse that may possibly be the reason for her mother’s change in behavior.
I LOVED:
~Seeing Haiti and becoming acquainted with some of the customs, scenery, neighborhoods, and food.
~The book is the debut of two #ownvoice authors.
~I was able to learn some Haitian history.
~It’s told in epistolary style through letters, articles, emails, and diary entries.
~THE COVER!
NOT SO MUCH...
~I would have liked to see Alaine and her mother's relationship fleshed out a bit more.
~Too many characters made it hard to keep track of who was who.
All that aside, if you enjoy YA, and would like to learn a bit about Haiti through the voices of two brilliant young writers, you will enjoy this book!
NUGGET GAINED: Communicate with your family, and don’t keep secrets.
Like me, both are Miami natives so right away I knew I wanted to read their book. They are the daughters of Haitian immigrants.
Alaine Beauparlant is a teenager who is having difficulties fitting in at high school and is suspended.
She is then assigned a volunteer immersion project, and she decides to complete her work in Haiti where her family originated. Alaine’s mother, Celeste Beauparlant is a TV journalist who begins behaving suspiciously.
As mother and daughter end up in Haiti where they visit family, we are able to see Haiti through Alaine’s eyes when she sees it for the first time. At the same time as Alaina completes her school project she works on breaking a family curse that may possibly be the reason for her mother’s change in behavior.
I LOVED:
~Seeing Haiti and becoming acquainted with some of the customs, scenery, neighborhoods, and food.
~The book is the debut of two #ownvoice authors.
~I was able to learn some Haitian history.
~It’s told in epistolary style through letters, articles, emails, and diary entries.
~THE COVER!
NOT SO MUCH...
~I would have liked to see Alaine and her mother's relationship fleshed out a bit more.
~Too many characters made it hard to keep track of who was who.
All that aside, if you enjoy YA, and would like to learn a bit about Haiti through the voices of two brilliant young writers, you will enjoy this book!
NUGGET GAINED: Communicate with your family, and don’t keep secrets.
3.5 rounding up to 4.
Dragged a bit for me, but enjoyed the ending.
Violence, death, references to sexual assault,
mild kissing,
Dragged a bit for me, but enjoyed the ending.
Violence, death, references to sexual assault,
mild kissing,
This was cute! Alaine is a spunky high schooler who accidentally nearly kills a classmate and gets sent to go stay with her mom in Haiti. In the process, she learns a lot about her family, volunteers at a nonprofit her aunt runs, and creates some chaos.
The entire book is in an epistolary format, with letters, texts, postcards, parts of Alaine's school project, emails, and diary entries. I liked the letters and the diary entries, but the other parts didn't really work for me and it made me feel like I was missing things somehow.
I absolutely loved Alaine's voice - she's funny, snarky, and takes no prisoners. I loved the sections with her parents especially.
tw for a big Alzheimer's plot.
The entire book is in an epistolary format, with letters, texts, postcards, parts of Alaine's school project, emails, and diary entries. I liked the letters and the diary entries, but the other parts didn't really work for me and it made me feel like I was missing things somehow.
I absolutely loved Alaine's voice - she's funny, snarky, and takes no prisoners. I loved the sections with her parents especially.
tw for a big Alzheimer's plot.
You know I like a book when I just sit in my bed reading it in one go.
I really enjoyed the story, but didn't care for the writing style and format.
Interesting structure allows for multiple perspectives without too much confusion. Cute YA story that explores family struggles through mysticism. I didn’t fall as much in love with Haiti as I expected to, but perhaps bc our main character is struggling to love it too.