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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Just about the cutest rom-com ever! I really enjoyed the realness these authors brought to the store, while keeping to the genre.
medium-paced
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: This one had such a unique voice and tone. I enjoyed how the author duo approached this one. This one has been on my tbr for ages, so I was excited to finally knock it out. Fun, cute. This book is geared toward young adult readers, but I think some older readers may still enjoy it. It had a creative approach that blended telling a creative story with helping people learn more about Haiti and its culture. The main character's voice shone through and made for a fun read. I thought it ended kind of abruptly, but, overall, it was enjoyable.
You can find more of my reviews on Instagram @danicapage.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: This one had such a unique voice and tone. I enjoyed how the author duo approached this one. This one has been on my tbr for ages, so I was excited to finally knock it out. Fun, cute. This book is geared toward young adult readers, but I think some older readers may still enjoy it. It had a creative approach that blended telling a creative story with helping people learn more about Haiti and its culture. The main character's voice shone through and made for a fun read. I thought it ended kind of abruptly, but, overall, it was enjoyable.
You can find more of my reviews on Instagram @danicapage.
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Oh my gosh! I literally loved this book. A complete page turner of a high school senior, Alaine, being raised by her single dad who is a psychiatrist and often neglected by her mom, a popular political journalist. She takes us through all of the feels form her complicated friendship with her bestie Tatiana, to the overly loving relationship with her dad, to awkward phone conversations with her mom. It isn't until she is practically kicked out of school that we see truth growth and development from Alaine. I do not want to spoil it all for you, but this book was amazing. I now have a strong desire to visit Haiti and do research to see if all of the locations mentioned in the book were indeed real. All in all, the book takes us on the journey of Alaine returning to her homeland of Haiti to complete her senior project. While there she works with her aunt who is over tourism, learns more about the "family curse", while trying to get closer to her mom and establish an identity of her own. It is truly a whirlwind. Please let me know your thoughts!
Review copy: Purchased
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know I went to the Los Angeles Launch Party for Dear Haiti, Love Alaine hosted by the book’s authors, Make Moulite and Maritza Moulite. Of course, they began with an awesome reading of the novel and based on the except they read, I knew I would love this novel. And I was right. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine was funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking at the same time.
The novel is told mainly through Alaine’s diary, but also included are emails, texts, internet articles, etc, that really brings the world to life. Alaine is a young woman who is very sure of herself and the direction she wants her life to take, except she sometimes doesn’t think through the potential consequences of her actions, which is why she is sent to Haiti to work for her aunt. I like that the Moulite sisters didn’t actually write “the incident” when it happened, but focused on the immediate fallout. It intrigued me as to what could be so big to cause Alaine to almost get expelled, but then the incident is hinted at and just the hint, I feel, is so much funnier than if the sisters had written the scene out. Alaine is very dramatic, so her reflections on her mistakes tend to be on the dramatic side and that is where the humor lies.
I really liked Alaine as a character, as she has a wonderful heart, but hides it behind a tough exterior. More than anything she wants to develop a good relationship her mom, who is a famous journalist, so she hides that hurt behind her drama. She does come by it honestly, however, as her mom has a flair for the dramatic as well (actually, her entire family does). This desire to have a relationship with her mom is also heartbreaking when she learns that her mother has early onset Alzheimers, which many know is a horrible disease. I really felt for her because I have friends whose parents have Alzheimers and they are struggling with it, I could only imagine how hard it is when one is a teen and having to deal with such a devastating illness. It puts Alaine in a horrible position of getting to know her mother as she is starting to lose her mother. However, her time with mother and her aunt, and learning of the “family curse” and trying to break it, does allow Alaine to begin to understand her mother and that helps heal their relationship. I feel like Alaine’s relationship with her mother is the heart of the book and what also moved me the most.
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine was an enjoyable read where I got lost in the story, in the characters, their lives and the world. When I finished the book, I wasn’t quite ready to leave Alaine, so I hope Maika and Maritza decide to revisit this world and allow us to have more adventures with Alaine.
Recommendation: Buy it now!
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know I went to the Los Angeles Launch Party for Dear Haiti, Love Alaine hosted by the book’s authors, Make Moulite and Maritza Moulite. Of course, they began with an awesome reading of the novel and based on the except they read, I knew I would love this novel. And I was right. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine was funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking at the same time.
The novel is told mainly through Alaine’s diary, but also included are emails, texts, internet articles, etc, that really brings the world to life. Alaine is a young woman who is very sure of herself and the direction she wants her life to take, except she sometimes doesn’t think through the potential consequences of her actions, which is why she is sent to Haiti to work for her aunt. I like that the Moulite sisters didn’t actually write “the incident” when it happened, but focused on the immediate fallout. It intrigued me as to what could be so big to cause Alaine to almost get expelled, but then the incident is hinted at and just the hint, I feel, is so much funnier than if the sisters had written the scene out. Alaine is very dramatic, so her reflections on her mistakes tend to be on the dramatic side and that is where the humor lies.
I really liked Alaine as a character, as she has a wonderful heart, but hides it behind a tough exterior. More than anything she wants to develop a good relationship her mom, who is a famous journalist, so she hides that hurt behind her drama. She does come by it honestly, however, as her mom has a flair for the dramatic as well (actually, her entire family does). This desire to have a relationship with her mom is also heartbreaking when she learns that her mother has early onset Alzheimers, which many know is a horrible disease. I really felt for her because I have friends whose parents have Alzheimers and they are struggling with it, I could only imagine how hard it is when one is a teen and having to deal with such a devastating illness. It puts Alaine in a horrible position of getting to know her mother as she is starting to lose her mother. However, her time with mother and her aunt, and learning of the “family curse” and trying to break it, does allow Alaine to begin to understand her mother and that helps heal their relationship. I feel like Alaine’s relationship with her mother is the heart of the book and what also moved me the most.
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine was an enjoyable read where I got lost in the story, in the characters, their lives and the world. When I finished the book, I wasn’t quite ready to leave Alaine, so I hope Maika and Maritza decide to revisit this world and allow us to have more adventures with Alaine.
Recommendation: Buy it now!
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book was incredible. I borrowed it on Libby expected a lighthearted romance, and was surprised to find it was so much more. In fact, romance was really not a main plot point at all. Instead, the book focused on what it meant to be part of a family, and the length's you'll go to protect the ones you love. Without giving any spoilers, I really related to what Alaine was going through with her mom. The audiobook was also fantastic, I really liked the narrator. The only thing that I wasn't absolutely sold on about the audiobook was that it could be a little hard to follow, since most of the book is written as journal entries. Overall, this will definitely hold a special place in my heart.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
I absolutely loved the Haitian setting of this book and how much of the culture and landscape we got to see (including food, language, customs, and more). I also really appreciated a story about dealing with the repercussions of Alzheimer's (and, especially, early-onset Alzheimer's, since it's rarely talked about). Alaine had a strained relationship with her mother, but she'd always thought they'd have time to fix that---so losing her mother to this disease was doubly painful for her. I wasn't 100% sure how I felt personally about the "curse" storyline, especially since there was some implication that Alaine's mother's illness could have been caused by this curse, but I do know that in Haiti many people do believe in things like curses, so it's not an unrealistic storyline. I really liked this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read a physical copy (especially because the digital ARC I read had some formatting issues that made reading confusing)---I think in general a physical copy would have been easier to read because of the epistolary nature of the book. Still, overall a great read!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book was a fun and exciting YA story about family, curses, love, and determination. The plus sides were many- the main character is a smart and funny Haitian-American girl, the depictions of Haiti are nuanced and show more than just a destitute nation, and the relationships between certain characters break stereotypes. The cons- the novel moved at breakneck speed in places, so it was difficult to feel the full impact of wild moments. It’s also told through a series of letters, emails, texts, news articles, and alaine’s perspective, so sometimes it’s difficult to follow what is happening in a way that feels meaningful. Overall fun summer read.