Reviews

ah yes, this girl is cuban, loves to bake and goes for runs. i’m reminded of this fact every 5 pages. if you asked me what happened i would not be able to tell you. this was a cute wholesome book and orion is such a lovely burst of joy with emotional ups and downs but the book itself it just got very repetitive. i hope the adaptation does it some justice.
also someone teach the author africa is a continent and not a city, town or country. not to just condense it down, especially when talking about someone doing charity work there.

c_ab_bage's review against another edition

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4.0

i’ve been starting a habit of keeping “background book” going for whenever i want a break from a super heavy book or my annotation, and this was the first iteration of that. i have to say, it worked perfectly. such a lighthearted read, super lovable couple, a fun cast of characters— it was everything i needed :)

sunny_r's review against another edition

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4.0

The writing style was very descriptive, if a bit pretentious, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was cute and light for the most part (thought it occasionally dealt with some deeper, more sensitive topics). I liked the characters and how flawed, realistic and dramatic Lila — like many other teenage girls her age — could be.

angelabookworm's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.5

bluebelle_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

This book…

I went into this looking for a quick read. Something to fill my time while I waited for the book I actually wanted to read to arrive in the mail. The beginning was a bit slow, and I actually considered DNFing it at one point as I just wasn’t invested. “So why did I rate it 5 stars?” you must be thinking. Well..

I fell in love. I fell in love with the characters and the story.. I love books that are set in a different country. We read SO MUCH about the United States, and so to be in a different setting is very refreshing. Not to mention, the way Laura Taylor Namey writes, is beautiful. The way she describes places and Cuban culture? Brilliant. I truly felt like I was there. I was laughing and crying right along with Lila. I really connected with her, and understood her.

I loved all the characters so much, but Orion…. the boy named after stars.. just might be my new book boyfriend. He was so gentle, and kind, even though he was grieving in his own way. I definitely felt like he could have used more depth, he seemed a little too perfect. At the same time, I liked that he didn’t seem to have anything wrong with him. That he just was this amazing boy. It’s fiction, so why not?

However, the biggest reason this book is getting a whole 5 stars, is because it felt like home. Especially towards the end. Lila was talking about her family, and I was picturing mine. It just felt like a warm hug. It’s definitely a book that I’ll be coming back to when I need cheering up, and I’ve never really felt this way about a book before.

100/10 recommend ❤️

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars

What I liked the most about book was representation, everything surrounding Lila's family and culture, but what didn't work for me was romance and I just didn't connect with them.

lena_mercedez's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Such an adorable, feel good, coming of age story.

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