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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. I ultimately did not care about this book. I liked the exploration of mother/daughter relationships, and the characters weren't bad in any way, I just didn't connect with the story or writing. I think the "curse" and the grandma's antidotes made it feel like it was going to be magical realism, but it wasn't, and that kind of threw me off? I feel like I was always expecting something that never came.
It is a very beautiful story. I love the diversity but also I do not see a lot of Cuban books.
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO DAMN HARD!!!
I honestly cannot even begin to explain how much this book sang to my heart and made me fall in love with reading in a way I completely forgot I could feel.
I loved everything about this book. But what I especially loved was how this book is about family, it's about culture, it's about trying to figure out who you are when you have two different country's pulling for your heart and soul. I related so much to feeling like you aren't "enough" like how Rosa struggles with not feeling Cuban enough. I lost count of the amount of times while reading I would find myself thinking, "THIS is the book I needed to read when I was in high school. This would've made me feel not alone, it would've validated so many of my feelings and thoughts that I constantly felt nobody but me felt."
I love how diverse this book was as well and how casually it was inserted all over this book. Having LGBT+ rep, biracial couples, etc was not this big thing that was talked about, it was treated like it was just a normal, regular thing which I really appreciated because, well it is! Sometimes it can feel like authors make these character stand out but I love that Nina Moreno made them feel so accepted and just normal, because it's exactly how the world is.
I also cannot go without mentioning the absolutely cute romance in this book. I loved Alex so much and I love how sweet and shy and just perfect he was. While the romance wasn't the main part of this book, it was still very much a big presence in this book. However, I like how it was balanced perfectly with what the overall message/plot of this book was. Which, in case I didn't make clear: this book is abut family and the many different, complicated versions of family. It's about how family can be so many different things, sometimes it's a smell or a place and family isn't always blood but perhaps a community.
I am so thankful to have been able to read this book and I cannot wait to see what this author publishes next. If you enjoy contemporary YA, this is not a book you want to miss! And even if you don't typically read contemporary YA, I'm pretty sure this is a book for everyone and you'd be seriously missing out! I think the publishers really hit in on the head when they said this book was perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and To All the Boys I've Loved Before because it definitely gave me those vibes.
*copy given in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!!!
Just perfection.
I didn’t know how badly my heart needed this book until it existed. Practical Magic meets Jane the Virgin meets the deeply personal and relatable between-worlds existential crisis. I expected a light-hearted rom com and was gifted that in the flaky pastry layers of lush magical realism and the kind of ancestral connection and small town community my soul yearns for.
I didn’t know how badly my heart needed this book until it existed. Practical Magic meets Jane the Virgin meets the deeply personal and relatable between-worlds existential crisis. I expected a light-hearted rom com and was gifted that in the flaky pastry layers of lush magical realism and the kind of ancestral connection and small town community my soul yearns for.
The Santos women are cursed by the sea, and Rosa Santos knows better than to get involved with anyone involved with the sea. As her college deadline looms over her, she is caught between the town she calls home and the island of Cuba, a familial past her abuela refuses to talk about. But when her town falls into trouble, Rosa must work fast to save her town and face her fear of the shore before it swallows her whole.
It has been a while since I’ve picked up a book with little expectations, only to have them exceeded way beyond my imagination. From the description, I have to admit I wasn’t too sure about this one but, wow, I really liked Don’t Date Rosa Santos.
The world-building was rich and vibrant. Port Coral really opened up with each new chapter. The community was so unique and its residents were so lively. The community of Port Coral truly felt real and not just a static background for Rosa’s story. The main theme of Don’t Date Rosa Santos is how Rosa struggles to connect with her Cuban roots, and through the entire novel, she worries that her connection is not enough and she can’t access more of it due to her family’s past. Her experience is very rooted in Cuban culture, but I found myself really relating to her thoughts about diaspora and her disconnection to her family. Moreno did a really great job here, evoking such strong emotions in such a digestible way.
The people around Rosa make their mark as much as Rosa herself. Her grandmother, Mimi, whose loss in the past leads her to close her heart when Rosa comes calling with questions. Her mother travels to run away from the grief that always seems to follow her. The family trauma runs three generations deep, and Rosa tries to get her family to finally face their fears together. Her neighbours are sweet, her schoolfriends hilarious, and a love interest that I actually really loved and rooted very strongly for.
I was not expecting to be so emotionally affected by this book. Rosa’s monologues, her worries about her future and her own self-imposed expectations, it all hit really close to home. Rosa undertakes an internal journey to better understand a culture she yearns to learn more about. And while doing that, she works towards understanding this so-called “curse” on her family that follows the women in her family. If I’m being honest, the curse is a hit or miss aspect because it frustrated me a lot as it concealed so much information, so watch out for that. But everything else was brilliant.
Overall, Don’t Date Rosa Santos was delightful and moving. Its emphasis on family and community makes it such a touching read, and one of my most surprising reads of the year. It really was something special.
It has been a while since I’ve picked up a book with little expectations, only to have them exceeded way beyond my imagination. From the description, I have to admit I wasn’t too sure about this one but, wow, I really liked Don’t Date Rosa Santos.
The world-building was rich and vibrant. Port Coral really opened up with each new chapter. The community was so unique and its residents were so lively. The community of Port Coral truly felt real and not just a static background for Rosa’s story. The main theme of Don’t Date Rosa Santos is how Rosa struggles to connect with her Cuban roots, and through the entire novel, she worries that her connection is not enough and she can’t access more of it due to her family’s past. Her experience is very rooted in Cuban culture, but I found myself really relating to her thoughts about diaspora and her disconnection to her family. Moreno did a really great job here, evoking such strong emotions in such a digestible way.
The people around Rosa make their mark as much as Rosa herself. Her grandmother, Mimi, whose loss in the past leads her to close her heart when Rosa comes calling with questions. Her mother travels to run away from the grief that always seems to follow her. The family trauma runs three generations deep, and Rosa tries to get her family to finally face their fears together. Her neighbours are sweet, her schoolfriends hilarious, and a love interest that I actually really loved and rooted very strongly for.
I was not expecting to be so emotionally affected by this book. Rosa’s monologues, her worries about her future and her own self-imposed expectations, it all hit really close to home. Rosa undertakes an internal journey to better understand a culture she yearns to learn more about. And while doing that, she works towards understanding this so-called “curse” on her family that follows the women in her family. If I’m being honest, the curse is a hit or miss aspect because it frustrated me a lot as it concealed so much information, so watch out for that. But everything else was brilliant.
Overall, Don’t Date Rosa Santos was delightful and moving. Its emphasis on family and community makes it such a touching read, and one of my most surprising reads of the year. It really was something special.
Meh. Overdramatic for the first 3/4, but ultimately fine.
4.25 stars
rep: bisexual Cuban-American protagonist, ownvoices Cuban-American love interest and side characters, Afro-Cuban-American side characters, Black side character
I loved all of the characters so much omg!! also the intergenerational trauma between rosa, her mother, and her grandmother was so well-written
rep: bisexual Cuban-American protagonist, ownvoices Cuban-American love interest and side characters, Afro-Cuban-American side characters, Black side character
I loved all of the characters so much omg!! also the intergenerational trauma between rosa, her mother, and her grandmother was so well-written
I really really liked this. It was so cute and sweet and fun. Rosa was such a great narrator and she's just so cute and quirky. I wasn't completely sold on the romance because at some points it was too cheesy for me but I got behind it later. Nina has such a beautiful writing style and there were some points where I just wanted to save some of the most poetic sentences. I listened to the audiobook and it was really nice, loved the narrator.
Also, people might think this is a spoiler so I'll hide it but I wish I had known because it was incredibly triggering for me. Be aware if you are triggered by family grief/family being hospitalized. As someone triggerd by this, I thought it was handled super well, I was just surprised. If you want more details,
Also, people might think this is a spoiler so I'll hide it but I wish I had known because it was incredibly triggering for me. Be aware if you are triggered by family grief/family being hospitalized. As someone triggerd by this, I thought it was handled super well, I was just surprised. If you want more details,
Spoiler
Rosa's grandmother ends up having a heart attack and ends up in the hospital
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
(3.5)/5
I was not sure what to expect with this one, but i thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s definitely a lot heavier than I anticipated and is more of a “coming of age”/family discovery story than i anticipated.
I was not sure what to expect with this one, but i thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s definitely a lot heavier than I anticipated and is more of a “coming of age”/family discovery story than i anticipated.