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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
A NEW FAVORITE! Any book that makes me cry like that... 5 stars.
the beginning of this book felt like any other YA contemporary BUT THEN the end hit me HARD. TWO (2!) separate things made me cry!! Rosa's struggle with thinking she's not Cuban enough was a big OOF for me.
Also I'm so grateful for Alex Aquino and also why don't more people talk about this boy? He's so swoony and romantic in a way a lot of YA love interests aren't.
I would LOVE to see badass, rule-breaking Rosa skip the last three weeks of senior year to travel.
the beginning of this book felt like any other YA contemporary BUT THEN the end hit me HARD. TWO (2!) separate things made me cry!! Rosa's struggle with thinking she's not Cuban enough was a big OOF for me.
Also I'm so grateful for Alex Aquino and also why don't more people talk about this boy? He's so swoony and romantic in a way a lot of YA love interests aren't.
I would LOVE to see badass, rule-breaking Rosa skip the last three weeks of senior year to travel.
Finally I can gush about this book, if you're interested in:
*magic, complicated families, grief, curses & supersitions
*endearing latinx mc & LI
*a seaside town out of your dreams
*diaspora, heritage, identiy issues
*pastelitos! and other amazing latinx food
This book is just for you.
Don't Date Rosa Santos felt like a magical hug, the type of stories you never get to read about latinx girls. It's definitely in my favourites list and an immediate rec for anyone wanting a magical soft book on family, curses and love.
Longer review here
*magic, complicated families, grief, curses & supersitions
*endearing latinx mc & LI
*a seaside town out of your dreams
*diaspora, heritage, identiy issues
*pastelitos! and other amazing latinx food
This book is just for you.
Don't Date Rosa Santos felt like a magical hug, the type of stories you never get to read about latinx girls. It's definitely in my favourites list and an immediate rec for anyone wanting a magical soft book on family, curses and love.
Longer review here
“Don’t Date Rosa Santos” is a story following Rosa, a teenage girl who is cursed by the sea. If a boy with a boat falls in love with a Santos woman, he will meet his doom. Thus, Rosa avoids relationships at all costs, that is until she meets Alex Aquino.
I adored this book. It is a romantic ode to Cuba, diaspora, and Latinx culture. I saw much of myself in Rosa, and many readers, especially Cuban ones will too.
This story explores love, loss, grief, and generational trauma. It is everything I hoped for and more. This book may just be a new favorite of mine, and I am so thankful to have read it. Do yourselves a favor and pick it up when it releases on May 14!
CW: Death
Copy given in exchange for an honest review
I adored this book. It is a romantic ode to Cuba, diaspora, and Latinx culture. I saw much of myself in Rosa, and many readers, especially Cuban ones will too.
This story explores love, loss, grief, and generational trauma. It is everything I hoped for and more. This book may just be a new favorite of mine, and I am so thankful to have read it. Do yourselves a favor and pick it up when it releases on May 14!
CW: Death
Copy given in exchange for an honest review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rosa Santos is cursed. Or, at least her family is. Every time a Santos woman falls in love with a sailor, he is tragically lost at sea. And everyone in her sleepy coastal town knows it. So Rosa stays away from the ocean, and sailors. Even though the ocean breeze calls her name. But when an opportunity to visit Cuba in a study abroad program presents itself (and a stoic, handsome sailor with waves tattooed on his arms), Rosa must decide if it is all worth the risk to reconnect with her roots. Can she find herself without losing everyone she loves?
This book is magical, lyrical, and dynamic. With each page, I became more and more of a part of the small south Floridian town of Port Coral. I could see the viejitos sitting outside the cafe, drinking coffee, smoking cigars, exchanging chisme; I could smell the fresh guava pastelitos mixed with the salty breeze from the sea. For just a moment, I was home. I was a child listening to my parents speak Spanish over a plate of arroz con pollo, with the driving beat of the drums and Celia Cruz’s powerful voice tying the memory together in a neat little bow. I felt Rosa's struggle to not be Latinx enough. It's been a personal struggle for me too.
I come from a mixed family—my mother is Cuban and Puerto Rican, and my dad is white. I grew up knowing Spanish, but never really speaking it. I would get glimpses of the culture, touches here and there that reminded me that I was mixed, but I never felt fully one side or the other. Rosa Santos, like me, doesn’t fully understand herself. She is Latinx, but there is still one part of herself she will never truly know. I understood her desire to visit her native land, and stand where her grandfather stood. To experience her culture in a way that made it feel wholly hers, that she could be enough, and be proud of where she comes from. For me, this book was more than a cute love story, more than a story of family, it was a piece of my heritage that I could connect to. I loved every moment of this book, and I can't wait to see what Nina Moreno does next.
This book is magical, lyrical, and dynamic. With each page, I became more and more of a part of the small south Floridian town of Port Coral. I could see the viejitos sitting outside the cafe, drinking coffee, smoking cigars, exchanging chisme; I could smell the fresh guava pastelitos mixed with the salty breeze from the sea. For just a moment, I was home. I was a child listening to my parents speak Spanish over a plate of arroz con pollo, with the driving beat of the drums and Celia Cruz’s powerful voice tying the memory together in a neat little bow. I felt Rosa's struggle to not be Latinx enough. It's been a personal struggle for me too.
I come from a mixed family—my mother is Cuban and Puerto Rican, and my dad is white. I grew up knowing Spanish, but never really speaking it. I would get glimpses of the culture, touches here and there that reminded me that I was mixed, but I never felt fully one side or the other. Rosa Santos, like me, doesn’t fully understand herself. She is Latinx, but there is still one part of herself she will never truly know. I understood her desire to visit her native land, and stand where her grandfather stood. To experience her culture in a way that made it feel wholly hers, that she could be enough, and be proud of where she comes from. For me, this book was more than a cute love story, more than a story of family, it was a piece of my heritage that I could connect to. I loved every moment of this book, and I can't wait to see what Nina Moreno does next.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so beautiful. I think this line in the author’s acknowledgements sums up why I enjoyed the book so much: “To all the next-generation kids with old maps who fear they’re losing something even as we create new things. You are magic. And you are enough.”
What a gorgeous debut!!! I wanted to read this as soon as I saw that Gilmore Girls comp, but I wasn’t expecting to be quite so swept away. I inhaled this book and it smelled like lemon and saltwater. Utterly captivating from the first page.
emotional
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
Although the main crux of the plot was a light and sweet summer read, it really delved deep into the meaning of family and belonging. There were many relatable scenes and emotions of not connecting to the country you come from but still wishing to, and it all tied together in a magical and lyrical way. I think the whole curse thing was a little overdone as I came into the book thinking it was magical realism, however it was still portrayed beautifullly.
