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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Este libro es como si In the Heights y Jane the Virgin tuvieran un hijito adolescente.
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Y encima hay un gato negro que se llama Luna.
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Y Rosa Santos está obsesionada con el Dulce de Leche.
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Y hay elementos de realismo mágico.
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En rasgos generales, me encantó.
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¿De qué va? Rosa Santos tiene 17 años, es de ascendencia cubana, y vive en Miami con su abuela. Su madre es artista y viaja mucho. Su abuelo materno y su padre murieron, con años de diferencia, en accidentes relacionados al mar y a barcos.
.
Todos dicen que las mujeres Santos están malditas. Así que Rosa está decidida a no enamorarse de alguien que pueda sufrir un destino parecido al de sus antepasados.
.
Pero, por supuesto, va y se engancha con un pibe que tiene un barco y ama el mar. Obvio.
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También hay toda una trama relacionada a salvar la bahía de su pueblo de la explotación industrial I algo así. Y para eso organizar un festival re copado. Y obvio que Rosa se coloca en el centro de todo ese drama.
.
Rosa es organizada, tiene toda su vida planeada, tiene sueños de viajar, y un gran interés por sus raíces. Me encantó su personaje, no se anda con dramas innecesarios, aunque todo el tema con la maldición de su familia la pone un poco densa a veces. Y con razón, si medio mundo le dice que si se enamora con un chabon con un barco lo va a matar.
.
Si bien tiene romance, no es eso lo que lleva la trama. La familia es lo central, el barrio viene segundo, y el amor y la amistad después.
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Creo que está todo muy bien llevado, la atmósfera es hermosa, alegre y nostálgica, y los personajes son coloridos, complejos y entretenidos.
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Mi mayor crítica, o mejor dicho lamento, es la pena que me da que pongan personajes de ascendencia cubana pero ignoren la buena música cubana. ¡La música cubana evolucionó y mejoró mucho desde Celia Cruz, gente! Pero claro, si odian a Fidel y se niegan a ver todo lo bueno que hizo por su país (más allá de ciertas cosas cuestionables). ¿Algún día, tal vez?
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Más allá de todo eso, me gustó mucho este libro, me resultó imposible de soltar, y los personajes lograron encantarme más allá de ciertas diferencias a nivel político (por el tema Cuba, obvio).
.
Una lectura juvenil fresca, con aires primaverales, y un poquito de drama hacía el final que no esperaba pero no puedo decir que me sorprenda.
.
4,5/5
.
Y encima hay un gato negro que se llama Luna.
.
Y Rosa Santos está obsesionada con el Dulce de Leche.
.
Y hay elementos de realismo mágico.
.
En rasgos generales, me encantó.
.
¿De qué va? Rosa Santos tiene 17 años, es de ascendencia cubana, y vive en Miami con su abuela. Su madre es artista y viaja mucho. Su abuelo materno y su padre murieron, con años de diferencia, en accidentes relacionados al mar y a barcos.
.
Todos dicen que las mujeres Santos están malditas. Así que Rosa está decidida a no enamorarse de alguien que pueda sufrir un destino parecido al de sus antepasados.
.
Pero, por supuesto, va y se engancha con un pibe que tiene un barco y ama el mar. Obvio.
.
También hay toda una trama relacionada a salvar la bahía de su pueblo de la explotación industrial I algo así. Y para eso organizar un festival re copado. Y obvio que Rosa se coloca en el centro de todo ese drama.
.
Rosa es organizada, tiene toda su vida planeada, tiene sueños de viajar, y un gran interés por sus raíces. Me encantó su personaje, no se anda con dramas innecesarios, aunque todo el tema con la maldición de su familia la pone un poco densa a veces. Y con razón, si medio mundo le dice que si se enamora con un chabon con un barco lo va a matar.
.
Si bien tiene romance, no es eso lo que lleva la trama. La familia es lo central, el barrio viene segundo, y el amor y la amistad después.
.
Creo que está todo muy bien llevado, la atmósfera es hermosa, alegre y nostálgica, y los personajes son coloridos, complejos y entretenidos.
.
Mi mayor crítica, o mejor dicho lamento, es la pena que me da que pongan personajes de ascendencia cubana pero ignoren la buena música cubana. ¡La música cubana evolucionó y mejoró mucho desde Celia Cruz, gente! Pero claro, si odian a Fidel y se niegan a ver todo lo bueno que hizo por su país (más allá de ciertas cosas cuestionables). ¿Algún día, tal vez?
.
Más allá de todo eso, me gustó mucho este libro, me resultó imposible de soltar, y los personajes lograron encantarme más allá de ciertas diferencias a nivel político (por el tema Cuba, obvio).
.
Una lectura juvenil fresca, con aires primaverales, y un poquito de drama hacía el final que no esperaba pero no puedo decir que me sorprenda.
.
4,5/5
A totally delightful book. Rosa's world is so real and vibrant and magical. The romance was sweet, the food was delicious, and the adventures heart-pounding. The last act felt a bit rushed but the ending was ultimately satisfying. A joy and a great summer read.
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Don't Date Rosa Santos is whimsical. It's tender, empathetic, and heart wrenching. Tears were shed in the process of reading the book. I cried because of Rosa's feelings that she wasn't Latina enough, of her complicated relationship with her mother, and of Rosa's journey to charting her own course. It's a story of discovery, of grief, and secrets. It's one of those books that rises like a wave, building with momentum, lulling you into its waves, until its crashes over your head and your heart.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-dont-date-rosa-santos-by-nina-moreno/
Don't Date Rosa Santos is whimsical. It's tender, empathetic, and heart wrenching. Tears were shed in the process of reading the book. I cried because of Rosa's feelings that she wasn't Latina enough, of her complicated relationship with her mother, and of Rosa's journey to charting her own course. It's a story of discovery, of grief, and secrets. It's one of those books that rises like a wave, building with momentum, lulling you into its waves, until its crashes over your head and your heart.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-dont-date-rosa-santos-by-nina-moreno/
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5/5
This is a special book. I thought it was just going to be a romance with a Cuban main character (which I was still super hyped for). But, this is a story about a girl trying to relate to her heritage and trying to feel more Cuban while not living there and having a grandmother who won't talk about Cuba. She is also trying to figure out where to go to college and what her future is going to look like.
I loved the small town dynamic (think Gilmore Girls, but Latinx) and how everyone is a gossip. The love interest is swoony and Rosa calls him "a Ravenclaw" so many times. Seriously, he reads, bakes, owns a boat, AND has tattoos. I loved the familial relationships. Seeing Rosa's relationship with her grandma was really special. I loved the non translated intermittent Spanish words sprinkled throughout.
This book was so much fun to read. I laughed and I cried. Even though my grandparents did not come to America from Cuban (they came from South America), I still could relate to many of Rosa's thoughts and experiences related to being Latinx.
*Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
This is a special book. I thought it was just going to be a romance with a Cuban main character (which I was still super hyped for). But, this is a story about a girl trying to relate to her heritage and trying to feel more Cuban while not living there and having a grandmother who won't talk about Cuba. She is also trying to figure out where to go to college and what her future is going to look like.
I loved the small town dynamic (think Gilmore Girls, but Latinx) and how everyone is a gossip. The love interest is swoony and Rosa calls him "a Ravenclaw" so many times. Seriously, he reads, bakes, owns a boat, AND has tattoos. I loved the familial relationships. Seeing Rosa's relationship with her grandma was really special. I loved the non translated intermittent Spanish words sprinkled throughout.
This book was so much fun to read. I laughed and I cried. Even though my grandparents did not come to America from Cuban (they came from South America), I still could relate to many of Rosa's thoughts and experiences related to being Latinx.
*Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*
This was adorable and the audiobook was incredible.
I was so excited to read this book. It has such an interesting title and premise. The protagonist is Rosa, a Cuban American girl living in Port Coral, Florida, who feels her family is cursed by the sea, which explains how she is unlucky-in-love. Rosa lives with her grandmother, a healer and her sometimes-absent mom. Rosa is a senior in high school who is trying to find herself and reconnect with her Cuban culture when she falls hard for a sailor/baker named Alejandro.
I liked how Moreno wrote about how Rosa struggles with her Cuban and American (United Statesian?) identities. As someone who is part of the Puerto Rican diaspora in the U.S., I too feel torn between cultures. Still, I can't even imagine what is must be like for a Cuban-American kid whose older family members had to flee Cuba and live in exile. Moreno does a great job of depicting how Rosa approaches talking to her mom and abuela about wanting to study abroad in La Habana--a huge step towards finding out more about her identity. I felt invested in this storyline from the start. It hooked me and I was rooting for Rosa. I also love how Spanish is interspersed throughout--without actually being fully explained/translated. Translanguaging representation matters. This is how we bilinguals make sense of the world around us.
What I didn't like about this book is how it is marketed as a romance. As someone who really loves romance, I was disappointed in the lack of chemistry between the couple. I also felt that the book moved too slowly. I almost DNFed, but I forced myself to finish it.
I liked how Moreno wrote about how Rosa struggles with her Cuban and American (United Statesian?) identities. As someone who is part of the Puerto Rican diaspora in the U.S., I too feel torn between cultures. Still, I can't even imagine what is must be like for a Cuban-American kid whose older family members had to flee Cuba and live in exile. Moreno does a great job of depicting how Rosa approaches talking to her mom and abuela about wanting to study abroad in La Habana--a huge step towards finding out more about her identity. I felt invested in this storyline from the start. It hooked me and I was rooting for Rosa. I also love how Spanish is interspersed throughout--without actually being fully explained/translated. Translanguaging representation matters. This is how we bilinguals make sense of the world around us.
What I didn't like about this book is how it is marketed as a romance. As someone who really loves romance, I was disappointed in the lack of chemistry between the couple. I also felt that the book moved too slowly. I almost DNFed, but I forced myself to finish it.
Honestly, this has been my best year of reading yet and I think it's because special books like Rosa keep dropping into my lap. I deeply connected with this story of a second generation Cuban-American struggling to accept how Cuban she is. Throw in a swoony romance, town gossips who run a blog, a curse and MIMI and you have the magic of Port Coral. This book swept me away and made me feel seen. Exceptional.
Oh my, I loved this book. It immediately hooked me and swept me into Rosa Santos’ secretive, complicated Cuban family and into her budding romance with a boy she shouldn’t love.
Moreno’s writing is brilliant, but it’s her characters, from the neighbors to the Santos women, who shine. I laughed, I cried, I felt these women’s pain. A beautiful ode to Latinx culture, family, and identity.
Moreno’s writing is brilliant, but it’s her characters, from the neighbors to the Santos women, who shine. I laughed, I cried, I felt these women’s pain. A beautiful ode to Latinx culture, family, and identity.