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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I loved this so much. One of my favourite YA Contemporay stories. Great characters, setting and I loved all of it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s a cute, easy beach read. Rosa Santos, grand-daughter of a Cuban refugee, dreams of seeing Cuba. Her abuela Mimi is the curandera of their coastal town of Port Coral. Her mother Lilliana is an artist who is away most of the time. Both Mimi and Lilliana fell in love and lost their men in tragic sea accidents so the Santos women are said to be cursed . Main conflicts: The local marina is about to be sold so Rosa decides that putting the town’s efforts into their annual Spring Fest will draw enough tourists dollars to save it. Also Rosa does not know where exactly she wants to finish college- only that she is hoping to see Cuba through a study abroad program. Rosa agrees to help plan/organize the events and the wedding of two townspeople. Enter handsome sailor/baker, Alejandro “Alex” Aquino, son of the people who own the marina. He is back and her former schoolmate is also interested in saving the marina. Rosa and Alex fall for each other. Spring Fest is successful. Rosa confronts the curse by sailing in a regatta with Alex, which they win. Mimi dies and Rosa and her mother bring her ashes back to Cuba, where she finds Alex waiting for her in the harbor to go on a sailing adventure.
This is a beautiful story. I liked it and gave it 4 stars although my enjoyment was just 3 stars but the culture and the meanings here deserve a star more.If you are a fan of magical realism,you would give it 5 stars. I didn't know it was magical realism and I didn't like the parts as the rituals and that stuff but it was okay cause I wanted to continue the story.
I liked the characters.I loved Rosa alot and it had been a while since I saw a strong character without being annoying or rude. I loved Alex as well but I think we didn't know enough about him.
The family dynamics here was beautiful. I loved the grandmother and the mother. I loved how friendly the mother was.
The contest was a little long in my opinion but I can understand why the author did that. She gave me the details of the town and made me as a reader love it.
I liked the characters.I loved Rosa alot and it had been a while since I saw a strong character without being annoying or rude. I loved Alex as well but I think we didn't know enough about him.
The family dynamics here was beautiful. I loved the grandmother and the mother. I loved how friendly the mother was.
The contest was a little long in my opinion but I can understand why the author did that. She gave me the details of the town and made me as a reader love it.
Dear Rosa Santos,
Welcome to my all-times-favorite bookshelf.
You made me smile, you warmed my heart, you made me cry, you made me feel all the emotions and I will most likely recommend you to everyone all around because you are just that amazing <3
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
Welcome to my all-times-favorite bookshelf.
You made me smile, you warmed my heart, you made me cry, you made me feel all the emotions and I will most likely recommend you to everyone all around because you are just that amazing <3
My Blog - Drizzle & Hurricane Books - Twitter - Bloglovin'
Many thanks to Ian at Disney Hyperion for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
"I was a collection of hyphens and bilingual words. Always caught in between. Two schools, two languages, two countries. Never quite right or enough for either."
To be completely honest, this book just made me realize how not in touch with my heritage I am.... whoops.
So, what's this book about?
Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea-at least, that's what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you're a boy with a boat.
But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about.
As her college decision looms, Rosa collides - literally - with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?
Believe it or not, I am 50% Latino which... I think makes me biracial? I'm not sure... I don't know these things. But anyway, I know some of the stuff that was in this book and some of it I didn't know but I came away realizing I don't know as much as I probably should about my heritage...
This book was a really fun and fluffy book to read. It gave me the Babysitters Club vibe. I also loved the blend of light romance and actual real-life problems and challenges that a lot of people have faced or (like me. eek) will be facing very soon.
I wasn't totally a fan of the whole curse things because it did feel like a bit of a cheap way to squeeze in conflict and I think there could have been a better more logical way to do it but oh well.
Overall, this book was fluffy and heartfelt and I highly recommend it!
Bottom Line:
4 stars
Age Rating - [ PG ]
Content Screening (Mild Spoilers)
Positive Messages (4/5) - [Dealing with grief, Choosing your own needs over the expectations of others]
Violence (2/5) - [Brief near-drowning, Heart attack]
Sex (2/5) - [Sexual themes, Kissing]
Language (1/5) - [Mild language]
Drinking/Drugs (0/0)
Publication Date: May 14th, 2019
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Hachette Book Group)
Genre: Young Adult/Romance
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Cute and bittersweet! Review to come
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thank you, Chelsea for the rec during the (chaotic) Contemporary-a-thon Livestream!!
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*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
This was a treat to read.
The writing is so well, the atmosphere of the book surrounded me and truly made me visualize the colors and sounds of the community. Everything is so colorful and held such joy, while any less than joyous moments were also detailed well.
The thing is, even though there are some sad or anxious moments, the main takeaway I have of this book is just how sweet it is. There is a huge sense of family, both those by blood and those of the community we accept.
I liked Rosa as a character as well. She thinks she has her life planned out for her, but in the face of change realizes she has to come up with new plans. She is a planner and willing to try new things. She also mentions a lack of romantic interests in the past, but does say she has crushed on both guys and gals. Her romance with Alex is adorable and sweet, while also potentially cursed making her waffle about what to do. Alex is charming though and I did wish we had more of him in the book. But more of him would have meant less time for family matters.
Because romance isn't the main part of this book, I truly think it is about family and learning how to move forward in life without having to leave your past...if that makes sense.
And while I will gush about how cute an sweet this book is, it also took my emotions for a ride. I wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter or so of the book -- I thought it dragged some-- but it rounds out the story and the topic of the curse -- another reason why I also mark this book as magical realism.
I definitely recommend this one to people looking for a summer read, or something about identity and family.
This was a treat to read.
The writing is so well, the atmosphere of the book surrounded me and truly made me visualize the colors and sounds of the community. Everything is so colorful and held such joy, while any less than joyous moments were also detailed well.
The thing is, even though there are some sad or anxious moments, the main takeaway I have of this book is just how sweet it is. There is a huge sense of family, both those by blood and those of the community we accept.
I liked Rosa as a character as well. She thinks she has her life planned out for her, but in the face of change realizes she has to come up with new plans. She is a planner and willing to try new things. She also mentions a lack of romantic interests in the past, but does say she has crushed on both guys and gals. Her romance with Alex is adorable and sweet, while also potentially cursed making her waffle about what to do. Alex is charming though and I did wish we had more of him in the book. But more of him would have meant less time for family matters.
Because romance isn't the main part of this book, I truly think it is about family and learning how to move forward in life without having to leave your past...if that makes sense.
And while I will gush about how cute an sweet this book is, it also took my emotions for a ride. I wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter or so of the book -- I thought it dragged some-- but it rounds out the story and the topic of the curse -- another reason why I also mark this book as magical realism.
I definitely recommend this one to people looking for a summer read, or something about identity and family.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5*
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, however I don't think I read it the right way.
I read it in 4 days and I feel like, to purely digest a beautifully written magical realism story, I need to give it more time.
We follow Rosa Santos while she's struggling with life choices along with her family curse.
I loved the homely feeling that the book's setting had. Seeing all the different people from the town getting together to discuss stuff was adorable and I really enjoyed those scenes.
The romance part was also adorable, even though I feel like everything happened too fast and was a bit insta-lovey.
I would really recommend the book though, it is a great summer read!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, however I don't think I read it the right way.
I read it in 4 days and I feel like, to purely digest a beautifully written magical realism story, I need to give it more time.
We follow Rosa Santos while she's struggling with life choices along with her family curse.
I loved the homely feeling that the book's setting had. Seeing all the different people from the town getting together to discuss stuff was adorable and I really enjoyed those scenes.
The romance part was also adorable, even though I feel like everything happened too fast and was a bit insta-lovey.
I would really recommend the book though, it is a great summer read!