Reviews

American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera

brandece1's review against another edition

5.0

After reading the first book in this series I was so excited to get to the rest of the books. I knew that I would love them, but I didn't think that I would love any couple more that Nesto and Jude, but then I read this book and I love Tom and Milo even more. Going into this book I knew that it was going to be spicy, but I was not expecting it right out the gate. American Fairytale is full of so many great troupes (single dad, workplace, billionaire (not my favorite but Tom is a billionaire)), and so much diversity and I loved everything about it. I love not only Tom's relationship with his daughter, but also the growing relationship between her and Milo. I lov e that we got to see both hero's friend group and family. After reading this book I knew that I would be reading the other two right away.

inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition

5.0

I LOVE THIS STORY! This story starts out with a dirty talking one-time event and then morphs into a sweet love story. This couple is just adorable without being too cute. I loved that the characters were older and knew what they wanted. I loved Camilo Santiago Briggs and respected the way he stood up for himself. I really liked that Thomas Hughes was aware of the advantages white privilege gave him even though he felt like he was passing. This story covers a lot of ground but the heart of it is the love story between Tom & Milo. Highly recommend.

missysreadingcorner's review against another edition

5.0

Utterly Perfect

I loved it. I absolutely loved this story. Camilo and Tom were perfect for each other. I enjoyed the very modern jumpstart of their relationship. I’m excited to read book 3.

this_momma_is_booked's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

Quick, steamy, enjoyable read. I will say that Milo's treatment of Tom bothered me on several occasions - he accused Tom of not being able to separate himself from his money, but Milo also lumped them together. He failed multiple times to understand where Tom was coming from but expected Tom to read his mind. 

Other than that, it was a cute story! 

mindfullibrarian's review against another edition

5.0

(free review copy) I mean, REALLY. I didn’t think anything could top American Dreamers but now I have to think way too hard about which of these I loved more! Herrera is a master of romantic relationships with real, deep, and thoughtful issues that couples have to deal with. Just the right amount of drama/angst and grab-the-fan HEAT. So so steamy! Loved it and can’t wait for book 3!

nic55's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars

Definitely didn't like this as much as the first book in this series, but it was still pretty good. Both Thomas and Camilo had a good amount of depth to them and I loved the fairytale/swept up vibe to their whole relationship. Their care for each other was really sweet and their banter was fun. Like the first book, all the cultural elements are incorporated really well. In some ways, it was reminiscent to how Beverly Jenkins does the same thing. I also appreciated how Adriana approached having a white main character in Thomas who grew up in the DR and had a strong connection to the culture while also navigating his privilege. Very nuanced and never cringy. I continue to really love all the side characters in this series and how strong/real the familial relationships and friendships are.

Despite my loves, I did have some issues with this book. I'm not a millionaire/billionaire/trillionaire romance girlie and, in some ways, would definitely react like Camilo in terms of wanting to keep my agency, etc. I had no issue with the way he navigated the power dynamics between him and Thomas. However. I wish he had a similar reckoning in terms of his inability to ask for help/hyperindependence. The character development felt a bit lopsided. The steamy scenes were hot but not super impactful in terms of the story/romance. Their instant emotional chemistry was nice but made the pacing feel off...the tension mostly had to do with money rather than their feelings. Also, while I liked Thomas' grovel at the end, it lowkey seemed like another flavor of the same thing they just fought about??

All that being said, I am excited to continue reading this series and eventually even more Adriana Herrera. Though this one didn't hit for me, I trust the consistency of her characters and values enough to keep exploring.

readingwithhippos's review against another edition

5.0

I was all about the first book in the Dreamers series, and I loved this follow-up just as much. Milo, a social worker, has a sexy encounter with a stranger at a fancy fundraising gala. At work the next day, his boss introduces him to Tom, the new donor who’s bankrolling their latest project AND (you guessed it) the same guy Milo just got up close and personal with. Although they vow to keep things professional, sometimes chemistry is too strong to ignore (!!). I just love this series. The characters all feel so real, which is not a thing I expected to say about a billionaire romance. There's no manufactured drama here--the conflicts are genuine, and complicated, and not solvable with a single conversation. The side characters are always delightful, too, funny and warm and surrounding the main characters with perspective and support. There's just something deeply comforting about a social worker being provided funds to make people's lives better. Also, Sean Crisden is probably my favorite audio book narrator ever. I don’t think there’s an accent, age, or gender he can’t effortlessly convey.

jrv45's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

galleytrot's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mynameisprerna's review against another edition

4.0

Listened to the audiobook while mostly following align with the e-book.

This book was enjoyable! As usual, I really love a strong ensemble cast, and many of the side characters here were great.

Milo is something of a hopeless romantic with many failed relationships under his belt.

As his friends say, when he is in a relationship, he turns himself into an oasis, displaying only what he thinks his partner wants and obscuring his true self. And because of that he hasn’t been able to have a long lasting love. He finds himself thinking “I sat there wondering when the other shoe would drop, because I knew it was a matter of time before one of us fucked up somehow. Nothing could be this perfect. I didn’t want to be pessimistic or dramatic, but I had enough of a frame of reference to know this wouldn’t last. And it was terrifying, because I knew losing Tom would hurt more than anything had before.”

It’s interesting that Tom

can’t remember that he can’t just make decisions for other people or that he can’t solve problems by spending money. As someone who didn’t grow up wealthy, this is a weird quirk.

 

One of the interesting things about this book is that although Tom and Milo are both experienced in relationships,

they’re both learning how to actually be in healthy relationships with healthy dynamics. For example, when Tom explains why his previous marriage ended, Milo thinks “I had to bite my tongue then, the impulse to take his side, to tell him I couldn’t imagine him ever letting anyone down had me practically vibrating. In the short time I’d known Tom I already saw how much he took on, how driven he was to fix things. I ran my hand over his chest and waited for him to keep talking, because no matter how much I wanted to soothe, I needed to know more.”