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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Nesto uprooted his entire life in NYC to Ithaca to be closer to his family and to better his business, he gave himself 6 months to secure revenue and buzz for his food truck otherwise he’d have to move back to NYC. The plan was simple: ‘No distractions’. And it was a great plan too, that is, till he met Jude Fuller, distraction personified. With his shy smiles, cute bow ties and amazing…
I enjoyed the story, and the characters were pretty fun to hang out with. There were, however, quite a few jarring sentence fragments and misplaced commas. They took me out of the story, and had me triple checking that it wasn't self published. But overall, I am here for this author, and will be reading the next in the series for sure.
My first Adriana Herrera and she’s completely won me over. If she writes it, I’ll read it!
A hard working, sexy Afro-Caribbean food truck owner with an awesome community of friends and family, and a kind, shy, adorable librarian with a homophobic conservative Christian family and the perfect rom-com bff, meet and fall in love.
It’s unique, sweet, sexy, diverse and a great romance read.
A hard working, sexy Afro-Caribbean food truck owner with an awesome community of friends and family, and a kind, shy, adorable librarian with a homophobic conservative Christian family and the perfect rom-com bff, meet and fall in love.
It’s unique, sweet, sexy, diverse and a great romance read.
Overall, I very much enjoyed American Dreamer, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and more books by Herrera. A story about a food truck owner and a librarian, plus Afro-Latino rep, sign me up!
Nesto and Jude's romance was cute, and I loved how they contrasted and complimented each other. The narration balance showed how upfront Nesto was with his life and values and how Jude as a narrator slowly unraveled to himself, Nesto, and us readers. It also showed Herrera's skill as a writer. Early in the book, I felt Nesto's was a little too exposition-heavy, but that was part of his overall character, not a feature of Herrera's overall writing style.
Jude's family choosing their lifestyle over loving him was too relatable.
Herrera's food descriptions made me hungry, and as a vegetarian, I appreciated the balance of types of food. It made me realize how much Dominican and general Caribbean food I've had yet to try. (Sometimes living in the PNW has downsides.)
I have a minor complaint about the otherwise hot sex. After Nesto and Jude's first time together on Nesto's couch, I thought in their "neighbors" arrangement that they'd cooled off getting below the belt. It felt odd as they're adults, etc., etc., but it was apparently just to put more emphasis on penile penetration. Them not going into Jude's bedroom or spending the night felt much more significant.
I'm so tired of the heteronormative value of penetrative sex being touted as either "actual" sex or a relationship milestone. Once you touch each other's genitals in a sexy consenting way, you've had sex with that person. Congratulations.
Maybe it was coming off another election where white women voted for the GOP or reading this while visiting my hometown, but I didn't find Misty as over-the-top as many people did. I can understand fatigue around female villains in m/m romance. Still, since she wasn't sexually interested in either of them and instead attacked them both professionally, it doesn't fit the trope.
Nesto and Jude's romance was cute, and I loved how they contrasted and complimented each other. The narration balance showed how upfront Nesto was with his life and values and how Jude as a narrator slowly unraveled to himself, Nesto, and us readers. It also showed Herrera's skill as a writer. Early in the book, I felt Nesto's was a little too exposition-heavy, but that was part of his overall character, not a feature of Herrera's overall writing style.
Jude's family choosing their lifestyle over loving him was too relatable.
Herrera's food descriptions made me hungry, and as a vegetarian, I appreciated the balance of types of food. It made me realize how much Dominican and general Caribbean food I've had yet to try. (Sometimes living in the PNW has downsides.)
I have a minor complaint about the otherwise hot sex. After Nesto and Jude's first time together on Nesto's couch, I thought in their "neighbors" arrangement that they'd cooled off getting below the belt. It felt odd as they're adults, etc., etc., but it was apparently just to put more emphasis on penile penetration. Them not going into Jude's bedroom or spending the night felt much more significant.
I'm so tired of the heteronormative value of penetrative sex being touted as either "actual" sex or a relationship milestone. Once you touch each other's genitals in a sexy consenting way, you've had sex with that person. Congratulations.
Maybe it was coming off another election where white women voted for the GOP or reading this while visiting my hometown, but I didn't find Misty as over-the-top as many people did. I can understand fatigue around female villains in m/m romance. Still, since she wasn't sexually interested in either of them and instead attacked them both professionally, it doesn't fit the trope.
ok it's decided I will read anything and everything this woman writes because damnnn she has such good romance set ups!! also like kinda obsessed with how unapologetically latinx her characters are like they're all so fucking well written ugh
American Dreamer is fantastic. In its depth, it's a story of finding family, of allowing oneself to admit they need others. I adored every bit of this book and let me tell you why.
Let's start off by mentioning that this book needs content warnings for Jude's arc. Jude has and deals with homophobic family members trying to make him "repent" but in every moment of this happening, Jude rejects that and tells them he has nothing to "repent" from that he is who he is and will not change that for anyone. I was heartbroken at the times his family members tried to hurt him with words and physical violence but his determination to live his truth and lead a successful life inspired me. He's the definition of strong. I adored him. I suggest caution because there is also a minor character with cancer who passes away in the book.
Now let's move on to Nesto, our brilliant chef. Nesto is intense and focused on his career. It charmed me so much because I found some bits of myself in it. The way he'd forget something or dedicate a lot of time for his passion. I felt that. Nesto is also extremely darling and loving. From the first chapter of knowing him, I knew that his family (made up of blood and friends) is the world to him and when he meets Jude, he kind of adds him to the bunch. His careful ways of giving Jude the space he needs while still pursuing a relationship as subtly as Jude needs were perfect. I loved their nightly dinners, their conversations, the way they interacted. They were a mixture of adorable and sexy.
American Dreamer is a blessing of a book, delivering such a heart-searing romance without the anxiety. I trusted Herrera to never make me terrified for the HEA, and she delivered. She gave me fluff, charm, so much culture that I hungered for, and she gave me that sweet happily ever after wrapped up in books and food. What else could I have asked for?
Let's start off by mentioning that this book needs content warnings for Jude's arc. Jude has and deals with homophobic family members trying to make him "repent" but in every moment of this happening, Jude rejects that and tells them he has nothing to "repent" from that he is who he is and will not change that for anyone. I was heartbroken at the times his family members tried to hurt him with words and physical violence but his determination to live his truth and lead a successful life inspired me. He's the definition of strong. I adored him. I suggest caution because there is also a minor character with cancer who passes away in the book.
Now let's move on to Nesto, our brilliant chef. Nesto is intense and focused on his career. It charmed me so much because I found some bits of myself in it. The way he'd forget something or dedicate a lot of time for his passion. I felt that. Nesto is also extremely darling and loving. From the first chapter of knowing him, I knew that his family (made up of blood and friends) is the world to him and when he meets Jude, he kind of adds him to the bunch. His careful ways of giving Jude the space he needs while still pursuing a relationship as subtly as Jude needs were perfect. I loved their nightly dinners, their conversations, the way they interacted. They were a mixture of adorable and sexy.
American Dreamer is a blessing of a book, delivering such a heart-searing romance without the anxiety. I trusted Herrera to never make me terrified for the HEA, and she delivered. She gave me fluff, charm, so much culture that I hungered for, and she gave me that sweet happily ever after wrapped up in books and food. What else could I have asked for?
American Dreamer is a swoon worthy and realistic love story full of relatable characters, drool inducing food descriptions, and social commentary smartly woven in with hilarious banter and scorching love scenes. I adored every page of this book that had me laughing out loud and craving Afro-Caribbean food late into the night. This is the first in the three part Dreamers series, the last of which just came out earlier this month.
So many aspects of this book appealed to me, from the beautiful small town setting to the jobs of the main characters. Nesto is a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic who loves the life he’s built in New York City. He adores the energy of the city and lives near all of his closest friends, but his dream is to make his side hustle, an Afro-Caribbean food truck, his full time career. After months of planning he moves to Ithaca, where his mom and sister live, and he’s giving himself six months to try and make his dream a reality.
Jude is a white youth services librarian living a mostly solitary life in Ithaca after being cut off from his family when he comes out to them as gay. His dream is to create a mobile library service to provide better access to the kids and teens in the more rural areas where access to books is scarce. Other than his best friend and co worker, Carmen, he does not put much trust in the relationships in his life, and certainly isn’t looking for love when Nesto’s food truck opens across the street from his library.
The two meet when Carmen and Jude decide to give the place a try on their lunch break, and sparks fly after Jude surprises Nesto by flirting with him in Spanish. Despite their uncertainties, the two cannot seem to stay away from each other and slowly start to form a relationship. Nesto is almost singularly dedicated to making OuNYe a success and is so reluctant to let himself be distracted by anything, despite the connection he feels to Jude. Jude is closed off and very afraid to let in anyone who could hurt him the way his family and previous relationship did. Their interactions with each other are so honest and vulnerable that I kept forgetting I was reading about fictional characters.
In addition to two exceptionally relatable main characters, the side characters are delightful and add so much to the story. Carmen is also Dominican and is hands down my favorite character. Nesto’s friends are all wonderful as well, but his mom stole the show and my heart. If I could make her into a real person and adopt her as my own mother, I wouldn’t even have to think twice about it. Herrera uses the different relationships in this story to explore the many facets of love, the complexities of family, and the complicated nature of forgiveness. I have no doubt this book will resonate in some way with everyone who picks it up.
American Dreamer is a beautiful story about love in all forms, full of highs and lows and unexpected surprises that will stay in my heart forever. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to read the next two in the series. Adriana Herrera is absolutely delightful and I’m so grateful that she reached out to me with the opportunity to review this series!!
CW: religious homophobia, racism, xenophobia, death of a family member, cancer
So many aspects of this book appealed to me, from the beautiful small town setting to the jobs of the main characters. Nesto is a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic who loves the life he’s built in New York City. He adores the energy of the city and lives near all of his closest friends, but his dream is to make his side hustle, an Afro-Caribbean food truck, his full time career. After months of planning he moves to Ithaca, where his mom and sister live, and he’s giving himself six months to try and make his dream a reality.
Jude is a white youth services librarian living a mostly solitary life in Ithaca after being cut off from his family when he comes out to them as gay. His dream is to create a mobile library service to provide better access to the kids and teens in the more rural areas where access to books is scarce. Other than his best friend and co worker, Carmen, he does not put much trust in the relationships in his life, and certainly isn’t looking for love when Nesto’s food truck opens across the street from his library.
The two meet when Carmen and Jude decide to give the place a try on their lunch break, and sparks fly after Jude surprises Nesto by flirting with him in Spanish. Despite their uncertainties, the two cannot seem to stay away from each other and slowly start to form a relationship. Nesto is almost singularly dedicated to making OuNYe a success and is so reluctant to let himself be distracted by anything, despite the connection he feels to Jude. Jude is closed off and very afraid to let in anyone who could hurt him the way his family and previous relationship did. Their interactions with each other are so honest and vulnerable that I kept forgetting I was reading about fictional characters.
In addition to two exceptionally relatable main characters, the side characters are delightful and add so much to the story. Carmen is also Dominican and is hands down my favorite character. Nesto’s friends are all wonderful as well, but his mom stole the show and my heart. If I could make her into a real person and adopt her as my own mother, I wouldn’t even have to think twice about it. Herrera uses the different relationships in this story to explore the many facets of love, the complexities of family, and the complicated nature of forgiveness. I have no doubt this book will resonate in some way with everyone who picks it up.
American Dreamer is a beautiful story about love in all forms, full of highs and lows and unexpected surprises that will stay in my heart forever. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to read the next two in the series. Adriana Herrera is absolutely delightful and I’m so grateful that she reached out to me with the opportunity to review this series!!
CW: religious homophobia, racism, xenophobia, death of a family member, cancer
This book ticked all the boxes for me:
✅ Food descriptions that literally make your mouth water (I mean, we need a Dominican food truck in Birmingham, stat!)
✅ A Librarian passionate about librarian services
✅ Some of the hottest, steamiest sex scene I have read
✅ Food descriptions that literally make your mouth water (I mean, we need a Dominican food truck in Birmingham, stat!)
✅ A Librarian passionate about librarian services
✅ Some of the hottest, steamiest sex scene I have read
I will be reading this solely based on the fact that it’s based in Ithaca!!! Upstate really doesn’t get a lot of love in novels.
Also, knowing the author loves IAD by Kresley Cole helps.
Also, knowing the author loves IAD by Kresley Cole helps.
I’ve been looking at relationships with a fairly different lens over the last few months, but I tried to ignore that impulse with Nesto and Jude. I was too busy rooting for them, and relating to different things about the two of them. I actually miss them. I’m hoping they appear in the other three books in this series. I think the moral that you shouldn’t be so singularly focused that you miss out on something good is rather appropriate. It’s something I’m guilty of. But, we all need better balance in life. Easier said than done! The novel reads like an LGBTQ+ Hallmark movie with some raunch added in. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing, which is on me in some ways because of the stigma around romance novels. I would like to know, though, how women are so good at writing gay sex scenes. Herrera accurately captures the intensity and the awkwardness that comes with sex. It’s much less “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” than what men write. I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed if HBO were to turn “The Dreamers Series” into a show as long as they keep in the sex.