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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Both characters are great and have real issues that need to be worked out. The food descriptions made me wish this food truck existed in my city. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.
I don't have much to say about this one but I definitely enjoyed it, and will read the rest of the series.
It's an incredibly sweet story, and I love the Afro-Caribbean story line. I did get confused quite a number of times with which characters where speaking/thinking, and who all the different friends were, but I am having trouble focusing due to Covid fatigue (not illness, just life).
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
There were parts of AMERICAN DREAMER that I loved and parts that I struggled with and I debated on my rating for a while before finally settling on 4 stars. What I truly enjoyed was the writing and all the representation included as well as the delicious food descriptions.
Both Nesto and Jude were enjoyable characters and I loved seeing each one on page. Nesto is vibrant, confident, and sexy and he goes all in with his food truck business. Plus he has such a sweet relationship with his mom and I loved watching them interact with each other. Jude is much more quiet and low key and he keeps to himself with the exception of his best friend, Carmen. Jude has a hard past that has strongly affected how he sees himself and taking a chance on Nesto is a big step for him. Together Nesto and Jude were really great and I loved how sweet and caring they were. There were also amazing side characters that were so well developed. I felt like I really knew Milo, Patrice, and Juanpa and I'm very intrigued about their stories. Jude's friend Carmen was also fiery and awesome and I loved her dedication to Jude.
Where I struggled was in the last third of the book. Up to this point, Nesto has been the one pursuing the relationship the hardest as he works to convince Jude to let down some of his walls. Jude begins to open up and give more of himself to help Nesto make his food truck a success, but when Jude needs Nesto the most, Nesto's not there for him. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that Jude is going through so much pain and heartbreak and he needs Nesto to act as the rock he's been up to that point. It's clear from the beginning that Nesto is a workaholic but there's still a very unexpected turnaround in his character's behavior.
I'm also not sure that the events that lead to the problems in Nesto and Jude's relationship were really needed in the story. The situation was already fraught with painful emotion and it didn't need anymore added. Nesto's behavior wasn't lining up with what we'd seen so far and I'm not sure that Jude really had time to process his pain.
I had a few problems while reading but overall, AMERICAN DREAMER was a great debut novel and I'll be curious to see what else Adriana Herrera has to offer in this series.
**ARC provided by the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warning: Death of a side character from cancer; Nesto is harassed and targeted because of his ethnicity and skin color; Jude is ambushed by a religious family member to "save his soul"
Both Nesto and Jude were enjoyable characters and I loved seeing each one on page. Nesto is vibrant, confident, and sexy and he goes all in with his food truck business. Plus he has such a sweet relationship with his mom and I loved watching them interact with each other. Jude is much more quiet and low key and he keeps to himself with the exception of his best friend, Carmen. Jude has a hard past that has strongly affected how he sees himself and taking a chance on Nesto is a big step for him. Together Nesto and Jude were really great and I loved how sweet and caring they were. There were also amazing side characters that were so well developed. I felt like I really knew Milo, Patrice, and Juanpa and I'm very intrigued about their stories. Jude's friend Carmen was also fiery and awesome and I loved her dedication to Jude.
Where I struggled was in the last third of the book. Up to this point, Nesto has been the one pursuing the relationship the hardest as he works to convince Jude to let down some of his walls. Jude begins to open up and give more of himself to help Nesto make his food truck a success, but when Jude needs Nesto the most, Nesto's not there for him. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that Jude is going through so much pain and heartbreak and he needs Nesto to act as the rock he's been up to that point. It's clear from the beginning that Nesto is a workaholic but there's still a very unexpected turnaround in his character's behavior.
I'm also not sure that the events that lead to the problems in Nesto and Jude's relationship were really needed in the story. The situation was already fraught with painful emotion and it didn't need anymore added. Nesto's behavior wasn't lining up with what we'd seen so far and I'm not sure that Jude really had time to process his pain.
I had a few problems while reading but overall, AMERICAN DREAMER was a great debut novel and I'll be curious to see what else Adriana Herrera has to offer in this series.
**ARC provided by the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
Content Warning: Death of a side character from cancer; Nesto is harassed and targeted because of his ethnicity and skin color; Jude is ambushed by a religious family member to "save his soul"
4 stars
What a terrific debut novel! It made me hungry as hell and even more eager to one day open that mobile bookstore I’ve been dreaming about. Nesto and Jude were lovely as they worked towards building a relationship that neither one initially wanted or expected. They were able to overcome their own fears (and one absolute bitch who made me nervous with all of her interfering whiteness!) and find their HEA. I throughly enjoyed all the food truck stuff and Nesto’s group of family and friends gave me all the happy feels. I’m ready to read more about them as they get their own stories.
Recommend
What a terrific debut novel! It made me hungry as hell and even more eager to one day open that mobile bookstore I’ve been dreaming about. Nesto and Jude were lovely as they worked towards building a relationship that neither one initially wanted or expected. They were able to overcome their own fears (and one absolute bitch who made me nervous with all of her interfering whiteness!) and find their HEA. I throughly enjoyed all the food truck stuff and Nesto’s group of family and friends gave me all the happy feels. I’m ready to read more about them as they get their own stories.
Recommend