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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Review posted here: https://courtneyreadsromancesite.wordpress.com/2020/01/21/review-of-american-fairytale-dreamers-2-by-adriana-herrera/
3.5
Remember how much I gushed about book one of this series, American Dreamer? Well, I knew I was going to enjoy book two as much. And I did. We met Camilo in book one, a Cuban-Jamaican American social worker who is dreaming of the perfect fairytale ending. He hasn’t had luck with romantic relationships, always labeled as too opinionated, too much. Then he meets Tom, a Dominican single dad billionaire, who will turn his world around. Camilo is pretty stubborn, and Tom comes here crumbling all his idea. Rude! The banter is so satisfying and their romance so wonderful. I really like this one!
As a note, the book discusses being a billionaire and the privilege and power imbalance that creates in their relationship. It's something that it's acknowledged and I really appreciate it.
Remember how much I gushed about book one of this series, American Dreamer? Well, I knew I was going to enjoy book two as much. And I did. We met Camilo in book one, a Cuban-Jamaican American social worker who is dreaming of the perfect fairytale ending. He hasn’t had luck with romantic relationships, always labeled as too opinionated, too much. Then he meets Tom, a Dominican single dad billionaire, who will turn his world around. Camilo is pretty stubborn, and Tom comes here crumbling all his idea. Rude! The banter is so satisfying and their romance so wonderful. I really like this one!
As a note, the book discusses being a billionaire and the privilege and power imbalance that creates in their relationship. It's something that it's acknowledged and I really appreciate it.
Things I loved in American Fairytale:
- Men of color getting an HEA
- Thoughtful discussions of social justice, white-passing privilege, and mental health stigma
- Thomas having an adorable daughter
- Strong friendships and family ties
- Camilo enforcing his boundaries in a relationship, even when it might be easier not to
Things I was not such a fan of:
- Hookup to lovers is one of my least favorite tropes. I'm a slow-burn fan so this almost immediate graphic sex scene felt jarring to me.
- Insta-love? It feels like to compensate for the quick hookup, the Camilo and Thomas are made to sense this instant and deep connection which I didn't quite buy.
Basically, I loved the messaging of this and the development of the characters and friendships quite a bit. The romance for me was meh, but I will probably read more in the series anyway.
- Men of color getting an HEA
- Thoughtful discussions of social justice, white-passing privilege, and mental health stigma
- Thomas having an adorable daughter
- Strong friendships and family ties
- Camilo enforcing his boundaries in a relationship, even when it might be easier not to
Things I was not such a fan of:
- Hookup to lovers is one of my least favorite tropes. I'm a slow-burn fan so this almost immediate graphic sex scene felt jarring to me.
- Insta-love? It feels like to compensate for the quick hookup, the Camilo and Thomas are made to sense this instant and deep connection which I didn't quite buy.
Basically, I loved the messaging of this and the development of the characters and friendships quite a bit. The romance for me was meh, but I will probably read more in the series anyway.
AMERICAN FAIRYTALE is the second Afrolatinx gay romance novel by Adriana Herrera. I’ve gotta be honest and say this didn’t work for me as well as AMERICAN DREAMER. Herrera describes her work as “unapologetically happy,” which I love - but I also craved a bit more tension in the first half of the book. The premise is social worker Camilo has a steamy one night stand with a man who ends up being the newest donor to the nonprofit he works at, billionaire Tom Hughes. I work in the nonprofit sector at an organization dedicated to helping donors build healthy relationships w nonprofits, so I thought there was a lot of issues here that could have been examined more. That said, it was still a delightful escapist read and I’m excited to read the next book in the series.
Thanks to the author for a free copy of this book! All thoughts my own.
Thanks to the author for a free copy of this book! All thoughts my own.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
Full review closer to publication.
Content Notes:
✨ casual ableism
✨ alcohol consumption
✨ explicit on page sexual content
✨ semi-public sex (restroom at gala)
✨ discussion of immigration history
✨ mention of past cheating (MC’s ex cheated on him)
✨ past divorce
✨ joking comment that preschool has turf war similar to Blood and Crips
✨ mother with depression, anxiety
✨ death of father in past, cancer
✨ cigarette smoking
✨ ananormativity
✨ MC works with trauma survivors
✨ MC whose aunt died, discussion of domestic violence/abuse
✨ argument
✨ slut shaming language
✨ gentrification, rent increase
✨ overworking to pay bills
✨ joking-ish comment about killing oneself
Full review:
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
I love Herrera’s writing style and am definitely looking forward to more from her. The characters are complex and the book has great themes of chosen family as well as close blood-family ties.
Camilo and Thomas meet at a gala dinner and the attraction between them is off the charts - leading to the impulsive decision to have sex in the bathroom! When they part ways they believe there’s no way they’ll ever cross paths again, especially because Camilo is a social worker while Thomas had gotten $1,000 plates for himself and two friends at the gala. After the weekend though, with both thinking about their encounter and wishing for a repeat, Camilo is informed by his boss that they have a new donor who wants to help with renovations of a residency program in Harlem - and the meeting ends up being with Thomas again!
Camilo is fiercely independent and has seen what can happen when relying on someone, especially financially. One of his biggest things with Thomas is he doesn’t want his agency compromised and he has no wish to rely on Thomas or his money. This causes them some strain because sometimes Thomas doesn’t think through consequences before using his wealth to make things go his way or what he believes is easier for those he cares about.
I adore the friendships and family dynamics in this book and series. You can so easily see how much impact family has on both Thomas and Camilo, and how much their mothers have influenced them. I also adore the friendship between Camilo and his best friends; Nesto, Juan Paulo, Patrice, and Ayako. They are a great support network and they love each other so much. We also get to see that chosen family with Thomas, Sanjay, Heni, and Priyah, who built the company that made Thomas as rich as he is.
This book also has several themes of survival. Thomas had an aunt come to the states from DR to be with a guy who was abusive, and because she wasn’t English-speaking she wasn’t able to access resources for domestic violence. Camilo’s mother had been in an abusive relationship after the death of his father, and that was definitely one of the pushes that got him into social work. We see so much strength in these characters and I loved the way that history helped them work towards making help more accessible for others.
This book was definitely an excellent read. The class disparity comes up several times and is definitely a point of contention, but the romance between Camilo and Thomas had a great pace and I loved the scenes with Dinorah, Camilo’s mother, and Libertad, Thomas’ daughter. Definitely a hard recommend and one of my favorite aspects of this book is how diverse all the characters are and the ways their individual experiences color their interactions.
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
Full review closer to publication.
Content Notes:
✨ alcohol consumption
✨ explicit on page sexual content
✨ semi-public sex (restroom at gala)
✨ discussion of immigration history
✨ mention of past cheating (MC’s ex cheated on him)
✨ past divorce
✨ joking comment that preschool has turf war similar to Blood and Crips
✨ mother with depression, anxiety
✨ death of father in past, cancer
✨ cigarette smoking
✨ ananormativity
✨ MC works with trauma survivors
✨ MC whose aunt died, discussion of domestic violence/abuse
✨ argument
✨ slut shaming language
✨ gentrification, rent increase
✨ overworking to pay bills
✨ joking-ish comment about killing oneself
Full review:
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
I love Herrera’s writing style and am definitely looking forward to more from her. The characters are complex and the book has great themes of chosen family as well as close blood-family ties.
Camilo and Thomas meet at a gala dinner and the attraction between them is off the charts - leading to the impulsive decision to have sex in the bathroom! When they part ways they believe there’s no way they’ll ever cross paths again, especially because Camilo is a social worker while Thomas had gotten $1,000 plates for himself and two friends at the gala. After the weekend though, with both thinking about their encounter and wishing for a repeat, Camilo is informed by his boss that they have a new donor who wants to help with renovations of a residency program in Harlem - and the meeting ends up being with Thomas again!
Camilo is fiercely independent and has seen what can happen when relying on someone, especially financially. One of his biggest things with Thomas is he doesn’t want his agency compromised and he has no wish to rely on Thomas or his money. This causes them some strain because sometimes Thomas doesn’t think through consequences before using his wealth to make things go his way or what he believes is easier for those he cares about.
I adore the friendships and family dynamics in this book and series. You can so easily see how much impact family has on both Thomas and Camilo, and how much their mothers have influenced them. I also adore the friendship between Camilo and his best friends; Nesto, Juan Paulo, Patrice, and Ayako. They are a great support network and they love each other so much. We also get to see that chosen family with Thomas, Sanjay, Heni, and Priyah, who built the company that made Thomas as rich as he is.
This book also has several themes of survival. Thomas had an aunt come to the states from DR to be with a guy who was abusive, and because she wasn’t English-speaking she wasn’t able to access resources for domestic violence. Camilo’s mother had been in an abusive relationship after the death of his father, and that was definitely one of the pushes that got him into social work. We see so much strength in these characters and I loved the way that history helped them work towards making help more accessible for others.
This book was definitely an excellent read. The class disparity comes up several times and is definitely a point of contention, but the romance between Camilo and Thomas had a great pace and I loved the scenes with Dinorah, Camilo’s mother, and Libertad, Thomas’ daughter. Definitely a hard recommend and one of my favorite aspects of this book is how diverse all the characters are and the ways their individual experiences color their interactions.
I had this whole long review written and then half closed my app and poof!
So; the short version cause it’s midnight.
Camilo is my favorite. Tom has redeeming qualities. Libe is adorable times ten.
Priya is the best friend Tom could ask for and helps him tap into his good qualities by not coddling him.
Ayako is brilliant and I would happily read a story with her as the MC.
The rent thing is why this isn’t a 5, I just wanted to shake Tom. Like. Dude. Why would you do that? Stop trying to just Fix things and Listen! And yeah he listened to his friends but it was made clear this was a habit of his so it made me a touch suspicious of how he’d act in happily ever after. And I know he’d get set straight again but it was such a Big breach of boundaries that it took my love of his character down to like a 2.5.
Camilo though. Camilo is a 5. He’s seen some shit. He’s solid.
So; the short version cause it’s midnight.
Camilo is my favorite. Tom has redeeming qualities. Libe is adorable times ten.
Priya is the best friend Tom could ask for and helps him tap into his good qualities by not coddling him.
Ayako is brilliant and I would happily read a story with her as the MC.
The rent thing is why this isn’t a 5, I just wanted to shake Tom. Like. Dude. Why would you do that? Stop trying to just Fix things and Listen! And yeah he listened to his friends but it was made clear this was a habit of his so it made me a touch suspicious of how he’d act in happily ever after. And I know he’d get set straight again but it was such a Big breach of boundaries that it took my love of his character down to like a 2.5.
Camilo though. Camilo is a 5. He’s seen some shit. He’s solid.
One of the most conflict-free romances I've read. (There is definitely conflict, but not as much as I expected.) Steamy, on par with AMERICAN DREAMER. Let's just say I was definitely hoping my headphones wouldn't experience any problems while listening in line at the grocery store.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Another warm hug from Adriana Herrera. I loved that this was a little twist on the typical m/f story of the “fairytale” — in this book, Tom is a wealthy entrepreneur who comes in to sweep Camilo off his feet. Of course things don’t go smoothly, cause that’s not life, is it? But I very much appreciate the characters’ abilities (mainly Milo) to look at themselves critically and self actualize. A lot of the romances I read have characters in their early 20s, which is all well and good, but I found Milo especially relatable for me. Any other good romances with semi-older leads? If I ever write a book (I won’t), it would be a romance with an older woman lead
** Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book. **
DNF at 50%
Unfortunately, this book and I didn't get along as well as I hoped we would, but let me start by saying that I think it's purely a matter of personal preference. I have seen a lot of people thoroughly enjoying American Fairytale, so I recommend you take a look at other reviews or give the book a shot to decide for yourself.
For instance, I really loved the diversity in the book, and I found Camilo's mom (and her background story) so interesting. I loved that there were a lot of characters of colour, LGBT+ characters, and a lot of immigrant stories as I felt it reflects reality pretty well with all its diversity. I also found it so interesting learning about the characters' respective Cuban and Dominican cultures and hearing their parents' stories, especially as I am a first generation immigrant myself.
I think my main issue with the book is that I was more interested in some of the side characters than I was in the main ones. I liked Camilo from the get-go, but I didn't connect with Tom or his and Camilo's romance, and the pacing of the story didn't capture me. One other thing I didn't like was being constantly told by multiple characters how great Tom is, when I would much rather be shown that to make the judgement for myself. The sex scenes also didn't read well for me at all, and I'll admit that it put me off the book very early on.
Regardless of that, there were some good elements to the book overall so I would suggest you give it a read and see if it suits you better than it did me.
DNF at 50%
Unfortunately, this book and I didn't get along as well as I hoped we would, but let me start by saying that I think it's purely a matter of personal preference. I have seen a lot of people thoroughly enjoying American Fairytale, so I recommend you take a look at other reviews or give the book a shot to decide for yourself.
For instance, I really loved the diversity in the book, and I found Camilo's mom (and her background story) so interesting. I loved that there were a lot of characters of colour, LGBT+ characters, and a lot of immigrant stories as I felt it reflects reality pretty well with all its diversity. I also found it so interesting learning about the characters' respective Cuban and Dominican cultures and hearing their parents' stories, especially as I am a first generation immigrant myself.
I think my main issue with the book is that I was more interested in some of the side characters than I was in the main ones. I liked Camilo from the get-go, but I didn't connect with Tom or his and Camilo's romance, and the pacing of the story didn't capture me. One other thing I didn't like was being constantly told by multiple characters how great Tom is, when I would much rather be shown that to make the judgement for myself. The sex scenes also didn't read well for me at all, and I'll admit that it put me off the book very early on.
Regardless of that, there were some good elements to the book overall so I would suggest you give it a read and see if it suits you better than it did me.