Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Yerba Buena

An interesting narrative. I liked how it was as much about the characters as individuals (or more so even) than their relationship. In fact, I think by spending so much time on their individual journeys, it made me see them as truly compatible partners.

My biggest gripe was the whole Jacob relationship. It was difficult to be sympathetic of Emily tbh, and I just wanted to get back to Sarah 😂. Like how are you going to knowingly get involved w a married man and then get butt hurt about it? I know there was a power dynamic at play with him being her boss, but still like it was excruciating listening to her literally say "mm, I don't wanna do this" and then do it anyway 😭. But I suppose that was the point. Character growth and all.

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bencaroline's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad 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

5.0

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lovealwaysadi's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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smillas_tales's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Vulnerable, inspiring, and unapologetically queer are all things that come to mind when I think of Yerba Buena. I read this back in February and while literary fiction usually doesn’t draw me in, this one did and has stayed with me since!

This is not a book about queer joy, but it’s a book about the many ways queer joy prevails through hardships. It’s a book about enduring trauma, living with grief, and, most of all, about finding your path in life despite all of it.

In less than 300 pages we follow the slowly converging paths of Sara and Emelie from their adolescence and well into their adulthood, through all the heartbreaking events they experience and the difficult choices they have to make along the way. This book touches on so many difficult topics, so be mindful of the trigger warnings, but it is so worth the read!

I often have a hard time immersing myself in character-led stories, but this was an exception. Sara and Emelie are both so realistically flawed and so so lovable. I loved following their journeys, and I was deeply inspired by their willingness and determination to make a life for themselves, to thrive.

The romance between them was also wonderful, but, considering the time frame of the story and the detail with which their separate traumas and personal growth were explored, it felt somewhat rushed, and it didn’t stand out to me as the strongest part of the story.

All in all, I adored this book, so whether you’re looking for a brilliant work of literary fiction, something to add to your pride (or all year) TBR, or something to break your heart and put it back together again, I highly recommend this!

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kell_xavi's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

3.0

Nina LaCour is skilled at writing teenage girls and grief. The synopsis of Yerba Buena felt a lot different from her young adult work, but the writing style, that slow fluidity of language, the skill and noticing, expanding of the characters, is consistent with LaCour’s previous work. This novel starts in a familiar place, with two teenage girls experiencing strong emotions and traumatic events, and it grows in a new way: how does grief, love, anger, trauma show up over years, across spaces and jobs and interests and people.

The strength of this book for me isn’t that it move away from the audience LaCour has previously written for, but that it takes that seed of youth and stretches it a little further. This book allows curiosity and restlessness to lead to contentment, allows past events to be difficult while fading into the background, allows more responsibility and decision-making for the characters and those they know.

I didn’t personally relate to this novel as much as I did to We Are Okay. I was an often saddened and felt heavy with the events and characterization. I wasn’t strongly attached to Sara or Emilie, and their friends and family—Colette, Pablo, Alice, Jacob, Spencer, Annie (side note: I hope this is a reference to Nancy Garden?)—were disappointingly blank façades, sketches. There wasn’t much to breathe into beyond cocktails and decor. There was a continued sense, not so much of uncertainty, as a belief in failure. I hope others find something special in this book, and I think the potential is there, but I’m not the right person.

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