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stephyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
allcavesin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
3.5
Made me feel things
More about found family and finding your purpose and closure after grief than romance, which was nice.
Loved that it was a bi woman and a lesbian, I need more of that pairing I think.
More about found family and finding your purpose and closure after grief than romance, which was nice.
Loved that it was a bi woman and a lesbian, I need more of that pairing I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Murder, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
alexcribbs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
On the surface this wasn’t a book I expected to thoroughly love but wow I super did. The writing is stunning. She painted such elaborate settings/characters/emotions/everything without ever making it feel like a chore.
A really bittersweet, beautiful read.
A really bittersweet, beautiful read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
garciaga's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was biting more than it could chew. It tries to explore a relationship through time, how you can find someone that is good for you and yet, not be the right moment. And we sort of get to see it, but it doesn't have much impact since the characters are so underdeveloped. Emilie just lets life take her places, not really taking any decisions (not even when finally finding her "life passiom", it kind of just falls on her lap); and Sara has such a horrible beginning, but from then on things just work out perfectly everytime, and there are barely any consequences.
Maybe the problem is that I was expecting a different kind of book. I was also not a fan of the love story, since it takes them half the book to actually meet and then they fall in love instantly. Where's the pinning? Where's the yearning? Where's the idea that love is something that you build and strengthen through time?
Anyway. At least the writing style was beautiful.
Maybe the problem is that I was expecting a different kind of book. I was also not a fan of the love story, since it takes them half the book to actually meet and then they fall in love instantly. Where's the pinning? Where's the yearning? Where's the idea that love is something that you build and strengthen through time?
Anyway. At least the writing style was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Drug use
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual violence
Minor: Cancer
denisedup's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Drug use
greatestheights's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
This was so lovely in many ways, and Nina LaCour is as skilled a writer as always, but something felt a little lacking here. There were elements of the story I needed more of for everything to fully resonate and come together for me — but the characters were beautifully rendered, and I want nothing but good things for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Death, Addiction, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Death of parent
cheye13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Something about this read a little young to me. Maybe it was because we started with one of the characters at 14, maybe because we don't get the full "reveal" of Sara's home life until so late, I'm not quite sure.
And it's not strictly a romance, so it makes sense the story focused more on other elements of both women's journeys, but I didn't feel a connection between them at all. It read as though they were the only queer women in the vicinity (i.e. in the book), so they may as well date.
It was a decent story, and very well written, but I didn't find that it offered anything exceptionally unique.
And it's not strictly a romance, so it makes sense the story focused more on other elements of both women's journeys, but I didn't feel a connection between them at all. It read as though they were the only queer women in the vicinity (i.e. in the book), so they may as well date.
It was a decent story, and very well written, but I didn't find that it offered anything exceptionally unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, and Child death
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, and Pedophilia
two underage characters perform sex acts for money mostly off-page; an underage girl seriously considers sex work for a timestoryskein's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.5
This is the perfect book to start with a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning and finish with a glass of wine in the evening. Even though Yerba Buena is deeply emotional, the deceptively simple prose draws the reader along. The prose, by the way, is probably my favorite part: a masterclass in sensual efficiency.
Yerba Buena deals with heavy, complicated issues, but the tenderness and vulnerability with which LaCour draws Sara and Emilie makes the book feel almost gentle at times. That's not to say that the trauma isn't dealt with--it is. The reader is left with no doubt the events that have shaped these women, and yet, LaCour balances the harrowing with the ultimately hopeful.
Yerba Buena deals with heavy, complicated issues, but the tenderness and vulnerability with which LaCour draws Sara and Emilie makes the book feel almost gentle at times. That's not to say that the trauma isn't dealt with--it is. The reader is left with no doubt the events that have shaped these women, and yet, LaCour balances the harrowing with the ultimately hopeful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death of parent, and Sexual violence