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jeanettesreadingcorner's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
“I can’t believe it ended up being such a great year. “There’ll be more,” I assure her with another quick kiss.
“I know,” she says. “Plus, we’ve still got a whole perfect summer ahead of us.”
“You and me?” I press my hopeful smile against her knuckles in a kiss before taking her hand and tapping it twice against my collarbone in a promise. “We have an always.” She laughs. “Who knew you were the romantic all along?”
- Nina Moreno, Our Way Back to Always
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Content Warnings: death of a parent, cancer diagnosis and treatment, hit and run car accident (non-life threatening injuries), grief, and panic attacks.
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Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno is my top favorite book that I read this year. It’s everything that I hoped it would be and more.
- The friends to lovers trope in this book is *chefs kiss* too good!! The main characters Sam and Luisa aka Lou know each other so well. Everyone else saw their feelings for each other except for Sam and Lou themselves. The bucket list adventures was fun. It brought Sam and Lou together as friends again. Watching them fall in love was so cute!! I just loved them together so much.
- One of my favorite things about Nina Moreno’s books is that they are funny and romantic, but also have so much heart and emotion. Family is big too and I liked getting to know Luisa, Sam, and side character’s families. Sam learning to heal and survive with grief was really inspiring. Besides Luisa and Sam becoming friends again and falling in love, this was my favorite aspect of the story.
- Luisa having a lot of expectations for herself and a specific idea of what success means was relatable. Nina Moreno included an important conversation that Luisa had with her older sister Elena and her mom.
- The timeline of the story fit really well. It spans over a few months and I liked that because it made the book feel more realistic. Nina Moreno made it clear when there was a fast forward to a new month. The storyline never felt confusing or random.
- It was wonderful to be back in Port Coral!! Some details and characters return from Don’t Date Rosa Santos!! Our Way Back to Always has the perfect ending. I would love to read more books set in Port Coral and for it to become a series, if possible.
“I know,” she says. “Plus, we’ve still got a whole perfect summer ahead of us.”
“You and me?” I press my hopeful smile against her knuckles in a kiss before taking her hand and tapping it twice against my collarbone in a promise. “We have an always.” She laughs. “Who knew you were the romantic all along?”
- Nina Moreno, Our Way Back to Always
————————
Content Warnings: death of a parent, cancer diagnosis and treatment, hit and run car accident (non-life threatening injuries), grief, and panic attacks.
————————
Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno is my top favorite book that I read this year. It’s everything that I hoped it would be and more.
- The friends to lovers trope in this book is *chefs kiss* too good!! The main characters Sam and Luisa aka Lou know each other so well. Everyone else saw their feelings for each other except for Sam and Lou themselves. The bucket list adventures was fun. It brought Sam and Lou together as friends again. Watching them fall in love was so cute!! I just loved them together so much.
- One of my favorite things about Nina Moreno’s books is that they are funny and romantic, but also have so much heart and emotion. Family is big too and I liked getting to know Luisa, Sam, and side character’s families. Sam learning to heal and survive with grief was really inspiring. Besides Luisa and Sam becoming friends again and falling in love, this was my favorite aspect of the story.
- Luisa having a lot of expectations for herself and a specific idea of what success means was relatable. Nina Moreno included an important conversation that Luisa had with her older sister Elena and her mom.
- The timeline of the story fit really well. It spans over a few months and I liked that because it made the book feel more realistic. Nina Moreno made it clear when there was a fast forward to a new month. The storyline never felt confusing or random.
- It was wonderful to be back in Port Coral!! Some details and characters return from Don’t Date Rosa Santos!! Our Way Back to Always has the perfect ending. I would love to read more books set in Port Coral and for it to become a series, if possible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident, Blood, and Medical content
nytephoenyx's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
As much as I complain about romance books, I’m a sucker for the-boy-next-door trope. Throw in a sprinkle of the-one-that-got-away, and I’ll be absolutely hooked. A quick glance at the book’s description and the cover design and it would seem Our Way Back to Always is out of my normal reading realm. In fact, I was dragging my feet getting to this book because I thought I wouldn’t like it. Thank you Past Me for knowing better, pre-ordering this, and making sure I read it. It was a great book to escape into.
Like so many YA contemporaries, Our Way Back to Always starts the summer before senior year. We meet Lou - Luisa - who is struggling to fulfill her own high expectations and trying to get into an elite college. We also meet Sam, whose future plans have been scrambled by his father’s recent death. Both POV characters struggle under the weight of expectation, whether it be the world’s or their own. Both characters are likable, and I appreciated the internal and external struggles that motivated them. The romance was well-founded, and I really enjoyed watching an old friendship rekindle.
Where Moreno excelled in building her protagonists, her supporting characters were a bit less enticing. Both Rocky and Benny were functional characters at best, existing only to help Sam and Lou along their journey. Sam’s family serves in a similar manner, as does most of Lou’s. The only supporting character who had depth and purpose was Elena, Lou’s older sister. After finishing Our Way Back to Always, I learned this is the second book in Marino‘s contemporary universe. If she were to write a third book, I would want to know Elena’s story.
The plot moves at a steady pace, with plenty of landmarks and side quests to keep things interesting. If anything, there was a little bit too much going on and sections felt rushed or underdeveloped. As somebody who is interested in coding and female coders, I was disappointed we didn’t delve further into Lou’s app. Similarly, marching band is described as one of Sam’s joys early in the book, but fades into the background as he takes a different path (except the fact he plays drums - that stays relevant). I liked that the little bits and pieces of the bucket list kept the story moving, but Moreno relies on the reader getting caught up in the adventure and not noticing how shallow some aspects of the plot are.
Stylistic criticisms aside, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I liked the complicated emotions and I think Moreno did an excellent job relaying the experience of somebody who fell in love with their best friend. I liked that Our Way Back to Always encouraged folks to take a less traditionally celebrated road to success. Our culture is extremely determined to enforce a rigid set of expectations upon young adults, but we need to recognize these expectations are not the only stepping stones to a good life. Moreno reminds us of that in her story and I adored it.
This book made me smile, made me sad, made me wish I had a private swimming pool, and made me want to build a treasure hunt. Our Way Back to Always is more than a light, fun beach read. In the guise of YA romance, this contemporary novel explores themes of familial responsibility, grief, and self acceptance. I really liked it, and I can certainly see myself reading it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
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