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A review by this_momma_is_booked
Our Way Back To Always by Nina Moreno
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
When I first read Nina Moreno's debut novel, Don't Date Rosa Santos, I felt so incredibly seen and heard in a way I hadn't many times before. I had high expectations for this book and, for the most part, it met them all.
I love second-chance romance books, but I was hesitant about how it would play out in a YA book where the characters were 17-18 years old. I mean, they're so young...how do we get to second chances already? However, Nina did a great job establishing that the second chances were because of childish insecurities and lack of communication skills when the characters were 12-13, so it really did seem believable.
Nina has spoken at length about how she initially started this book with the intention of making it funny and light-hearted and a fun summer romance - and she did in a lot of ways. The cast of characters were funny, reading about Lou and Sam struggling through their interactions and communicating like typical teenagers made me chuckle, and being back in Port Coral, a town that is so deeply rooted in family (both the birth and chosen kind) made my heart happy. But, as many of us know, grief has a funny way of sneaking up when we least expect it, and that's how it was for Nina - which means that's how it was for Sam and, to some extent, Lou.
I loved the depth of this book - the discussions of anxiety, expectations, grief, love, neurodiversity and friendship. I clearly remember being the age of these characters and being told the world is so vast, the opportunities are endless, and yet feeling like I am stuck in my city, in my family, in my mind. Teenagers have an unbelievable amount of pressure thrust onto them but are not often given the tools to handle that pressure. I appreciate that this book revolved around that, around figuring out not who they are (because they're 18, there's a lifetime to live first) but who they want to be right now.
And to have all of these themes tied up with the Latinx bow? All the mentions of UF (Go Gators!) and Miami and, as Nina likes to say, living in the hyphen (in my case, Cuban-American)? It really did make this Cuban woman so happy.
I love second-chance romance books, but I was hesitant about how it would play out in a YA book where the characters were 17-18 years old. I mean, they're so young...how do we get to second chances already? However, Nina did a great job establishing that the second chances were because of childish insecurities and lack of communication skills when the characters were 12-13, so it really did seem believable.
Nina has spoken at length about how she initially started this book with the intention of making it funny and light-hearted and a fun summer romance - and she did in a lot of ways. The cast of characters were funny, reading about Lou and Sam struggling through their interactions and communicating like typical teenagers made me chuckle, and being back in Port Coral, a town that is so deeply rooted in family (both the birth and chosen kind) made my heart happy. But, as many of us know, grief has a funny way of sneaking up when we least expect it, and that's how it was for Nina - which means that's how it was for Sam and, to some extent, Lou.
I loved the depth of this book - the discussions of anxiety, expectations, grief, love, neurodiversity and friendship. I clearly remember being the age of these characters and being told the world is so vast, the opportunities are endless, and yet feeling like I am stuck in my city, in my family, in my mind. Teenagers have an unbelievable amount of pressure thrust onto them but are not often given the tools to handle that pressure. I appreciate that this book revolved around that, around figuring out not who they are (because they're 18, there's a lifetime to live first) but who they want to be right now.
And to have all of these themes tied up with the Latinx bow? All the mentions of UF (Go Gators!) and Miami and, as Nina likes to say, living in the hyphen (in my case, Cuban-American)? It really did make this Cuban woman so happy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Cancer, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident and Injury/Injury detail