A review by mmarlborough
Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Oh wow, this one will stay with me for a long time. I love coming of age stories and this beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming story followed two incredible women from teenage years to becoming adults. 

Teenage Sara runs away from home after a tragedy, yearning to get as far away from her loss as possible. She becomes a brilliant mixologist in Los Angeles, where she meets Emilie at a restaurant. The two have an instant connection, but both come from so much trauma and loss. The pasts they thought they both moved on from have caught up to them. 

I love LaCour’s prose. I loved the flawed women she wrote and felt their intense connection. The California locations and vibe was on point! This was such an achingly beautiful story about love, growth, and second chances. It’s very character driven which I love, but some may not. I do think the marketing of this novel as a love story is wrong - to me it was more about loving yourself and growing up, finally recognizing that you deserve the love you crave. 

✨Trigger Warnings: Death, Drug Abuse, Death of a Parent, Sexual Assault, Grief, Child Death, Pedophilia, Suicide