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qace90 's review for:
American Fairytale
by Adriana Herrera
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
Full review closer to publication.
Content Notes:
✨ casual ableism
✨ alcohol consumption
✨ explicit on page sexual content
✨ semi-public sex (restroom at gala)
✨ discussion of immigration history
✨ mention of past cheating (MC’s ex cheated on him)
✨ past divorce
✨ joking comment that preschool has turf war similar to Blood and Crips
✨ mother with depression, anxiety
✨ death of father in past, cancer
✨ cigarette smoking
✨ ananormativity
✨ MC works with trauma survivors
✨ MC whose aunt died, discussion of domestic violence/abuse
✨ argument
✨ slut shaming language
✨ gentrification, rent increase
✨ overworking to pay bills
✨ joking-ish comment about killing oneself
Full review:
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
I love Herrera’s writing style and am definitely looking forward to more from her. The characters are complex and the book has great themes of chosen family as well as close blood-family ties.
Camilo and Thomas meet at a gala dinner and the attraction between them is off the charts - leading to the impulsive decision to have sex in the bathroom! When they part ways they believe there’s no way they’ll ever cross paths again, especially because Camilo is a social worker while Thomas had gotten $1,000 plates for himself and two friends at the gala. After the weekend though, with both thinking about their encounter and wishing for a repeat, Camilo is informed by his boss that they have a new donor who wants to help with renovations of a residency program in Harlem - and the meeting ends up being with Thomas again!
Camilo is fiercely independent and has seen what can happen when relying on someone, especially financially. One of his biggest things with Thomas is he doesn’t want his agency compromised and he has no wish to rely on Thomas or his money. This causes them some strain because sometimes Thomas doesn’t think through consequences before using his wealth to make things go his way or what he believes is easier for those he cares about.
I adore the friendships and family dynamics in this book and series. You can so easily see how much impact family has on both Thomas and Camilo, and how much their mothers have influenced them. I also adore the friendship between Camilo and his best friends; Nesto, Juan Paulo, Patrice, and Ayako. They are a great support network and they love each other so much. We also get to see that chosen family with Thomas, Sanjay, Heni, and Priyah, who built the company that made Thomas as rich as he is.
This book also has several themes of survival. Thomas had an aunt come to the states from DR to be with a guy who was abusive, and because she wasn’t English-speaking she wasn’t able to access resources for domestic violence. Camilo’s mother had been in an abusive relationship after the death of his father, and that was definitely one of the pushes that got him into social work. We see so much strength in these characters and I loved the way that history helped them work towards making help more accessible for others.
This book was definitely an excellent read. The class disparity comes up several times and is definitely a point of contention, but the romance between Camilo and Thomas had a great pace and I loved the scenes with Dinorah, Camilo’s mother, and Libertad, Thomas’ daughter. Definitely a hard recommend and one of my favorite aspects of this book is how diverse all the characters are and the ways their individual experiences color their interactions.
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
Full review closer to publication.
Content Notes:
✨ alcohol consumption
✨ explicit on page sexual content
✨ semi-public sex (restroom at gala)
✨ discussion of immigration history
✨ mention of past cheating (MC’s ex cheated on him)
✨ past divorce
✨ joking comment that preschool has turf war similar to Blood and Crips
✨ mother with depression, anxiety
✨ death of father in past, cancer
✨ cigarette smoking
✨ ananormativity
✨ MC works with trauma survivors
✨ MC whose aunt died, discussion of domestic violence/abuse
✨ argument
✨ slut shaming language
✨ gentrification, rent increase
✨ overworking to pay bills
✨ joking-ish comment about killing oneself
Full review:
Adrianna Herrera is definitely an author to keep an eye on! American Fairytale is another sweet romance that also tackles complex issues; Thomas grapples with his white passing while feeling and being very Dominican, as well as learning money doesn’t solve everything, and Camilo takes care of his mother with depression while also trying to remain independent.
I love Herrera’s writing style and am definitely looking forward to more from her. The characters are complex and the book has great themes of chosen family as well as close blood-family ties.
Camilo and Thomas meet at a gala dinner and the attraction between them is off the charts - leading to the impulsive decision to have sex in the bathroom! When they part ways they believe there’s no way they’ll ever cross paths again, especially because Camilo is a social worker while Thomas had gotten $1,000 plates for himself and two friends at the gala. After the weekend though, with both thinking about their encounter and wishing for a repeat, Camilo is informed by his boss that they have a new donor who wants to help with renovations of a residency program in Harlem - and the meeting ends up being with Thomas again!
Camilo is fiercely independent and has seen what can happen when relying on someone, especially financially. One of his biggest things with Thomas is he doesn’t want his agency compromised and he has no wish to rely on Thomas or his money. This causes them some strain because sometimes Thomas doesn’t think through consequences before using his wealth to make things go his way or what he believes is easier for those he cares about.
I adore the friendships and family dynamics in this book and series. You can so easily see how much impact family has on both Thomas and Camilo, and how much their mothers have influenced them. I also adore the friendship between Camilo and his best friends; Nesto, Juan Paulo, Patrice, and Ayako. They are a great support network and they love each other so much. We also get to see that chosen family with Thomas, Sanjay, Heni, and Priyah, who built the company that made Thomas as rich as he is.
This book also has several themes of survival. Thomas had an aunt come to the states from DR to be with a guy who was abusive, and because she wasn’t English-speaking she wasn’t able to access resources for domestic violence. Camilo’s mother had been in an abusive relationship after the death of his father, and that was definitely one of the pushes that got him into social work. We see so much strength in these characters and I loved the way that history helped them work towards making help more accessible for others.
This book was definitely an excellent read. The class disparity comes up several times and is definitely a point of contention, but the romance between Camilo and Thomas had a great pace and I loved the scenes with Dinorah, Camilo’s mother, and Libertad, Thomas’ daughter. Definitely a hard recommend and one of my favorite aspects of this book is how diverse all the characters are and the ways their individual experiences color their interactions.