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A review by saestrah
Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
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
A free advanced reading copy of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review:
Nina LaCour perfectly captures the essence of being in your mid- to late-twenties, especially when it comes to Emilie. There's something incredibly heartening about reading about a character's reluctance to decide what direction her future should take her. There's one scene in particular where Emilie invites her friends over for a dinner party, and realises that she doesn't quite own enough glasses or plates. It expresses her sense of impermience in her life, not wanting to truly decorate her studio flat because it's not quite 'perfect.' She thinks there will be a moment in the distant future where she realises that it's 'time' to grow roots and become a real grown-up, and yet as the plot develops she comes to realise that she's already been living in that moment, and now simply lives in an undecorated flat. I think it's true for a lot of millenials who are currently living paycheck-by-paycheck, in rented apartments we're not allowed to keep pets in or replace badly stained carpets, that we're simply waiting for life to reach a point where we're allowed to be the people we've aspired to be since we were children. As a child, we dream of having a house and a career, but adulthood is never quite the same in reality.
I loved the slow development of Emilie and Sara's relationship. After reading a few more typical 'romance' novels, where the main characters meet within the first couple pages and rarely spend scenes apart, it's nice to see a much slower progression, where Emilie and Sara are developed as individuals before they are as a couple. There's chemistry between them, but more than that there's understanding. And it's not the 'love at first sight' kind; there are mistakes and there is miscommunication, but thankfully it's the kind of miscommunication we, as the reader, can understand and see the logic in because of the depth of characterisation. They feel real to me, pushing past the limitations of tropes and stereotypes and into the complications of what our pasts and the secrets we keep can alter the self.
LaCour's writing is descriptive, setting scenes in swathes of bold colours, intricate floral arrangements, and distinctive tastes. Considering their professions, it suits the characters' narrations and the pacing of the story.
All in all, this is a book I would recommend to anyone looking for adult sapphic/wlw fiction. The story isn't particularly groundbreaking, but there's a familiarity to it that feels like coming home and finally being seen.
Nina LaCour perfectly captures the essence of being in your mid- to late-twenties, especially when it comes to Emilie. There's something incredibly heartening about reading about a character's reluctance to decide what direction her future should take her. There's one scene in particular where Emilie invites her friends over for a dinner party, and realises that she doesn't quite own enough glasses or plates. It expresses her sense of impermience in her life, not wanting to truly decorate her studio flat because it's not quite 'perfect.' She thinks there will be a moment in the distant future where she realises that it's 'time' to grow roots and become a real grown-up, and yet as the plot develops she comes to realise that she's already been living in that moment, and now simply lives in an undecorated flat. I think it's true for a lot of millenials who are currently living paycheck-by-paycheck, in rented apartments we're not allowed to keep pets in or replace badly stained carpets, that we're simply waiting for life to reach a point where we're allowed to be the people we've aspired to be since we were children. As a child, we dream of having a house and a career, but adulthood is never quite the same in reality.
I loved the slow development of Emilie and Sara's relationship. After reading a few more typical 'romance' novels, where the main characters meet within the first couple pages and rarely spend scenes apart, it's nice to see a much slower progression, where Emilie and Sara are developed as individuals before they are as a couple. There's chemistry between them, but more than that there's understanding. And it's not the 'love at first sight' kind; there are mistakes and there is miscommunication, but thankfully it's the kind of miscommunication we, as the reader, can understand and see the logic in because of the depth of characterisation. They feel real to me, pushing past the limitations of tropes and stereotypes and into the complications of what our pasts and the secrets we keep can alter the self.
LaCour's writing is descriptive, setting scenes in swathes of bold colours, intricate floral arrangements, and distinctive tastes. Considering their professions, it suits the characters' narrations and the pacing of the story.
All in all, this is a book I would recommend to anyone looking for adult sapphic/wlw fiction. The story isn't particularly groundbreaking, but there's a familiarity to it that feels like coming home and finally being seen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content