A review by thiccadonna
Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

4.0

Honestly this book is a fine (and rare) example of contemporary YA done right. This tackles themes of identity, the disconnect between the diaspora and a land they both supposedly hail from but have never experienced first hand, the complex relationship between one and one's original country when the latter is being held by an oppressive dictatorship, the inherited culture and spirituality brown people and especially latinx people carry with them and sow the seeds of in next generations...and it does so in a very accessible manner without diluting the complexities of such subjects. I very much appreciated the very casual queerness infused in this book: Rosa's guidance counselor is gay and is raising a child with his partner, Alex's sister has a wife, and Rosa (albeit in passing and briefly) mentions having harbored a crush on a girl so our protagonist is very much bi! The most surprising thing abt this book is that I was actually invested in the romantic subplot. It's been a WHILE since a book had me rooting for heteros but Alex is SUCH a good love interest and the romance was very well-executed. All in all this book had heart and was a very enjoyable read.