A review by andthensarahread
Too Soon for Adiós by Annette Chavez Macias

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Plot: 3.5
Engagement: 3.5
Characters: 3.5
Style: 4
Overall Rating: 3.63/5

Review: I'm groaning inwardly because I really *wanted* to like this book, I just didn't connect to it.

Billed as a "heartfelt novel about a woman who embarks on an emotional journey when she meets her biological father on the day of her mother’s funeral." It was more of a weird will-they-wont-they romance with a random guy (Mayor Baseball Cap) from the town this woman ends up in while trying to get money from the sale of a great grandmother's home (who the character never met) while ignoring her estranged father. Gabby would rather go on this crazy journey (intending not to get to know her bio father at all and willfully mistreating him) than accept the monetary help of her Auntie. There's also a lot of weirdness with the side characters. The Aunties are judgy and occasionally morally iffy. Why is Mayor Baseball Cap a Mayor and Doctor and Handyman? Convenience? The neighbor is...caring or a witch or her best friend? Chef Dean...did this scene need to exist in the book?

I will say that I appreciated the history and traditions and those few moments of family that were included.

At the core, the problem was I didn't love Gabby. She was negative and off-putting. Granted she had some hardships in her life, but her attitude towards everyone was rude and entitled for a good chunk of the book. Because of this, I didn't connect with the character emotionally and wasn't invested in the outcome.