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A review by kelleenmoriarty
Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera
4.0
4.5 stars
This book is exactly what is says on the tin: it’s about finding joy, and it was pure joy to read.
This story is told from Desta’s POV, a biracial Dominican American aid worker who finds himself in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, his first home that he hardly remembers. As he reconnects with his past and the pieces of his family history he’d rather leave behind, he falls for Elias. Together, these men must fight their past demons to find their present and future love.
I usually don’t love single POV, and I especially don’t love when they’re first person, but this really worked for me. For so much of the book, Desta is dealing with his own luminal status of being an outsider in Addis and struggling with the cultural differences between himself and Elias, and I think this POV really highlights this. It was so refreshing to read a contemporary romance set in a non-American, non-European backdrop, and this book really deals with the colonial legacy still present in Ethiopia today.
No one writes a sex scene like Adriana Herrera. They are so tender and so raunchy at once, and this book was no different.
As always, the trauma in the books is dealt with with such precision and care, and the piece as a whole feels so intimate and thoughtful. The side characters of the aunt and aid workers were a delight to read, and added so much color and dimension to the world of the story. The whole book is sweet and bright, and the romance between these two men is so grounded in strong communication and true, profound understanding.
Finally, the cover is beautiful. This is a book that can be judged by its cover, because the cover truly encapsulates the sparkling beauty and intimate joy of the book. Absolutely read this book.
This book is exactly what is says on the tin: it’s about finding joy, and it was pure joy to read.
This story is told from Desta’s POV, a biracial Dominican American aid worker who finds himself in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, his first home that he hardly remembers. As he reconnects with his past and the pieces of his family history he’d rather leave behind, he falls for Elias. Together, these men must fight their past demons to find their present and future love.
I usually don’t love single POV, and I especially don’t love when they’re first person, but this really worked for me. For so much of the book, Desta is dealing with his own luminal status of being an outsider in Addis and struggling with the cultural differences between himself and Elias, and I think this POV really highlights this. It was so refreshing to read a contemporary romance set in a non-American, non-European backdrop, and this book really deals with the colonial legacy still present in Ethiopia today.
No one writes a sex scene like Adriana Herrera. They are so tender and so raunchy at once, and this book was no different.
As always, the trauma in the books is dealt with with such precision and care, and the piece as a whole feels so intimate and thoughtful. The side characters of the aunt and aid workers were a delight to read, and added so much color and dimension to the world of the story. The whole book is sweet and bright, and the romance between these two men is so grounded in strong communication and true, profound understanding.
Finally, the cover is beautiful. This is a book that can be judged by its cover, because the cover truly encapsulates the sparkling beauty and intimate joy of the book. Absolutely read this book.