Play Book Tag discussion

A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea and Tomorrow – Laura Taylor Namey
3***

From the book jacket: For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panaderia, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then The Trifecta happened, and everything – including Lila herself – fell apart. Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But, … what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila … until she meets Orion Maxwell.

My reactions Okay, I totally picked this up because I needed a pink cover for a challenge. I noticed, too, that this was a pick for “Reese’s YA Book Club” and thought it might have some meat on the bones.

Some of this stretch credulity a bit far for me, but on the whole I enjoyed it. I liked that things were not all wrapped up nice and tidy in a pretty bow, albeit there is still a happy (or at least hopeful) ending. Lila is a complex character, with shifting emotions (typical teenager, and typical of the grief process). Orion has his own problems, with a mother suffering from early onset dementia, a little sis who is acting out, and more responsibilities than an 18-year-old should have to shoulder.

I liked that Namey showed that Lila’s attempt to forget her problems by focusing on food was a strategy that would take her only so far, and that she needed to face the issues that led to her breakdown before she could move forward. I really liked Orion. He’s a steady young man, with natural charm, but not at all pushy. All in all, this is a pretty good example of the YA romance genre.

And I loved all the references to food. I think I gained 10 pounds just reading about all the Cubano bread, and specialty pastries Lila concocted.


My full review HERE