Absolutely LOVED this book - what a perfect blend of family, romance, friends, and culture. I adored the Santos family and the way the story built up. The descriptions of food and Miami also took me on a whirlwind ride--so different and unique from a lot of YA romances out there.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO DAMN HARD!!!

I honestly cannot even begin to explain how much this book sang to my heart and made me fall in love with reading in a way I completely forgot I could feel.

I loved everything about this book. But what I especially loved was how this book is about family, it's about culture, it's about trying to figure out who you are when you have two different country's pulling for your heart and soul. I related so much to feeling like you aren't "enough" like how Rosa struggles with not feeling Cuban enough. I lost count of the amount of times while reading I would find myself thinking, "THIS is the book I needed to read when I was in high school. This would've made me feel not alone, it would've validated so many of my feelings and thoughts that I constantly felt nobody but me felt."

I love how diverse this book was as well and how casually it was inserted all over this book. Having LGBT+ rep, biracial couples, etc was not this big thing that was talked about, it was treated like it was just a normal, regular thing which I really appreciated because, well it is! Sometimes it can feel like authors make these character stand out but I love that Nina Moreno made them feel so accepted and just normal, because it's exactly how the world is.

I also cannot go without mentioning the absolutely cute romance in this book. I loved Alex so much and I love how sweet and shy and just perfect he was. While the romance wasn't the main part of this book, it was still very much a big presence in this book. However, I like how it was balanced perfectly with what the overall message/plot of this book was. Which, in case I didn't make clear: this book is abut family and the many different, complicated versions of family. It's about how family can be so many different things, sometimes it's a smell or a place and family isn't always blood but perhaps a community.

I am so thankful to have been able to read this book and I cannot wait to see what this author publishes next. If you enjoy contemporary YA, this is not a book you want to miss! And even if you don't typically read contemporary YA, I'm pretty sure this is a book for everyone and you'd be seriously missing out! I think the publishers really hit in on the head when they said this book was perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and To All the Boys I've Loved Before because it definitely gave me those vibes.

The best way to describe this book to me is a Latinx Sarah Dessen story. You have a small coastal community, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, a broody poetic guy, and a girl lost in transition.
I will admit that I was slow to warm up to the plot but was won over by the call to my Latina heritage. I think if you don't have that connection then it might be harder to get into this book.
Mimi reminded me of my great-grandmother and Nina Moreno painted such a vivid picture of their home, it brought back all this rich memories of my childhood at her house which added to my reading experience.
I enjoyed the Spanglish writing and could relate to Rosa's struggles of if she was Cuban enough.

What a sweet read! A story that will appeal to Gilmore Girls fans, especially those who might be looking for some more color and Cuban style, and a touch of magical realism. The final movement could have done with packing a bigger punch, but overall, very delightful and a lot of fun.

Mini review:

DNF

Trigger warning: Mention of death. Up till the point I read.

I received this E-ARC via Disney Book Group and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. When I saw this book on Netgalley I jumped to request it! Unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

As I started reading I lost interest. I thought it was just because I didn’t know the characters or the story. But this kept on happening. Eventually I realized I had no interest in the book.

Still recommend. I really believe this is an important book.

Rosa Santos grew up believing she was cursed. Her father and grandfather died at sea, leaving her shrouded in bad luck. As Rosa prepares to go to college, she falls in love with a boy with a boat and tattoos of the ocean. She rebels against her grandmother. She yearns for her mother to be back permanently in her life. And most of all, she wants to find where she belongs.

The title and cover of this book is very misleading. I began it thinking it was going to be a cute, lighthearted romance. What I got was a story of a young girl stuck in the middle of two cultures, yearning to find the right path and to find an understanding of her family and culture.

The book takes place in a short amount of time in a small, closeknit town in Florida as Rosa is deciding what college to go to. In addition to that, the town is trying to save its harbor; Rosa falls in love with a sailor boy; and her mother has come back to town.

Like many people, I saw a lot of similarities to Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow in Rosa's Port Coral. Everyone knows each other; they have town meetings; and they are a community. But it might be even better than Star Hollow. It is diverse. There are people of different ethnicities, sexualities, and beliefs. It is so effortless how Moreno includes a diverse cast that it really shows you how ridiculous it is that more books don't have it.

The "curse" on the Santos family is a big part of the story and at first I thought it was going to make this more of a magical realism book. But it doesn't read that way at all. The magic that Rosa's grandmother does, the curse, and the spells that Rosa does are all deeply steeped in realism. It felt more like someone saying a prayer than some sort of fantastical magic. Moreno easily could have made it surreal or even weird and out of place, but it was more like how families have certain beliefs that will fix things for you. I loved that aspect of this book.

Don't Date Rosa Santos was way more than I expected. The relationship between Rosa, her grandmother, and her mother is the central storyline here. It is a unique standout among YA books. The romance is really just a secondary storyline while Moreno explores aspects of diaspora, fleeing your home country, and the struggle with figuring out where your home really is.

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

Light, sweet, and lovely, yet somehow deep and deliberate. A beautiful novel that teens will eat up!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Poor Rosa has to live in a town where everyone fears her family's curse. She knows she'll be doomed if she meets someone who loves the ocean, so of course she falls for Alex, who not only owns a boat, but lives on it. Despite the curse, she loves her town and the people who live there, and she works hard to help others.

What a gorgeous debut!!! I wanted to read this as soon as I saw that Gilmore Girls comp, but I wasn’t expecting to be quite so swept away. I inhaled this book and it smelled like lemon and saltwater. Utterly captivating from the first page.

I LOVED this book so much! The writing was wonderful, the setting rich and detailed, and I fell in love with Rosa and the strong Matriarchs in her family. I love how the story weaves together history, trauma, and romance in a seamless way that is compelling and real. I also love that the romance does not overshadow Rosa connecting with her Cuban roots or her academic goals. I can't wait to buy this when it comes out, and share it with students and friends.

2.5/3 stars

I think the best way I can describe my experience with this book was it was solidly okay. I didn't dislike the book, but with tight library budgets I don't think I'm going to rush to order this. I liked the concept of Don't Date Rosa Santos. Similar to the movie Practical Magic the Santos family is cursed and any man that they love (who is some way shape or form connected to the sea??) will die. While we have that story line, we also have Rosa who is desperate to go to Cuba, the one place her grandmother refuses to talk about. One top of that the community pier is in danger of being bought out by a huge company which would probably kill some of the culture that I really loved reading about by the way. Then, on top of all of that, we have the romance angle.


My biggest issue with the book was that I was easily lost and distracted. There were a lot of side characters who confused me. I wanted more from the "curse" angle, the mom seemed to be pretty tortured by the curse, but the grandmother, who was apparently the beginning of it all, seemed to struggle more with her memories of Cuba than her lost husband. That action "diluted" the curse a bit which made it seems a bit ridiculous when Rosa panicked about it.


What I did like was how fleshed out Rosa was as a character. She was meticulous, she was organized, she was driven, she loved her family, she loved her culture. she was a peace maker. and she was a do-er. I could picture exactly who Rosa was and I think that pushed me to read through this book.


I wouldn't say that I didn't like Don't Date Rosa Santos, I'm just not necessarily in my top 10 books to recommend. As I said, it is 100% okay.

The first page of this book had me roped it. Other parts of the story dragged a bit, but overall I liked it. I loved Rosa's community and the diverse people represented there.

I absolutely loved this book! The Cuban-American representation was amazing and much needed. The story was engaging and heartfelt. Highly recommended!

A great piece of YA fiction set in the heart of the Cuban immigrant community in Southern Florida, that is so much more than your average teen romance. The titular Rosa feels she is cursed in the romance game, following the tragic deaths of both her grandfather (when he was escaping Cuba with his pregnant wife) and her father (also lost in peril on the sea). When she falls for the moody broody fisherman, Alex, her mother and grandmother want to wrap her up in cotton wool to protect her from history repeating itself, and another Santos woman left bereft, screaming at the ocean.
What ensues is a wonderful slice of life in the vibrant community of the fictional Port Coral. Comparisons have been made to the Gilmore Girls, and there are certainly parallels to be made, in the generational difference and cultural mores that provide a rich vein in this book. Pacy, compelling and heart-warming, this is a great read. Highly recommended.

Rosa Santos is cursed.

She has spent the past two years planning to leave her home in South Florida in favor of Havana, but at the last minute those plans fall completely apart. Not only that, but she's falling for a boy with a boat. Rosa knows about all the heartbreak that lingers there - boys with boats leave, carried away by the ocean. The last thing Rosa wants is to end up like her whirlwind mother - standing at the water's edge, screaming at the sea for taking her love (Rosa's father) away. But when tragedy strikes, Rosa must look deep within herself and finally decide where she truly wants to go in life.

Don't Date Rosa Santos is a slow paced story with heartbreak, laughs, happiness, love, and a touch of swoon set in a cute little sea town. The ocean - of course - plays a big part in the overall story and the cover as well. There's a double meaning there (or atleast I think there is..lol) and I love it!

Really enjoyed this one; it turned out to be something completely unexpected and that's certainly not a bad thing!

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

A little magic. A lot of family. A beautiful story.
If you don’t fall in love with every character, I’d be surprised.
Preorder it now or you’ll regret it.