I started this book back in the summer, and set it aside, thinking maybe it was me, but I picked the book back up again, and I still could not get into it. I was excited about the book's premise and was interested in seeing how the author's handled such a heartbreaking topic, but I struggled with the way the story unfolded, and honestly, I also struggled a bit with Alaine. It's hard for me to pass full judgement, since I did not finish the book, but I also couldn't continue, as I was not enjoying it.

For me, DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE had two incredibly powerful parts: the first is the relationships between characters. The second is the description of Alaine’s time in Haiti.

Alaine has complex relationships with pretty much everyone. Haha. She’s a bit prickly and probably too smart for her own good, and that makes being close to her a complicated thing. She feels estranged from her mom, and that pain totally comes across in the story. The helplessness she feels and the frustration were heartbreaking.

On a lighter note, I love Alaine’s sense of humor (not going to lie– even the school project gone wrong made me laugh) and her quirky way of relating things. She made the story really fun to read.

The landscape of Haiti is beautifully described, but that isn’t even the whole of it. There’s really something magical in the way the Moulite sisters write about Haiti and what it’s like for Alaine to be there.

I guess the family curse surprised me a little bit in that I didn’t realize until maybe the second half of the book that the curse was going to be such a huge part of the story. It felt like a bit of a hard left turn to me, if that makes sense.

Still, I think the authors tied all the threads of the story together nicely, and stayed away from some of the predictable tropes. I enjoyed reading DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE, and I think readers who enjoy books about narrators making a first visit to a homeland, like THE CAT KING OF HAVANA by Tom Crosshill would enjoy this book.

By the time I was approved for this ARC I had already bought it for my library.

Alayne is a funny and witty narrator, and not hard to like at all. I really loved how much information one would learn about Haiti, which isn't a country that appears in YA fiction often. I personally love exploring new culture so this was an easy read for me.

The writing style wasn't exactly perfect, and at times there did seem like there was missing details, but all in all I would still give this book 4 stars, with a real rating of about 3.7

DNF @ 20%

I am having a hard time getting interested in this book, as there seems to be no plot. The writing is so choppy because of the format: emails, text, newspaper articles, etc. It seems like a unique and interesting concept, but it just doesn't seem to work out. I would have preferred more of a traditional narrative than the way the story is presented.

I loved this debut! It was so much fun to discover Haiti through Alaine's eyes. The curse storyline was really interesting too! I loved that this was a story about family and discovering. I can't wait to see what comes next from Maika and Maritza!

Alaine, is a character most teens will relate to. She is smart, witty, and sharp and she gets herself into trouble, usually unintentionally. I appreciate the care the authors take to share Alaine's experiences as a first generation American born of Haitian parents, the non-traditional roles of mothers and fathers and the complications of divorce.

My favorite part was Alaine's time in Haiti and how the experience connects her with her mother in ways she had not been able to in the past. I did get a little confused when the narrative switched to her mother's diaries, but most of that had to do with picking the book up after long stretches.

Libraries who are looking to add to a collection of immigration/first gen american collections would find this book a solid edition.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

This book was entertaining and well written but I found it hard to get into. I usually enjoy YA and especially YA that feels different than others but it just didn't grab me. However, I found myself laughing quite a bit and liked the way the writing captured how teenagers really speak.

I wanted to love this but wow this book did absolutely nothing for me. I found Alaine's character shallow and kinda selfish, the plot seemed quite disjointed, and I really wasn't satisfied by this book at the end.

I listened to it on audio and it still took me like a week to read which is WILD.

I loved the Haitian setting and the importance of culture, as well as rep for early-onset Alzheimer's since it's not common, especially in YA. But eh.

Trigger and Content Warnings: Death, Alzheimer's/Dementia, strained familial relationships, allergic reactions, hospitalization

This was a fun new YA contemporary. Full of fascinating descriptions of Haiti, I learned a ton about a culture and community I had never read about before. The main character was interesting and three dimensional. I highly recommend picking this one up.

I featured this book on my blog and will send the information and link directly to the publisher in the next step in this process

I absolutely loved the Haitian setting of this book and how much of the culture and landscape we got to see (including food, language, customs, and more). I also really appreciated a story about dealing with the repercussions of Alzheimer's (and, especially, early-onset Alzheimer's, since it's rarely talked about). Alaine had a strained relationship with her mother, but she'd always thought they'd have time to fix that---so losing her mother to this disease was doubly painful for her. I wasn't 100% sure how I felt personally about the "curse" storyline, especially since there was some implication that Alaine's mother's illness could have been caused by this curse, but I do know that in Haiti many people do believe in things like curses, so it's not an unrealistic storyline. I really liked this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read a physical copy (especially because the digital ARC I read had some formatting issues that made reading confusing)---I think in general a physical copy would have been easier to read because of the epistolary nature of the book. Still, overall a great read!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN/Inkyard Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended and shipped off to Haiti when a presentation at school goes completely off the rails. She will be spending the next two months writing a "spring volunteer immersion project" instead of vacationing.

Alaine is under the watchful eyes of her (Aunt) Tati Estelle and Celeste, her mother. Celeste is a beautiful reporter who is hiding from the media after a very public incident that is being dubbed as "Slapgate" where she slapped a politician on live TV—she is also hiding a devastating secret of her own.

Happy to be away from the media storm, Alaine gets to flirt with Tati’s cute intern, spend some quality time with her mother, and learn about Haiti—she's visiting for the first time. Alaine also gets to explore her family history, one that is riddled with betrayals, myths, and possibly even a family curse.

But it's nothing she can't handle...

I loved the premise of this book as well as the epistolary style of narrative. The Moulite sisters use letters, emails, diary entries, postcards, and articles to tell Alaine's story. There is also Celeste's storyline which, truth be told, I found more compelling than Alaine's, even though Alaine's had a fresh and intriguing voice. That being said, I am also not the intended audience and I think that readers will identify with Alaine because like most teens, she comes across as confident, yet she is also self-concious with a lot of growing to do.

But the narrative gets away from the authors. There were parts that came across as particularly unorganized and subsequently they lose the plot in places. There are also too many tertiary characters and secondary characters that disappear (Alaine's father, her friend) and an unnecessary sort-of romance.

However, despite that it was 400 plus pages, it was an effortless, enjoyable read. I also liked learning about Haiti and absolutely loved the cover.

I absolutely love this book! Easily, easily one of the best books I have read this year and one of the best in terms of Caribbean representation in YA. I love Alaine, who is such a sarcastic, witty narrator, and I love Celeste and the Dad (I forgot the Dad's name but he coo too, LOL).

I love how seamlessly the sisters blend their writing styles. It feels cohesive, as though they were meant to write together their whole lives. Haiti felt like it's own character, from the Kreyol proverbs to the description of the topography, the country comes alive and is not tokenized. This was a huge deal for me. I love Haitian culture and history and I am pleased to say that the sisters got it right. Their love for their country translates very well on page and makes for a great story.

If I had a baby sister I would definitely gift her a copy of Dear Haiti. This book is simply flawless and I hope it gets all the love and attention it deserves. Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
2.5 stars
DNF @ 20%

I went into this one, so excited. I like mixed media books and love how they can be done. I do like how this one incorporates texts, comments, blog posts, articles, and diary entries and I think mostly it was done well. I'd love to see how it is done in the finished copy.

The unfortunate thing is, I was bored reading this. While Alaine is a fun character and one I think many people will like, I needed more from the story by this point. Which is a weird thing to state since I can see where the story is going. At times it felt like the story was being bogged down with tons of information or that there were multiple lines the story was potentially going to take. I think the way it is put together also made it seem slow, which might be why I lost interest-- yet clearly the days are moving and things are happening, so I'm not entirely sure why I'm feeling the way I am.

So, at this point I have to call it quits with this novel-- it just isn't for me. BUT, it is one I do recommend and probably will recommend to people at the library. Like I said, Alaine is a fun character and perhaps the finished version will be easier to read, making it a more enjoyable experience. I also think people who like contemporaries and more character-driven plots will enjoy this one.

I’m so glad I read Dear Haiti, Love Alaine! I received a digital review copy from NetGalley and Inkyard Press (Harlequin) in exchange for an honest review. I loved this novel so much that, after reading the eARC, I pre-ordered both a finished copy and the audiobook, listening to it, in full, in the two days after its release. (Bahni Turpin narrates the audiobook and is wonderful, as usual.)

Alaine Beauparlant is super-smart, ambitious, and curious, traits that seem to serve her well and land her in trouble in equal measure. Thanks to the Moulites’ stunning writing and character development, Alaine feels true-to-life from the first page, growing more even complex and thoughtful as the story progresses. This is an epistolary novel featuring diary entries, emails, postcards, news articles, and transcripts of conversations, and the variety in form and voice made the 430-ish pages fly by.

Alaine is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She lives with her (single) father, Jules, in Miami, where he works as a psychiatrist and she attends a progressive Catholic school. Her mother, Celeste, is a high-profile TV journalist living and working in Washington, D.C., and she has never been a consistent or accessible figure in Alaine’s life. Celeste's twin, Alaine’s Tati Estelle, is an influential woman in Haiti who works as both the Minister of Tourism and the CEO of a charitable start-up. After her mom's career hits a road-bump, Alaine hits one of her own. In the aftermath, her dad sends her to Haiti to intern with Estelle at her company, PATRON PAL, which connects donors ("patrons") with bright Haitian children in need (“pals")—a sort of 21st century version of a "sponsor a child" charity, gamified and made accessible by a smartphone app. While in Haiti, Alaine seeks to learn more about her family and its role in Haitian history (for both her own edification and a school assignment), and, naturally, learns a great deal about herself and her immediate family in the process.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is a standout debut. A powerful depiction of family legacies and secrets, and a loving portrait of both Alaine (full of heart, dry wit, and good intentions) and the country and people of Haiti. This will be a great fit for readers who enjoy heartfelt, intricately-crafted young adult fiction and the work of Elizabeth Acevedo, Ashley Herring Blake, Deb Caletti, and Brandy Colbert.

Alaine is Haitian American girl who lives in Miami Florida. She wants to become a journalist just like her mother and she take herself serious. Alaine was sent to Haiti after she had made a huge mistake at school ( her options were to either get expelled or travel to Haiti for a project). While there Alaine teaches us about the history of Haiti (voodoo, misuse of power, culture etc).
What attracted me to this book was the beautiful cover and the title. What kept reading this book was Alaine. I think she is smart, witty and relatable. I really enjoy the way she writes about the world around her.
Now what I didn't like about my reading, it could be because I was reading on a kindle but there were times I was really confuse. Alaine would be in the middle of finishing a thought than the next thing I know I am reading an article, tweet or email.
I probably wouldn't recommend reading this as ebook unless the authors make it the same as the book. Overall I enjoy reading it.

Posted to Youtube: Alaine Beauparlant is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Her parents have built a good life for themselves and their daughter in the United States but everything starts to change when Alaine's mother has an incident on her national political talkshow. Alaine acts out in school and as punishment is sent to stay with her mother's family in Haiti. Alaine finds herself ensconced in her family's history as he learns about not only her family but also the country her parents once called home.

This book was a pleasant surprise. The book is richly crafted with strong characters and well developed plot. The book had several great messages that were well camaflouged in an entertaining narrative with a hilariously strong main character. This is the authors first book and I will happily keep reading anything they release.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

I really enjoyed this novel!

I loved seeing the Haitian culture and beliefs. I loved the inclusion of voodoo and French/Creole languages! It’s written in Epistolary style, which I love! It was a super quick read.

I did feel the ending was rushed. There was so much going on, it felt like they tried to tie everything up in a couple chapters. I was left wondering what happened to a few characters.

There were so many things to love about this book. I had some trepidation going in, knowing it was going to be mixed media (I had a bad experience recently with another book), but those emails, news accounts, hand-written journal entries, all served a purpose and moved the narrative forward. I enjoyed learning what was included about the Haitian Revolution and the history of Haiti itself, something I know nothing about. I liked that Alaine, who started out a little, I don't know, self-righteous?, and very opinionated, was really allowed to grow and evolve as the story went on. She allowed herself to open up to the experiences of others, to her culture. This book is not what I expected, but in a good way. It tackles a lot: sexual assault, terminal illness, bullying, the dynamics of a family with divorced parents, poverty, and cultural identity. I feel like it addresses these topics well. There are a couple little twists in the last quarter of the book that made getting to the end even more fun.

Reading the eARC was a little difficult, as sometimes sentences would just disappear midway, some text would be red for no reason, and some of the mixed media formatting didn't come through well. I'm sure those are all issues that aren't present in a hard copy, but it did make reading difficult on occasion.