Very unique story. There were some parts of this story that I never would have seen coming.

Alaine has a pretty normal life.
Her parents are divorced. They are hard working professionals. Her mom comes off as too busy for Alaine a lot of the time. Her dad picks up the slack as best he can.
Her family is from Haiti.
Alaine has never taken that too seriously. She also doesn’t think the so-called family curse could be real.

Then Alaine’s mom has a bit of a break down on live tv. She goes into hiding in Haiti.
This causes Alaine to act up at school. Her parents agree to send her to Haiti to do charity work.

Soon she starts to learn a lot more about the family curse. She learns a lot about how her parents grew up.

This book was a page turner!

I got to read an early copy from NetGalley and really enjoyed it.

Really enjoyed the heroine and the way this book is written. It is full of emails, letters, post cards, school assignments and is written from the voice of a very self confident young woman.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of ‘Dear Haiti, Love Alaine’ by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite.

I love Alaine’s voice and how her character expresses herself in writing. Alaine’s world is turned upside down when she is sent to Haiti to stay with her mom and aunt after causing a disturbance during a school presentation.

There is humour, heartbreak, disappointment, and joy throughout the story. I would recommend this to fans of YA.

This book was slow going. We did not get to Haiti as quickly as I expected and there was so much happening that felt like it had little to do with the plot slowing the pace down. I am sure this will not be in the final book, but another thing that contributed to issues reading were the large chunks of text that were put out of order, forcing me to go back and forth between pages to try to understand what was happening.

3.5 stars

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine had as much promo at the ALA19 as Frankly in Love, and, for me, Moulite sisters' debut was a better fit.

When it comes to contemporary YA, the voice and the POV are everything. I personally have very little interest left in me for cafeteria drama and such. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine offered me something that I hadn't yet seen in YA, and in a package that appeals to me.

Alaine is the only daughter of divorced parents of Haitian descent. Both her parents are wealthy - her father is a psychiatrist and her absent mother is a famous political reporter. When Alaine's mom, Celeste, becomes the center of a big controversy ("slapgate"!) and when Alaine herself gets into a drama of a slightly different, but still outrageous, kind at school, both Alaine and Celeste travel back to Haiti to lick their wounds.

Like many debut novels, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine tries to do a lot, too much, if you ask me - Haitian history, politics, family curse, voodoo, Alzheimer's, magical realism. Plus, it does so using epistolary format - a collection of diary entries, school projects, emails, texts, letters.

I happen to love this kind of books (although it's been done more effectively elsewhere). And I was enormously entertained by everything that went on in Alaine's life. Learning about Haiti, even though from the POV of a very privileged person, was exciting and new.

Now onto the negative. I've read critical reviews of this novel, and while I don't disagree with the criticisms of messiness, it doesn't bother me. What needs more refection, IMO, is the fact that Dear Haiti, Love Alaine tries to address the issue of class inequality in Haiti, but it fails to truly acknowledge Alaine's and her family's privilege and the extent Haitian "elite's" exploitation of the country's poor population. There is a bigger issue inside Dear Haiti, Love Alaine that the authors didn't address head on. Maybe they'll do it better in their next book. I will certainly read it.

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is a great story set in a place that you don't read a lot about. I think there was a lot of potential just based on the premise: teen girl discovers her home country for the first time, family issues, magic, and first romance. Unfortunately, I think the execution was a bit off. Some of this could have been because my e-ARC's formatting was a little weird. The story is in diary form, but also epistolary, texts, articles, transcripts, etc. It was a little all over the place and it felt a little bit like I was getting whiplash as it jumped from one thing to another. In addition to just the format being messy, Alaine as a narrator couldn't focus on one thing at a time. Sure, this could be a realistic teen way of thinking and dealing with things, but in a novel it felt like none of the huge life changing events matter much to her because it was mentioned, Alaine would say she was feeling a certain way, and then the story went on to the next thing.

Again, the story and premise is really strong. I think Dear Haiti, Love Alaine could use some cleaning up and streamlining to make it better.

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

I love a strong female protagonist and I was excited to read about Haiti, which isn't a common topic in YA fiction. I liked the characters, which is good because this is definitely a character-driven novel. For someone as smart as Alaine to make the mistakes she does that get her sent to Haiti felt a bit contrived to me, but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief to allow the novel its initial setup.
There's a lot of other good stuff here, too. I love the descriptions of Haiti as more than just a rat-infested slum. I love seeing it through the eyes of the educated and privileged class. Why? Because this is a perspective that I have never seen before, and certainly not in YA lit.
The romance felt baseless and rushed and the curse was just plain weird. But, I think it was supposed to feel weird to someone like me with no previous exposure to Haitian culture. I enjoyed learning about Henri Christophe and the Haitian fight for independence and appreciated the authors' note at the end that gave a little info about where they had taken fictional license and what was actually real.
I enjoyed the family dynamics between Alaine and her parents - that felt very real to me! I actually would have appreciated some chapters from their POVs instead of all from Alaine. Quite honestly, the format of the book was confusing and contained a lot of info dumps. There were lots of emails Alaine had written that were supposedly "unsent" only it was hard to tell which ones were sent and which ones were not. I would have preferred a typical novel format with a first-person POV, that would have been more powerful and made more sense.
Overall, this is good solid read for fans of magical realism, "Own Voices" books, strong female protagonists, and anyone who would like to learn more about Haitian culture. It's definitely recommended.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

With stories like this (second generation ex-pat visits the motherland), I want history, culture and a bit of adventure. This book gave me all of that and more.

A sassy teenaged protagonist, a beautiful and complex setting, family drama, rich history, political intrigue, generationally repressed trauma, a curse, and even a brief foray into romance; this book has a lot going on. In many ways, some of these elements seem unnecessary, but the authors are able to balance these themes in a way that flows and is easily readable, even if there were many plotlines that seemed to wander carelessly in and out of the narrative.

In this regard, some of the events that were brushed aside could have used a little more detail (especially near the end), but I still really enjoyed this book.

Most of my enjoyment comes from Alaine, our narrator. Her voice is young, relatable, and rarely serious, even when the moment calls for decorum. She is strong despite her insecurities, her determination to help her family is admirable. Her honesty and her humour are both a delight and relief throughout the book.

The magical realism was both interesting and frustrating to me; interesting for obvious reasons and frustrating as we never quite get a direct answer regarding the superstitious elements of this story. I'm not sure whether I liked certain ambiguities.

Also, the romantic storyline seemed to fall apart at the end. Granted, it wasn't the main focus of the book, but I'd have liked at least a little more closure on that piece.

I think this might be closer to a 3.5* book, but I'm bumping it up to 4*.

I have some complaints, but I flew through this book and really enjoyed my time in this story, even if it wasn't perfect.

Plus I always love the epistolary style of conveying the story through diary entries, letters, transcripts, emails, articles, etc., so bonus points for that!

Alaine was being sent to Haiti as punishment. Well, sort of. She was getting out of the line of fire after a really dramatic school presentation that almost resulted in the death of another student. She had been suspended, instead of expelled, and was going to conduct not only independent studies but would also be interning under her aunt, the minister of tourism of Haiti. Alaine would also have the chance to bond with her mother and possibly end the curse that has been affecting her family since Haiti won its independence.

This was a mix of quite a few things but most importantly this book was fun. There’s humor and foolishness, as well as history and adventure, while also exploring familial relationships and how complicated that can truly be. All of it explored through Alaine, who is one of those characters that is just very entertaining. She has a very distinct voice and character. She gets into some shenanigans that you simultaneously laugh and shake your head at. Extremely outgoing and sure of herself but she is nowhere near perfect. Her family is complicated. She lives with her father while her mom pursues her career. Both of her parents are from Haiti and her mother’s family are descendants of one of Haiti’s most famed leaders. It is there where our story really takes off.

One of things that I really enjoyed while reading this book was the way it was told. Most of it is in the form of diary entries but there are also emails, text messages, letters, postcards even newspaper clippings and list. The different mediums never felt like a distraction and were used to inform or bring in a different point of view or simply as a moment of humor but all were done well. I also really enjoyed the snippets of Haitian history littered and explored throughout. The deep dive into Haitian culture, the poverty besides the richness and even the spiritual elements explored were all so interesting. If you know nothing about Haitian history then this will be an interesting crash course. In all honesty though I am very intrigued. Haiti has a very unique history. One that I don’t feel like is celebrated enough.

Overall, I am really excited about this book and will definitely recommend it. It was so easy to read and so much fun. It was quite a ride with so many emotional highs and lows. I loved that Alaine had to come to terms with so many different aspects of her life and her family’s history as well as her future. I have few complaints regarding this book. There were a few loose strings that I wish had been tightened up but besides that I absolutely enjoyed this.

I just adored this book and especially the character of Alaine. It was smart, charming, and poignant, and so was Alaine! I loved learning facts here and there about Haiti and it's residents, but the story was so captivating on its own and does a great job introducing the Haitian-American experience both in America and Haiti. Excellent new title!

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is the story of a high school senior who has been sent to live with her aunt and mother in their childhood home in Haiti. Alaine's mother, Celeste, was a star political journalist in DC doing high profile interviews and anchoring a Sunday morning program until an on-air breakdown. Alaine lives with her father in Miami, and has run into trouble at her prestigious private school, what she refers to as "the incident." I won't spoil it for you, but trust me, it's definitely a new way to get almost expelled. Her father is able to broker a deal where she will spend the remainder of her senior year in what has been deemed a "volunteer immersion experience," through fast thinking, smoothing ruffled feathers, and a history of substantial donations to the school. A forced residence with a mother who is ill but won't discuss it is balanced out with the opportunity to explore her Haitian heritage. Alaine may not like everything she finds in her family's history or in the reality of Haiti.

I thought this was a phenomenal book. Alaine's voice grabbed me immediately, and stayed strong throughout the novel. While the teacher who reads Alaine's assignments requests that she editorialize less on factual assignments, her snark and quick wit had me smiling even when she confronted difficult topics. Few of the plot points will surprise the reader, but I was engaged all the same. Maika and Martina Moulite have painted a picture of Haiti that encompasses many facets of the island nation and its history, rather than focusing on a single narrative. Highly recommended for any contemporary YA fans, and for those who are just looking for a good book to read but aren't looking for an adrenaline rush with their story.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I read this book as a hard copy courtesy of Goodreads.

The first word that came to mind when I was done was WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. I was instantly hooked to Alaine's story from the moment that I began reading. I absolutely adore pretty much any book that is written in epistolary style, so before I knew it I was already deep into the story. This wonderfully written novel is genre-bending with elements of realistic young adult, magical realism, romance, thriller & suspense, crime fiction, and probably other genres that I did not include here. This book, simply put, is amazing. And, plus, it has a strikingly gorgeous cover.

As mentioned in the author's note, practically anyone can relate to one aspect in this book or another. The aspect that I related to the most was the way that early onset Alzheimer's took control of Celeste's mother. My grandmother developed full-blown Alzheimer's and succumbed to the disease in 2010. I was so young when the disease progressed that I did not get a fighting chance to know my grandma. Although this disease isn't rare, it seems to me that it is rarely mentioned and discussed in young adult literature. I think that Alzheimer's needs to be discussed more in young adult novels with factual information and new perspectives like Dear Haiti, Love Alaine provided - the readers of these novels (of all ages) could be surrounded by this disease in the future, and/or even could be the ones to discover remedies and cures for it in our lifetime! You never know.

There are HUGE opportunities here for sequels and even prequels to this book. I would read anything else that includes these multidimensional characters in it. I can see novels expanding on Celeste and Jules's love story highlighted by the beauty of their romance, underneath the gorgeous Haiti sunset. I can see Alaine & Jason's relationship becoming a novel - a long distance relationship that includes letters back and forth after Alaine's gap year? Or a book about Celeste's childhood and her rise to stardom as a journalist, as well as her challenges and accomplishments. I would love to read Celeste's perspective more in regards to her own individuality before she became a mother. The possibilities are endless! (Yes, the book is not even officially released yet and I'm suggesting ideas for a whole series. Yes, this book is THAT amazing.)

We need more books like this to represent a multitude of different cultures as well as to defy misleading stereotypes. I will be definitely recommending this book to my students, and I'm excited to read the next book by the authors - and hopefully, Maika and Maritza will expand on the ideas for more books in Alaine's world!

The delightful Moulite sisters have teamed up for this stunning debut written in epistolary style. Full of heart, humor, and love, this one deserves a place on your shelf.

beautiful topic, but didn't really wow me and wasn't a book for me but i think i will try again after published

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is the debut novel for sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Alaine is your average 17 year old high school student trying to navigate life with her divorced parents, her family in Haiti and everything else that comes along with being in high school. When she uses a school presentation as an act of revenge on a classmate, everything comes to a screeching halt and she gets sent to Haiti for a two month volunteer experience rather than being expelled.

Told in emails, diary entries and from the mouth of Alaine herself, Dear Haiti starts out super strong. Up until the minute Alaine travels to Haiti, this book was a solid four star for me. The humor and warmth and over all down to earthness (I can make up words if I want) were perfection. Unfortunately, for me, once the story moved to the next part, I felt the story started to fall apart a bit. While I appreciate everything at work here, I found it hard to keep up. This may be due, in part, to the quality of the ARC I received. A lot of sentences were out of place and I had a hard time tracking what was going on. In the long run, however, I just feel that the story tried to do too much and would have been better had it been narrower in focus.

I still enjoyed the story and rated it 3 out of 5 stars. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine comes out September 2019.

I was not as impressed with this book as I thought I would be. I love diverse voices in YA lit and I'm always trying to read as widespread culturally as I can, but the mixed up way the story was told was just something I couldn't get into. Alaine herself was a great character, but the format was just not good for me. Maybe it was because I read an e-arc on my phone, like it would look better on paper, I don't know. A lot of that stuff felt like it disrupted the flow of the story. It gave me an overall negative feel to the book.

I wanted to love this book, I mean look at that cover! Unfortunately I didnt love it at all. It felt pretty flat to me, and even a bit tedious at times. Reading it became more of a chore than an enjoyable task and ultimately I decided not to finish the book. I will agree with others, the formatting of the file was problematic, but not entirely detrimental. I think my expectations were just too high for this one.

"Dear Haiti, Love Alaine" follows seventeen-year-old Haitian American Alaine. Alaine lives in Miami with her father and has a famous mother who is a reporter living in Washington, D.C. Alaine is what I think most people would call "too much." She is definitely intelligent and it seems holds some pain over the fact that her mother is barely around due to her job and late breaking stories. Her actions in this book made my head hurt. She does a prank to get back at someone and almost ends up killing another classmate. She gets suspended although she was initially threatened with being expelled. As a way to make amends at her school she is supposed to do an assignment on her family's history in Haiti.

So Alaine was aggravating. She ends up going back to Haiti to stay with her aunt and mother for two months and learns barely anything I think about the history of the country. Instead this book focuses on her mother and aunt's history, a cousin with her own messed up sense of values, and curses. I think that if the authors had just focused on Alaine that would have worked better. I really wish that we had Alaine exploring Haiti and finding out about the history of the country. She works at her aunt's foundation and is crushing on an intern. They have a lot of IMs and texts to each other and she just stumbles on information about her family by people just giving her that information.

I can't say much about the secondary characters because they barely matter in this book. Alaine's father is written so weird as is the mother. We know that they both came from Haiti, but we don't get into why they got divorced. And the authors try to throw a little out there about why Alaine's mother had her go live with her father full-time but it made zero sense and then you throw in family curses and I just didn't care anymore. Due to the writing style we flip flop all over the place and you can barely focus on anyone.

The writing style was not for me. The authors decided to tell this story via Alaine's online journal I think and also included excerpts from her mother's diary, letters between her aunt, mother, texts, newspaper articles, etc. I felt like I was being stuffed with information and not a lot of it made sense. Also certain words or whole paragraphs here and there were in red. Also sometimes the fonts would be really big and then change all over the place. I have no idea why that was and I hope that's just a weird formatting issue with my ARC and is not going to be issued like this. I get why "House of Leaves" did certain things to make the book more immersive for readers. This book is not "House of Leaves."

The book mainly takes place in Miami and Haiti. You don't get a sense of Miami at all and the authors take more care to describe Haiti. I am disappointed though that I am still left with not knowing much about Haiti besides two women's names who kept getting mentioned: Marie-Madeline Lachenais and Marie-Louise Coidavid. I really wish the authors had gone into more of its history and how the country had changed through the centuries when under Spanish, French, and American rule. I also wanted to hear more about how the people in the country spoke French as well as Creole. I was fascinated by that and it was just thrown here and there as an aside.

The ending was a mess. I don't want to get into it, but good grief I don't know what the authors were aiming for in this story. Curses are real?

NetGalley eArcs are hit-or-miss on formatting, and this one was a clear miss. It's especially disappointing because, as a mixed media book, consistency between the different types of correspondence (via Twitter, emails, journal entries, and more) is important. I wish I had waited and gotten a physical copy of the book to fully appreciate this.

I also debated whether the formatting or the content of the book was the reason for my rating. I was really looking forward to reading this book and learning more about Haiti from authors who have experienced it, and the book delivered on that. I also appreciated Alaine's snark, which shines through during her time in the US and in Haiti. Unfortunately, the book deviates from exploring the relationships between Alaine and her relatives (namely, her mother) in favor of scattered side plots--including a family curse--and the inclusion of multimedia correspondence from peripheral characters.

I struggled to read this because the formatting of the digital copy was so off. There were times when the story moved on but I didn’t realize and it confused me. I had to DNF this Netgalley but I plan on grabbing a finished copy so I can read it how it’s intended to be read.