“American Love Story” is the third volume in Adriana Herrera’s “Dreamers” series, and by far the strongest. “Dreamers” is about a group of friends who are all immigrants, and it’s very much about their experience in the US. Its strength lies in in conveying that experience, and in creating a cast of characters that feels like a group of friends you wish you had.

This book focuses on Patrice, a Haitian immigrant and new professor at Cornell University, and Easton, who is white, rich and the assistant DA in Ithaca. Patrice is very active in the Black Lives Matter movement, and as such cannot help but feel like a relationship with Easton would mean compromising his beliefs, while Easton struggles with having to constantly fulfil other people’s expectations. They’re both very much attracted to each other, but circumstances for their relationship to work are less than ideal.

It’s a very smart book that doesn’t gloss over the difficulties of a relationship like Patrice and Easton’s, but it’s both realistic and hopeful, which is my favourite thing. I like how Herrera manages to show that Patrice, too, has to change, without him having to compromise with regards to the causes he fights for.

For me, the whole series shines when it comes to showing the immigrant experience and what they can bring to any country. All three books made me realise things I wasn’t previously aware of, and this book especially made me realise how my white privilege works without me ever being aware of it. They made me think about a lot of things, which is another thing I love.

I remember complaining about it feeling like there was too much information dumping going on in book two, and in the beginning I was going to say something similar for this one, but then I realised something. At this point, there aren’t that many books like these, and as such, there is still a lot of knowledge that needs to be established for people like me. Like, there is no need to explain what Thanksgiving or Valentine’s day is, but there is at this point a need to explain the significance of Soup Joumou. Until we get to a point where there are enough books about people who would eat Soup Joumou, the books about them are probably going to feel a bit infodumping, but that is not the books’ or the writers’ fault. (I hope I am making sense and what I am trying to get across is actually coming across.) I really need there to be more books like these, about people from all kinds of background, is what I am saying. I want more diversity in my romances.

Speaking of romance, that is admittedly where the books’ weaknesses lie for me. This is because of the way the relationships and the conflicts are set up - the characters’ mutual attraction is always established from the beginning. As someone who prefers UST and a super slow burn, it’s simply not what I like, but that is not a fault of the books. I also think that the way the relationships are set up make more sense for the stories Herrera is trying to tell, so, again, not a criticism, just an observation.

And while it may be true that I didn’t feel the kind of “spark” I prefer in romance, I absolutely love these characters. Nesto, Camilo, Patrice and Juanpa are wonderful, as are their mothers and families and friends and love interests. I love reading series about people that feel real, and about people I would love to hang out with, and Adriana Herrera has definitely created that here. And since she is getting better with each book, I cannot wait for what comes next.

My review will be published on my blog on September 7, 2019. Link will be active then!

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Patrice is a newly appointed professor when he is reunited with ADA Easton. They come from different backgrounds, Patrice was a refugee raised by a strong and vibrant single-mother. Easton comes from a privilege that he’s embarrassed by… and he throws himself into his work. Lack of attraction isn’t a problem for these two men. They had a few nights together the previous summer and have now found themselves living int he same town. The attraction is still there on both sides.

The problem is that Patrice seems to feel that he can’t open himself up to someone like Easton.

There’s a lot going on in this story and it’s a bit tricky to unpack. Herrera has touched on some really timely issues considering the current political climate in the US. The town that is the setting for this story has had several occurrences of people of color being harassed by law enforcement officers. Patrice is very political. He’s well-known on twitter for his outspoken views, he volunteers where he can and he tries to speak up for what he believes in at every possible occasion. As ADA Easton does his best to fight for justice, but some things are out of his hands or have to be handled with political finesse.

Time and again these two men find themselves retreating from each other as the situation around them becomes more and more volatile.

Patrice was a difficult character for me to like. His views on what happens in the US … and to him and his friends were absolutely right. There’s something very broken about the system but I found it difficult to take how quick he was to take out his frustration on Easton. This is definitely an HFN ending, but I can’t say I’m very convinced that these two characters would find a way to stay together given the complexities of their lives.

There were a few things that bothered me a little once the book concluded. Patrice is a professor but there’s very little characterization in terms of him as a teacher. There are a couple of really brief scenes during which he’s at work, and that’s it. It seems as though him being a professor was more of a throw-away fact.

The political issues and challenges in the book are very real and authentic. I was a bit disappointed that there was no resolution to the ongoing issue in their town. There really was little forward movement at all in terms of what Easton and Patrice were trying to accomplish. The story felt a little unfinished to me, but it is categorized as a “M/M romance” so I may have been expecting too much from the plot! Kudos to Herrera for getting me that interested that I wanted it to continue!

All in all, this was an engaging read and gets 3 stars from me!

Hoo boy! A queer mixed race HOT HOT HOT romance. Plus one that does shy away from discussions of race and the current socio-political climate.
I may be a little bit In love with Patrice...

Excellent read! I adored the dynamic between Patrice and Easton, the activist and the lawyer. They both deal with some important issues, internal and external. I liked how they were clearly on the same side, but took some time to navigate what that meant and how they could make it all work together.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

¸.•´¸★*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★¤4.5 stars. This is what I look for in a story.¤★¨*.¸¸.*ˑ˞★

As a Caribbean woman, I can truthfully say that this book was quite impressive and mind boggling.

Impressive as the author, Caribbean born herself understands the struggles and layered this book with sincerity. Patrice Denis was Haitian born. Though he had a somewhat life of privilege, he was knew the struggles of his people and those that confronted him when he found asylum in American. With his mother by his side, he learned the art of perfection and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves.

Mind boggling in the sense that the author could have seasoned the book with angst and rage on the homophobia, but she made it a non focus. And trust me, homophobia among the Caribbean is dreadful.

Assistant District Attorney Easton Archer was like woah. Here was a man who wore his heart on his sleeves. I just wished I had read the other books before I started this one, but the synopsis drew me in faster than the first two in the Dreamers series. The story started with an obvious continuation as these two men had already had an affair months earlier and the book picked up with them meeting again. I can say, even if you have not read the other two books, it was still somewhat easy follow. [Still plan on reading those though, LOL.] The awkwardness and the heated chemistry lit fire and made this reader wanting to go on and on despite life calling.

Patrice and Easton were drawn to each other and they had quite a bit of issues between them. Patrice was annoying at times and it was like he could be so cold and uncaring. But this reader soon realised that it was his way of protecting himself. I loved Easton and his stance on a lot of things and am glad he stood up for himself when needed.

Relationship goals? Somewhat. But love is never an easy road and when the race card is played, someone always ends up hurt. One just has to learn to fight for forever. An amazing read and highly recommended.

I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from Carina Press
Reviewed by Cee from Alpha Book Club