I think this is a good coming of age young adult novel dealing with grief and discovering oneself, with a little dash of romance tossed in for good measure. That is not the type of book I tend to love anymore but I would definitely still recommend this for the appropriate age group and/or anyone who is interested in this kind of story.

In theory this was a great little story of a girl finally doing something for herself and focusing on herself and her dreams instead of what she thought was laid out for her. That part of the story was 5/5 stars.

My issue with this book is the fact that she needed THERAPY. Not to be sent away like some burden in her darkest hour. Like homegirl was going THROUGH it, and clearly needed someone she could talk to about everything she was experiencing. But instead of giving her time and a place to cope, her family LITERALLY shipped her off and all but told her "how you're coping with your problems is not good for us, so go live with your aunt you've met once" like??? (yeah it made for a great story but yikes)

And the other issue I had was with the excessive drinking like it was just so normal. And yeah it takes place in England so their drinking age is 18 and it's fine, but for Americans I feel like the excessive drinking shouldn't be so normalized. (Cut me some slack, I grew up in a household with alcohol problems and reading any story with excessive alcohol use makes me uncomfortable, especially those books aimed at a younger age)

This book was so promising and I loved the concept but it fell a little short for me. The attitude of the main character, though understandable after such a loss, was too annoying and hard to relate to. I'm sure it improves but I had to put it on pause.

The book is funny, light-hearted, and easy to read. I loved the depictions of food and the cooking process mentioned in the story; it made my mouth water while reading about it. Highly recommend it

3.5/5

For a book that deals with a character coping with the grief of having lost her grandmother, A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow manages to be a heartwarming and hopeful story. This book was a delight to read with its sweet romance, all the great family dynamics, and the great character arc of the protagonist, Lila. The romance here is a slow-burn one and one that's adorable. I loved how mature and communicative Lila and her love interest, Orion, were. The book is also rich in food descriptions and Cuban heritage and they are both written brilliantly! My favorite part, however, is Lila's growth throughout the book. She learns so much about herself during her time in Winchester, England, and it made my heart happy seeing her rediscover things about herself she loves.

Well, I only started reading the complimentary digital copy few days ago since I was hoping if I would get a physical copy before my stop (probably, will get a physical one soonest!). I want to be honest, I am not really in the mood when I read the book because I wasn't expecting that my schedule will get hectic!

Sure, I enjoyed the book! It is a light and quick read and it made me really hungry. I want to eat all the delicious foods mentioned in the book. I also love the cultural representation. It was fun to decipher all the foreign words without even having the need to use a dictionary, some words are kinda similar to Filipino (abuela, tia, panaderia etc.)

Another reason why I love it is that I found myself and Lila similar in many ways. Appreciation for the author that she put and mixed a lot of ingredients to make the story more interesting and beautiful. It was emotional, it talks about acceptance and love for family and friends. 💕

Do I recommend the book?

Yes, why not? The author's writing style, dialogues and characters are great and relatable. There is a free tour to England, and the place was nicely represented plus the beautiful book cover.

Thank you @laura_namey and @hearourvoicestours for the eARC and letting me to be a part of the tour. ✨

This book was so freakin' cute! I mean- how could I not love it? It's got everything I love- baking, Brits, and romance. This is a perfect read for the summer- I so enjoyed reading about how cool the weather was in Winchester while I'm burning up in Texas!

A pleasant YA with a developed romance and discussion of important topics. Definitely one to add to the classroom library.

After Lila's boyfriend dumps her, grandma passes away, and best friend changes her mind over their future plans together, Lila's depressed. Her family who owns a Cuban bakery in Miami sends Lila to England to stay with family until she feels better. In England, Lila begs to help in the kitchen at her aunt's Bed and Breakfast. As she grows and finds herself and learns about England, Lila realizes that her future doesn't need to be so fixed. This is a cute and diverse book filled with food and feeding your soul. It's a little predictable, but I would recommend this to 7th grade and up.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters, relationships, and struggles drew me into the story. I also loved the travel, food, and family relationships. I mean really, it is hard to not like reading about personal growth served with bread, tea and romance. It was a cute story with some depth. The biggest drawback was the role that Stephanie (did or really did not) play in the novel. The role Stephanie played was undeveloped and the references to Africa connected to her mission experience fed into stereotypes--this would have provided a perfect place to dispel some of those. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy light romance, food, and British culture..

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I loved Lila's passion in this book! She puts so much of herself into her food and relationships. Orion was an absolute dreamboat, respectful and more than just a leading man. I was so interested in each character, I'd read more than a few spin offs about them! This book made me want to travel but also appreciate the comforts of home and family. Also her descriptions of baked goods made me want to eat all the pastries! I really appreciated the depictions of grief and mental health.

This was a super cute YA novel. I enjoyed it. I always love stories that take you on a journey metaphorically and literally. The language got a little annoying at times and I felt like they talked much older than they were.

3.5/5 stars

Lila has been shipped off to live at her aunt and uncle’s B&B in a small town in England after her beloved abuela dies and her long-time boyfriend dumps her the night of prom. Initially, Lila is not happy about leaving the family panaderia (bakery), where she is poised to take over as owner and chef. However, as she is enfolded into a new group of friends (including a charming Brit named Orion) in England, she comes to realize that what she thought of as her “master plan” is not as set in stone as she originally thought.

In the middle of listening to this audiobook, I read SLJ’s article “YA Grows Up” by Katy Hershberger, which explains why books with 19-21 year-old protagonists may be considered YA. Since Lila is a high school graduate, this book falls into this category. I fully understand how this story is the coming-of-age with first-person, present-tense narration that really does make it YA. However, while I would be okay putting this in a 14 year old patron’s hands, not all YA/New Adult cusp books do I feel that level of comfort (Emergency Contact, I am looking at you). And while this was a cute story, I really do want more YA with 14-16 year-old protagonists. And I think this could have been slightly aged down to make Lila 16 and still make it work. I wish publishers would focus less on their adult YA-readers and more on their teen YA-readers.

Diverse reads:
- Lila and her family are Cuban. Her grandmother immigrated from Cuba some 40+ years previously.

I loved The Library of Lost Things, and i love this one! So sweet and fun, and so much love for baked goods!

I really enjoyed this story. It's sweet and endearing but also relatable and sassy. I loved the setting and all of the characters, not just Lila and Orion. I also enjoyed the unconventional path that these two characters end up taking. I think YA books tend to default to the college onto career path and while that was still somewhat included here, the path was different enough to be open to different choices. Also, loved the cuban heritage and the stories involved there.

This is a cute book that deals with some serious topics. The characters react realistically to their grief, loss, betrayal, etc., and behave like real teens. My main issue was that the main character spent so much of the book stewing in her own emotions and, even though you could see how her perspective was going to change, it wasn't actually a gradual change. It felt like she had this lightbulb moment of understanding where she suddenly recognized her own role in the things that had happened and then she was a new version of herself. A little too neat a resolution for all the messy emotions she had been feeling.

Lila Reyes, Cuban, born-and-raised in Miami, did not have a summer in England planned. She was going to be head baker at her family's panaderia, La Paloma, move in with her best friend, Stephanie, and stay with her boyfriend Andres. But when life begins to deviate from Lila's carefully laid out plans and grief hits her family, she begins to unravel. Worried about her, her family decides to ship her off to England with her tia to get her out of her slump. She meets Orion who who begins to chip away at Lila's stubborn exterior as he teaches her that not everything has to go according to a plan.
Cute YA romance with a Latina heroine, which is always great to see! Laura Namey did well in blending Spanish and English (and Spanglish!) throughout the prose without alienating the reader. Orion's character was very sweet and grounding for someone like Lila. Though I liked how strong and independent Lila is, she is also stubborn, proud, and inflexible, which I think were slowly being chipped away at throughout the novel. Summary of the few issues I encountered: really liking Lila as a character, there were very low stakes (it was pretty clear where it was going when she was returning to Miami), and Stephanie's trip to "Africa" rather than a specific country within the continent (I think there may have been a VERY brief mention that she went to Ghana, but that should have been interspersed throughout).

I completely enjoyed this book. As a Latina who loves England, this book spoke to me on many levels. I love the Spanish sprinkled throughout the book, much like the best of recipes sprinkled liberally with history and tradition. The characters were likable and lovable while remaining real. I appreciated the real issues of death, breakups, illness and family obligations. I was sad to see this book end. I’m grateful that I was able to read an advance copy. I’d love to see Lila and Orion’s story continue!

Ok, this is awkward. Let’s talk about reviewing a book you didn’t like.

I usually don’t review books I didn’t enjoy because I understand that every reader is different. Just because I didn’t like it, it doesn’t mean it was bad. But I received an ARC of this one in exchange for my honest opinion. So here it is:

First and foremost. Things I did like:

- Description of food and recipes that you can almost smell and taste

- The main character is a Cuban girl that is smart, confident and determined.


That being said, it was not the book for me.

Within the first 50 pages Lila mentions cafecito, guava pastelito, chisme, vivaporú… and it felt so cliché. I live in Miami, I speak Spanglish, and it felt odd to me. Like words you use just to sound more Cuban.

I felt for her many losses (her grandma, her boyfriend, her best friend…) and wanted her to feel better. So, when she is sent to England to heal and recover, I hoped the story will turn around and catch my attention.

But she gets there, and it bored me again. Yes, I think the recipes are nice. Yes, I’m rooting for her to heal and feel better, but it takes sooo long for the story to develop. I just felt like snoozing out of the book after every few pages.

I wanted so badly to love it. I wanted to be in awe of this Cuban girl, conquering the world and becoming stronger...but sadly, it didn’t happen.

As I said before, my review is just my opinion.

Also, big thanks to @hearourvoicestours for making sure to include #OwnVoices reviewers on this book tour. ❤️

3.5 stars. This was a bit of a weird reading expereince for me if I'm being honest. I thought this was very well written and I especially appreciated the way that the author depicted grief and depression, and I also thought that the romance at the center of this felt well flushed out and that the characters had great chemistry. However, something about this book just didn't wow me the way that it seems to have wowed everyone else? If I'm being honest, I think that most likely has more to do with my reading tastes changing and moving away from YA romance than with the book itself (which is why I rounded up to a 4!), so while this wasn't necessarily a favorite for me, I think that if you like YA romance, this is a pretty perfect example of the genre and I do recommend!

TW: death of a loved one, depression, dementia, grief