This book was such a comforting and heart-warming read. Reading this book felt like being hugged by Orion: sweet, and I wish it ould last forever. I loved reading Lila's story as she struggled through every form of heartbreak there is while trying to pick up all of the pieces. The most devastating loss for her was her grandmother's death, which pulled at my heartstrings. You could feel the grief in her words and actions but also how she was able to honor her grandmother's memory and keep her spirit alive through her stories and her cooking. The food and cooking in this book is easily a favorite of mine: incorporating some of my favorite dishes and bringing everyone together. The heart of this book is on coping with loss but it's done in a light-hearted way, showing that there's always an opportunity to forge new connections while also remembering the ones you've lost. The cast of the tight-knit family and a new group of friends was perfect with fully-realized and realistic characters. I adored this book with all my heart.

I really love this author's writing. She has a way of weaving words that make her stories feel like they are full of life and breathing off of the page. This particular title was of interest to me because of the cultural aspect and I was super excited to dive in.

And it didn't disappoint! I found myself enveloped in the story, despite the fact that it was somewhat mundane. I read this in one sitting, so it was a nice contemporary to break up a ton of fantasy reading. I find that when I throw in a contemporary, I am pleasantly surprised.

I read Library of lost Things and was blown away by the mental illness rep. It was so important to have and the rep in this is just as important. I highly recommend this title and I absolutely love the cover art, too. I hope this makes people cover buy and fall in love with the story!

Ever wish a book would have come out when you were years younger? That’s how I’m currently feeling while reading this charming little novel by Laura Taylor Namey. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow follows the story of Lila Reyes as she traverses the streets of England while recovering from a trifecta of painful life-altering events. Her abuela has just passed away, her best friend decided to abandon their college plans, and her boyfriend dumped her. Her year sounds a lot like 2020. I wouldn’t call it a recipe for success.
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The reason I wish this book had come out years ago is because I sincerely wish something this cute, by an Own Voices author would have been around when I was a teen. Perhaps there was, but I didn’t know of it?
As an adult, it’s a tad difficult to relate to, though fun to stand back and admire with a familiar nostalgia. As a Chicana, it rings with certain truths that only Spanish speaking people would find relatable.
There are sweet moments and heartbreaking ones. A mix of awkward teen cringe and the growing pains that come along with getting older.
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I found myself transported back into adolescence for a moment and I was reminded of the tender moments we all face with family, friendship, and love.
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A word of caution, this book contains far too much pasteles for an empty stomach. If you haven’t had lunch, be sure to have a bite before the talk of flan and pastelitos de guayaba comes into play. 😋🍮🍰
Unfortunately I could not procure any guava paste, but I did make some delicious spiced scones with pumpkin glaze to enjoy with my tea.
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If you’re looking for a light-hearted and sentimental read, you’ll find it in A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. 💞✨

Actual rating 4.5

Lila Reyes has had a difficult time dealing with loss. Her grandmother, her boyfriend, and her best friend have all left her and, in an attempt to escape her feelings, she worries her family and forces them to send her to England to spend the summer with her cousin, Cate. No matter how much she resists, she finds herself in the kitchen of the inn that Cate owns, doing what she does best, baking. On her first day in the kitchen, she encounters Orion Maxwell, a proper British boy who pushes her boundaries and eventually becomes her unofficial tour guide around town. As Lila bakes, runs, and explores, she finds herself healing in ways she never thought possible. But her legacy is in Miami, with her family bakery, but can England and Orion Maxwell heal her enough to make her stay? Filled with whimsical writing and a teenager who finds herself in the most unexpected way, Lilas story transports the reader to the English countryside in a whirlwind of new and old friendships and the importance of self love.

Full of food, family, and feeling, this book follows a young Cuban girl as she is sent to England by her family to deal with her grief. This books is a dream for food-lovers as a love for food fills every page and the author inserts different recipe styles in the writing. This is a sweet and compelling coming of age story, with a perfect atmosphere.

This was just so cute & adorable. I loved reading about Lila and her journey to England and the baking..oh my goodness, I loved every second of learning about baking and Cuban food.
The romance and friendship was adorable and I enjoyed it. The setting of England was the cream on the cake as well!
Overall this was cute and sweet...everything I look for in a Ya Contemporary.

5/5 stars

What an enchanting book. The first thing I want to talk about in this review is the writing style. It's borderline mystical, as rich and sweet as the desserts and delicacies Laura Taylor Namey describes. The main character, Lila, is a baker, and we spend a lot of time with her in the kitchen, and Namey does an excellent job of describing in a delectable manner all the Cuban foods Lila is baking. The descriptions were <i> on point </i> to a degree that I'd love to take a masterclass from Namey on how to describe people, places, foods, and things in such a manner.

This book made me want to hop a plane to England immediately, it made me want to start baking, it even made me want to take up running (which I've never enjoyed, not even when running track). It does an excellent job of painting verbal pictures and making you wish you could be there.

You know what else was darling? Orion, and his friend group (especially Jules and Remy), and the relationships we see Lila develop with all of them over her summer in England.

I loved that there was a small mystery but that it never derailed the main focus of the book, which was Lila's relationship with Orion and her family in Winchester.

Ultimately this book is about figuring out your future and maybe even redefining it, which I think is such a powerful message to learn even as a 27-year-old and I am so excited for this book to land in the world. Highly recommend!

Be prepared to be hungry while reading this book!

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is so much more than a cute romance. It's a book about family, loss and grief, culture, and yes, love.

Lila had a trifecta of bad things that happened to her and she's not dealing well. Her Abuela died suddenly, her boyfriend broke up with her right before prom, and her best friend decided to cancel their plans and leave the country. Everything is messed up and Lila has trouble grieving. After she runs to exhaustion, her parents decide to send her to England for the summer. She has family there that own and inn and she'll be staying with them. Lila does not want to leave Miami and everything she knows. Lila is loyal to Miami. It's everything to her and she knows she can't be happy anywhere else. Especially England where it's chilly and rainy. She tries to avoid everything in the beginning, just sleeping and then a bit of running. But what saves Lila is the kitchen at the inn. Cate lets her work with Polly, who resists help, preparing baked goods for the inn. Lila is at home in the kitchen. Baking makes her happy in ways other things don't.

Lila meets a small group of people including a boy, Orion. Somehow, these teens break through and Lila starts opening up to them. Orion becomes her tour guide. He's able to show her that she can love England while still loving Miami. It's hard to be away from her family, but Lila starts to create a life for herself away from home. She is still conflicted between loyalty to her family and what she may actually want for her own life.

The characters are the stand out in the book. I adored Orion. Jules was a favorite. I loved the locations and descriptions. The food sounded amazing. I just really enjoyed this book.

I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Warnings for grief, dementia, an older teen hitting on a young teen, and loss.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is the perfect recipe of all things I love in a YA book: a big, loving Latinx family, absolutely mouth-watering depictions of food, and a summer adventure in Europe. Following Lila, a recent high school graduate who has big plans to run her family’s Cuban bakery after graduation, the story takes an unexpected turn when Lila’s well-intentioned family sends her to England for the summer to recover from multiple heartbreaks and a sense of grief she can’t (quite literally) outrun.

At first I was a bit apprehensive about Lila’s journey to England, as I was worried I’d miss out on the vibrant Miami setting and Latinx family representation with Lila so far from her home. However, Miami itself is almost a character in this story, Lila’s city as much a a true love to her as any romantic partner. I loved how even as Lila was exploring new sides of herself in England, her heart was never far from her mother, father, and sister in Miami, as well as her colorful neighborhood, gossipy neighbors, and supportive customers. Yet juxtaposed against Lila’s love for Miami was her growing acceptance of the English countryside, which depicted a different type of beauty that Lila learned to appreciate. I loved exploring the endless green valleys with Lila, seeing her merge her beloved Cuban recipes with traditional English ones, and discovering new friendships with a very different dynamic that those she had back in the States. A Cuban Girl’s Guide is very much a coming of age story and one that emphasizes sometimes you need to leave behind who you think you are to discover who you really are.

Throughout the course of the story, Lila is dealing with her trifecta of loss, with the death of her beloved Abuela, the breakup with her boyfriend, and a falling out with her childhood best friend all coinciding with each other and serving as a catalyst to push Lila into behaviors that cause her to be sent away for the summer. While these are a lot of issues to have one protagonist work through in one contemporary YA novel, it was clear that they were all interconnected and Lila yet had to learn how to grieve each relationship and move on from it in its own way. I especially appreciated how in many ways each trauma was treated with equal weight, even if the circumstances were different. In particular, the exploration of a formative female friendship changing and disintegrating was hard to read but something I was ultimately glad was explored, as friendship breakups can be especially painful as a teen but so often are overshadowed by other kinds of relationship losses.

Other Elements I Enjoyed:

-The cosmic correlations between Orion and Estrellita.
-How the Spanish language was woven throughout the narrative to showcase how important it was to Lila and wasn’t always explained- it felt so natural.
-All of the food descriptions! My mouth was quite close to watering reading about both the amazing Cuban pastries Lila would make in the bakery every morning along with the savory meals she would treat her friends too. I also loved that for Lila, showing her love and problem solving was often done through the act of cooking. Cooking and baking weren’t just her skills but her way of expressing herself, especially when she couldn’t verbally.
-Tea tasting at the Maxwell’s tea shop.
-Lila’s strong relationship with her parents and sister that continues to persist, even when she is angry and resentful at them.
- An overall very wholesome romantic plot.

Overall: A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is a sweet coming of age story that merges two very different locations and cultures to help the protagonist find her way. With an emphasis on loss being a part of growth, I found this contemporary novel to pack more of an emotional punch than expected.

Laura Taylor Namey continues to showcase her ability to present sensitive themes to YA readers while still making them feel like they’re wrapped in a warm hug. In A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, issues of loss, family, and identity are presented in accessible and age-appropriate ways that young readers will engage with and love. A fair warning, though: one should expect to develop a strong craving for Cuban food while reading this phenomenal book. Highly recommended!

I am in love with this sweet book! It was the coziest read, like getting a hug, drinking hot tea, and listening to Taylor Swift's song "cardigan" all at once. I loved seeing Lila's journey through heartbreak and grief to hope and love. And Orion was the sweetest love interest ever! Taylor's beautiful writing and this adorable story left me feeling warm and content and I can't wait to recommend it to more readers.

3.5 stars

This is a sweet book, literally and figuratively.

When the novel starts, readers learn that the m.c. is poorly managing her grief over several losses: her abuela, best friend, and boyfriend. These all happen in a short period of time, and when she increasingly struggles, her family sends her from Miami to stay with extended family an hour outside of London. That's where she puts her abuela-instilled culinary skills to use, meets a boy, mentors a young woman, and makes a concerted effort to reclaim her life.

The descriptions of food in this novel...I was hungry the whole time I read. This is not a complaint.

While I really enjoyed all of the characters in this piece, at times, I found the plot a little bit slower than I'd have liked. The resolution is also a touch cleaner than I'd prefer. That noted, I will absolutely be back for more from this author and would recommend this to folks looking for a manageable look at grief, loss, and rebuilding.

I read my first book by this author at the beginning of this year. It was nicely written and I enjoyed the characters and the messages that were included. Obviously when I found out about her new book, I knew I needed to read it. The cover is also amazing!

Lila is dealing with a lot from the beginning. Her life feels like it’s falling apart from all directions. It was easy to see myself in her from when I was younger and dealing with losing friends and heartbreak. I lost my grandma a year ago and boy did I really feel the pain for Lila on that subject! It’s hard losing someone that helped mold you into who you are.

Even through all that and being sent to another country, she tries to put her life together one step at a time, or really, one recipe at a time. Trust me, this book will make you hungry while reading!

The relationship between her and Orion was super cute and I loved reading about them. He teaches her many things about life along the way through his own struggles. I wasn’t sure how this book would end with them being from different places but the author knocked the ending out of the park! I may have cried a bit, haha. (I also cried before that but who’s counting. I was clearly emotional through the book. 😂)

There are so many great messages throughout about relationships, change, and figuring out how to piece back your life when it’s crumbling down. Don’t worry, it also has it’s funny moments too!

There is so much I would like to say about this book but I feel like my words just wouldn’t do it justice. The author once again wrote a book I thoroughly enjoyed and I can’t wait to see what else she writes!

If you haven’t added this to your tbr, I’d definitely recommend.

So authentic and real! You could taste the food, the descriptions were so thorough they jumped off the page and into your mouth. I’m going to have to hunt down some Cuban food ASAP. I loved the sweet story between Lila and Orion, and I loved Lila finding herself. Namey has such a poetic way with words, some of the passages flowed so beautifully on the page. And, above all, what’s better than a book set in England?

Move over, any other romance, I think I’ve found my new favorite! I’ve been excited for this story since I saw the PW deal announcement last year (back when it had a different title, even!), and all of my expectations were far exceeded. I’m having a hard time putting into words exactly what I feel about this book, but suffice it to say that I loved everything.

Let’s start with the food. I’m not typically one of those readers who feels hungry when reading foodie books, but that changed here. Lila’s Cuban pastries gave me such strong cravings for baked goods. If there isn’t a recipe book in the back of my finished copy, I will be so sad. I love reading books about chefs because they all have such strong memories attached to their cooking, Lila included. Her Abuela teaching her how to bake, running La Paloma with her sister Pilar, sharing a kitchen with her family, all laid out with Namey’s signature beautiful writing, constantly brought smiles to my face.

Lila, of course, is a strong character outside her baking as well. She suffered three immense losses one right after another and didn’t cope all that well, but time and again she learned to get up and heal. I want to be her. I seriously want to have that capacity for resilience and growth, not to mention the enthusiasm she brings to every new morning in her kitchen. Always looking to brighten others’ days with a precious baked good, always seeking to improve on old recipes and mix up new ones. I would read a thousand books starring Lila as long as every one of them was written like this. Again, I have to come back to Namey’s character building. The pace of her prose, and the moments which she chooses for the reader so that we may learn Lila’s story fluidly are perfect.

Of course, I couldn’t review a YA romance without actually discussing the romance. Let me speak for many, many readers when I say… I think we all wish we had an Orion in our lives. English love interests can do some serious damage to American readers’ hearts, y’all. He was a perfect tour guide for Lila—showing her around Winchester with a mix of his own favorite haunts and spots he knew she’d love. Orion is compassionate and smart and thoughtful, and also happens to be a perfect complement for Lila because they share an understanding of loss and grief. Not in the same ways as each other, but as mentioned in the synopsis I really believe this helped spark their chemistry. I prefer relationships between characters who understand each others’ worlds on some level to ones who are totally “opposites attract,” so that contributed to my adoration of their romance. Now, this doesn’t mean they didn’t have challenges. Their relationship came with a ticking clock on it, since Lila was only in England for the summer, but I still enjoyed the heck out of it, and no spoilers, but Namey totally brought me joy with the ending she chose.

We ALSO got some amazing side characters. In England, Lila hangs out with a circle of friends made up of Orion, her cousin Gordon, and their friends Jules (a fabulous singer), Remy (Jules’ boyfriend), and Flora (Orion’s sister). I’m a main character person, but I still appreciated that each of them had a story arc and an important role to play in the novel. This definitely helped set the scene and it was fun to see Lila romp around Winchester with a new group of friends.

Most of all, though, what I loved about A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is the message that dreams can change. Lila had her life all planned out, but she truly grew as a character throughout the novel (I know I say this so much, but I REALLY mean it this time). Whoever said romance novels couldn’t be deep and sob-inducing was totally wrong. Her rigidity was challenged by her new circumstances, which (spoiler alert!) actually brought her some happiness. I’m a sucker for that moment in a novel where a character who’s faced unimaginable loss gets to be happy and have moments of peace, and ACGGTTAT was filled with those.

I can’t recommend this beautiful novel enough. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to read it over and over and over again. I know I do! I beg of you, get a copy. A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is original and wonderful and all of the good things about YA romance combined. 5/5 stars (and thank you for reading my treatise).

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is a heartwarming #ownvoices Contemporary YA Romance that follows Cuban-American teen Lila Reyes as she struggles to overcome the grief of recent tragedies and the upheaval of her perfectly planned life in Miami.

I'm not going to lie, I was initially drawn to this book by the gorgeous cover art.  Thankfully, the story is as precious as the cover.  Lila is a firecracker of a character whose light has been dimmed by three sudden and unexpected losses: the break-up of her long time boyfriend, the abandonment of her best friend, and the passing of her beloved abuela.  Like an artist adding color to a black and white picture, Author Laura Taylor Namey adeptly guides readers through the stark reality of bereavement and the slow and arduous process of finding a way past it.  

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that was reading this novel.  The clash of cultures provides equal parts tension and humor.  Though some of the misunderstandings seemed absurdly exaggerated, I respect that our main character is coming from a completely different background, one where I would likely flounder as she did abroad.  Lila's transformation from her initial culture shock to adapting an infusion of the English lifestyle and her own Cuban-American roots was gradual and believable.  The growth of her ability to embrace change imbues every facet of this story, resulting in a conclusion both satisfying and inspiring.  

Of course, Lila is not the sole character of this book.  She is supported by an engaging and unique cast of characters that captured my heart and kept me reading.  I loved the genuine and thoughtful development of the relationship between Lila and Orion.  Though they are each dealing with loss in their own way, their shared grief allows them to provide the other with solace not found elsewhere.  It is a beautiful approach to building a YA relationship that far exceeds the typical methods of the genre.  Most of all, I am grateful that this story did not spiral back to Lila needing her former best friend or getting back together with her ex.

The "recipes" sprinkled throughout are a clever touch.  

Overall, this book is a brilliant addition to YA fiction.  While uplifting and light-hearted, Namey manages to tackle several heavier themes like overcoming grief, accepting change, and being open to new ideas while honoring traditions.  This is sure to be a fast favorite for fans of YA Contemporary seeking unique perspectives and #ownvoices narratives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted at My Heart Is Booked Blog on September 17, 2020.

An enchanting read! This book made me homesick for Miami and for pastelitos de guayaba even though 95% of it takes place in England.

Lila Reyes can't keep it together, her BFF has abandoned their plans to stay in Miami and gone off to do volunteer work in Africa, her boyfriend dumped her and worse of all, Lila just can't get over the death of her beloved Abuela.

Her family intervenes, sending her to an Aunt who lives in England in an inn. Lila wants nothing to do with England, but when she starts helping out in the inn's bakery, she starts to heal. Although her dream is to continue working at her grandmother's bakery in Miami, Lila finds herself in England and can't imagine leaving.

(Disclaimer: I was offered an early copy of this book from Atheneum Books for Young Readers through Netgalley. All opinions are my own!)

overall, I think this book was great and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read and review it ahead of its publication date! I loved Lila's character arc throughout the story and I truly could feel how much she grew just by how she talked and how she felt. I also liked that she admitted when she was at fault, which is something that is difficult for some characters to do. it never felt like the book was dragging on; on the contrary, I felt excited and pumped to find out what would happen next. Lila's love for cooking and baking was a huge theme throughout the book and I loved when she would include the recipes in the chapters. also I loved her usage of Spanish (as someone learning the language!).

a great 4 star read! definitely would recommend.

Link to buy A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50892004-a-cuban-girl-s-guide-to-tea-and-tomorrow?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=71kA6JcW42&rank=1

Loved this book! I loved Lila and Orion and their friendship. I loved how much Lila learned about herself during her time spent in England! I loved her experiencing tea and how her baking developed and changed as she experimented with different recipes. One of my favorite books of the year!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This was an incredibly special book. The prose was beautiful, and there were quite a few lines that gave me chills; it tackled the heartache of growing up and moving on with poignance and heart; the characters were dynamic and lovable; the baking scenes and descriptions of Cuban pastries made my mouth water; and the romance was sweet and organic. I loved being a part of Lila’s journey and would highly recommend that anyone reading this take that journey with her if you’re in the mood for a novel that’s light and sweet but never loses its deeper notes.