This was a great read. I loved the complex sibling relationships and the way that Tuna grows throughout the book. It was a beautiful read.

I was pleasantly surprised by Tuna Rashad and its captivating ethnic drama! The character of Tuna truly stood out to me with her vibrant and refreshingly authentic personality.

As a Caribbean reader, my heart was instantly captured by this book when I came across the line, "If any jumbee come in tonight and harm you, I'll apologize for the shoes." It resonated deeply with my childhood experiences, as it humorously highlighted our superstitious nature.

One of the aspects I appreciated about this book was its multi-layered narrative. It not only focused on Tuna but also delved into the lives of her brother, parents, and her crush Tristan. Tuna's journey represents our collective experience of growing up, where we often seek external signs or divine intervention to validate our decisions instead of trusting our own instincts and intuition.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This YA book has a lot going for it, including figuring out your place, looking to ancestors/past for support and guidance and the annoying older brother!

my question is the following: how and why did she fall for a guy who was very clearly mocking her beliefs? I can understand not understanding/not believing but actively making fun of her for them? No, just, no. Tuna was slightly annoying but not to the point of dnf'ing the book . And this had some insta love/quick romance plot which is not really my thing. 2.75 stars.

I found this one harder to read. The main character was difficult to relate to as she felt like a typical girl her age: boy-crazy. It was all right and I'm sure readers of this may even enjoy it, but just not for me, sadly.

The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad was a book I had high hopes for but it unfortunately didn't quite meet my expectations. It took me a while to get into the story and I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I finished it a couple of days ago and I'm already struggling to remember everything that happened.

This one sadly just wasn't for me.

(Disclaimer for the late feedback: 2022 was a very rough year for me. I had to struggle between my personal and mental health struggles, in addition to losing access to my Netgalley account and retrieving it just now. My sincerest apologies for the late feedback.)

I finished reading The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad last 2022, around June. TBH, I was shocked how charming this book was for me! It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me fall in love once more. Tuna was so entertaining to read. There's true magic in this book. I highly recommend this, especially for new readers! ❤️

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC. I wanna read more of the author's books and will definitely look into them soon.

I ended up DNFing this one but I think the story was generally good. I just didn't really connect with the main character and since she is very dominant in the story telling it made the overall experience just not for me.

I had a difficult time with this one, for a couple of reasons. First, Tuna is largely self-centered in a way that makes her difficult to like. Also, Robbie's grief is stifling, to the extent that no one else is allowed to feel. He is catered to like that kid in the Twilight Zone who can blink people into the cornfield, and he's kind of a jerk about it. Like, I get how he feels, but also, others need to feel as well. I will say that his progression is meaningful, and feels earned. But I can see how this could present a challenge to those less invested.

I have started this book and read up several chapters already. However, I wasn't really able to connect with the plot or any of the characters at all. I would have liked to continue onward, but I feel like that would be a disservice to the book if I continue knowing it's likely not written for me. Therefore, I'm giving it a 3 stars rating now (neither like nor dislike rating for me).

Bring on the ethnic drama! Tuna Rashad took me by surprise in the best way possible! I love how bubbly and refreshingly unapologetically original she is as a character.

I knew this book wormed it's way into my Caribbean heart when I read, "If any jumbee come in tonight and harm you, I'll apologize for the shoes." Like sis, this is my entire childhood in this one statement- superstitious much?

I enjoyed that there were so many layers to this book- not only Tuna but her brother and parents and crush Tristan. I think Tuna is all of us growing up looking for a sign or divine intervention to signal that something is right instead of listening to our instinct and gut.

The realism heightened the enjoyment and seeing Tuna try to be "normal" but casting it aside to live her truth was something I wish I could tell younger me- "just wait, there's going to be books about us!"

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with an arc. I highly enjoyed this book!

Synopsis: Let's be clear. No matter what her older brother, Robby, says, aspiring screenwriter Tuna Rashad is not "stupidstitious." She is, however, cool with her Caribbean heritage, which means she is always on the lookout for messages from loved ones who have passed on. But ever since Robby became a widower, all he does is hang out at the house, mock Tuna for following in their ancestors' traditions, and meddle in her life.

Tuna needs to break free from her brother's loving but over-bearing ways and get him a life (or at least, get him out of hers!). Based on the signs, her ancestors are on board. They also seem to be on board with helping Tuna win over her crush, Tristan Dangerfield. The only hiccup? She has to do it before leaving for college in the fall. A ticking clock, a grief-stricken brother, and a crush who doesn't believe in signs. What could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts:

I didn't hate this book but I didn't get hooked into loving it either.

I enjoyed the info on religious superstitions.

This one wasn’t for me and unfortunately had to DNF. I wish there was more to say about this book but unfortunately I was unable to complete the book so I don’t believe I have much to review

I was definitelly expecting a different book. I though this would be an easy and fast read, full of comedy and romance. However, what I found was a story about loss, and how it affects a person and their surroandings while pushing down their feelings in order not to upset a person who's supposed to be grieving "more".

Overall, I liked the book. It wasn't my favorite of the year, but I enjoyed reading it and seeing how it treated grief and loss, even if I didn't expect that topic at first.

Tuna and Robby, however, I did not enjoy. I can excuse Robby's entitlement and selfishness, given what he's gone through, but Tuna's behavior felt inmature for a girl her age. I get she's still a teenager, but she's not 13, as it made me feel sometimes. I'm not talking about how she felt about David's passing nor the way she acted towards his brother/family because of it, but rather the way she spoke, how impulsive and even incoherent she was at times. To be honest, I feel like she was only behaving like a "real" 17yo who's about to head to college when exploring grief.

Also, and this is not really a critique but something I wished I read more of: as a person who lives in Europe and who hasn't had a lot of contact with other cultures, I wish everything relating her spirituality and ancerstors had been explained more profoundly. I feel like culture was something very important to Tuna, but I didn't know where it came from or what it meant.

I really wanted to like this book more, I think it just wasn't for me. The character development seemed slow and a little flat for me, and some parts just dragged in my opinion. One thing I really did enjoy about the book was the development and growth of Tuna's Brother who was grieving the loss of a partner, and the author did a good job with showcasing the grief of the entire family.

Definitely a book I came to love and the voice here is really unique. This one felt like a breath of fresh air and I love the cast of characters along with Tuna herself. I do hope we get to see more of Deen's books in the future.

Tuna Rashad is the perfect book for a reader looking to diversify their reading. I found Tuna Rashad to be such a unique character that actually stands out from your typical YA protagonists. Shes different and in the very best way. The screenwriter story line is one I have never seen before and I am obsessed with it! Not all young girls have to love reading and shopping as their trait, and I loved the direction the author went with Tuna.

While the book itself is written very light and easily to follow it does tackle serious struggles, such as grief. The author Natasha Deen writes about the struggles in a realistic and relatable way that I know will be appreciated by readers whom relate. She is also spiritual, which is something that I do not commonly see in YA lit. It is once again amazing to see the diversity at this level as well.

While the plot and characters are all amazing I did find the writing style and dialogue a bit outside my usual cup of tea. It was hard to follow at times as the sentences felt repetitive. But this might be targeted at a different and younger audience than myself, so I'm not considering this while rating the book. As it would be a suitable style for new readers, or inexperienced readers picking up a book for the first time.

The book started out well, but I found it dragged in parts. That aside, I liked the characters.
First let me say I totally relate to Tuna as she does a rewrite of her life as it is happening, doing an interdialogue of how things should go, and then correcting herself. I love that bit of her.
While I can relate to being driving crazy by a brother who is trying to forget his husband, and eradicate him from his life, I do relate to wanting to rewrite life as it is happening.
The problem with Tuna is that she is not paying attention to how other people are feeling around her, which leads to heartache and conflict in the novel, as it well should.
I'm a little torn on the story. I love the character. Not sure if I love how it all ends.

Oh my god, this was so CUTE. 4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved this so so much. I loved Tuna, and I loved the story, and I loved the relationship between her and her brother and his husband. I wish there had been more of a relationship shown between them and their parents, they felt almost like they were just.... there.

I wanted to fight everyone for Tuna and their treatment of her, especially Tristian and Robby. I wish more had been talked about or shown of them apologizing or more kindness towards Tuna and her beliefs and connections that she felt, especially towards the end with Robby, but that was really my only issue aside from the romance with Tristian. It felt lackluster, and I didn't like his almost condescending attitude towards Tuna, and it just didn't feel like a couple that would last more than a few months.

Other than that, I loved Tuna and just the world building of her life and job and home. I thought it was adorable and I really loved this book.