I really enjoyed learning about the Cuban culture in Florida.

Jessica's mother left her Cuban family and 3 sisters behind 30 years ago and never looked back. Jessica has the opportunity to connect with her grandmother and takes advantage of that opportunity. I really didn't understand her mother's rationale for leaving. The "flashbacks" in regards to the mother's childhood never really seemed that bad to me. And the romance really didn't work for me.

But I did really enjoy the audiobook.

Cuban food sounds delicious.

Thank you to NetGalley, Caridad Pineiro the author and Dreamscape Media the publisher for the opportunity to review the advance listen copy of The Family She Never Met in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 08 Mar 2022.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the really listen. Enjoyed listening to this story of Jessica and her maternal family and her plight to reunite the family. Enjoyed traveling through Cuba and learning more about the history of Cuba and its people.
Narrator did amazing telling the story and bringing everyone to life giving them their own voice in the story.
Will recommend!

A cozy read that sheds light on some of Cuba's history and culture. The narrator did an outstanding job pulling me into Jessica's world. I didn't want to pause until I uncovered all the family's secrets. I love the interesting dynamics the author wrote. No parent is perfect, and as a child, we might have felt rejection through some of their actions. As an adult, I realize how hard parenting is and that some actions with good intentions can sometimes be flop. A story of regrets, love, forgiveness, and the importance of family sure to be loved by Women Fiction readers. Thanks #DreamscapeMedia for my copy. All thought are my own opinion.

"The Family She Never Met" by Caridad Piñeiro is a multi-generational family story!

Jessica Russo is approached by Luis, who has been sent by the maternal grandmother she has never met, with an invitation to travel to Miami to meet her Cuban family. She can't say no to this opportunity of learning about the family her mother has kept hidden from her for her entire life.

What Jessica discovers in Miami is nothing like what she expects. Will she be able to bring her broken family back together and heal the deeps wounds from the past?

Women's Fiction, Family Fiction, and Historical Fiction all blend together nicely in the telling of this story. With a theme of family estrangement, it is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming. Both the writing and the premise are engaging and the main characters are well developed. What I did crave more of was a deeper dive into the Cuban back-story before migrating to the U.S.

What touched me about this story is knowing the author's use of her own Cuban family history as the catalyst for writing this book. The desire to leave her children with her family's history is what drove this author to create a protagonist with a similar experience making the emotional process of telling her story easier for her. I love that!

When I first saw this audiobook, I passed it up but kept going back to it. This is such a worthy listen and I'm glad I decided to take it on. The narrator, Frankie Corzo, clearly brings this story to life through her voicing skills and I will look for her name when choosing the many audiobook's in my future.

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy reading a multi-generational family story with great characters and engaging writing!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Caridad Piñeiro for a free ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

I absolutely loved this audio and had a hard time putting it down. Jessica is approached with a request to visit her grandmother, her mother's mother, who she does not know, before it is too late. It sounds like her time is running short. Her mother is against this and has never told Jessica anything about her family but her father stands behind her choice to visit. Off to Miami she goes and she does not find a woman on her deathbed but a vibrant old woman who is much like her Italian grandmother. Luis is the man who approached her to bring her to Miami. He is very much like family to her grandmother even if not actually family. The week Jessica spends in Miami opens her eyes to her Cuban ancestry and brings her close to her family...and Luis. Together they forge a friendship and become lovers. I found this so intriguing that even though 30 years had passed and all the turmoil of the past was still so fresh in minds, they were able to get past it and come together. I really did love this one.

Jessica Russo knows next to nothing about her mother’s Cuban heritage. Anytime she has questions her mother, Lara, shuts down. When after thirty years of estrangement her grandmother Carmen sends her employee Luis to invite them to Miami she goes, despite her mother’s objections.

In Miami Jessica quickly learns her Cuban family is much like her Italian family back home in New York. They are large in size and volume and everyone has an opinion. Driving up to Star Island, Jessica also figures out how successful her grandmother’s American dream became after being exiled from Cuba. Now that Carmen is mostly retired, her thoughts are consumed by reuniting her family after so many years of heartache.

Overall The Family She Never Met was a decent story, I would have liked to learn more about the Gonzalez family’s flight from Cuba and Castro’s rise to power. The story is more of a family drama than historical fiction, as the vast majority of the book focuses on Carmen’s choices as a young parent. I could have done without the romance subplot that was unnecessary and hard to believe given the timeframe of the book.

If Hallmark movies are your thing, you will probably enjoy this book, I certainly was hungry reading about all the amazing Cuban food described. The Family She Never Met comes out next Tuesday, March 8th. Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and of course Caridad Peñeiro for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Family She Never Met. While the story was fairly predictable in the general storyline the characters really leapt off the page and I still found myself invested in their story. The narrator did a great job bringing the family's pain and joy to life and I would definitely listen again.

A heartwarming story of a family reunion after decades apart. Through Jessica's meeting with her grandmother, we learn about the Cuban revolution and the Mariel boatlift that brought so many Cubans to the US. I'm always a fan of families reuniting before the death of a matriarch but I felt the romance seemed forced and wasn't necessary to the story. Definitely recommended to those who like historical fiction and/or family dramas.

Audiobook was well done, no issues.

The Family she never met was an amazing book about how family once torn apart was able to mold back together. From the moment I started listening I knew I was not going to be able to put it down. Jessica Russo came from a good family background, created her own store restoring furniture and creating peoples “dream pieces”; she was in the point of her career where things possibly could not get better. One day she gets a visit from a man named Luis whom she would turn down until he finally admitted to knowing her maternal grandmother and allowing Jessica the opportunity to meet her for the first time. Jessica decides to take a trip to Florida to meet her grandmother Carmen- she was unable to relate as to why her mother walked away from the life Carmen worked so hard to provide for her children. Jessica hoped time and time again that she would one day be able to get Carmen and her mother Lara to reunite. As the days continued Jessica’s bond with Carmen grew stronger while her love for Luis grew hotter.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book for my honest feedback.

This is a story of mothers and daughters, estrangement, and healing. The story centers around Jessica Russo who is called to Miami to meet her maternal grandmother, whom she has never met and her mother has kept this side of her family very private. Curious to learn about her mother's side of the family, Jessica travels to Miami and bonds with her grandmother, Carmen and maternal family. She learns a little about her Cuban heritage and the reason for the family estrangement. Jessica returns home to Brooklyn and shares her experiences with her parents. Eventually, this estranged family will reunite and there is a happy ending, one focused on leaving the past in the past, forgiveness, and moving forward.

I requested this book from Net Galley as I really enjoy historical fiction. I was actually disappointed to not learn more about Jessica's Cuban heritage. The story really focuses more on the relationships between mother and daughters, which was not badly done but it was predictable. The characters were modestly developed as were their relationships. The descriptions were adequately done as well. Overall 3 stars.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: March 8, 2022

This is a heartwarming multigenerational story about reconnecting with estranged family members. Jessica travels to Miami to meet her mothers side of the family for the first time and some of the best parts of this novel center around her time with her grandmother and exploring Cuban culture across the city. I do feel like the historical aspect was a bit watered down and as gushy as it was, the predictable romance was a bit too contrived and fast tracked. The audiobook narration of this was fantastic and definitely brought it to life!

Reviewing
The Family She Never Meet
By Caridad Pineiro

A beautiful story that brings together multi generational family drama, history, culture, and of course romance! Pineiro beautiful writing style gives life to a full cast of dynamic characters and breathtaking settings. Readers will love the bold women in this book who must overcome themselves to find true happiness with eachother.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 stars for this grin worthy and inspiring romance novel that pulls at your heart strings by digging a little deeper.

Listening to this book, I kept wishing it would go on and on, never ending. The story was so interesting and the narrator reads it with such passion, it's as if I was watching it all happen. Jessica is a Brooklyn-based "furniture flipper." A stranger visits her shop one day, bringing a request from the grandmother she's never known, a Cuban exile living in Miami. Jessica's mother stopped speaking to her (and her sisters) when she left home for law school. Her grandmother is anxious to meet Jessica and have her visit Miami. Against her mother's wishes, Jessica agrees to go. What she discovers is way more than she planned, and leads to some very interesting outcomes. I loved the characters, the rich culture, and the story. Looking to read more from this author!

Ohhh I love stories about Cuban and the journey so many endured! This books held secrets and hurt and love and about learning who you are.

Jessica has a chance to meet her grandmother in Miami and find out what exactly happened between her mother and her family, their family business and about mending bridges.

This book is filled with rich culture and love I loved it so much

Honest review for my arc from NetGalley

I'll have to say, this is a 5/5. The story was amazing and so was the narration. If you are a fan of the recent animated movie Encanto, you are sure to love this audiobook. It is an emotional roller-coaster of self discovery, family, love, and the past.

If you are someone who doesn't understand why history is important, you will understand it in Jessica's beautiful story. I am myself a mix and fortunately close to all aspects of my traditions, but this novel gave me an idea of how your identity changes without the presence or knowledge of your culture. Apart from that, there are lessons on stepping into someone else's shoes and thinking about their pain in Pineiro's masterpiece.

Speaking of character's, in my eyes, Jessica, her mom Lara, her grandmother, and her grandmother's righthand man Louis had most of the limelight, and I loved each of them. They all had simple desires, grudges, pains, misbeliefs, and loyalties, and I say simple because they are relatable, and I believe that the extent of events in the story could happen on the basis of these feelings.

I usually find something wrong with men in most books, but Louis was perfect. His tendency to touch people, his seriousness, and then his humorous joking mannerisms felt completely natural, like someone I knew. This was one of the few times I whole-heartedly root for the male MC and relationship.

And when it comes to the narration, Frankie Corzo was a pure delight. Her subtle but heavenly accent, her transitions from one character to the other, voice modulations, everything was commendable. I'm pretty sure the moment i see her name on an audiobook next, i will listen to it. If you're someone with less time to sit and read, or you are not into reading, I'll be surprised if you don't like this audiobook.

A heartwarming novel about a Cuban American family. The book is a fascinating look at the family’s connections to their past. The characters are well rounded and make a captivating story. The narrator is wonderful to listen to and creates vivid imagery for the story with her voice.

Read if you love:
Multiple POV
Historical fiction mixed with current day
Love stories
Family bonding
Second chances
I was so pleasantly surprised by this one and found that I needed to do a lot more research about the relationship between Cuba and the United States specifically in Miami. This heartfelt novel shows the importance of family, drive, and ultimately believing in yourself.

Review will be posted @literarylu_ on Mar 4

The title is very apropo as this book is all about the side of Jessica Russo’s family that she never met.

Jessica’s mother has been estranged from her mother, Carmen, who lives in Miami. She left when she was a very young woman and has refused any efforts to reunite the family. When Jessica has asked for her reasons, she would give none.

As the book opens, Camen, wants very much to meet her granddaughter Jessica. She sends her “right hand man”, Luis to visit Jessica and extend an invitation to come to Miami and meet her extended family. Jessica has always been interested in her Cuban heritage. She decides this is the time to go and possibly heal her divided family.

When she arrives she marvels at the beautiful estate that her grandmother has along with a very successful company.

The book is really entirely about her connecting to this side of her family. She finds that she really enjoys being with her grandmother, meeting her aunts and cousins. Her grandmother shares photos of the family through the years which help Jessica to understand all of the familial connections.

The story for me was a little bit too predictable. With the addition of a romance that we could all see coming, I was left feeling that I had expected more.

I have always loved historical fiction and I was hoping to learn more about Cuba. We do see glimpses into Cuban life when Castro arrived, through the eyes of her grandmother. However the main focus of the book is about mother-daughter relationships, forgiveness and new beginnings for this large family.

I would call this family drama and not really historical fiction. There just wasn’t that much about life in Cuba and the revolution.

**I was fortunate to receive both the EARC and the audiobook for this novel. I found that the audiobook brought more life to the book. The narration was good and I enjoyed the different voices.

I received the audiobook of this novel from the publisher and Dreamscape Media through NetGalley

The Family She Never Met by Carded Pineiro is a well written multigenerational story. I loved how the author wove the characters and had the message of hope in the book. No regrets is a great motto. Frankie Corzo performed the book flawlessly. Thank you #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this great book. I really thought the narrator was fantastic with her accents and brought the characters to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an early copy of the audiobook. The narrator, Frankie Corzo is fantastic and this book was so well done. I enjoyed the Spanish phrases mixed in with the references to Cuban traditions and food as well. I liked Jessica's character and the risks she took to be openminded and learn about her family's past.