I really wanted to love this book -- I was fascinated by the incorporation of the ciguapa myth, as well as the regular infusion of Dominican culture and life. However, I struggled a bit with getting engaged with the writing in the book. It was a little wordy and disconnected for me. I was bummed that this one wasn't for me.

I really enjoyed this book and show of the Dominican culture. A few of the characters fell flat and the ending seemed a bit rushed but overall a good read.

Larimar is dedicated to her job, her family and hiding her biggest secret – that she is a ciguapa, a mythical creature of Dominican folklore. Larimar often feels distant and out of place with her family but when she meets Ray, a bakery owner, she feels like she might have found someone who can truly accept her. But when she discovers Ray’s bakery is competition for company’s newest store, challenges arise.
This was an interesting, diverse contemporary romance with a supernatural element. I loved the culture, friendship and family feeling but the pacing was a bit slow in the middle of the novel. Overall and interesting and enjoyable read. Recommended. 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It's everything you can expect from a Yaffa Santos book, a touch of magic, a lot of food, family, culture, and a couple you really want to be together. The book really explored tensions between who you are and who you are expected to be as well as balancing your own ambitions with your values and emotional desires, with compassion and nuance. The complexity of character and world that pulls Larimar at every turn is interesting an d well done, professionally, with in her family, and with Ray. The journey is wonderful and the magic adds and highlights to all the fabulous exploration. The books is so well done and, again, nuanced, I just absolutely loved it.

I love having other cultures and traditions incorporated into stories, but this story didn't feel exciting beyond that to me, unfortunately.

This was a great book and I learned a lot about Cuban folklore! I will definitely be reading more of Santos in the future.

This book was okay, there were parts that I had troublereading through I just didnt have interest in it. Also some parts really left me confused.

I wanted to love this book but I wasn't a fan of the writer's writing style but I did love the story line . I couldn't find myself liking any of the characters a few fail flat but it was a decent read.

I enjoyed this story! I loved the Dominicanism that were sprinkled throughout the book. I think a couple of the characters fell a bit flat, like I wish the relationship between the mother and father was developed more. Some of the name calling was a bit juvenile, but didn't bother me. I think the ending was rushed and kept me wanting more of an end. Overall, I loved how there is a twist to the legend of ciguapas. I give this book 3.5 stars.

I was disappointed in this book, solely due to the poor writing by the author. The story itself was very intriguing but there were many inconsistencies and everything seemed so random. The fact that the story was very rushed from the beginning with no real introduction to any of the characters, let alone to the main character and her abilities, was confusing.
Through the lack of proficient writing, the story was rushed and due to that it was difficult to become invested and engrossed into the story and have a connection to the characters. The characters lacked in personality and I wanted to so much more.
One of the biggest set backs are the recipes in-between chapters. These were completely unnecessary and pulled one out of the story to contemplate the recipe.
Overall I would give this a 1.5 star review, on the fact that the concept was interesting and new but the author's inability to give life to the story made the biggest impact.

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks.