The perfect summer YA read. A quick read that has romance, cooking and surfing. I really enjoyed getting to know Rubi. Her family and her story is so great. I’d recommend it to anyone. She’s just a girl looking to follow her dreams and figuring out along the way.

Graduation is only a few months away, and Rubi Ramos’s “recipe for success” to get into prestigious Alma University is already off track.

When Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, Rubi will need to be distraction-free to make the grade and keep her parents—who have wanted this for her for years—from finding out. Which means falling for her cute surfer-slash-math tutor, Ryan, definitely won’t work. And neither will breaking her mother’s ban on baking—her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.

But some recipes are begging to be tampered with.

When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. Add to the mix her crush on Ryan may be turning into a full-fledged relationship and Rubi’s life is suddenly so different from what it was. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to win the Bake Off, or where the relationship with Ryan is going, but there’s only one way to find out—even if it means going against her parents’ priorities. 

Now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds and finding the path she’s meant for.

A joyful novel of first romance, new possibilities, and the chance to define yourself, Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success will find its way into your heart. 


Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

You got to prepare yourself with this one. You were going to feel a lot of emotions. The cover makes it look like it’s just gonna be this cute little YA romance but it will make you feel things. So many things.

oh my heart.

stories about family and the experience of being a first gen kid are always so complex and touching and a guarantee that a tear or two will be shed.

rubi ramos’s recipe for success is such a fun, well-rounded book. i loved rubi’s passion for baking and her perseverance. she did make some typical teenage mistakes along the way that made me wanna shake some sense into her but she only had good intentions. i also loved her parents’ dynamic, and the fact that bits and pieces of their stories were shared only humanized them more.

that being said, the romance happened very quickly before taking a backseat to the college and competition subplots, and as a result 1) it wasn’t very convincing (imo) and 2) i ended up forgetting that rubi had a boyfriend at some point. but honestly that’s my only (sort of) complaint—her boyfriend was very sweet, so i didn’t dislike the romance entirely.

i’ll be looking forward to the author’s next releases <3

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 💗✨

This book was so, so YA; I wasn’t mentally prepared for that. Nonetheless, it was a fun read! It’s rich with culture, character, and most of all, sweet treats.

I loved Rubi as a character. She’s your typical high school girl with some very high school problems: boys, geometry, college, you name it. Her struggle with balancing what she wants with what her parents want was very real and portrayed very well. She’s also got some not-so-high-school problems: like the blatant racism from one of her classmates. Which is also handled tastefully. This book does a wonderful job of portraying an overachieving high school student with familial pressures.

I had a lot of respect for her for kicking it into high gear and doing what needs to get done while also balancing baking.

Speaking of baking, wowowow this book had my mouth watering for every single treat. They sounded so delicious. And the creativity that must’ve gone into customizing these recipes, amazing!

This book wasn't without its flaws. My biggest issue was with the romance, considering on Goodreads it's classified as one and on the cover you've got... a shirtless boy. This book is most definitely not a romance. It's a YA contemporary with afterthoughts of romance. So if you're going into this expecting a romantic focus with a developed relationship, this book isn't for you.

Overall, this is a sweet (figuratively and literally), uplifting read with lots of YA fun and while it’s not my most favorite YA read, it’s one that I’d recommend! And I think it’d actually be a really good read for those who are fans of Encanto, The Ice Princess, High School Musical, and Another Cinderella Story. This book pulls little bits and pieces/themes from each movie that you mayyyyy be able to spot.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The perfect summer YA read. A quick read that has rooting for Rubi and against her nemesis Madeleine. I wanted to keep reading to find out if Rubi finds success.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for an ARC

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to this electronic galley. All opinions expressed are my own

I chose this YA book because of the cover. Because it was beautiful and bright and reminded me of the flashy colors my Barbies used to wear.

Rubi Ramos is a relatable protagonist, her dreams might differ from the ones that her parents, Cuban immigrants to America have laid out. As the last months of senior high school finish, Rubi keeps from her parents that she has been waitlisted at university and is entering a local baking competition. The latter fits more with Rubi's dreams. But how will her parents deal when they find out?

This was a highly entertaining story. The strongest part is the storyline with Rubi and her parents. The cover and description hint at romance and Rubi does meet a fiery-haired Irish-American surfer boy, Ryan O'Reilly. It's a meet-cute type of love but it's the type of story where a reader just knows that these two are going to be really great friends. Ryan shares his struggles with Rubi as does Rubi's best friend, Devon. It shows that all teens have their struggles in finding who they are/who they want to be. In that way, Rubi meeting Ryan is important to the book but don't go looking for a straight-up romance. As the book ends, I think Rubi is about to meet her first real love. The person that probably will break her heart.🤣 Yes, I am 41 years old and I straight-up wrote fanfiction in my head after finishing this last night.


Expected Publication Date 16/05/23
Goodreads Review Published 11/04/23

This was a cute book with a lot of talk about following your dreams and how much pressure is put on college.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Rubi. She has been helping at her parents’ bakery while going to school and trying to figure out what her future has in store for her. Rubi gets devastating news that her number one college pick has waitlisted her and this starts a lot of change and reworking a few things to try and make herself looking better, the bake-off being one of them.

Rubi is a character I have seen a lot recently. A teen just trying to get into a good college and not wanting to disappoint her family. I totally get feeling like a failure. It’s something I can understand while being an adult and I am sure teens will be able to relate to her too. Baking is something that she enjoys and her parents don’t see it as a good thing. They want her to go to college and pursue something more. I like that Rubi showed her parents she can have two loves and that it doesn’t take away from her future. While being the captain of the debate team she has to deal with a real dillweed who wants the title for herself. I was so thrilled when Rubi put her in her place!

The book have a bit of romance and it involves a surfer who is also a mathlete. He was a nice character and I did like them but I felt that their relationship was pretty flat. It was my least favorite plotline because it felt very much like insta-love. The main focus on the book is not this and so it just felt like this lacked the development it needed.

Overall, this was a nice read about a girl trying to make everything work. She learns to talk to her parents and do what she loves.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I’m not going to lie, the fact that this felt like pure nostalgia to me is why I truly loved it. My great-grandparents immigrated to Miami from Cuba and learned English from working at a laundry mat. Now? My dad is a nuclear engineer. I’m very proud of where I come from, so reading this book felt like a slice of home. From the mouthwatering Cuban desserts featured to the familial love that bound this book together. While frustrating at times, Ruby had a heart of gold, and I sympathized with the pressure she felt to be the best and achieve. In any other context, I think I would have had a hard time enjoying this book. At times the dialogue made me cringe a little, and the instant-love made me roll my eyes. But in the end, I felt like I was back at the beach visiting those mom-and-pop Cuban bakeries that make the most mouth-watering food and memories for me to cherish forever.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(Review has been shared to Goodreads and Storygraph. It will be reshared on those sites, and posted to Amazon and Barnes and Noble on release date)

I felt like this leaned too hard on the fact that she was split between two worlds and it just felt cringy. I really enjoyed the overall plot, and it reminded me of the old DCOM, Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off, which made me feel nostalgic in the best way ever. The characters felt like they could have used some more fleshing out; they weren't completely one-deminsional, but I wouldn't go as far as calling them two-dimensional. It wasn't bad, but definitely on the cheesy, cringy side for a teen romance about baking and the impending feeling of doom of trying to get into college.

This book was such a brilliant and successful debut novel. I adored Rubi as a character and how strong-willed and set on her goals she was. I love baking so I especially enjoyed all of the baking scenes and how nerdy Rubi was when it came to that aspect. Although I desperately wanted to love the romance it all just happened so quickly and wasn't very convincing for me. I didn't hate him in any I just kind of forgot about him ,,, oops. With that being my only complaint I absolutely cannot wait for Parras next release.

Such a fun and heartwarming book. I had so many emotions of empathy for Rubi and the book teaches the reader valuable lessons. If you want a book packed with happy and uplifting emotions this is the one. I cannot wait for my next Jessica Parra read,

I officially started my Spring Reads session with this book. Which was a perfect decision!
Parra has written a magnificent, entertaining young adult novel for those who remember all too well the stress of graduation and impending adulthood.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Beautiful writing easy to read. I love the family dinamics and everything about Rubi.
A high school student feeling pressure to give up on her passion to achieve her parents dreams for her. Aware of all the sacrifices her parents make to send her to a Catholic school in Orange County, Rubi Ramos works hard to try to get into Alma, a university that represents the American dream to her family. Captain of a debated team. While all she really wants is to bake fulfilling her dreams and making her family proud. I highly recommended.

This book was a fun exploration into the life of a 1st generation US citizen. After her parents relocated to the US from Cuba, they were determined to give Rubi a better life than they had, through their "Recipe for Success", which includes her becoming a lawyer. However, Rubi is interested in more than the future they've picked for her. She has a talent for baking and loves to spend her time coming up with new and exciting recipes. This book is filled with inner conflict, as Rubi doesn't want to disappoint her family, but also wants to stay true to her own heart. I do wish the pacing at the end had slowed down just a little bit. After so much leading up to the final competition, I felt like we sped through the ending a little. All in all, however, still a fun read that is worth the time.

There was a recipe and yes, it was indeed successful. What a strong debut by Jessica Parra! We've got a coming-of-age story about being a child of immigrants dealing with what feels like the weight of the world. Rubi's personal recipe to a bright future and one that her parents will be proud of involves:
- Being the captain of her Debate team and win their tournament
- A Future Leader of Orange Country
- Ace trigonometry
- Maintain the ban on baking
- Get accepted into Alma University
- Become a pre-law major at a Ivy League law school

"The raised nicks and pink divots etched into her skin showed off her resistance to flames. Showed off how she'd stitched herself back together each time the world tried to break her."

This quote got me in my feelings. Rubi's recipe for success is giving me flashbacks to being in my last years of school and she's 10 times more responsible and ambitious than I used to be. She's a fighter and she'll do what it takes to get what she wants and deserves. What hit even harder is that Rubi's future was all written out by her parents. They love her and want the best for her and she has the same dream for herself. She just doesn't want to lose the things she loves along the way. So Rubi, whose parents have banned her from baking as she's preparing for university, decides she's going to take part in the First Annual OC Bake Off. What puts everything in an imbalance is that she's been wait-listed for her (and her parents') dream university. Rubi has to fight to stay on top of everything and score that acceptance to Alma and also continue to thrive as a baker to win the Bake Off.

Rubi longs to connect with her roots and baking is her way to do it. She's holding onto the things that make her Cuban and tie her to all her family and friends in the community. She's almost a golden example of a 'child of immigrants'. It just made me really happy to see an author capture the experience of being a young woman trying to live up to the goals and dreams of multiple generations without losing the true essence of herself.

Rubi is fun, goofy and so nerdy about baking. I loved reading about the baking techniques and how the treats connect to Rubi's past and present. The descriptions are so detailed and mouth-watering that I wished at parts that I could reached into the pages and pull out the treats. The author used food metaphors in such a perfect way to capture a range of emotional moments in the story.

Rubi is always the main character in her story and her friends and boyfriend (or "boyftu" - boyfriend & tutor) add to her big moments and support her wonderfully along the way. All the secondary characters and plotlines feed into the main story and came together seamlessly at the end. I really enjoyed the initial flirtationship and relationship between Rubi and Ryan. It captured the bubbly and fun new love between teenagers while taking the time to explore the depths of their personal lives and growing relationship.

I wish their were more scenes diving into Rubi's relationship and conflict with her mother. Her mother was off-screen far more than I expected and I think that detracted from the final resolution. Even though I was pleased with how the story reached it's climax and conclusion.

This is an absolutely heartwarming coming-of-age YA. I'm not one for watching cooking or baking shows but this definitely made me want to watch the Great British Bake Off! Truth be told, I had to eat multiple chocolate bars to satisfy my sweet tooth while reading this book. So if you're a fan of Bake Off or just sweets in general then this book is for you!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the chance to read this eARC!

Croncha anyone? Just like a beautiful blended croissant and concha this book blended Rubi's struggles to attain her dream while feeling like she was not letting her parents'dream for her be discarded. Rubi's feelings of wanting to figure out what will be her joy and what career she wants to pursue, while also struggling with not disappointing her parents who work so hard to be able to provide these opportunities for her is well described in this book which I think many high school and college aged kids can relate to.
I think the author did a good job respecting the relationship between her and her parents (not all parents wanting more than they had for their children do it from spite, but actually love) and Rubi learning more of her heart and passions. I especially liked that it was touched upon that this dynamic of wanting your children to succeed was not just felt in a minority family like Rubi's but also in her Irish "boyftu"'s life as well. I do think the relationship between Rubi and her boyfriend could have developed a little slower, we went from meeting at the beach for the first time to becoming integral support system pretty quickly. But I liked that their relationship was not the main focus of the book and instead allowed us to see Rubi's growth.
All in all, I enjoyed reading Rubi's thought process through things and how she challenged herself and found more of herself in this journey.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and St Martin’s Publishing for this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was indeed a recipe for success! I had an absolute blast reading about Rubi and her journey throughout this book. They were such an interesting character to follow.

This was really cute and it made me super hungry.

Rubi is so easy to like. She's feeling pressure from her parents. They are immigrants from Cuba and own two bakeries. Rubi loves to bake, but her mom put a baking ban in place. She needs to focus on getting into Alma. Rubi does debate and also needs to get her trig grade up. She does get to work weekends at the bakery, but she wants more. Baking is really her passion and she's not whole. When a new local baking contest was announced, she decided to enter behind her parents' backs. One of the prizes can get her to Havana. She wants to connect with her roots, but her parents don't want to go back. Rubi starts using her (great?) grandma's recipes with some changes. She wants her baking to show everything she is.

Rubi meets a surfer who happens to be excellent with math. He becomes her tutor, but also more. Rubi was attracted to him right away. I also really loved Rubi's best friend. Her dad was really kind. Her mom, not so much. As a parent, I get where she was coming from even without the addition of being an immigrant who had to work so hard.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a link for Netgalley.

Binge read alert! Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success was so much fun to read and chock full of wonderful characters! Loved this!

Rubi Ramos has been following her parents’ plan for years: Get into prestigious Alma University and become a successful lawyer. They fled Cuba before she was born and have put in long hours at the bakery they opened for years to achieve things they were never able to. The Boss, aka Rubi’s mom, has strict rules in place to make sure this happens, and banning Rubi from baking herself is at the top of that list. Rubi loves baking and creating her own recipes, though. When she learns of a local bake-off featuring two famous bakers, Rubi decides to bend the rules of the ban to enter. When Alma waitlists her, though, Rubi is torn between her head and her heart. Can she convince Alma to accept her and still compete in the Bake Off in addition to her normal school studies and activities?

This was a heartwarming story that I think a lot of teenagers will be able to relate to. The recipes Rubi created in this book sounded amazing! I have to admit as someone who loves both math and baking, I loved how Rubi’s “boyftu” Ryan helped her see the parallels between the two. My one complaint would be that the baking puns were overbearing. An excellent debut; I look forward to seeing what the author comes out with next!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.