Cute story with a fun premise, I read it in one night!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Thank you St Martin's Wednesday Imprint for this joyful, fun story. The story is a vivid, engaging, and spirited as the cover suggests; I personally love a baking theme and coming of age/senior year in high school theme as well. Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success brings in an inclusive take on coming of age vibes about having hopes and dreams for oneself but also recognizing these hopes and dreams might mean a different path than what others think is right for you.

5/5

I loved almost everything about this book, except for the token aspect of one of the side characters (you'll know which one I'm talking about when you read the book and get to about 75% of it) and the token Catholic aspect of the book. Don't put your main character in a Catholic school while making her hold un-Catholic views and while using God's name in vain every few pages if you don't want to infuriate the Catholics reading this book and longing for good representation.

Loved the romance, loved the complicated family dynamics, loved the cooking. Overall, it is a fun and easy read that made me gush and squeal like a child on Christmas day more than once. Great clean book with a few irritating flaws.

Full review on Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5421183718

Rubi Ramos is an absolute QUEEN. A senior at a private high school, captain of the debate team, working part-time for her parents... while all she really wants to do is BAKE. The details on the intricate decorations, the droolworthy descriptions of bolillos, conchas, and malt cookies, and how concise she parallels baking to trigonometry? Made for me. The family dynamics were so interesting and full of LOVE, even if they struggle to show it sometimes. If you want a mouthwatering baking competition book mixed with a heartwarming coming of age novel, this is a great pick.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I absolutely adored this heartwarming YA read about a Cuban American teen coming into her own. Smart and driven Rubi just jumped off the page. Her relationship with Ryan was sweet and realistic. I especially enjoyed how her relationship with her family and her heritage was portrayed. As for the baking competition- that was so much fun to read about.. And the recipes made me so hungry- definitely bring snacks while reading this one. I would definitely recommend to the YA reader in my life. 4.5 stars.

This is a very cute debut! All of the baking-related puns were clever and livened up the writing, making it even more fun to read. And I liked how the major themes focused on tackling parental expectations and weighing how to honor your parent's wishes and dreams for you and listening to your heart. It can be extremely difficult to determine whose dreams to follow when you want to do something so badly but it comes at the price of potentially seeming ungrateful for your parents' sacrifices. I think Parra handled and portrayed Rubi's feelings with that very well. I loved how it was set around baking because I haven't read many novels with that focus, so it felt fresh (pun intended). I was also jealous of the characters who got to eat some of the baked goods because their descriptions made them sound delicious, haha.

The romance felt a bit too insta-lovey for me, but at the same time, it was understandable because they're teenagers, and falling for people at that age happens super fast. Some of the descriptions and/or scenes dragged and I noticed some formatting errors (mainly not indicating who exactly is speaking) that took me out of the story a little, but overall, I very much liked this book!! I look forward to reading Parra's future books!!

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

🦇 Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite treat to bake? ❓

🦇 With graduation only a few months away, Rubi Ramos is doing everything to follow her parents' predetermined recipe for success:
🍪 A dash of captaining her Law and Debate team
🍪 Spoon in an OC tournament win
🍪 Add an A on her trig midterm
🍪 Adhere to the Ban on Baking
🍪 Whisk in an acceptance to Alma University
🍪 Fold in a pre-law major until smooth
🍪 Sprinkle in a dash of Ivy League law school
🍪 Set, and watch Rubi rise
Her parents chose the ingredients before Rubi was born, never consulting her about the ingredients to ensure a flawless, delicious recipe. Even age-old recipes need the occasional spin, though, and for Rubi, it's the First Annual OC Bake Off, minus her acceptance from Alma. Instead, she's wait-listed; a plot twist that's more bitter than sweet. When Rubi makes it through the first round, she allows her passions to boil despite her parents' plans, discovering new recipes for herself along the way.

💜 As a child of immigrants, I understand and empathize with Rubi's desire to connect with her roots, strive to meet her parents' expectations, and navigate ignorant prejudices (which she nearly does with grace, if not wit). It's easy to cheer her on; every word of wit, passionate foodie ramble, and show of spunk is bound to warm your heart better than any oven. Jessica Parra does a delightful job of balancing food puns with delicious metaphors as well (a tasteful balance that is no easy feat). Her strong, vivid descriptions are both eye-catching and mouth-watering, bound to transport you to Rubi's workstation in the bakery or at the Bake Off. The story pairs ingredients and conflicts with ease as well. Parra has a way of folding seemingly unconnected concepts (like trig and baking) together in unexpected ways. While there are many mixing bowls and subplots at the beginning, they all seamlessly work together to produce a culinary and literary masterpiece. Every secondary character feeds into the story without stealing the spotlight, from Rubi's queer fashionista bestie Devon and new "boyftu" Ryan to the Bake Off's punny host and judges. Even the romantic aspect of the story doesn't steal from the show as it tends to with most books in this genre.

🦇 While I connected with Rubi's familial situation, it's not until the last few chapters that we get a real taste of Rubi's experiences. One or two more interactions with her mother could have helped readers unfamiliar with the sacrifices immigrant parents tend to make for their children. This book was meant to honor the sacrifices Parra's own parents made, but I wish we saw more of that in Rubi's story. There are scenes the story didn't need (Devon's coming out seemed rushed and out of place). It was a bit silly that Rubi thought she could disguise herself with a cap during the competition (her name is at her station). Madeline's "mean girl" language felt a bit unnatural, too (I couldn't help but hear Libby from Sabrina the Teenage Witch). The pacing was a little off between scenes, chapters, and conflicts as well.

🦇 Recommended to anyone who loves a heartwarming coming-of-age YA. Perfect for fans of the Great British Baking Show! Warning: Make sure to bake yourself a sweet snack (like my chai cookies) before taking a bite out of this delicious, tantalizing read (because it WILL make you hungry). I can't wait to see what Jessica Parra whisks up next!

🍪 Debut Novel
🧁 Child of Immigrants
🍰 Tasteful Baking Puns
⏲️ Coming-of-Age
🍪 Delicious Prose
🧁 Sweet Pop Culture References

🦇 Major thanks to the author (@jessicatparra) and publisher (@stmartinspress) (plus @wednesdaybooks) for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley (@netgalley). 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Does anyone remember Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off, or am I just a millennial? This gave me those nostalgic, fuzzy, "can I be a baker when I grow up?" vibes. Only a billion times better.

This book has so much to love. Mouth-watering baked deliciousness, sugary sweet romance, and a heartfelt take on making a dream your own. Despite all that, what I love most about this story is how human Rubi feels. Whenever I opened the book, it felt like checking in on a friend. You can't ask for anything better than that.

Except maybe a Nutella croncha. Can I get eight?

Cute book about finding out who you are truly meant to be. I loved the baking scenes. The contest scenes were a bit cheesy, but still cute.

i really enjoyed this book! it was such an addicting read; i could not put it down. i did think the story was a bit slow-paced at times, but that didn’t take anything away from it’s addictiveness. the plot of wanting to chase your dreams while having a need to please your family was very relatable. i think it was done well, despite a lot of the story being predictable in that sense. with that being said, i always love reading happy endings with stories like these.

i’m honestly surprised this is a debut novel, it was really well done! can’t wait to see more from this author, and i definitely recommend this book!

love the premise, but the more I read it, the more my star rating dropped.

Jessica Parra had a solid idea for a YA contemporary, but the actual execution left much to be desired. The potential for a good story is there, but it felt like I was beta reading an early draft instead of reviewing an ARC. The book is riddled with grammatical errors and awkward syntax, ignores basic rules of dialogue (like indicating which character is speaking,) and lacks crucial transitions between paragraphs. The deeper you get into the book, the worse it gets. The plot is all over the place, the romance is ridiculous, and characters pop in and out as human plot devices instead of fleshed out fictional human beings. I mean, I have rough drafts that are more coherent and cohesive than this.

I appreciate Parra's attempt to write a story about the Cuban American experience that grapples with the weight of immigrant parents' expectations, but it's lost in the convoluted mess of a story that we get. The one bright spot in her debut is the baking element. From her mouthwatering descriptions of food to her detailed baking scenes, Jessica Parra found the recipe for success when it comes to creating a story that captures the vibes of the Great British Baking Off. Her love for Cuban pastry exudes from the pages, and I would've loved to see recipes included at the end of the book.

Overall, Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success fell flat for me. I appreciate what Parra is trying to do with her story, but like an under-proofed dough, it needs more time to develop and a lot more TLC.

I received an early digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! I loved this book so much! It was such a cute and inspiring story!

Rubi has a passion for baking. In the first chapter or so she is making Bolillos and I immediately had to go get some! I grew up eating Bolillos, or as I used to call them growing up, Birote. This part of the story was so nostalgic for me.

The description of this book focuses more on a guy she meets and the possibility of him becoming a distraction to reach her goal of being admitted to Alma University, but I think the real story is of Rubi finding her voice and what’s important to her as well as how her and her parents relationship evolves. Both Rubi and her parents had to face some hard truths for themselves and by the end of the book they all discovered that their dreams and passions matter too. I think that is what I love the most about this book.

Favorite quote: “If she watched me go after my dreams, perhaps she’d find the courage to go after hers”

Growing up we look up to our parents for guidance, but what if at some point they look at our lives and everything that we have accomplished and are inspired by us, their kids?

Gosh I have so much I want to reflect about this book! But for now, just know I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success!

Rubi's story is both enjoyable and inspiring. Like many high school seniors, Rubi is looking at the future with equal measures of excitement and trepidation. Her Cuban parents have worked tirelessly, running their two successful bakeries, to ensure that Rubi has a clear path into the Ivy league university of her (mother's) dreams.

While Rubi is a master of debate, and captain of the debate team, the heart of a baker beats within. She literally daydreams about baking, concocting decadent desserts on a whim. Yet she's unable to bring them to life. Her mother believes that Rubi must maintain a singular focus in order to gain admission to Alma University. Once Rubi entered high school there was a ban on baking that was implemented. So, aside from her weekend shifts at her parents' bakery, she's not allowed to bake and she definitely cannot create the recipes she fantasizes over.

One day Rubi learns that a baking competition is coming to town and after much inner debate, she enters the contest. Rubi tries to tell herself that this is her last hurrah and once the competition is over she'll accept her fate onto the path that her parents have chosen for her. How hard can it be to add on competing in Bake Off to her already packed schedule...right?

Along the way, Rubi discovers that sometimes the best recipes are born out of compromise while others can only be achieved if one remains true to themself. The batter may not always be smooth, sometimes it gets too sticky, but if you can beat the lumps along the way you'll achieve pure confection- er perfection!

For a YA novel, this one was really cute. Rubi is a high school student nearing the end of her Senior year at a school where she has led as Captain of the debate team and worked hard to earn her appt at Alma college. The dream to go to Alma is hers, sort of, but mostly her parent’s dream FOR her. They escaped from Cuba to have a better life and currently run a few successful Bakeries named after Rubi. She discovers a baking competition that she really wants to compete in but her Mom forbids her due to “the ban.” Rubi’s passion for baking comes by her honestly but when she’s waitlisted for college at Alma, she must find SOME way to get in while also fulfilling her dream of becoming a Bake Off champion. Will she be able to do it ALL while being a teenager with a new romance and being there for friends that need her?

This book really was so lighthearted while also being inspirational for any teen at a crossroads with their future and whether they’re following their own dreams or the ones that someone set for them before they were able to discover what they wanted. The Bake Off Championship was written where I felt like I was watching it live in my head. So much fun! Great book for YA readers.

I read this a bit ago, I didn't connect with the characters and the writing wasn't my favorite but I can definitely see people loving this book and it's super cute!

I really enjoyed this read!
I loved the way they discussed food and culture, it was really hard to put down!
I found myself reeling at the plot twits and falling in love with Rubi.

This book was so hard to put down. I loved this book. I loved the characters, and loved all the baking puns.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for the e arc in exchange for a honest review.

Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success is a really great debut novel. Rubi has a plan for her future. She's going to her dream school to become a lawyer. However when she gets waitlisted and everything foes off the rails for her. Rubi is determined to get into her school so gets a super cute tutor. She also loves to bake and enters a baking contest and nothing goes the way it supposed too. I really enjoyed this story but it did feel like a younger contemporary story. It's full of great characters and lots of heart!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It surprised in several ways I thought it was going to be a fun book about a teenager girl having a summer romance. Rubi Ramos was a fully realized character. The plot of the complex family dynamic of wanting to please your parents while also chasing your own dream is one everyone can relate to. The added pressure of a first generation immigrant is one that needs to be told more. I really loved the baking competition and getting to see Rubi process. This is a wonderful book I definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Jessica's writing for her debut YA novel is incredible. I liked the character development. Rubi has a lot of pressure on her as a second-generation immigrant from Cuba, trying to find her roots through food and living up to her family's expectations. Rubi is a younger character, and despite that, I still felt like I could relate to her. It's a very slow-paced story, though.