This book was full of sweetness (pun intended).

Lila Reyes has her future mapped out; she had grand plans for her bakery business, her collaboration with her best friend, and her future with her long-term boyfriend. But a tragedy hit, things went sideways and her life was shattered. She was forced to spend a summer in England, far away from her Miami home, to reshape her life. Entered an English boy, Orion Maxwell, who was determined to be her local guide.

This was my kind of coming-of-age story. It was thoughtful, heartwarming, and unique. I love it when a main character has something they’re passionate about. In Lila’s case, it was baking. She processed her grief, broken heart and growing up through baking.

The romance was slow burn, and that was the way I liked it. Getting to know someone beyond the superficial facade is an art, and this book depicted it beautifully.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow was a Reese Witherspoon’s YA book club selection and I can see that it has a range of appealing aspects for its genre. There are many great themes in this book - family, grief, friendship, romance and especially a celebration of cultural diversity from both Cuba/Miami and England.

‘Redeeming myself ? Is that what I was trying to do? Or was I just trying to fix the one crumbled, burned thing in my life I knew for certain I could make right?’

The main character, Lila is grieving from a lost friendship, a lost boyfriend, and the death of her Abuela. This is a story of family and friends, of the places and people that make a place a home and ways to find healing through these things. This is the story of a journey of self discovery. Apart from the obvious expectations, there were some great surprises in this book. I loved Lila’s passion for baking and how she incorporated her culture into her cooking. For a young person to be so proud of her heritage was refreshing. Then there was the contrast between the two cultures of Cuban and English (loved the tea shop) and I felt this was well done. Likewise, it was refreshing to be in Winchester, England.

“Thing is, when you put something back together it’s never exactly the same as it was before. What if she wants to fix things, but it means everything’s different from how you used to get on? Can you do that?”

This proved a solid YA read with interesting characters and multiple layers to the story. I had a slight issue with the writing style, but otherwise it was a quick read and enjoyable story. A story of love, loss, and reinventing yourself told through good characters, settings and yummy food.

‘I was brought up for this place, but I can change my life recipe too.’









This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Overall, this was a charming, sweet romance. At first, Lila was slightly annoying and whingy. I had to keep reminding myself she was seventeen and all teens think they are the centre of the universe. But her experiences in England really made her caring side shine and the second half of the book was delightful.
And who could not adore Orion?! Everything about England and this adorable, sensitive British boy is wonderful. The descriptions of food and baking made me want to look up recipes and start cooking!

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Right behind it, there’s a star-named boy. My heart goes on beating when he’s not with me, but the missing him pumps as much as blood.”

Since finding out that Maia Reficco and Kit Connor were casted for Lila and Orion, I knew I had to read this before the movie came out. I saw the book on @netgalley so I was super stoked to try it out!

The story follows Lila who’s been made to go to England after a bout of bad events occurring. As expected she wasn’t too keen to go but she found comfort in the kitchen as she usually does back in Miami and with her new friends and especially the cake batter licker, Orion.

Orion was just such a gentleman and I loved how thoughtful he was with taking Lila to different places in England and making her feel comfortable, I also think he pushed Lila to chase her dreams which I loved the most.

The other side stories also tied in well, especially Orion’s family and the struggles that his sister Flora was facing. I was glad she had Lila to look up to by the end.

It was a really easy read and I wished there was a second so I could see how the story continues for Lila!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster AU for a free ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

Taylor Swift's London Boy has nothing on this book.
My emotions were thrown in a washing machine, set to a cold wash, covered in washing powder, and then thrown on a fast cycle for 320 pages. I have never felt so happy, then sad, then mad, all in the space of so few pages.
I fell in love with every single one of these characters when I told myself that I didn't want to get attached. I was not ready to feel pain like I did while reading this book but even I couldn't stop it when I fell head-over-heels for the entire cast, most of all Orion Maxwell. I connected on a personal level with aspects of each of them, from their pain and trauma to the things that made them themselves. It was beautiful and the diverse cast spoke to every part of me, which was a really fulfilling experience.
Another thing that I really loved about this book was the way in which the setting infused itself into every single part of the story. I was so immersed in the world and the way the characters and plot fit into that. It was rich and exquisite in every inch of the entire book.
The writing of the book was the one place where I felt it fell down a little bit. The description was nice, and the dialogue was witty and funny, but some of Lila's internal monologue felt forced and almost a bit childish. She really annoyed me for the first 50 pages or so because I couldn't help but think: Seriously, you're stuck in England until your parents bring you home so just enjoy it! I know you don't want to be there but grow up and stop hating on everything before you've even given it a chance.
And then there was Orion. Orion Maxwell, the tea-drinking English boy who stole into my heart and made my standards for men even higher. I fell for every cell of him, every word and every breath. His wit had me in fits, his tears had me in tears and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
A beautiful, honest, wonderful book.

“I’ve grown to find peace and acceptance in not fighting what I can’t control.”

This book had such a cozy feel to it. I loved reading about Lila's passion for baking and Cuban food. I was left craving pastries and cakes throughout this book 🤤🥮 I thought this book touched on grief and healing really well. The pacing was a bit slow so I felt like there were parts of the book where I was a little bored. I also wasn't really feeling the romance in the story - I only really viewed Lila and Orion's relationship as platonic soulmates, if that makes sense? I just didn't really feel the chemistry between the two. Especially because the book was more focused on Lila's baking and her dealing with grief and just growing as a character.

Overall though, definitely a solid read and I just loved the vibes I got from it 🥰 I also read this for the hello autumn/spring readathon!

Read if you like 💫
Baking
English summer
Pastries & tea
Cozy sweaters
Cuban culture

Thank you Netgalley for a ARC of this book.

A sweet coming of age story about a girl who is at a cross roads in her life. A story that glows with baking descriptions that jump off the page and make you feel hungry. A sweet slow burn romance that is easy to read. I didn’t enjoy the first few chapters as I found the main character quite bratty but unlike other romances the main character actually recognises her faults and acts to change them. I would have loved some recipes at the end of the book to go with the story. I enjoyed this story as a lovely quick read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this cute YA novel, with its sweet romance and rich character growth.

The author’s writing style is quite dreamy - there are quirky turns of phrase and everything is beautifully described. I got swept away and read it in one sitting due to the author’s crafty work with imagery.

Things I loved:
- Orion being the classic YA dreamboat lead
- The FOOD! Golly this book needs its own accompanying recipe book, or someone to create a cafe stocking the items mentioned
- The cast of UK friends

Things that didn’t work for me:
- I think the “best friend” storyline was lacking. I feel like the breakup and the death were enough traumas and the best friend-loss wasn’t necessary
- There were some strong stereotypes used throughout

In short: a really easy and fun read, with delightful writing. Ticks all the YA swoon boxes!

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. This was a predictable, quick read about a girl who goes to England for the summer in order to sort out her life. It was nice to see other parts of England portrayed, instead of just London.

Unfortunately, I found the writing style rather awkward, and some parts of the book were ignorant and bigoted, which was disappointing as I find stereotypes and labels uncomfortable.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.