This is a young adult book that works for even an older audience. We have our protagonist, Rubi who is a first-generation Cuban - American and this brings with it multiple weights with it. Her family, especially her mother needs her to stick to the plan of picking a respectable field in the main university within their sights.

Rubi is doing all she can to make that dream come true but there are some extra hurdles. Baking is in her blood and she dreams of innovations in recipes and even talks of her daily life in baking lingo whether possible.

The narration was on point and I could feel the frustration of a near - adult who is struggling with the current stage in her life. There are ups and downs until a very believable ending. A lot of people in the background are interesting as well as carry a part of the story as we see Rubi trying to figure out what and how much of it she wants in her life.

I would definitely recommend this book to young- adult readers and would read another book written by the author. The format also helped me enjoy the entire setting.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

This is a lovely coming-of-age story about a Cuban-American teen who is torn between following her dream to be a baker and her mother's dream for her to be a lawyer. It's about familial sacrifice, familial bonds, teenage relationships, cultural bonds, being true to yourself, and what family history means to you. It's a moving and inspiring listen.

First of all this cover is gorgeous! It just draws you in and screams summer vibes. I love Rubi’s passion for baking and I could totally relate to the familial expectations. Seeing her growth throughout this story was inspiring. I would highly recommend this book. But do not read on an empty stomach.

Thank you NetGally, Publishers, and Jessica Parra for gifting me a copy of Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success in return for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars
Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.

*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.
*Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.

But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.

*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.

Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–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 a subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out--even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age YA novel. Jessica Parra is such a wonderful author and I was surprised that this was her debut novel. Her writing is wonderful and I enjoyed the characters and her writing style it was simply wonderful.

Rubi was such a wonderful character to read about and her confusion and struggle with what to do was wonderfully believable. I felt for her with all of the pressure that her parents were putting on her when all she wanted to do was bake.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys YA novels about struggling with who you are and what you truly want, this is definitely a book I would recommend.

This was really cute!! I wasn’t super invested in the beginning but by the second half, I really loved it and couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen!

Look at the Gorgeous Cover 💕
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this Audiobook.

Generally I'm not one for YA books but I just couldn't resist this. First the cover and then the synopsis (Bake Off)
I love cooking shows.

This was quite cute.
Im not really one for YAs so i didn’t really love it as much as I wanted to. I just liked it.
But I'm certain a younger me would have loved it more.

However, i loved all the aspects of the bake off and the mouthwatering description of food.

It was also nice getting to know a bit about Cuba.

At the end, I'm glad Rubi was able to choose what truly makes her happy.

Audio file did not work for me, but I will be finding a copy to review upon publication.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success was fun story of following your dreams, working towards your goals, friendship and family. Rubi's parents emigrated from Cuba and are bakers, owning two bakeries. Rubi loves to bake and when she bakes from her grandmother's recipes it brings her closer to her and to her heritage. Her mother wants more for Rubi and bans her from baking. Her goal for Rubi is to become a lawyer. Rubi has applied to Alma College, but is waitlisted. She can't tell her parents that. She is also keeping another huge secret, she has entered the First Annual Bake Off sponsored by Alma. She is a busy girl, captaining the debate team, baking on the sly and getting tutored in math to keep up her grade point average. Rubi has her own Recipe for Success, but can she follow it?

Had I not read reviews that hooked me, I probably wouldn't have picked this book up. I thought it would be an easy read story about a teen working hard, first love and getting into her college of her dreams while baking along the way. There was so much more to it than that. Rubi was a perfect example of a child who was being pushed by her mother's unfulfilled dreams. She didn't want to disappoint her parents, but wanted to stay true to herself. She was such a hard worker, and intelligent young woman who knew what she wanted, but was also a people pleaser. I absolutely loved all the baking talk and the competitions. I do enjoy watching baking shows, so that was part of why I liked it so much, but I am also an avid baker. Learning about Cuban culture and the baking that went with it was interesting. Jessica Parra included the issues teens of that age, who are high achievers, go through with competition and some backstabbing. The characters were well developed and realistic, easy to relate to. I enjoyed everything about this story and recommend it to those who enjoy coming of age stories, stories of family relationships and expectations, stories about following your dreams, friendship and yes, romance. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Karla Serrato and I was very impressed with her voices, expression and tone. With the characters being various ages, genders and nationalities, she had to change often and I liked how she portrayed them all. I recommend Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success in audiobook if that is a format you enjoy.

A delicious and uplifting story of finding yourself, standing up for your dreams and fighting for them. Rubi’s journey of confidence will enchant your heart and you will find yourself rooting for her no matter what.
Loved the easygoing voice of the novel, the entertainment it gave, and also the not so cheerful topics it brought up and discussed!

Definitely add it to your TBRs if you like:
enemies to lovers
Cuban heritage in stories
Amazing recipes
The British Bake Off vibes


The audiobook was excellent and I think the narrator did a splendid job of bringing Rubi to life!

Thank you so much Netgalley and the Publisher for my ALC!

i listened to the audiobook while i read along with the ebook! my review for the book in general is below :)

i'm really late on writing this review and i read it so long ago now that i have honestly forgotten a lot about it but i do remember enjoying it! all the scenes describing the food she was making sounded really good and made me wish i could jump in the book to try them. ryan was adorable i loved him and the romance plot so much! the bake off and the debate team event (was it debate team?? i think so??) happening at the same time both on campus was very "audition callbacks + scholastic decathlon + basketball game" vibes from high school musical and i loved it ahaha overall this was a fun, fluffy, and delicious read!

Sometimes YA doesn't work for me anymore and that's more depressing for me than anything else. I think I would've appreciated this way more when I was younger but mostly I was just bored.

Fully convinced that a cute book with tastyy baked food CANNOT go wrong!

Rubi, the FMC is a top student and a fledgling baker. Fast forward and there's a local baking competition and we see her journey of growing and learning. Enter a cute boy who supports her and knows her, who is goofy and mature, and I AM A GONER.

Rubi is caught between her love of baking and meeting her Cuban immigrant parent's expectations. Although they own two successful bakeries, they want her to have absolutely nothing to do with the family business and instead have encouraged her to pursue a law degree. This is for all the first-generation, children of immigrants who are having to make their parents proud while simultaneously struggling with the weight of high expectations set on them from birth (IYKYK). I related to Rubi in so many ways and was frustrated on her behalf throughout the book (especially when she refers to herself as an investment). Although she has a hard time understanding what she wants for herself, Rubi does find her voice in the end and I applaud her for it! 3.5/5

I liked the story fine, but I think I've read a lot of other books with similar synopses recently and so I think I wanted more growth from the characters a long the way. I always like to see more of the competitions when I'm reading about a baking competition as well. I like how things wrapped up with her parents at least.

This was super fun and enjoyable! A coming-of-age story, full of family, fun and a touch of romance.
Rubi’s passion for baking was infectious!

What you’ll find in Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success
- The Great British Bake Off but in California.
- Family Drama.
- Cute Surfer Boy
- Baking puns & Witty Banter
- Cuban Culture

“That's the trouble with bending. It was impossible to know how far to go before you broke."

The audiobook narration was great! Production was seamless and the narrator did a fab job.

A great YA that had me hooked from pretty much the beginning. I found myself looking forward to doing household chores just so I could keep reading which is saying something! Thank you t NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

If I had read this a couple of years ago (when I was in/leaving high school) I just KNOW I would have eaten this up.

THE GOOD:
- Diverse characters!!!!! Wonderful!
- The MMC (Ryan) is so so sweet.
- Excellent prose. I loved how the baking scenes and settings were described.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
- Third-act "breakup"... listen, I'm not a big fan of that BUT I will say that they communicated well to resolve it afterward. It's also a little more believable here in a YA novel than if it were in an adult romance novel. Forgivable!
- The baking puns. I'm a lover of puns, but it was excessive and a lot of them were BIG reaches.
- Rubi's experiences weren't quite believable, but again, that's forgivable.

OVERALL:
I'm giving this one 3.75 stars. I definitely would have rated it 4 or 5 stars if I had read it when I was the target demographic!

This was such a great story. I laughed out loud several times. I was listening to the audio version and found myself driving slower so I could listen longer. You won’t want to miss it!

3.5 stars

This book made me so hungry! If I lived near Rubi's family bakery, I'd go in every day to try all their delicious treats. I loved how creative Rubi was with her bakes and that she incorporated her Cuban heritage into everything.

The story is fun and easy to get into, with an exciting baking competition and a sweet romance on the side. I did think the plot could have gone deeper instead of staying at a surface level with the drama and emotions. Most things seemed easily resolved and it was clear how everything would end up.

I did enjoy the book and though the audiobook had a great narrator to bring Rubi to life. Great read for summer time.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy.

This was adorable and made me want to eat all the sweets!

Rubi has grown up in the kitchen of her parents bakery. With her parents insistence on Rubi attending Alma University Law School, Rubi's love of baking has been put in the background of her life plans. When Alma waitlists her and her invitation to participate in the First Annual Bake Off Rubi come at the same time, a misunderstanding between her and her parents takes flight. Now Rubi finds herself questioning what she wants for herself for the first time as her love of baking finally gets a chance to take center stage.

As the secret of her Alma University waitlist status and participation in the back off starts to creep up on her, she has to decide what future she wants for herself and how she's going to tell her parents.

I really enjoyed Rubi's journey to self-discovery and watching her step up to follow her dreams. The pressure she receives from her parents, and mother especially, felt authentic. As a mother myself I understand the drive to see your children succeed. I think that Rubi's mother got lost in the fact that she couldn't fulfill her dreams and so she is determined Rubi will do it for her. She just doesn't realize that Rubi's dreams aren't the same as hers and the tension between them was felt.

I thought the plot was well developed, the characters relatable, and the relationships between Rubi and her friends felt authentic. The romance was at a perfect level and I liked that the focus of the story was more on Rubi's journey. I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for their next YA contemporary!

I thought the audiobook was well produced and the narrators did a great job portraying Rubi's voice throughout the book.