Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra is a sweet coming of age story that focuses on being true to yourself while also showing love and support to your friends and family. Rubi Ramos is a passionate and likable character who is struggling to find her place in the world between her immigrant parents who own several bakeries and her predestined future as an ivy League student. When Rubi has issues with math. It seems like her" recipe for success" is threatened and she finds a tutor who is both cute and kind. The romance is not very developed, but it's cute. However, the story is definitely more of a coming of age tale that focuses on Rubi, Her parents and their expectations, Her love and skill with baking, and her journey to figure out exactly what she wants to do with her future. I absolutely adored the baking scenes and the whole competition sounded really interesting. The Cuban food and recipes sounded delicious and I loved hearing about the history of some of them. The narrator did an excellent job and had a soothing voice that made you feel comfortable. Even when the story got tents. She did a great job of managing different accents and really pulling you into the book. Overall, this is a great YA read that I would recommend to anyone who likes food, friendship, and dreaming about the future.

Such a well written coming of age story. I really enjoyed this one, and look forward to more from the author.

A lovely coming of age story with an adorable romance, going back to your roots to find one self and some tasty treats being baked along the way.

Rubi was the daughter of two Cuban bakers who have given everything to make sure their daughter had a better life. She was going to get into Alma University and she was going to study pre-law. She’s the top of her debate team, and everything is sailing smoothly. She sees an advertisement for a Bake-Off, and enters, when she gets in a whole new world opens up to her.

She can go to Cuba and learn to bake, and she can do it through Alma’s new baking program. As she celebrates Bake-Offs win, every one thinks it’s her Alma acceptance, but she was unfortunately wait listed.

Rubi would do anything to get off the wait list, including giving up being the captain of the debate team. rubi and the bake off heat up and her passion for baking and her heritage are unlocked. But it’s a secret from… the boss.

This book is a perfect coming of age story, and I cannot say how much I enjoyed it. I only removed a star, as it felt like it was just another YA novel, although it had parts that set it apart, and kept it fresh.

Rubi wants to be a cook and work in her family's restaurant, but her parents want more for her than to be a chef.

This book was well written, and the characters well built and round; however, this was more of a case of wrong time for me. I've been maxed out with books about teens who want to be chefs but of all the ones I have read, I know this one is enjoyable.

Should you be in the mood - this book will give you all the feels for Rubi and her grand plans to have it all. She gets herself into situations when perhaps being honest with those in her family would solve her issues.

It's a wild ride none, less.

Karla Serrato, the narrator, did a great job bringing these characters to life.

Rubi Ramo's Recipe for Success, a delightful young adult romance novel by an up-and-coming author, Jessica Parra, whisks readers away on a delectable journey filled with mouthwatering recipes, heartwarming friendships, and a dash of unexpected love. This book serves up a truly satisfying experience that will leave readers craving for more.

Furthermore, the audiobook narrator is pure perfection. It was if I were listening to Rubi herself.

This was a cute book about Rubi who is waitlisted from her “dream” college but is more interested in her parent’s baking business. This is a coming-of-age story where the MC finds her first love and learns what she wants to do in her life. This was a well-written story and I enjoyed the storyline. Parra included a very good amount of Cuban culture into the story and I learned quite a bit. I loved how diverse this story was from the parents to the baking. The pacing was great for the book but the story is very generic where the kid doesn’t get into the Ivy League school, the parents are strict and everything in between. Also, I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and let me say that the narrator was amazing. Her voice was soothing and she spoke in Spanish for some parts of the dialogue.

This book is written in Rubi’s pov. She loves to bake and create new recipes, so she entered the baking competition. Her family is strict though. I loved seeing Rubi grow in this book with the way she followed her passion even though she was annoying in the beginning. Ryan is one of the main side characters you can say and I enjoyed his character. He’s Rubi’s tutor and was such a supporting person. The one thing I was a bit confused about was there wasn’t much appearance of the mom like I expected. For the romance, don’t let the cover get to you. This is not a full-on romance you would expect. There is the friends-to-lovers with some bits of developed romance but it mainly focused on Rubi’s development.

The ending was well done and I was happy with the way Rubi’s story ended. It was a cute book even though I thought this was going to be a full-on romance novel. It was still a great story but sometimes when you don’t what you expect, you often don’t feel the full experience of the story. I do recommend this book though especially if you love Becky Albertalli and Kasie West.

I absolutely adored this audiobook. Loved the narrator and the story was very easy to follow while doing other stuff. i really liked the characters.

All in all, very enjoyable audiobook. It is more of a coming of age book than a romance novel though.

A cute story about Rubi Ramos, a young woman in her senior year of high school and striving to live up to her parents' dream of sending her to Alma University. To make it there, she's got a "recipe" for what it will take. Yet, part of that recipe is taking away something she loves....baking and creating baked goods and she's struggling to fulfill that part of the equation.

Rubi struggles with some challenges along the way in trying to make her (or is it her parents') dreams come true. Can she make both things happen or will something have to be given up to find true happiness? She will eventually figure it out with the help of some friends and a very intriguing red haired boy who she falls in serious "like" with.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio was very strong - - it truly made Rubi's character come to life with top notch narration. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Stories revolving around families, sacrifices and familial bonds can be a tear jerker and Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success by @jessicatparra was one such book.

Rubi has seen her parents work hard and make sacrifices so that she could have a bright future. All they ever wanted was for Rubi to get into Alma and become a lawyer. They had written down all the ingredients necessary for the recipe and Rubi was supposed to focus on her studies, get into Alma, not focus on a baking competition and definitely not end up on the waitlist for Alma's Law program.

This was a cozy, heartwarming read. I could relate to the relationship Rubi had with her parents. Her relationship with her dad had my heart and Devon is the best friend we all need (tbh it reminded me of my best friend).

The writing was simple and the mention of all the recipes made my mouth water. But above all, I loved the relatable heroine and storyline.

I really wished I liked this, but honestly it sucked. I felt like some of the serious type topics fell flat. Also what’s the point in putting a dude on the cover, when he kind of has nothing to do with the story.


2.5 Stars

Unfortunately this one was a DNF due to technical issues. I will be buying this title once available and will review properly on goodreads then.

Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success by Jessica Para is the latest audiobook that I listened to, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Being the first generation daughter of an immigrant, I could relate to some of Rubi's experiences with her family and expectations.
This book was an excellent coming of age story with a small side of romance. I'm glad that the romance wasn't the main story because Rubi deserved to grow into herself.
I also loved the amazing descriptions of the baked goods and recipes.
This was such a fun listen, and Karla Serrato did an amazing job with the narration.
If you are looking for your next audiobook, give this me YA book a listen.

This was a fun, light - hearted summer read
The characters are super lovable. I had a great time reading this!

5 out of 5 stars



Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for allowing me to listen to this in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with this book right away! A sweet, romance that also happens to handle serious subjects such as racism & classism, the pressure of getting into the school you want and the expectations as a first generation American.

Rubi just wants to bake, it is where she finds her joy in life and she is great at it but her parents sacrificed a lot so that she could have the best education. Getting accepted into a baking competition was not something she expected nor was falling in love. All of these things set her life on a different path.

Karla Serato gave a wonderful voce to Rubi. Jessica Parra won me over completely. This is a must read for romantics.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.

📍 Read if you like:
• Family Stories
• Coming Of Age
• Baking Puns
• Cuban Culture

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I was anticipating. I picked it up on a whim on NetGalley and found myself super intrigued by the premise. I love when a book has diverse characters and a great representation, in this case, it’s the Cuban culture.

I also listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it! This is a Young Adult and at first, I thought it was a romance. While it does have those romantic elements, it was more of a coming-of-age story for Rubi.

I loved the talk of food and baking. There were some puns I started laughing at. This is the kind of read you’ll pick up in between those darker books. It was so uplifting and heartwarming.

I also really enjoyed the family and their connections to each other. They were each interesting and it was so fun following Rubi as she tries to live her dream. This is a young adult story - at times it did get repetitive & I went into it with a wrong impression - but the book as a whole was so fun!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Racism, classism

🎧Song Pairing: What Dreams Are Made of - Hilary Duff (from the should have been academy award winning Lizzie McGuire Movie)

💭What I thought would happen:

I was getting some Emma Lord vibes from the cover but seriously how could I turn down a pink fun book.

🗯Thoughts:

Hooookay this was deliciously sweet. The perfect summer YA. 10/10 recommend! Aces! Made my heart happy.

What I enjoyed most about this delight was that it was more focused on Rubi, her future, hard work and dreams and less about a love interest (which was still adorable) just not her whole focus.

The emphasis on Rubi’s family dynamic, the pressure to succeed in a conventional way brought on by immigrant parents who only want the best for their child, better than what they gave her. Yet she loves the life they have I mean come on 🥹🥹

Please pick this one up. You won’t be sorry!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for this delightful read in exchange for my honest review.
Rubi Ramos was such a joy to get to know. I went in thinking it's a YA romance, but it was SO MUCH MORE. And I loved that. I have a soft spot for kids who are trying to get out of their parents' shadows and get to know themselves. Add to that those parents actually being supportive, and I'll be the personal hype person for them.

Everything about this was just baker's kiss awesome. I'm sorry, I don't know if that's something people say. I loved the relationship between Rubi and her parents and her friends. Just amazing. I also LOVED how, despite all the hardships, Rubi and her friends didn't have a falling out, which could have happened in most novels. I loved how even though Rubi and her love interest did have a quarrel, it did not stop him from supporting her. Like? Talk about healthy relationships!!!!

I would want everyone to read this, if only for me. I know in my heart people will fall in love eventually.

Sweet Ya rom-com that centered around cooking, immigrants struggles and family dynamics, and a teenager journey to find her true self.

I absolutely adored Rubi and her passion for cooking. I also feel like I could relate to her and wanting to do what her parents wanted her to do and what her passions lead her to do.

This audiobook was great. The narrator were fantastic and did a great job being Rubi to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for this audiobook. This is my voluntary honest review.