2.5 stars rounded up.

I really wanted to love this book. The cover is stunning and the promise of a “you’ll always find your way back home” moment gave me a lot of hope. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. The love triangle was strangely developed, with almost no reason or explanation given for why Vi was so desperate to get back to Rafa. In an effort to not make Liam a villain, the author has him waffling back and forth between being helpful and supportive and willing to do anything to help Vi and her family, and dismissing her and diminishing her capabilities.
The editing choices made here also left a lot to be desired. There is sort of a Spanglish style used in this book, which can be an interesting tool for the setting, but in this case is disjointed; there didn’t seem to be any sort of style guide being followed which ultimately resulted in just being confusing.
Overall I think this is a story someone could love, that person just isn’t me.

I would like to thanks Netgalley for the ebook !

I found the intrigue quite simple. Violeta leaves with her partner in New-York. When her grandmother passed away, she decides to return in Colombia in order to run the restaurant with her bestfriend. We learn a lot about spanish food.

I really liked how emotions were depicted for each character !

Overall, it was a good story.

“Time comes and goes, it passes and it comes back and then it repeats the same cycle, everything growing and connecting to a center where our ancestors are in front of us and our future stands behind us."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐭:
Violeta Sanoguera had always been obedient, following the wishes of her mother and grandmother even when it meant leaving behind the man she loved in Colombia. In New York City, she pursued her dreams of education and art, carving out a new life for herself with a new love by her side. But when her grandmother passed away suddenly, Violeta's world turned upside down.

For years, Violeta had thrived in the hustle and bustle of NYC, but now she found herself on a plane back to Colombia, haunted by the ghost of her grandmother who seemed to be guiding her every step. To her surprise, she discovered that she was the heir to the struggling family restaurant, the very place her grandmother had warned her to avoid. As she navigated the challenges of running the business, Violeta also found herself reconnecting with her roots, her grandmother's legacy, and even the flame of an old love.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
🥹 Emotional
🫂 Family
💫 Magical realism
❤️‍🩹 Grief & healing from loss
💪🏼 Self-discovery
🔥 Old flame


𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖:
✳︎ Women’s fiction mixed with magical realism
✳︎ Bilingual female main character 👏🏼
✳︎ Love triangles
✳︎ Beautiful storytelling

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
The beautiful cover immediately caught my attention and perfectly encapsulated the essence of Columbia, drawing me into the book effortlessly.

I found myself deeply engrossed in the tale, particularly admiring the strong female characters and following Violeta "Vi" on her journey of personal growth. I was wholeheartedly cheering for her every step of the way.

The inclusion of magical realism added a special touch to the narrative, evoking emotions and making the story more unique.

Despite my overall enjoyment, I was slightly let down by inconsistencies in the writing, particularly in the sporadic translation of Spanish within the story, which left me feeling confused at times.

In conclusion, this debut novel is a fantastic choice for book clubs, offering a wealth of themes and topics to delve into and discuss.

𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (𝟺/𝟻)

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙽𝚎𝚝𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙻𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚁𝙲!

One of the most beautiful covers of the year! Sadly, the story itself fell short for me. I think the writer has promise and I like some of the descriptions, but I just didn't feel super compelled by what was happening. The romance elements were not great. There are some interesting family dynamics worth noting.

María Alejandra Barrios Vélez's novel certainly touches a lot of themes but does so in a bit of an infantile way, i wish the storytelling could have been a bit more mature

A story of life's hurdles, especially for women. Trying to live the life we desire and the life our family desires. The love of a grandmother and the unfortunate death bringing Vi home to Colombia. The determination to prove herself and keep the family restaurant open aided in the rediscovery of herself and the love of her past. True soul tie in more than one way.

I thought I’d like this but it never really managed to grab my interest. It’s fairly predictable and there are a lot of relationships that could have been better explored.

While the first half of this book took time to get through, the second half made up for it, drawing me in and capturing my interest until the end. And even though it was pretty predictable, Barrios Velez still manages to surprise me with her vivid imagery of Colombia and the delightful people who live there.

Violeta is a young girl determined to be in the kitchen of her Abuela's restaurant in Colombia. She would like nothing more than to be part of the magic there and be with her first love, Rafa. But her Abuela and mama have different ideas, the most important being to leave Colombia for New York and focus on her passion for art, and not choosing the first man she falls for. Vi does just this...choosing to listen to the women in her family and moving away to go to college in New York. There she finds a new love and a career in illustration, however not everything feels right and too many things are falling apart. But change is constant, and when she is faced with the death of her Abuela, she is forced to return home and face everything she left behind - including the future of the beautiful restaurant her Abuela worked so hard to create and the past love of her life.

The first half of the story dragged a little and was off-putting, maybe because Barrios Velez works too hard to make Vi seem depressed. Like maybe it is the only way to get Vi to go back to Colombia? However when she is back home with her family her depression never leaves. She has these lucid moments where she is her old self again but they pass too quickly. The other part that gave me pause was Vi's mama. There were many moments when it felt like her actions were contradictory - and not in a good way. Her decisions and thoughts are all over the place and, again, Barrios Velez maybe tries to hard to make her look like a bad mother.

With the last half, and especially the last third, the story opens up and brings a beauty to both the restaurant and Vi's daily decisions. We get Abuela's story placed throughout and this helps us connect to the people and the restaurant, which is needed since we are not really able to do this in the first half. This is where Barrios Velez truly shines, giving us so many reasons to fall in love with Colombia. I really love when Vi begins to trust the town to help, as this again brings a connection that is greatly needed for the story to resonate, and we also see Vi trust herself and her determination to be who she truly wants to be.

The Waves Take You Home is a beautifully written tale that explores the complex themes of choice, identity, and the power of reconnecting with one's roots. The protagonist, Vi, was compelled to leave her small village in Colombia and the family restaurant that they owned, to pursue her education in the United States. After ten years, Vi returns to the village after her grandmother's death, leaving behind her job and her boyfriend in New York, to save the restaurant that is in danger of being shut down. Vi also hopes to connect with her grandmother's spirit and reconcile her own sense of identity and belonging.

The story is richly woven with complex characters, including Vi's first love, whom she left behind but still holds a piece of her heart. The narrative is infused with evocative imagery and prose that gives the reader a deep understanding of life in a small village in Colombia. The author's use of Spanish phrases and expressions throughout the story adds to the immersive experience, though it could be challenging for readers with limited knowledge of the language.
Overall, I found the book to be a wonderful read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story with deep themes and evocative imagery.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 star! This was a powerful story about identity, home, love and family. I loved the writing style, gave me strong Elizabeth Acevedo vibes since it had magical realism and so many hard truths.

This was between a 3 and a 4 for me so I gave it a 3.5 ✨
Solid read, and I absolutely recommend. There was a sentence where Violeta was described, glasses and curls and I totally felt seen and connected. 🫶🏽

I wish there was more background on Rafa, one of Violeta’s love interests. More details on my rating would be spoilers but overall this was a good read! ✨✨✨✨

Thank you to Lake Union for sending me this gifted copy and letting me be a part of this book tour! 🌸✨

As always all reviews, ratings, thoughts are all mine!

🌸

This story wasn't what I expected but in a good way. This story highlighted grief, family, choosing between your past life and new life, and also old flames. I liked this a lot. Vi had to return back home after many years to take over and save the restuarant that was left to her. She struggled between the duty she felt between wanting to stay with her family and hometown that she never wanted to leave or returning back the states with her new life and new love. I empathized with Vi and I respected her decision to make her grandmother proud even despite the slight resentment at times, but her abuela was trying to look out for her. While I feel bad for Liam bc he did seem like a good guy, I think him and Violetta made the best decision. Vi realized her feelings for Rafa were still there and still strong and it wouldn't be fair, but she also overall missed home. Liam eventually understood. The love was still there.

This was an enjoyable read for me. I was drawn in with the challenges Vi faced between leaving her life behind in Colombia and starting a new life in the US to later dealing with grief and saving the restaurant. Readers could connect to her grandmother wanting to do everything in her power to give Violeta a different life than the one she had, even when Vi did not see it this way. However, this ended up feeling a bit contradictory towards the end since the grandmother wanted Vi to trust her heart to achieve happiness but since the very start Vi wanted to stay in Colombia to be with her family and Rafa.

The grandmother's appearances after her death felt like a sprinkle of magical realism but at the same time mirrored how in acute grief one can feel or hear the presence of their loved ones. VI's grandmother's journal entries also contributed dept to the story and helped Vi and the reader better understand who her grandmother was. I don't feel it's uncommon for people to learn of the lives or secrets their loved ones had after their death and how these things contributed to who they were as people. Overall, I liked the supporting characters but felt there was something missing with Violeta's mom. I also appreciated the author didn't write Violeta's boyfriend as a terrible person to later facilitate their breakup. The suspense between Rafa and Violeta meeting again after several years had me anxiously flipping through! I was a little disappointed in barely seeing Rafa and Vi interact while she was back in Colombia to them urgently ending up together. It felt rushed and could have possibly benefited a bit more from a slow burn.

Lastly, as a Latina and Spanish speaker, I appreciated seeing Spanish inserted throughout the book. However, the format in which it appeared felt inconsistent and distracting at times. For example, sometimes the translation would follow the Spanish phrase or word and at other times it wouldn't.

I love it when a book sweeps you away to another part of the world. Today's destination was Barranquilla, Colombia. Where the air is heavy with humidity. The blanket of heat that wraps around you as you step outside, stops you in your tracks as you struggle to make peace with the intense temperatures. The smell of onions, pepper, garlic, fish waft through the air as they are cooked in incredible sauces. The descriptions will have your stomach rumbling with hunger, which can only be cured by Colombian cooking. I had my Panamanian husband whip me up something to curb my appetite.

Vi has spent her life trying to get into her Abuela's restaurant kitchen. As she chases her out, molding and shaping her to believe that she needs to leave her home and go to school in the states. As the countdown to her last few hours in Colombia flashes before her eyes, she is consumed with grief. She is saying goodbye to everything and everyone she knows. Ten years later, Vi, is now living in NYC with her boyfriend, Liam. Her Abuela is sick, and she must return to say her goodbyes. As her phone rings, giving her the worst news she has ever received, her Abuela is gone. Vi jumps on a plane to pay her respects. Her Abuela leaves the majority share of her restaurant to Vi. The restaurant is in debt and Vi needs to come up with a way to save it. As her past collides with her present, she must decide between her home in Colombia and her home in NYC.

I loved the family dynamic in this book. The relationships that Vi had with her mother and grandmother are fleshed out. I loved the insight into the Colombian culture. The food, the dance, the dialogue between everyone makes you feel as though you are there. Thank you to Maria Alejandra Barrios Belez, Amazon Publishing, and Over the River Public Relations for my gifted copy of this incredible read.

This book is a love song to the Columbian people and culture. This beautifully written novel keeps you captivated from the very first page. Even though this is a debut, it seems like the author has been writing professionally for decades. Well done.

Unfortunately I didn’t connect with the characters on this one despite feeling like the book started off comforting and cosy vibes. The mixed English and Spanish sentences threw me when it didn’t always translate to English for the reader, I know a little Spanish but found it difficult to read 2 languages at the same time at parts. I feel like the ghost aspect was rogue but also could have been such a more key plot point. The main character’s relationship was over from the start and I felt like there wasn’t really any growth/that it was very predicable how it would end. Unfortunately didn’t hit for me.

The cover of this book is so gorgeous! That and the fact that it mostly takes place in Colombia made me so excited for it. I do want to say that I was aware that there were so romance aspects based on the description, and I have not been the biggest fan of romance in the past. I absolutely loved the descriptions of the food!!! That was literally my favorite part of the book. Of the 30+ countries that I have traveled to, Colombia is one of my absolute favorites. They also have really delicious dishes. I feel like the romantic interest could have had a lot more depth as a character. Also, I'm not going to lie, but I was expecting something more out of the romance part of it. It was one of those girl leaves hometown and comes back to hometown tropes that you find in a lot of cheesy American rom-coms. However, I did really enjoy reading about the food and finding out about Vi's abuela's past. Also, again, that cover is so beautiful! I give it a 3.5 out of 4, so that rounds up to 4 stars.

I felt like i knew these characters. The relationship between mother and daughter, and grand daughter and Abuela. The way this author story tells is magical and beautiful. I was able to put myself into this story. I actually did feel it could have been a smidge shorter but i still enjoyed it even though it’s not as much action as I’m used to in a book.

I will say my fav part that made this full circle was the finding in the journal and the message about the restaurant. So fitting

I loved this book, which was filled with so much heart and wisdom, the characters stayed with me long after I finished reading the last page. This was a tender, evocative meditation on inheritance, and the three women at the center of The Waves Take Me Home felt as real to me as family.
Barrios pulled off so many things well here: a ghost story filled with magical realism, a love triangle that constantly kept me guessing, and a conjuring of the sights and smells and tastes of Barranquilla that was so cinematic it felt like I was walking its streets. I couldn't put this one down!

This book tore my heart to pieces and then slowly pieced it back together again chapter by chapter. I absolutely loved María’s style of writing and character development and the language and food descriptions were absolutely gorgeous. I was so taken aback by this book and the relationships Vi has with her family and their rich cultural heritage I just fell in love with them all (even their not so good sides). This is a read I will always treasure and think will always be with me now 💜 ✨ Thank you so much María, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this as an eARC ✨ #loveoverfear

A great debut with a lovely cover. Was very excited to have a chance to read. Thanks to the publisher, author, and netgalley for the chance to read early.