Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-Arc!

If you love books about books and book lovers and also new adult romances that give Colleen Hoover vibes you should check this one out! 3.5 stars!

Sometimes things doesn't go as planned. Harper is finding that out in this book. I love Harper as a character. She is written very well and develops realistically thorughout the book. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

You and Other Natural Disasters by María Martínez is a beautifully written, emotionally charged contemporary romance that explores love, loss, and self-discovery. From the very first page, I was drawn into Harper’s world—her struggle to balance her dreams with the weight of her grandmother’s legacy felt deeply personal and relatable.

Harper is a well-developed protagonist, and I loved how her journey unfolded. Her passion for books, her emotional depth, and her uncertainty about the future made her feel real. The romance was engaging, with moments of tension and tenderness that kept me invested. While I enjoyed the chemistry, there were times when the pacing felt a little slow, and I wished for more depth in certain moments between the characters.

María Martínez’s writing is lyrical and evocative, making even the quietest scenes feel meaningful. The themes of grief, self-worth, and finding one’s own path were handled beautifully.

This is another wonderful story by the Spanish author María Martínez. It warms my heart to see more and more Spanish authors reach international markets and getting translations deals so readers worldwide can also discover the amazing authors we have.

This book follows the story of Harper, a girl who has her entire life planned out but all of a sudden sees her plans come tumbling down. We see how Harper must confront herself to decide if the life she has built up was really her dream or if the alternative path that has opened itself before her could lead to where she's meant to be.

Here we'll find family legacy, love, self discovery, all surrounded by a beautiful setting full of books.

This story is perfect for readers who appreciate a beautiful love story but also appreciate a self discovery journey.

Harper Weston thought she had it all figured out. But when her grandmother passes away leaving her bookstore to Harper, she is forced to make a decision…sell the beloved bookstore and continue living the life her father wants her to live, or leave all that behind to live the life she truly wants to live.

Such a beautiful story of love, loss and finding yourself. This book was well written and María Martínez did a great job really bringing the characters to life. Each and every character brought so much to the story. This book took me through SO MANY emotions and almost had me in tears more than once! It says a lot for a book when I find myself missing the characters for days after I’ve finish reading and this one did just that. Such a beautiful lesson in really living life and finding what makes YOU happy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!!

You & Other Natural Disasters ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️
“It all starts with a letter.”

Harper never expected to return to her hometown, but after losing a loved one, she finds herself back in familiar streets, facing an impossible choice that could change her life forever. Just when she thinks she has enough on her plate, she runs into him—her first love, the one who shattered her heart. Turns out, after all these years, she hasn’t moved on as much as she thought.

Between grieving her grandmother, navigating the emotional distance with her father, and the whirlwind of old feelings resurfacing, Harper makes a bold decision: escape to an isolated island, hoping the solitude will help her find clarity. But what awaits her there will not only unravel her past but also shape her future in unexpected ways.

Will Harper find the balance and happiness she’s searching for? And more importantly, will she make the right choice?

A cozy and heartfelt second-chance romance that beautifully weaves love, grief, and family dynamics. It’s my first romance of the year, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it—thank you, #NetGalley!

Tropes: Second-chance romance, grief, family dynamics

loved this romance that happened on and island and trying to figure out life. loved the family members and friends that we meet along the way. loved that there was a a romance with try. loved meeting the townspeople . Great romance.

Harper was such a phenomenal main character, and her internal struggle about what to do with her future, makes you think about yourself and your life.
In fact, this book is not just a romance, it is about finding yourself and being bold and brave enough to do what you love. What inspires you. What drives you.

As a reader, this book had so many quotes I love and personal touches… the mentioning of Anne of Green Gables, gave me such a nostalgic feel that I know for sure I’m gonna have to watch the show just to cure this feeling in me.
So after Harper‘s grandmother passed away, and she inherited her bookstore, does she want to work for her father or pursue her dream..?? she keeps and takes a trip to a small island where she bunks into TREY! ((Childhood crush))

For one thing I can say about their relationship, communication is key! The way they understand each other is ideal.

Goodreads Link::
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7241184745

"It's hard to know yourself when all you've ever tried to be is someone else."

Expectations. It's one word but it can feel like the weight of the world on your back. Living for other's expectations of yourself is topic that the main character, Harper, is faced with. As she begins a journey of self-discovery, she begins to question what life she wants to live; the life everyone planned or the life she has always dreamed of. You and Other Natural Disasters in an insightful novel about discovering yourself, fighting for your dreams, and gaining perspective along the way.

This book has some of the best quotes, especially if you love books! That was apparent from the first few sentences. The story centers around Harper dealing with the loss of her grandmother. She not only is dealing with grief, but it also forces her to reflect on here true passions in life. She is faced with a decision to continue the path of becoming a book editor or run the bookstore and even pen her own book like she always dreamed of with her grandmother.

Harper is so relatable because like her I think everyone has dealt with the pressure of living up to our families expectations. She is living for her others, especially her father and trying to gain approval. But it is hurting her in the end because it isn't bringing her joy. And things get even more complicated when she runs into an old-flame Trey. They had a past and a few miscommunications put their relationship on edge. Now that they are a bit older and wiser, they navigate a friendship that lets them lean on each other.

Like I previously mentioned, this book has some of the best quotes and I thought the writing evokes so many emotions. I am glad that I had the opportunity to read this book early. Maria Martinez is a new author to me and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I recently read You and Other Natural Disasters by María Martínez, and it was a captivating and emotional journey! The story follows Harper Weston, a 20-year-old who always dreamed of being a book editor. However, when she inherits her grandmother's beloved bookstore, she faces a dilemma between continuing her grandmother's legacy and pursuing her own carefully planned life. Harper's grief and resentment resurface every time she steps into the store, and she struggles to welcome her family, who have come to celebrate her sister's wedding. Unexpectedly, the wedding brings back Trey Holt, a close friend of her siblings and Harper's long-time love interest. Amidst all the chaos, Harper takes a little island trip to clear her mind. This trip changes her life and leads her to the answers she's been seeking. The story beautifully explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, making it a heartfelt and relatable read. Overall, this is a touching and beautifully written novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. If you enjoy emotional contemporary romance, this book is definitely worth picking up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. This book opens with main character, Harper, forced into a crossroad following the death of her grandmother— where she must decide whether to pursue her chosen career as a literary editor or follow her hidden passion to be a writer and take over her grandmother’s bookstore. Thrown into the mix is the man she’s always harbored a crush on, her brother’s best friend, who comes back into the fold now that’s she’s returned to her hometown to grapple with this decision.

This was a very cute and cozy romance, with lots to love by way of character and plot. There was more to this plot than surface level romance, as the character explored insecurities, grief, and shame. But, the heart of this book still felt cozy, with many literary references and bookish references to satisfy readers. I did struggle a bit with the writing style, with some of the dialogue just feeling choppy and unrealistic; there were some lines that I just couldn’t imagine characters saying to each other in real life. In addition, although some of the main character’s plot points revolved around these big life decisions, her communication skills and attitude just felt childish and again, unrealistic.

This is a good book to read if you’re looking for a cozy, small town romance— it is ultimately a quick paced story with many literary references (Anne of Green Gables fans, this one is for you). Thus, I think this book will definitely find the right readership and I would definitely recommend to the aforementioned audience.

I enjoyed this book because of the relationship the main character had with her grandmother. It reminded me of mine. I think the author did a good job with the dialogue and pacing of the action. I was invested in the outcome right away. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Big life decisions for a woman who has lived her life trying to satisfy others, while abandoning her own passions and path - facing a second chance romance and her career path, everyone else seems to know what she should do, but her! Everything comes down to her immaturity, lack of communication, lack of self awareness, and desire to please everyone even when they tell her outright they don't want to bother - which was rather frustrating. More of a backbone would have made the story so much better, and the thing with her father was rather extreme - plus some characters were introduced and kind of went nowhere, which was a bit confusing.

Wow. This book is perfect for a book lover. From the very first chapter, which began with talking about the wonder of books, this feels really special to read.

Short summary: Harper Weston is a 20-year-old that loves reading, and works at a publishing company. But when her grandmother dies and leaves Harper her bookstore, she must decide whether she wants to keep the store and follow her dreams of becoming an author, while her father pressures her to come work for his company. She takes a trip to a small island to escape all this, but ends up running into Trey, someone she has known and had a crush on since she was a kid.

I loved the writing in this book: it felt really satisfying to read, especially the author’s descriptions of the landscape of the island. I felt like they wrote Harper’s thoughts in a very realistic, convincing way and made her feel like a real person that I empathised with. One thing I didn’t like was that there were very long sections of dialogue at the start of the book, a lot of them used to give some backstory to each of the characters. This is definitely a better way of describing the character’s pasts than just stating them in big paragraphs, but it felt quite awkward to read. This only happened in the first few chapters though, and the dialogue flowed smoothly after that.

I also really liked the characters and their relationships. Harper was a great main character, and her internal struggle about what to do with her future will make you very interested in her story. In fact, this book is not just a romance, it is about finding yourself and being brave enough to do what you love. I didn’t have strong feelings towards Trey, he seemed like an average character in a book, but as the story progressed, he proved himself through the way he cares for Harper and does adorable things for her. And the two characters actually have real conversations and understand each other, which was very wholesome. The only negative about the romance I have is that the way they meet is a little too coincidental and convenient; I don’t mind if fate had a little to do with it, but I feel like they never would have met each other again if it wasn’t for the random event that happened. This book doesn’t just focus on the romance; Harper’s strong relationship with her siblings is clear and it was really great to see.

One other thing I want to mention is that there are so many references to Anne of Green Gables in this book, and as someone who has loved the books and the show since forever, this felt so nostalgic. I just want to thank the author because while I was reading this book, it felt like I was revisiting my childhood favourite book within it.

Overall, this book feels like being in a cosy library and reading by a warm fire, with great characters and a cute romance. Any romance fan needs to read this, and you’ll probably feel a little nostalgic about books after reading this too.