e-Audio, 08:33:58
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Published by: Simon & Schuster Audio
Read from: November 24-25, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Library
TW: Death of a grandparent (Not shown, just talked about)
For fans of: Contemporary Romance, Foodie Favorites, Adventure, Sparkly Covers, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Diverse Authors, Own Voices, POC MC, Realistic Fiction, POC on Cover, YALove & Gelato meets Don’t Date Rosa Santos in this charming, heartfelt story following a Miami girl who unexpectedly finds love—and herself—in a small English town.
For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.
Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: Spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.
A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I remember first seeing this book and just KNOWING that it would be something that I would adore. And sure enough, I was right. From the food, to the romance, to almost everything about this, I enjoyed so much about this.
Just when Lila thinks she’s losing everything, she loses another thing…. The battle between her and her parents. She’s sent to England for the summer to “clear her head.” It’s not her fault the trifecta happened all at once. When she makes it to England, she’s not expecting to have fun or to turn it into an adventure. That is until she meets Orion. Things begin to change, and before she knows it, life in England turns out not to be so bad.
Starting with the thing I loved most about this book: the FOOD. I’m not gonna lie, every single thing they described, I wanted the recipe to. It’s definitely going on my “foodie favorites” shelf. I was super glad I finished this the day before Thanksgiving, because I was starving when I finished the book. I remember even going as far as searching where the nearest Cuban sandwich is to me because y’all, the descriptions from the book made it sound DELICIOUS. Another reason why Own Voices books are important. In this book food is a very important part of the plot, so just naming the foods, or not knowing how long to cook something, etc. would have changed this story drastically.
Another thing I loved about this was the romance. The love interest was adorable. (And from the cover he has great hair lol) He seemed like a brat at first and I was not a fan (the moment they met had me thinking “YOU CANNOT DO THAT DURING THE TIMES OF COVID!” but I remembered this was probably written a couple years ago lol) but he grew on me as the book went on.
The only thing I didn’t really care for was the plot. I called the mysterious painter from the moment I met that character. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be so obvious, but it was and it ruined it for me. I mean the entire book wasn’t ruined, but the plot was. I just didn’t care for that part of the story anymore. I did like the outcome of it though. I remember defending Lila under my breath when things started to hit the fan.
I also liked the setting. I would have liked a bit more description (like as much as we got of the food) but for the most part, just being able to “see” the places that person took her was ok. I’ve never been to England, so I thought this was a fun way to “go” there. I imagined finding my own flavor in the teashop, because I actually don’t like tea, but I’ve been told I just haven’t found a flavor for ME. I’d be interested in seeing what they came up with.
As for the narrator, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this own voices narrator. I also listened to Mexican Gothic and Next Year in Havana, and just like in those, the pronunciation and the knowledge of what to stress and what not to made all the difference. These things wouldn’t be known had anyone else been narrating this. I’m so glad these narrators are being chosen to complete these stories now!
This book was so sweet! A little predictable, but definitely fun. I hadn’t been to England before, but I feel a little closer now that I’ve read this. And now, I’m on my way to find a Cuban sandwich. I hope the one I have is as good as the one in the book is described!
Overall, I give this
What about you? Have you read this? What recipe do you remember most from this book? What did you think of the romance? Let me know in the comments!