Thank you Brittany from Space Between the Spines for hosting this awesome review train! She's pretty awesome herself, so I recommend you go check her blog out (and all the other blogs participating in this train because they are awesome too)!
Author: Mia GarciaEdition: Kindle eBookRating: 3 Stars
I don't normally read contemporary books, but I thought I'd give this one a try for a few reasons. The number one reason being that I was invited to this review train (Choo choo!) and the number two reason being the description of the book.
I was sold by the idea of a whirlwind adventure with quite a bit of heartfelt romance set in a city full of rich culture. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed.
While the New Orleans of the book did have a rich and vibrant culture, pretty much coming off of the page, I didn't think there was enough time taken to really give the city the proper enjoyment it deserved. It's certainly a whirlwind book, and everything happens very, very quickly. The parts of the city that are described particularly well are the streets and the lives of many who live there.
The characters were the biggest problem and this comes back to the pacing. By the end I was invested in both Miles and Julia, but it did take some time. Because things were moving so fast, and since I like to take my time soaking in characters and not have them forced upon me quickly and in a way that makes them feel shallow (even though, as the story progresses, you learn they are not shallow in the least), it was hard to enjoy for a little bit. The side characters did all feel only one step away from stock characters, but that, again, may have just been me dealing with the pacing.
My favorite parts of the novel were the ending (and how everything wraps up), the way that Julia's backstory was chipped away at (and the details therein), and the diversity. I can't say much of the former two, because of spoilers, but they were both executed well and the reveals in Julia's history had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. As for diversity, this is an A+ book. Julia's family is from Puerto Rico and Miles' is African American. I have a bad habit of whitewashing characters in my head when I'm in the thick of a book (it has to do with the community I grew up in, but I'm getting better at actually "seeing" characters) but here I had no trouble. They come off the page as vividly as the setting in this regard, and I really, really enjoyed it.
This is certainly a light read, maybe even good for the beach if you're visiting this year, though I will caution it's not all the back makes it seem. The fast pace detracts from the romance, but in the end it isn't a bad book at all.
The Next Review
Czai @ The Blacksheep Project -- Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
The Previous Reviews
May 30th -- Genni @ Ready, Set, Read - The Unexpected Everything
May 31st -- Lauren @ Always Me - Future Shock
June 1st -- Laura @ Blue Eye Books - The Summer I Turned Pretty
The Upcoming Readers
June 4th -- Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense - The Distance Between Us
June 5th -- Ashley @ [Insert Title Here] - Rebel of the Sands
June 6th -- Sinead @ Less Reality, More Books - The Square Root of Summer
June 7th -- Ashley @ What's She Reading? - Open Road Summer
June 8th -- Brittany @ Space Between the Spines -- Summer Days and Summer Nights + a giveaway!
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Great review and stop on the train! I wish you had liked the story more though. I haven't heard of it before now, but I do like the sound of its setting in New Orleans.
ReplyDeleteIn the end I was glad I read it, so that's the important part for me. The setting really was great, and makes me want to visit New Orleans even more!
DeleteSorry this didn't end up being a better read for you. Pacing can really distract a reader, but at the very least it sounded like it was a quick read? The concept reminds me a lot of Gayle Foreman's Just One Day, which I was pretty meh on. (The pacing and atmosphere were great, but I didn't like the characters at all.) And it's nice to see a set of characters from a different ethnicity. I'm like you, in that I tend to gravitate toward people of my own skin, but I really enjoy seeing YA books grow in diversity, from race to religion to sexual orientation. We're all different, after all!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the lovely review and participating in the Review Train! <333
Yeah it was pretty quick read! I ended up taking a short break in the middle to study for finals, but it really did go by quickly when I put my mind to it.
DeleteThank you for hosting the review train! It's been a lot of fun so far and I look forward to seeing what everyone posts!
Yes, you did it! You deserve a round of applause. I don't read too many contemporaries myself, but have been craving them lately. I love that this one has such diversity, being Latina, it's sometimes hard to find books with protagonists that look like me. Not sure how I feel about a fast-paced romance, I'm more into slow-burn romances, but I might try this debut out in the future. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping motivate me! Though, I barely got it done (I think it was at like 11:55 when I scheduled it to post at midnight? LOL summer is already taking its toll!)
DeleteI'm also more interested in slow-burn romances, but was hoping this might be a worthwhile quick one. Thanks for stopping by!
This sounds like it could be good. Maybe better if there was more time taken with the plot? Whirlwind books are so hard to read! I can't imagine having to pull one off as a writer. The setting sounds amazing and vivid though! I love books that truly take you places.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
I keep picking up books with whirlwind plots hoping they'll be amazing... and then being disappointed because I keep forgetting I dislike books that only take place over a day or two. Oh well, I suppose that's the fault of my taste more than anything else. It was really awesome to read such a beautiful setting!
DeleteThanks for stopping by :)
Sorry that you were disappointed! I always have to be in a certain mood to read contemporaries. This kind of seems right up my ally though! Sometimes I just need a quick fun book that doesn't make me think to hard. :D Hopefully I won't mind the pacing when I get around to it.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! :)
I, also, have to be in the mood for contemps. I think if you're in the right mood, you'll definitely enjoy this one! It wasn't bad, I think I was just expecting something a little different.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
First thing: the cover is gorgeous! I'm sorry it disappoint you. I haven't read this but the setting literally caught my attention but I might not end up liking it especially since I'm very picky with contemporary romance. Great review, Sam :)
ReplyDeleteI adore the cover! If you do pick it up I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by :)
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