it's a love story to your family and the places and people that are home, to healing and finding comfort in places and people and food and tradition. Her worried family decides that she needs a change of scenery and ships her off to stay with extended family in England.

I love him and his collecting of superstitions and willingness to pick up running to spend time with Lila.

I fell in love with this book, its characters, its setting and everything about it made me warm, emotional and happy.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea and Tomorrow has a lovely place for romance and… damn if it wasn’t perfectly paced. I thought this was very well written and I especially appreciated the way that the author depicted grief and depression, and I also thought that the romance at the center of this felt well flushed out and that the characters had great chemistry. A charming, heartwarming story following a Miami girl who unexpectedly finds love – and herself – in a small English town. I can see why Owl and Crow guests rave about the afternoon tea served in the parlor, but there’s too much sugar in this scone. Here’s my short review of my last read for 2020, A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey.

When Lila arrives in England, she’s quite (internally) critical of everything about it and I get that summer in Miami and summer in Hampshire, England would be very different. Her debut novel, The Library of Lost Things, is still on my TBR list and Kindle, and I can’t wait for her third book, When We Were Them. I loved that there was so much care put into developing each of them and their own stories, but you also see how well they fit together. On my award-winning book blog, you can find a range of reviews of YA to Adult books and all the topics in-between. Between sips of strong black tea, Cate has spent the last five minutes trying to sell me on Winchester like some real estate agent.

I've been in my UK obsession phase at the moment, since I hate it here and want to move over there, or at least visit, but this definitely helped my obsession grow. Laura Taylor Namey is the New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, and The Library of Lost Things. It’s full of sweetness (with not too much sugar), a top notch romantic relationship, letting go friendships, but forming new ones, and tons of cooking and baking.

A heartwarming romance paired with a well-written setting add up to a satisfying read on multiple levels. Everything was so well crafted, and I love how Laura Taylor Namey took her time developing every aspect of the story.

The plan was 1) take over her abuela's role as head baker at their panaderia, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. I also saw the prose skew melodramatic at points, although as a first person teen narrator that’s reasonable, and on the whole the prose is a cut above what teens usually get in their books.Lila only really mentioned an ex-boyfriend and a best friend (both also responsible for 2 of the 3 things that had devastated her so much) and this was a larger social circle that helped her adjust to a different country and find things to enjoy within that country. By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Namey made Lila’s England summer feel so fleshed out, taking time to focus on all the personal, emotional layers to her story where your left understanding all of her hopes, desires, fears and goals for the future. She gets her chance to show off her baking skills in the kitchen, gets a whirlwind tour of all the small town has to offer, and makes connections that make her feel warmer than the Miami heat. Orion, who is every bit charming as any other YA hero (a certified cinnamon roll, should I say Chelsea bun), is a contrast to Lila’s headstrong character.