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Dreamers #1
American Dreamer
No one ever said big dreams come easy
For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.
Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.
An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both…if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 94,000 words
For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.
Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.
An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both…if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 94,000 words
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 4, 2019
133 people are currently reading
3429 people want to read
About the author
Adriana Herrera
46 books1,669 followersUSA Today bestselling author ADRIANA HERRERA was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last 15 years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.
Her debut Dreamers, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Oprah Magazine.
When she's not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a social worker in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Her debut Dreamers, has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, NPR, the TODAY Show on NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Oprah Magazine.
When she's not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a social worker in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
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January 21, 2019This is a really strong debut novel, about a Dominican American from the Bronx moving out to set up his food truck business and falling for a white librarian. There's a lovely romance: Nesto is completely confident in his sexuality where Jude is still getting over the aftereffects of a religious upbringing and his family's homophobia, but Jude has put in a lot of work on himself and his relationship with Nesto is about flowering as he develops confidence, rather than one person fixing another. Nesto's workaholism is well treated: the story doesn't shy away from the pain he causes or the lack of consideration. Workaholism is one of those character flaws people often treat like a job interview weakness (ie a strength in disguise) and actually those people make for really selfish partners. Equally, we see why Nesto is so driven to succeed, climbing out of a poor immigrant background. It's an intelligent nuanced story. Also, the food truck detail is really interesting and the food descriptions are salivatory. I really want to try Dominican food now.
There is a lot here about society: white supremacy of the kind that pretends it's decent, the vile nature of US evangelical Christianity, and the way in which the American Dream (hard work and striving for more, freedom, pursuit of happiness, melting pot) is all about immigration yet immigrants are harassed and reviled. This stuff is put front and centre because it's a daily part of Nesto's lived experience: dismissing it as 'politics' is wilfully to ignore how it affects people's lives. The way both men cope with various forms of prejudice is essential to the plot, character development, and romance. I found it extremely well worked in, with passion and heart and a demand for people to do better. Which is what romance is about.
A really impressive debut with heart, brain, and vibrant characters. I'm looking forward to the next story.
I had an ARC from the author.
There is a lot here about society: white supremacy of the kind that pretends it's decent, the vile nature of US evangelical Christianity, and the way in which the American Dream (hard work and striving for more, freedom, pursuit of happiness, melting pot) is all about immigration yet immigrants are harassed and reviled. This stuff is put front and centre because it's a daily part of Nesto's lived experience: dismissing it as 'politics' is wilfully to ignore how it affects people's lives. The way both men cope with various forms of prejudice is essential to the plot, character development, and romance. I found it extremely well worked in, with passion and heart and a demand for people to do better. Which is what romance is about.
A really impressive debut with heart, brain, and vibrant characters. I'm looking forward to the next story.
I had an ARC from the author.
March 8, 2019
Audio - 3 stars
Story - 3 stars
I was prepared to love this book, because…Afro-Caribbean…yes, please!! It’s the culture I grew up in and it’s so rarely, if at all, ever part of the romance novels I’ve read. Unfortunately, I only sort of liked it.
As much as I appreciate a message being part of a story, and the sharing of culture, there is a point were the message feels too preachy and the romance part of the story is overshadowed. That was the case here. And to be perfectly honest, I felt no chemistry between Nesto and Jude. I mean nothing…nada!! Why?? Because Nesto and Jude’s relationship felt like the background of the story. For example, at the beginning of their “romance” when they make plans to get together, the reader isn’t privy to the details of that date. Instead, we’re told about it after the fact (this happens more than once). That doesn’t work for me. I need the details. I need that part of the relationship development. So, yeah, the romance fell flat, and the very few sex scenes felt impersonal.
I’ll continue with the next book or two of the series and hope that there’s more of a “loving” feeling between the MCs. There is soooo much potential for this series, I just hope it’s realized.
Story - 3 stars
I was prepared to love this book, because…Afro-Caribbean…yes, please!! It’s the culture I grew up in and it’s so rarely, if at all, ever part of the romance novels I’ve read. Unfortunately, I only sort of liked it.
As much as I appreciate a message being part of a story, and the sharing of culture, there is a point were the message feels too preachy and the romance part of the story is overshadowed. That was the case here. And to be perfectly honest, I felt no chemistry between Nesto and Jude. I mean nothing…nada!! Why?? Because Nesto and Jude’s relationship felt like the background of the story. For example, at the beginning of their “romance” when they make plans to get together, the reader isn’t privy to the details of that date. Instead, we’re told about it after the fact (this happens more than once). That doesn’t work for me. I need the details. I need that part of the relationship development. So, yeah, the romance fell flat, and the very few sex scenes felt impersonal.
I’ll continue with the next book or two of the series and hope that there’s more of a “loving” feeling between the MCs. There is soooo much potential for this series, I just hope it’s realized.
February 4, 2020
I went through the WHOLE range of emotions with American Dreamer, going from from liking the book, to being bored and putting it on hold, to loving it in the end. I'm going to go into it in this review, so stay put for the long haul!
I was hesitant about reading this book at first for a few reasons. For one, I'm sort of acquaintance-y with the author, and I've had people get REALLY mad at me in the past for not liking their books. Over the years, people I considered "friends" have stopped talking to me after I gave their book a low rating, or worse, trash-talked me online, and it has made me really disconnect from authors in a personal way over the years.
Also, despite loving all genres of food in a deep and passionate way, I have a terrible track record with chef romances. It sounds silly, but I don't think I've ever given a romance book with a chef MC above 3-stars, which I know is a weird thing to have as a trend. I think I get focused on the food and analyzing it and I don't get as much of a romance from the story.
For those reasons, I turned down the ARC of this book when it came up to review, and I decided to purchase the book myself and read it when the hype for the story has died down. However, I truly believe we need to read and support authors of color who write characters of color (I'm 10000% over the white jock dude-bro falling for a I've never done this white jock dude-bro at this point in my reading career), so I bumped this up on my list.
I started off the book enjoying it, but being slightly underwhelmed. Just as I had feared, a LOT of chef-y food talk that made me hungry (damn, that food all sounds insanely delicious) but I got fixated on the food parts and the rest of the story felt like it took a backseat. Plus, the story was very quick on the couple getting together, at least in a physical way, and I typically prefer a very slow burn (excruciatingly slow!) and delayed gratification. However, the Latinx characters really popped and spoke to me, and I loved how the author used Spanish and didn't translate each sentence afterwards (that always annoys me). Truthfully, I speak passable Spanish, so I was able to read those parts as well, but it always feels more real when the character doesn't speak and then say the same thing again in English.
The middle of the story was hard for me. As anyone who has read M/M romance over a long period of time will know, there is the dreaded trope of the "evil woman" who used to make regular appearances in M/M romances to try to sabotage the happiness of the MCs. I'm totally over that plot device, and though I don't doubt that there are racist, horrible women who would do exactly what the woman in this book did, it felt like it was detracting from couple themselves. I was worried that the plot would revolve around that woman for the whole rest of the story. I also thought the plot dragged at this point and kind of stalled, which concerned me. I actually put the book down for a day to read something else because I was worried I wouldn't enjoy the rest of the story.
However, the story got way better in the final third. I felt like some real, meaty storylines came into play, and I got to see some stressors to their relationship that felt true and organic. I loved how those were handled and how the MCs had to work out their issues. Jude's family dynamic was very interesting and emotional to read, and Nesto's work-life balance gave the story a lot of depth. I thought that these two really shined as a couple and individuals in the last part of the story, and I was rooting so hard for their HEA.
An impressive debut with a compelling romance, a proud Dominican-American main character, and lots of yummy food that will make your mouth water- I need recipes. Despite a few flaws and some minor issues, I think this author has a winner on her hands.
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I was hesitant about reading this book at first for a few reasons. For one, I'm sort of acquaintance-y with the author, and I've had people get REALLY mad at me in the past for not liking their books. Over the years, people I considered "friends" have stopped talking to me after I gave their book a low rating, or worse, trash-talked me online, and it has made me really disconnect from authors in a personal way over the years.
Also, despite loving all genres of food in a deep and passionate way, I have a terrible track record with chef romances. It sounds silly, but I don't think I've ever given a romance book with a chef MC above 3-stars, which I know is a weird thing to have as a trend. I think I get focused on the food and analyzing it and I don't get as much of a romance from the story.
For those reasons, I turned down the ARC of this book when it came up to review, and I decided to purchase the book myself and read it when the hype for the story has died down. However, I truly believe we need to read and support authors of color who write characters of color (I'm 10000% over the white jock dude-bro falling for a I've never done this white jock dude-bro at this point in my reading career), so I bumped this up on my list.
I started off the book enjoying it, but being slightly underwhelmed. Just as I had feared, a LOT of chef-y food talk that made me hungry (damn, that food all sounds insanely delicious) but I got fixated on the food parts and the rest of the story felt like it took a backseat. Plus, the story was very quick on the couple getting together, at least in a physical way, and I typically prefer a very slow burn (excruciatingly slow!) and delayed gratification. However, the Latinx characters really popped and spoke to me, and I loved how the author used Spanish and didn't translate each sentence afterwards (that always annoys me). Truthfully, I speak passable Spanish, so I was able to read those parts as well, but it always feels more real when the character doesn't speak and then say the same thing again in English.
The middle of the story was hard for me. As anyone who has read M/M romance over a long period of time will know, there is the dreaded trope of the "evil woman" who used to make regular appearances in M/M romances to try to sabotage the happiness of the MCs. I'm totally over that plot device, and though I don't doubt that there are racist, horrible women who would do exactly what the woman in this book did, it felt like it was detracting from couple themselves. I was worried that the plot would revolve around that woman for the whole rest of the story. I also thought the plot dragged at this point and kind of stalled, which concerned me. I actually put the book down for a day to read something else because I was worried I wouldn't enjoy the rest of the story.
However, the story got way better in the final third. I felt like some real, meaty storylines came into play, and I got to see some stressors to their relationship that felt true and organic. I loved how those were handled and how the MCs had to work out their issues. Jude's family dynamic was very interesting and emotional to read, and Nesto's work-life balance gave the story a lot of depth. I thought that these two really shined as a couple and individuals in the last part of the story, and I was rooting so hard for their HEA.
An impressive debut with a compelling romance, a proud Dominican-American main character, and lots of yummy food that will make your mouth water- I need recipes. Despite a few flaws and some minor issues, I think this author has a winner on her hands.
goodreads|instagram|twitter|blog
January 7, 2023
This took me a while to read because I wanted to savor every single page. I'm so ashamed that it's taken me so long to start this series, but I'm so glad that I picked it up. 4.5 Stars. CW: racism, xenophobia, homophobia, religious bigotry and trauma
American Dreamer follows main characters Nesto and Jude after Neso makes the life changing decision to quit his job and start his food truck business in Ithaca, NY. The pair meet when Nesto opens up his truck outside Jude's job at the library. While the two try to fight their attraction due to the goals they've set forth for themselves, it's clear from the beginning that they won't be able to pass on the opportunity to build something together.
What Worked: So many great things happened in this book. I loved the intricate details of Nesto's food truck. It wasn't something that was just placed in the background, but really played an intricate role in both the plot and character development. My dad is Jamaican so seeing how Herrera created this blend of food that illustrated unity amongst Caribbean nations was both refreshing and fun. Then there was Jude and the library. My heart simply gushed at this food and librarian romance. It literally was everything I never knew I needed. Seeing Jude's passion not only about the library as an institution, but also in relationship to the community's youth damn near brought tears to my eyes. Libraries and librarians mean so much to their communities so I appreciated Herrera acknowledging their impact. The pacing of the story was excellent. It was clear that Herrera took her time plotting out how both Jude and Nesto's pasts would both assist and harm the development of their relationship. For me, this led to their relationship feeling extremely organic/realistic. The two face their fair share of conflict especially with homophobia and racism, but they find ways to continuously support and validate each other as humans. Jude's story really really hurt my feelings. He is truly the epitome of "you never know what someone is going through." To read a character who wants to give so much to people after being hurt by those who should protect him nearly brought me to tears. His reasons for not easily trusting Nesto and the relationship made so much sense by the time the novel comes to an end. By then I truly commended his journey and character growth.
What Didn't Work: MISTY. She could have gotten these hands at any point in the book. Honestly, I know that this is a romance between Nesto and Jude, but she didn't get a great enough punishment for the hell she put them through. By the time I got to the end of the book and she makes her last appearance, I was pissed that she lowkey got away with the bullshit. It is true to real life, absolutely! But I wanted a freezing cold dish of revenge plotted for that woman. Clearly, this wasn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, but she really didn't pay for the crimes she committed.
Overall, this was such a great read! I'm pretty sure this is my first time reading Herrera and it definitely won't be the last. I'm really excited to see what the rest of the series has in store.
American Dreamer follows main characters Nesto and Jude after Neso makes the life changing decision to quit his job and start his food truck business in Ithaca, NY. The pair meet when Nesto opens up his truck outside Jude's job at the library. While the two try to fight their attraction due to the goals they've set forth for themselves, it's clear from the beginning that they won't be able to pass on the opportunity to build something together.
What Worked: So many great things happened in this book. I loved the intricate details of Nesto's food truck. It wasn't something that was just placed in the background, but really played an intricate role in both the plot and character development. My dad is Jamaican so seeing how Herrera created this blend of food that illustrated unity amongst Caribbean nations was both refreshing and fun. Then there was Jude and the library. My heart simply gushed at this food and librarian romance. It literally was everything I never knew I needed. Seeing Jude's passion not only about the library as an institution, but also in relationship to the community's youth damn near brought tears to my eyes. Libraries and librarians mean so much to their communities so I appreciated Herrera acknowledging their impact. The pacing of the story was excellent. It was clear that Herrera took her time plotting out how both Jude and Nesto's pasts would both assist and harm the development of their relationship. For me, this led to their relationship feeling extremely organic/realistic. The two face their fair share of conflict especially with homophobia and racism, but they find ways to continuously support and validate each other as humans. Jude's story really really hurt my feelings. He is truly the epitome of "you never know what someone is going through." To read a character who wants to give so much to people after being hurt by those who should protect him nearly brought me to tears. His reasons for not easily trusting Nesto and the relationship made so much sense by the time the novel comes to an end. By then I truly commended his journey and character growth.
What Didn't Work: MISTY. She could have gotten these hands at any point in the book. Honestly, I know that this is a romance between Nesto and Jude, but she didn't get a great enough punishment for the hell she put them through. By the time I got to the end of the book and she makes her last appearance, I was pissed that she lowkey got away with the bullshit. It is true to real life, absolutely! But I wanted a freezing cold dish of revenge plotted for that woman. Clearly, this wasn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, but she really didn't pay for the crimes she committed.
Overall, this was such a great read! I'm pretty sure this is my first time reading Herrera and it definitely won't be the last. I'm really excited to see what the rest of the series has in store.
April 11, 2019
Dudé mucho de si debería escribir una crítica sobre este libro, de si sería lo aconsejable debido a que la autora dejó que leyera una primera versión, dudé si sería ético. Sin embargo, llevo años leyendo romántica, años leyendo MM, he conocido mucha gente, algunos círculos los tengo más cerrados debido a que siempre hago críticas en español por respeto a mi idioma; pero, cualquiera que me conoce un poco por aquí sabe que siempre soy sincera en mis opiniones, así que he decidirlo serlo una vez más porque creo que el libro lo merece.
American Dreamer es la historia de amor entre Néstor Vásquez (lo sé, sé que muchos emigrantes cuando llegan a USA quitan los acentos, pero permitidme que yo los conserve), chef en un food truck (ay madre mía esas descripciones de comida) y Jude Fuller, bibliotecario en la ciudad de Ithaca donde Néstor va a empezar una nueva vida. Cómo no, ambos se conocen gracias a la comida, y a partir de ahí comienzan una serie de encuentros adorables, y con muchísima química que muestran cómo se van enamorando a pesar de las reticencias fundamentalmente de Jude. Todo entremezclado con personajes secundarios maravillosos, amigos y madre de Néstor, amigos de Jude, una mala malísima y una buena dosis de angst en cierta parte del libro. Es cómo se enamoran y las interacciones familiares y con amigos lo que más he disfrutado. Quizás lo que menos es la antagonista, en algún momento está algo caricaturizada y la parte angst, relacionada con Jude, aunque me ha gustado, rompe algo con el tono del libro y está en el límite de ser demasiado.
En el libro hay una historia de amor, pero muy mezclada con justicia social, la situación de los que no son blancos en USA, la emigración, la presencia de otras culturas, esas madres trabajadoras luchando contra todo, el vínculo entre religión y prejuicios... Todos asuntos que forman parte de la realidad de muchos. A mí personalmente me gusta leer sobre ello en mis libros, pero no debe hacernos olvidar la fortaleza de ambos personajes, cómo luchan contra prejuicios y por su historia de amor, la química que tienen en sus escenas sexuales, Néstor y su lucha por tener éxito, por él y por su familia, cómo a veces eso puede hacerle perder de vista otras cosas igual o más importantes, y Jude, Jude es mi favorito, bibliotecario, tímido, luchador en las sombras, inseguro y con un sufrimiento derivado de llevar toda la vida luchando contra prejuicios. Néstor, Néstor...
La autora es dominicana, su lengua materna es el español. En lo referente a su cultura está constantemente presente en el libro a través de Nesto, en su cocina, en cómo se relaciona con sus amigos, en cómo se relaciona con su familia, su madre... Para los que como para mí, es apasionante saber cosas de otras culturas, lo que nos permite ver Adriana sobre la suya solo enriquece el libro. En cuanto al español del libro gramaticalmente no se puede pedir más, es un reflejo fiel del español caribeño, como no podía ser de otra forma debido al origen de la autora. Otra cosa es la ortografía, la ortografía del español es difícil, puedes hablar muy bien y escribir fatal. En este caso, aunque en su mayor parte está bien escrito, hay algún acento que falta.
Es un libro bonito, una pareja adorable, bien escrito y entretenido. Pero, lo más importante es que es un buen ejemplo de cómo poco a poco se intentan saltar barreras e introducir otro tipo de autores, otro tipo de protagonistas y una buena representación de culturas y circunstancias personales que se sale de lo que solemos encontrar. Es muy buen libro debut, creo que lo que más debería cuidar la autora es mezclar bien la justicia social con la historia de amor para no caer en la tentación de dar lecciones que hagan que la historia de amor quede en un segundo plano.
American Dreamer es la historia de amor entre Néstor Vásquez (lo sé, sé que muchos emigrantes cuando llegan a USA quitan los acentos, pero permitidme que yo los conserve), chef en un food truck (ay madre mía esas descripciones de comida) y Jude Fuller, bibliotecario en la ciudad de Ithaca donde Néstor va a empezar una nueva vida. Cómo no, ambos se conocen gracias a la comida, y a partir de ahí comienzan una serie de encuentros adorables, y con muchísima química que muestran cómo se van enamorando a pesar de las reticencias fundamentalmente de Jude. Todo entremezclado con personajes secundarios maravillosos, amigos y madre de Néstor, amigos de Jude, una mala malísima y una buena dosis de angst en cierta parte del libro. Es cómo se enamoran y las interacciones familiares y con amigos lo que más he disfrutado. Quizás lo que menos es la antagonista, en algún momento está algo caricaturizada y la parte angst, relacionada con Jude, aunque me ha gustado, rompe algo con el tono del libro y está en el límite de ser demasiado.
En el libro hay una historia de amor, pero muy mezclada con justicia social, la situación de los que no son blancos en USA, la emigración, la presencia de otras culturas, esas madres trabajadoras luchando contra todo, el vínculo entre religión y prejuicios... Todos asuntos que forman parte de la realidad de muchos. A mí personalmente me gusta leer sobre ello en mis libros, pero no debe hacernos olvidar la fortaleza de ambos personajes, cómo luchan contra prejuicios y por su historia de amor, la química que tienen en sus escenas sexuales, Néstor y su lucha por tener éxito, por él y por su familia, cómo a veces eso puede hacerle perder de vista otras cosas igual o más importantes, y Jude, Jude es mi favorito, bibliotecario, tímido, luchador en las sombras, inseguro y con un sufrimiento derivado de llevar toda la vida luchando contra prejuicios. Néstor, Néstor...
La autora es dominicana, su lengua materna es el español. En lo referente a su cultura está constantemente presente en el libro a través de Nesto, en su cocina, en cómo se relaciona con sus amigos, en cómo se relaciona con su familia, su madre... Para los que como para mí, es apasionante saber cosas de otras culturas, lo que nos permite ver Adriana sobre la suya solo enriquece el libro. En cuanto al español del libro gramaticalmente no se puede pedir más, es un reflejo fiel del español caribeño, como no podía ser de otra forma debido al origen de la autora. Otra cosa es la ortografía, la ortografía del español es difícil, puedes hablar muy bien y escribir fatal. En este caso, aunque en su mayor parte está bien escrito, hay algún acento que falta.
Es un libro bonito, una pareja adorable, bien escrito y entretenido. Pero, lo más importante es que es un buen ejemplo de cómo poco a poco se intentan saltar barreras e introducir otro tipo de autores, otro tipo de protagonistas y una buena representación de culturas y circunstancias personales que se sale de lo que solemos encontrar. Es muy buen libro debut, creo que lo que más debería cuidar la autora es mezclar bien la justicia social con la historia de amor para no caer en la tentación de dar lecciones que hagan que la historia de amor quede en un segundo plano.
February 8, 2019
WARNING: This book will make you feel hungry for a taste of Carribean/Dominican foods!! And if you live ten thousand miles away, like me, you're basically screwed
Ernesto "Nesto" Vasquez's dream is to introduce and to sell Afro-Carribean cuisine to people outside of Big Apple. Nesto packs his food truck, OuNYe, and heads to Ithaca, New York, to get his dream off the ground. Librarian Jude Fuller also has a dream to launch mobile library project, to bring books to rural kids who may not have access to them. The two meet when Nesto first arrives in Ithaca, both realizes their attraction to one another, and things goes from there.
American Dreamer is the first entry of debut author, Adriana Herrera, of a series wonderfully entitled Dreamers that plays strong tribute and respect to Herrera's own background of Caribbean roots. I am serious when I say that you will be hungry for the food -- the description is so mouthwatering, if there's a time when I WISH I can walk into the pages of book I'm reading, it's this time. Of course, you may come for the food, however, you will leave with much love for the characters.
I enjoy the relationship between Nesto and Jude. Although the sexual attraction is instant, but the progress itself is taking time. Nesto is serious about his business, wanting so much for OuNYe to succeed and must overcome some obstacles coming his way. Jude is struggling with old Catholic guilt, his family kicking him out when he comes out as gay, as well as fear of people he loves to turn back on him.
So yes, there are things that Nesto and Jude need to work on. Luckily, we also have HEAPS of amazing secondary characters to help our heroes. From Nesto's kick-ass Mama, to Nesto's entertaining friends slash brothers from another mother, (who will get their own books, of course), and Jude's best friend, Carmen.
Now, the ONLY thing that ruined this book for me is the villain. We have a bigoted woman, whose attempts to sabotage both Nesto and Jude's dreams are too unmistakable, it crosses the land of being like cartoonish evil mastermind for me. Not to mention, why is it have to be a WOMAN who becomes the villain?
I know that in reality, there are women like Misty Fields. I'm sure there are. Unfortunately, I'm in that point in my life, where I despise having women characters written as villains in contemporary romance, especially in LGBTQ genre.
I have enough having women in real life being called as bitches, sluts, homewreckers, witch, etc. etc. I no longer appreciate female villains -- UNLESS, they're in form of paranormal/urban fantasy romance, where female villains can kick serious asses. But in contemporary romance? Nope. No more.
Overall, it's still a good romance. I already keep my eyes on the next book, which will be about Nesto's friend, Milo. I'm excited about his story because of his occupation as a social worker. Milo's book (book #2) will be out in May. So yay! Only need to wait that one for about three months
The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
Ernesto "Nesto" Vasquez's dream is to introduce and to sell Afro-Carribean cuisine to people outside of Big Apple. Nesto packs his food truck, OuNYe, and heads to Ithaca, New York, to get his dream off the ground. Librarian Jude Fuller also has a dream to launch mobile library project, to bring books to rural kids who may not have access to them. The two meet when Nesto first arrives in Ithaca, both realizes their attraction to one another, and things goes from there.
American Dreamer is the first entry of debut author, Adriana Herrera, of a series wonderfully entitled Dreamers that plays strong tribute and respect to Herrera's own background of Caribbean roots. I am serious when I say that you will be hungry for the food -- the description is so mouthwatering, if there's a time when I WISH I can walk into the pages of book I'm reading, it's this time. Of course, you may come for the food, however, you will leave with much love for the characters.
I enjoy the relationship between Nesto and Jude. Although the sexual attraction is instant, but the progress itself is taking time. Nesto is serious about his business, wanting so much for OuNYe to succeed and must overcome some obstacles coming his way. Jude is struggling with old Catholic guilt, his family kicking him out when he comes out as gay, as well as fear of people he loves to turn back on him.
So yes, there are things that Nesto and Jude need to work on. Luckily, we also have HEAPS of amazing secondary characters to help our heroes. From Nesto's kick-ass Mama, to Nesto's entertaining friends slash brothers from another mother, (who will get their own books, of course), and Jude's best friend, Carmen.
Now, the ONLY thing that ruined this book for me is the villain. We have a bigoted woman, whose attempts to sabotage both Nesto and Jude's dreams are too unmistakable, it crosses the land of being like cartoonish evil mastermind for me. Not to mention, why is it have to be a WOMAN who becomes the villain?
I know that in reality, there are women like Misty Fields. I'm sure there are. Unfortunately, I'm in that point in my life, where I despise having women characters written as villains in contemporary romance, especially in LGBTQ genre.
I have enough having women in real life being called as bitches, sluts, homewreckers, witch, etc. etc. I no longer appreciate female villains -- UNLESS, they're in form of paranormal/urban fantasy romance, where female villains can kick serious asses. But in contemporary romance? Nope. No more.
Overall, it's still a good romance. I already keep my eyes on the next book, which will be about Nesto's friend, Milo. I'm excited about his story because of his occupation as a social worker. Milo's book (book #2) will be out in May. So yay! Only need to wait that one for about three months
The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
June 1, 2020
4.5-5 stars!!! The audio was fantastic!
June 15, 2022
2.5 stars — I don’t ever want to become that person who’s too old and cranky to continue trying new things. In that spirit, I recently promised my GR friend Bonnie that I'd try reading my very first romance novel.
I'll admit, I've been putting this off, skeptical about this genre being a good fit for me. For background, I've never been in a relationship lasting longer than three months, haven't been on a traditional "date" in well over a decade, and was apparently born without that romantic gene that makes people crave the stability and companionship of a monogamous Long-Term Relationship.
Okay, MAYBE once every two or three years, I'll find myself wondering if it might be nice to curl up on my couch and watch a movie with someone other than my cat. But that reckless and self-destructive impulse is thankfully fleeting. I'm just too spoiled by the freedom that comes with being single, and stingy with my personal space.
Turns out my gut instincts were correct, and I'm probably not the right reader for this. You know how when you go out with a group of close friends, there's always that one friend who wants to vent about their latest relationship drama? Well, I try my best to be a good friend, and I'll dutifully listen to their relationship troubles for at least a good half hour or so. But after a certain point, my eyes start to glaze over and I grow restless to talk about books, movies, politics, ANYTHING but the tedious details of another person's relationship angst.
That's pretty much where this subject matter fits on the spectrum of my literary tastes: Tolerable, but only in small doses and combined with other, more interesting topics.
I do understand the appeal of this genre and its comforting tropes: The fantasy of perfect-looking and flawlessly-dressed people falling in love, cheered on by their perfect-looking and flawlessly-dressed friends; the breezy escapism of low-stakes, "everyday life" drama; the warm glow and beaming ear-to-ear smile brought to one's face by a satisfying HEA ("Happy Ever After") or HFN ("Happy For Now") ending (terms I'm just now learning, by the way).
But let's face it, I'm a sick, twisted soul who prefers a darker edge in my reads.
I mean, this was cute or whatever. Nesto is a handsome, muscular young Dominican immigrant who leaves his life and friends in New York City for Ithaca, New York to pursue his dream of running a food truck business celebrating his Afro-Caribbean heritage. That's where he meets Jude, the sexy, tousle-haired "gringo" librarian who stops by his food truck one day.
Representation matters, and I LOVED the vibrant diversity of the characters here, especially Nesto's wonderfully supportive group of NYC friends (we should all be so lucky to have friends like these). I enjoyed the optimistic (but not sugar coated) take on the young immigrant story as Nesto encounters a petty, prejudiced "Karen" and navigates every obstacle placed in his path, mostly things his white competitors never have to worry about or even consider.
And even though at times Jude seems like an almost obnoxiously "perfect" White Boyfriend (he speaks fluent Spanish, instantly bonds with Nesto's family and friends, knows all about an obscure Puerto Rican rap group, etc.), I did appreciate the author's modeling of a healthy and nurturing gay interracial relationship.
The writing, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired, but at least it wasn't distractingly bad. Reads more or less like a friend telling you about their latest crush: My entire body was flushing hot and cold and the butterflies in my stomach were so intense I felt like I was on a roller coaster. Ummm, yeah, there's a lot going on there, and it ain't exactly Shakespeare.
While the sex scenes were refreshingly graphic, they also seemed more silly than steamy to me. Maybe because they're written by a woman? Felt too much like hetero sex masquerading as gay sex.
They also included what felt like a gratuitous usage of one of my least favorite words in the English language: COCK. Maybe it's because most of my LGBTQ friends are Black? And unless they were raised by white parents and/or grew up watching only white gay porn, I've never once heard any of them utter that loathsome word in real life. So "hearing" this sexy young Dominican guy narrate and say it repeatedly just felt unrealistic and cringe-worthy to me.
I don't regret giving this genre a try, and I mostly enjoyed the several days spent with Nesto, Jude, and their amazing friends. But it's probably not a series or genre I'll be returning to any time soon.
I'll admit, I've been putting this off, skeptical about this genre being a good fit for me. For background, I've never been in a relationship lasting longer than three months, haven't been on a traditional "date" in well over a decade, and was apparently born without that romantic gene that makes people crave the stability and companionship of a monogamous Long-Term Relationship.
Okay, MAYBE once every two or three years, I'll find myself wondering if it might be nice to curl up on my couch and watch a movie with someone other than my cat. But that reckless and self-destructive impulse is thankfully fleeting. I'm just too spoiled by the freedom that comes with being single, and stingy with my personal space.
Turns out my gut instincts were correct, and I'm probably not the right reader for this. You know how when you go out with a group of close friends, there's always that one friend who wants to vent about their latest relationship drama? Well, I try my best to be a good friend, and I'll dutifully listen to their relationship troubles for at least a good half hour or so. But after a certain point, my eyes start to glaze over and I grow restless to talk about books, movies, politics, ANYTHING but the tedious details of another person's relationship angst.
That's pretty much where this subject matter fits on the spectrum of my literary tastes: Tolerable, but only in small doses and combined with other, more interesting topics.
I do understand the appeal of this genre and its comforting tropes: The fantasy of perfect-looking and flawlessly-dressed people falling in love, cheered on by their perfect-looking and flawlessly-dressed friends; the breezy escapism of low-stakes, "everyday life" drama; the warm glow and beaming ear-to-ear smile brought to one's face by a satisfying HEA ("Happy Ever After") or HFN ("Happy For Now") ending (terms I'm just now learning, by the way).
But let's face it, I'm a sick, twisted soul who prefers a darker edge in my reads.
I mean, this was cute or whatever. Nesto is a handsome, muscular young Dominican immigrant who leaves his life and friends in New York City for Ithaca, New York to pursue his dream of running a food truck business celebrating his Afro-Caribbean heritage. That's where he meets Jude, the sexy, tousle-haired "gringo" librarian who stops by his food truck one day.
Representation matters, and I LOVED the vibrant diversity of the characters here, especially Nesto's wonderfully supportive group of NYC friends (we should all be so lucky to have friends like these). I enjoyed the optimistic (but not sugar coated) take on the young immigrant story as Nesto encounters a petty, prejudiced "Karen" and navigates every obstacle placed in his path, mostly things his white competitors never have to worry about or even consider.
And even though at times Jude seems like an almost obnoxiously "perfect" White Boyfriend (he speaks fluent Spanish, instantly bonds with Nesto's family and friends, knows all about an obscure Puerto Rican rap group, etc.), I did appreciate the author's modeling of a healthy and nurturing gay interracial relationship.
The writing, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired, but at least it wasn't distractingly bad. Reads more or less like a friend telling you about their latest crush: My entire body was flushing hot and cold and the butterflies in my stomach were so intense I felt like I was on a roller coaster. Ummm, yeah, there's a lot going on there, and it ain't exactly Shakespeare.
While the sex scenes were refreshingly graphic, they also seemed more silly than steamy to me. Maybe because they're written by a woman? Felt too much like hetero sex masquerading as gay sex.
They also included what felt like a gratuitous usage of one of my least favorite words in the English language: COCK. Maybe it's because most of my LGBTQ friends are Black? And unless they were raised by white parents and/or grew up watching only white gay porn, I've never once heard any of them utter that loathsome word in real life. So "hearing" this sexy young Dominican guy narrate and say it repeatedly just felt unrealistic and cringe-worthy to me.
I don't regret giving this genre a try, and I mostly enjoyed the several days spent with Nesto, Jude, and their amazing friends. But it's probably not a series or genre I'll be returning to any time soon.
June 20, 2020
I finally read my first Adriana Herrera and I am NEVER looking back. Oh my gosh. Everyone who told me to read this book was absolutely right! I listened to this on audio from my library and cannot wait to get to the rest of the series.
First off, I was obsessed with both Nesto and Jude from the moment we met them. I loved how Nesto had an Afro-Caribbean food truck and Jude was a librarian in charge of youth services. Both of them were so dedicated to their jobs and were both there to support each other in their respective goals. I am all for a romance between characters who have things going on in their lives and they have to balance a professional life and romantic life.
With the romance, it was just so gosh darn cute! Immediately when they met, Jude and Nesto were attracted to each other and had that spark. I appreciated how slow their relationship went and how patient Nesto was with Jude. Neither one of them ever pressured each other and they just decided to see where things went. Things definitely get steamy, but only when both parties explicitly say they're ready.
WHY HAS EVERYONE NOT READ THIS BOOK YET? There were so many layers to the story and I could not stop listening to the audiobook. Pleeeaasseeee pick this up!
First off, I was obsessed with both Nesto and Jude from the moment we met them. I loved how Nesto had an Afro-Caribbean food truck and Jude was a librarian in charge of youth services. Both of them were so dedicated to their jobs and were both there to support each other in their respective goals. I am all for a romance between characters who have things going on in their lives and they have to balance a professional life and romantic life.
With the romance, it was just so gosh darn cute! Immediately when they met, Jude and Nesto were attracted to each other and had that spark. I appreciated how slow their relationship went and how patient Nesto was with Jude. Neither one of them ever pressured each other and they just decided to see where things went. Things definitely get steamy, but only when both parties explicitly say they're ready.
WHY HAS EVERYONE NOT READ THIS BOOK YET? There were so many layers to the story and I could not stop listening to the audiobook. Pleeeaasseeee pick this up!
June 22, 2020
Super sweete Liebesgeschichte zwischen Nesto, der mit seinem afro-caribbean Foodtruck von New York City in eine kleinere Stadt umzieht, und Jude, dem Bibliothekar vor Ort.
- keine blöden Dramen, gute Kommunikation, herzerwärmender Familien- und Freundessupport
- spannende Beschreibungen davon, was es heißt, sich zwei Nationen zugehörig zu fühlen (in Nestos Fall Dominikanische Republik und USA)
- engstirnige Rassist*innen gibt es überall, Nesto zeigt eine ganze Bandbreite an Umgang damit (Höflichkeit, Wut, Resignation, Aktionismus uvm.). Sehr eindrücklich!
- und OOOOOH, das beschriebene Essen. Da ist mir so richtig das Wasser im Mund zusammengelaufen :)
Ich habe mich entschieden, derzeit keine Sternebewertungen für POC Autor*innen zu vergeben (ergänzt 07.06.). Ich habe nicht zu bewerten, sondern zuzuhören.
- keine blöden Dramen, gute Kommunikation, herzerwärmender Familien- und Freundessupport
- spannende Beschreibungen davon, was es heißt, sich zwei Nationen zugehörig zu fühlen (in Nestos Fall Dominikanische Republik und USA)
- engstirnige Rassist*innen gibt es überall, Nesto zeigt eine ganze Bandbreite an Umgang damit (Höflichkeit, Wut, Resignation, Aktionismus uvm.). Sehr eindrücklich!
- und OOOOOH, das beschriebene Essen. Da ist mir so richtig das Wasser im Mund zusammengelaufen :)
Ich habe mich entschieden, derzeit keine Sternebewertungen für POC Autor*innen zu vergeben (ergänzt 07.06.). Ich habe nicht zu bewerten, sondern zuzuhören.
April 4, 2019
As an immigrant, American Dream by Adriana Herrera made me inexplicably happy. I don't have the words even to convey my feelings, as they would be a jumbled mess but with the state of the country- the whole world, really- in regards to immigration it made happy to see the topic handled- and handled well. Anyhoo, on to the book.
So much to love; here are some highlights:
-Nesto and Jude. They both dealt with so many prejudices but rose above them. They didn't allow others ignorance, and hate get in their way.
-The romance. It wasn't rushed, it took place over months. I loved their interactions. It was so romantic when Nesto would be unable to hold back his PDA, and then Jude emotionally opening up to him.
-The secondary cast of characters.
-Dual POVs
-Latinx rep
-Interracial romance
-The groveling at the end was all kinds of heartwarming.
I did deduct a half a star for the villain. It was over the top and could've been turned down a notch and still have the same effect in the narrative of the story.
All in all, American Dream is a solid debut from Adriana Herrera- it's relevant and full of heart.
In short: LOVED it, HIGHLY recommend it.
4.5 Stars
So much to love; here are some highlights:
-Nesto and Jude. They both dealt with so many prejudices but rose above them. They didn't allow others ignorance, and hate get in their way.
-The romance. It wasn't rushed, it took place over months. I loved their interactions. It was so romantic when Nesto would be unable to hold back his PDA, and then Jude emotionally opening up to him.
-The secondary cast of characters.
-Dual POVs
-Latinx rep
-Interracial romance
-The groveling at the end was all kinds of heartwarming.
I did deduct a half a star for the villain. It was over the top and could've been turned down a notch and still have the same effect in the narrative of the story.
All in all, American Dream is a solid debut from Adriana Herrera- it's relevant and full of heart.
In short: LOVED it, HIGHLY recommend it.
4.5 Stars
June 29, 2019
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Nesto has decided to take a big chance and take his Afro-Carribean food truck from New York City to Ithaca. His mother and sister live up there but he'll be leaving behind a bunch of friends who provide a great support system.
Growing up, books were important to Jude, it's no wonder he became a librarian. He's been dreaming of getting a mobile book van going but funding is tight.
Nesto and Jude both have dreams and when they meet, their chemistry can't be denied. Nesto is outgoing but a workaholic, Jude is shy and reserved, and not everyone in Ithaca wants change.
Getting the rundown of a burrito menu should not be this erotic.
First in the Dreamers series, American Dreamer, introduces us to a Nesto, Jude, and their friends and family. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, I felt a little overwhelmed at times but Nesto's friends play such a important role in his life, they had to be there supporting him. The contrast of how supportive Nesto's family was with Jude's intolerant religious one was sad and maddening. I did think the drama with Jude's family at the end felt rushed in; it was introduced and over with before I could get a big emotional reaction from it. Jude simply talking to Nesto about his family had me feeling more.
Nesto's family couldn't have been more different from Jude's and even though there were a lot of characters to keep track of, it did fill out the story and create a sense of community for the setting, along with some series baiting characters. I feel like I got a fuller and better understanding of Nesto's character through his interactions with his friends and family. Jude being a more self-contained person, he does have a bestfriend he works with that give us an insight to him, he didn't pop off the pages as much to me. I occasionally did have problems remembering who was speaking at times, this is first person pov with switching povs, when Nesto and Jude were together as their written voice tended to blend together every so often.
The attraction between the two is pretty immediate and even though they don't jump into bed right away, their sexual relationship is ramped up pretty quickly. I missed a more gradual getting to know, instead of this insta, but with later on two wrenches thrown in to create some angst. There was also some time jumps that I thought kept us from getting those relationship building blocks, we're told they've spent every night of the week together but don't get any scenes of them bonding. The story gives you a sense that they are just in love and even though I'm told that, I'm not sure I felt it or was given enough evidence for it.
I looked for a reason to be afraid of what I was feeling, but the only thing I felt was peace.
Along with Nesto's workaholic ways, which by the way, I would have given the guy more slack with how hard it is to try and start a business and Jude's reserved emotional issues and late in the story family ones, there was a “villain” causing some problems for these two. Misty, the wannabe town matriarch, described as “wearing one of those workout outfits people don't actually workout in” (we all know this person) and trying to shut down Nesto's food truck so her son's truck would have a better chance to succeed. She's a bit of a pencil sketch character as she only pops up to spew her hatred, I think getting some scenes with her son with the food truck would have helped this a little bit, but while the danger of her lingers throughout the story, we don't actually see her a lot. Her character works to show how racism and bigotry from even one person can have the power to use and influence societal structures to continuously keep some down.
As I mentioned, I thought Nesto was the stronger character, he had so many wonderful little details, like the name of his food truck was OuNYe. This was worked from the Yoruba word “ounje”, which means nourishment and of course to include New York, love details like this. The friendships were written great in this and helped to create a community and framework I believed in. The romance was a little too insta for me and I missed some relationship building blocks but Nesto's outgoing personality that Jude couldn't help but be drawn to and Jude's shy, cute, and funny personality that Nesto couldn't help but want to get to know more was a sweet romance to read.
Nesto has decided to take a big chance and take his Afro-Carribean food truck from New York City to Ithaca. His mother and sister live up there but he'll be leaving behind a bunch of friends who provide a great support system.
Growing up, books were important to Jude, it's no wonder he became a librarian. He's been dreaming of getting a mobile book van going but funding is tight.
Nesto and Jude both have dreams and when they meet, their chemistry can't be denied. Nesto is outgoing but a workaholic, Jude is shy and reserved, and not everyone in Ithaca wants change.
Getting the rundown of a burrito menu should not be this erotic.
First in the Dreamers series, American Dreamer, introduces us to a Nesto, Jude, and their friends and family. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, I felt a little overwhelmed at times but Nesto's friends play such a important role in his life, they had to be there supporting him. The contrast of how supportive Nesto's family was with Jude's intolerant religious one was sad and maddening. I did think the drama with Jude's family at the end felt rushed in; it was introduced and over with before I could get a big emotional reaction from it. Jude simply talking to Nesto about his family had me feeling more.
Nesto's family couldn't have been more different from Jude's and even though there were a lot of characters to keep track of, it did fill out the story and create a sense of community for the setting, along with some series baiting characters. I feel like I got a fuller and better understanding of Nesto's character through his interactions with his friends and family. Jude being a more self-contained person, he does have a bestfriend he works with that give us an insight to him, he didn't pop off the pages as much to me. I occasionally did have problems remembering who was speaking at times, this is first person pov with switching povs, when Nesto and Jude were together as their written voice tended to blend together every so often.
The attraction between the two is pretty immediate and even though they don't jump into bed right away, their sexual relationship is ramped up pretty quickly. I missed a more gradual getting to know, instead of this insta, but with later on two wrenches thrown in to create some angst. There was also some time jumps that I thought kept us from getting those relationship building blocks, we're told they've spent every night of the week together but don't get any scenes of them bonding. The story gives you a sense that they are just in love and even though I'm told that, I'm not sure I felt it or was given enough evidence for it.
I looked for a reason to be afraid of what I was feeling, but the only thing I felt was peace.
Along with Nesto's workaholic ways, which by the way, I would have given the guy more slack with how hard it is to try and start a business and Jude's reserved emotional issues and late in the story family ones, there was a “villain” causing some problems for these two. Misty, the wannabe town matriarch, described as “wearing one of those workout outfits people don't actually workout in” (we all know this person) and trying to shut down Nesto's food truck so her son's truck would have a better chance to succeed. She's a bit of a pencil sketch character as she only pops up to spew her hatred, I think getting some scenes with her son with the food truck would have helped this a little bit, but while the danger of her lingers throughout the story, we don't actually see her a lot. Her character works to show how racism and bigotry from even one person can have the power to use and influence societal structures to continuously keep some down.
As I mentioned, I thought Nesto was the stronger character, he had so many wonderful little details, like the name of his food truck was OuNYe. This was worked from the Yoruba word “ounje”, which means nourishment and of course to include New York, love details like this. The friendships were written great in this and helped to create a community and framework I believed in. The romance was a little too insta for me and I missed some relationship building blocks but Nesto's outgoing personality that Jude couldn't help but be drawn to and Jude's shy, cute, and funny personality that Nesto couldn't help but want to get to know more was a sweet romance to read.
March 4, 2019
CW:
Do you ever finish a book and just want to hug it to your chest because you’re speechless with love for it? Well, that’s how I felt when I finished reading American Dreamer. That it’s a debut makes it all the more impressive. Herrera is such a welcome voice in the romance world.
Ernesto is a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic. He moves from NYC, where he’s lived for 27 years, to Ithaca where his mother and younger sister now live in order to make a real go of his Afro-Caribbean food truck business, OuNYe. He’s giving himself six months to turn his side hustle into a success.
Jude is a white youth services librarian. He lives a mostly quiet life as he’s still processing the pain of being cut off by his family for being gay. He doesn’t trust people to be there for him or for relationships to go anywhere. Instead, he’s focused on getting funding for a library bookmobile, as a way of getting services to children and teens in more rural areas. The library truck will help fill in the gaps of what those smaller town libraries can provide. This is especially important to Jude because he learned to love himself in part because of his library.
You may not want to read this on an empty stomach because it’s guaranteed to make you hungry. I was highlighting all of Nesto’s food descriptions so I can track down recipes. And I’ll for sure be trying to find some Afro-Caribbean establishments in my new town. It’s not just that the food sounds amazing. It’s what the food means to Nesto and his friends and family. How it’s a way of maintaining their cultural roots and it’s a way of nourishing their community in the US. I could not get enough of his philosophy behind the restaurant and what he served in OuNYe, as well as the meals he’d make for Jude.
Nesto and Jude were so sweet together. I loved the uncertainty despite their clear attraction to one another. Nesto doesn’t want to be distracted from the food truck and Jude doesn’t want to be hurt again. And yet they really like each other and so a slow exploration of a relationship begins. The pace was so true to who these men are and respectful of Jude’s fear of being discarded by the person he loves. When they finally do take the next step, it was magical.
The story also delves into some hard topics. Nesto and Jude are both hassled by Misty, a racist white woman. She’s the kind of person who talks about plight of marginalized groups but only so long as they “stay in their place.” She made me so angry and while I wanted her to have more of a comeuppance and it’s true to life that she might not face consequences for all of her actions. But this part of the storyline brings attention to the micro-aggressions and outright aggression Latinx people face. There are also references “stop and frisk” and “Zero Tolerance” being a part of Nesto’s NYC neighborhood experience as a black or brown person.
Jude has a moving arc as he comes back into his family’s sphere when his sister’s cancer comes back. This part of the story could be triggering for some so exercise caution as needed. I can only imagine how hard it would be to grow up in a religiously homophobic environment, knowing you could lose everything if you come out. That’s just what happened to Jude. It was good to see him have a chance at reconnecting, although it doesn’t go as he hoped. And while Nesto is there for him in tangible ways at first, Jude eventually has to face his biggest fear.
Part of the appeal of this book was it’s emphasis on the characters’ jobs. Their work isn’t an afterthought. We see Nesto doing food prep the night before and cooking or interacting with customers during the day, beyond when he and Jude first meet. They talk about the jobs he’s picking up, like serving by a B&B one night a week. Jude’s work is more stationary but he’s working hard on putting information together for the grant application and meeting with his boss and his coworker/best friend Carmen. I loved learning about their jobs and seeing how passionate they were about their work.
The secondary characters are also amazing, with the exception of the evil Misty. There’s Carmen, of course, Nesto’s family members, and the GA Crew, also known as Nesto’s friends: Juan Pablo (Puerto Rican, PT for Yankees), Camilo (Cuba and Jamaica, activist, works for local nonprofit providing services for survivors of domestic violence), and Patrice (Haitian, PhD student.) I’m looking forward to their stories as this series continues!
The author’s social service background really came through in a variety of details, such as Nesto hiring employees from a local nonprofit which helps refugees and immigrants with job placement, and that deepened my enjoyment. It was such a holistic development of the characters and world. It shines as an #ownvoices Latinx story by focusing on a variety of backgrounds through Nesto’s family and friends and highlighting the immigrant experience and what it’s like during this political climate. Herrera’s experiences made for a richer—and more realistic—world and we’re better for it.
The characters faced difficult things but they persevered and still chose each other. The grand gesture at the end was amazing. This is the kind of book that restores your faith in humanity. This is bound to be one of my favorite romance novels of 2019.
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Carina in exchange for an honest review.
Do you ever finish a book and just want to hug it to your chest because you’re speechless with love for it? Well, that’s how I felt when I finished reading American Dreamer. That it’s a debut makes it all the more impressive. Herrera is such a welcome voice in the romance world.
Ernesto is a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic. He moves from NYC, where he’s lived for 27 years, to Ithaca where his mother and younger sister now live in order to make a real go of his Afro-Caribbean food truck business, OuNYe. He’s giving himself six months to turn his side hustle into a success.
Jude is a white youth services librarian. He lives a mostly quiet life as he’s still processing the pain of being cut off by his family for being gay. He doesn’t trust people to be there for him or for relationships to go anywhere. Instead, he’s focused on getting funding for a library bookmobile, as a way of getting services to children and teens in more rural areas. The library truck will help fill in the gaps of what those smaller town libraries can provide. This is especially important to Jude because he learned to love himself in part because of his library.
You may not want to read this on an empty stomach because it’s guaranteed to make you hungry. I was highlighting all of Nesto’s food descriptions so I can track down recipes. And I’ll for sure be trying to find some Afro-Caribbean establishments in my new town. It’s not just that the food sounds amazing. It’s what the food means to Nesto and his friends and family. How it’s a way of maintaining their cultural roots and it’s a way of nourishing their community in the US. I could not get enough of his philosophy behind the restaurant and what he served in OuNYe, as well as the meals he’d make for Jude.
Nesto and Jude were so sweet together. I loved the uncertainty despite their clear attraction to one another. Nesto doesn’t want to be distracted from the food truck and Jude doesn’t want to be hurt again. And yet they really like each other and so a slow exploration of a relationship begins. The pace was so true to who these men are and respectful of Jude’s fear of being discarded by the person he loves. When they finally do take the next step, it was magical.
The story also delves into some hard topics. Nesto and Jude are both hassled by Misty, a racist white woman. She’s the kind of person who talks about plight of marginalized groups but only so long as they “stay in their place.” She made me so angry and while I wanted her to have more of a comeuppance and it’s true to life that she might not face consequences for all of her actions. But this part of the storyline brings attention to the micro-aggressions and outright aggression Latinx people face. There are also references “stop and frisk” and “Zero Tolerance” being a part of Nesto’s NYC neighborhood experience as a black or brown person.
Jude has a moving arc as he comes back into his family’s sphere when his sister’s cancer comes back. This part of the story could be triggering for some so exercise caution as needed. I can only imagine how hard it would be to grow up in a religiously homophobic environment, knowing you could lose everything if you come out. That’s just what happened to Jude. It was good to see him have a chance at reconnecting, although it doesn’t go as he hoped. And while Nesto is there for him in tangible ways at first, Jude eventually has to face his biggest fear.
Part of the appeal of this book was it’s emphasis on the characters’ jobs. Their work isn’t an afterthought. We see Nesto doing food prep the night before and cooking or interacting with customers during the day, beyond when he and Jude first meet. They talk about the jobs he’s picking up, like serving by a B&B one night a week. Jude’s work is more stationary but he’s working hard on putting information together for the grant application and meeting with his boss and his coworker/best friend Carmen. I loved learning about their jobs and seeing how passionate they were about their work.
The secondary characters are also amazing, with the exception of the evil Misty. There’s Carmen, of course, Nesto’s family members, and the GA Crew, also known as Nesto’s friends: Juan Pablo (Puerto Rican, PT for Yankees), Camilo (Cuba and Jamaica, activist, works for local nonprofit providing services for survivors of domestic violence), and Patrice (Haitian, PhD student.) I’m looking forward to their stories as this series continues!
The author’s social service background really came through in a variety of details, such as Nesto hiring employees from a local nonprofit which helps refugees and immigrants with job placement, and that deepened my enjoyment. It was such a holistic development of the characters and world. It shines as an #ownvoices Latinx story by focusing on a variety of backgrounds through Nesto’s family and friends and highlighting the immigrant experience and what it’s like during this political climate. Herrera’s experiences made for a richer—and more realistic—world and we’re better for it.
The characters faced difficult things but they persevered and still chose each other. The grand gesture at the end was amazing. This is the kind of book that restores your faith in humanity. This is bound to be one of my favorite romance novels of 2019.
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Carina in exchange for an honest review.
Read
March 16, 2019DNF @43%
I was looking forward to this as I love books about chefs/bakers/etc. Unfortunately it did not work for me. (although the food descriptions were define)
The main characters had great chemistry and I enjoyed that aspect but I didn't care for anything else. The "villain" was so over the top she was like a caricature. I also wasn't buying her motivation for being so evil.
This was a sledgehammer of social justice preaching. I'm not a fan of social justice warrioring in my books but I understand that is a personal preference and that many people do like it. If an author is going to try to educate the reader though, then I expect it to be skillfully woven into the plot. This was done with characters monologueing. Lot's of lecturing. I hate when authors don't have faith in their readers. I'm not stupid. I can understand without you banging me over the head with it. Repeatedly. In this case the preaching and lecturing over shadowed the romance. I'm not reading books for that. I'm a social worker in real life. I know all about the issues in our society. I'm reading for the romance. Throw in a bit of preaching and I can roll with it but when the romance comes secondary then I'm out.
I've seen a few reviews saying this author has a "fresh voice". Unfortunately that's not true if you've ever read a Santino Hassell book. These characters were all repeatedly "thirsty", "salty", "extra" and there are a few "fuck boys". This is probably 1000% unfair to this author but it's giving me SH vibes and that makes it a not good thing for me.
So......sadly this author is not going to be for me. I'm bummed because I was especially looking forward to the next book where the MC is a social worker. I personally didn't think the writing was very good but maybe that's just me. Check out some of the other reviews before making a decision.
**ARC pr0vided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
I was looking forward to this as I love books about chefs/bakers/etc. Unfortunately it did not work for me. (although the food descriptions were define)
The main characters had great chemistry and I enjoyed that aspect but I didn't care for anything else. The "villain" was so over the top she was like a caricature. I also wasn't buying her motivation for being so evil.
This was a sledgehammer of social justice preaching. I'm not a fan of social justice warrioring in my books but I understand that is a personal preference and that many people do like it. If an author is going to try to educate the reader though, then I expect it to be skillfully woven into the plot. This was done with characters monologueing. Lot's of lecturing. I hate when authors don't have faith in their readers. I'm not stupid. I can understand without you banging me over the head with it. Repeatedly. In this case the preaching and lecturing over shadowed the romance. I'm not reading books for that. I'm a social worker in real life. I know all about the issues in our society. I'm reading for the romance. Throw in a bit of preaching and I can roll with it but when the romance comes secondary then I'm out.
I've seen a few reviews saying this author has a "fresh voice". Unfortunately that's not true if you've ever read a Santino Hassell book. These characters were all repeatedly "thirsty", "salty", "extra" and there are a few "fuck boys". This is probably 1000% unfair to this author but it's giving me SH vibes and that makes it a not good thing for me.
So......sadly this author is not going to be for me. I'm bummed because I was especially looking forward to the next book where the MC is a social worker. I personally didn't think the writing was very good but maybe that's just me. Check out some of the other reviews before making a decision.
**ARC pr0vided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
March 26, 2019
I love a good N/A romance read, but weirdly enough I don’t get many review requests for that genre! However, when this one showed up in my inbox, I jumped to read it. And I am so glad I did because I know this is going to be a series I will follow.
In this romance we need to talk about the representation. Culture is at the heart of the food truck that Nesto is running, and also has a lot to do with his storyline. I loved the Afro-latinx representation. And there were some other great discussions and inclusions of themes such as identity, belonging to two cultures, religious-based homophobia. But one key thing that I noted and appreciated was the use of brown instead of black. Of course, Nesto is a POC, but I like that there was the distinction between brown and black! A small thing, but that detail of representation spoke volume. There was also some light touching on racism but not so that it was the focus of the story. It was related to some of the struggles they had to face but it kept the book a romance and one with a happy storyline. I feel like we need more books with black/brown characters just living life and suffering under racism not being the main theme so I was happy with how it was included.
As this is a romance book, we have to talk about the romance in this one! Not only does this one focus on the two characters getting together, but it goes beyond that too, which makes it a bit more unique! We get to see some of the struggles of starting out a relationship and maintaining a relationship when you also have a lot of heavy focus going into your profession and work life. I thought the problems they faced as a couple were very realistic. And sometimes some elements had me happy smiling like crazy when reading! But there were some hitches they had to work through and get over.
Nesto’s small business he runs and wants to have take off is a food truck. So be ready for the glorious descriptions of Caribbean food which are going to make your mouth water while reading. Advised: have food on hand the whole time. I loved seeing the Jamaican food that was included as that is part of my own culture. But I learned about a lot of foods which come from the other islands and made my hunger worse by looking up photos as well. I might have eaten my kindle if I hadn’t thought better…
There is an antagonist in this book, but she isn’t a huge issue. I felt like she could’ve been worse, but she does a good job of stirring up her fair amount of trouble. I also liked when it talked about how you have to be when starting up a small business for yourself. As it’s something more and more people are starting to do these days it’s great to see it represented in a book!
The one thing I wasn’t a huge fan of were the explicit scenes! When I read an NA romance like this, I actually thought there would be more of those kind of scenes. I’m glad they were quite light in number in this book. But they didn’t really do it for me >.> They weren’t off putting or anything like that, but just… weren’t for me! shrug
As for the writing style, it was very well written. The book alternates between Nesto and Jude’s points of view. They both stood separate enough for me to never get confused. I actually could relate to Jude a lot, with how he was fascinated by the Latinx culture and wanted to learn all about the language and lifestyle. I related to how he is quite closed off and not too trusting with people straight off the bat. It was nice to see parts of myself in another character. Nesto was so loving and easy to fall for as well.
I can definitely see how the sequels will probably follow romances for other members of the friendship group and I will be reading the next book which comes out this year too!
This review can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2019/0...
In this romance we need to talk about the representation. Culture is at the heart of the food truck that Nesto is running, and also has a lot to do with his storyline. I loved the Afro-latinx representation. And there were some other great discussions and inclusions of themes such as identity, belonging to two cultures, religious-based homophobia. But one key thing that I noted and appreciated was the use of brown instead of black. Of course, Nesto is a POC, but I like that there was the distinction between brown and black! A small thing, but that detail of representation spoke volume. There was also some light touching on racism but not so that it was the focus of the story. It was related to some of the struggles they had to face but it kept the book a romance and one with a happy storyline. I feel like we need more books with black/brown characters just living life and suffering under racism not being the main theme so I was happy with how it was included.
As this is a romance book, we have to talk about the romance in this one! Not only does this one focus on the two characters getting together, but it goes beyond that too, which makes it a bit more unique! We get to see some of the struggles of starting out a relationship and maintaining a relationship when you also have a lot of heavy focus going into your profession and work life. I thought the problems they faced as a couple were very realistic. And sometimes some elements had me happy smiling like crazy when reading! But there were some hitches they had to work through and get over.
Nesto’s small business he runs and wants to have take off is a food truck. So be ready for the glorious descriptions of Caribbean food which are going to make your mouth water while reading. Advised: have food on hand the whole time. I loved seeing the Jamaican food that was included as that is part of my own culture. But I learned about a lot of foods which come from the other islands and made my hunger worse by looking up photos as well. I might have eaten my kindle if I hadn’t thought better…
There is an antagonist in this book, but she isn’t a huge issue. I felt like she could’ve been worse, but she does a good job of stirring up her fair amount of trouble. I also liked when it talked about how you have to be when starting up a small business for yourself. As it’s something more and more people are starting to do these days it’s great to see it represented in a book!
The one thing I wasn’t a huge fan of were the explicit scenes! When I read an NA romance like this, I actually thought there would be more of those kind of scenes. I’m glad they were quite light in number in this book. But they didn’t really do it for me >.> They weren’t off putting or anything like that, but just… weren’t for me! shrug
As for the writing style, it was very well written. The book alternates between Nesto and Jude’s points of view. They both stood separate enough for me to never get confused. I actually could relate to Jude a lot, with how he was fascinated by the Latinx culture and wanted to learn all about the language and lifestyle. I related to how he is quite closed off and not too trusting with people straight off the bat. It was nice to see parts of myself in another character. Nesto was so loving and easy to fall for as well.
I can definitely see how the sequels will probably follow romances for other members of the friendship group and I will be reading the next book which comes out this year too!
This review can originally be found on Olivia's Catastrophe: https://oliviascatastrophe.com/2019/0...
July 5, 2021
4.25 stars from me. As far as Sean's narration is concerned...well, he's one of my favourite narrators although I don't always think that the stories he narrates suit his voice; however, in this instance he and the characters matched very well indeed IMHO...notwithstanding the fact that his Nesto Spanish voice seemed to disappear shortly after the narration started, but maybe that had to do with the fact that he had several Afro-Caribbean characters to deal with.
As for the story, it was great to read about several persons of colour for a change. They [and the food] made the story warm, vibrant and really colourful. Although it was clear that the attraction Nesto and Jude felt for each other was deep from the start, unfortunately Nesto's character annoyed and frustrated the hell out of me on a fairly regular basis 😡. In view of his immigrant background [coming to the US at the age of 6 from the Dominican Republic], he felt the need to succeed even more than most; an obvious workaholic, and a stubborn driven individual for his business OuNYe, he frequently hurt Jude with his actions and words - not deliberately, but just because he didn't stop to think...so he definitely suffered from regular doses of the old foot in mouth syndrome 🦶👄. On the plus side, he had a great bunch of friends, and a mother who loved him to bits in spite of his shortcomings 💕💕.
Jude was the character who'd had a tough religious upbringing, made even more difficult by the realisation that he was gay...so rather than upset the apple cart, he chose to stay in the closet until the time finally came when he couldn't and wouldn't hide any longer. Of course his family chose to shun him, so he moved away but was fairly lonely. I absolutely 💙💚💛💜 Carmen, his co-worker and seemingly his only friend...and as for you Misty, you bigoted racist bitch, well what goes around comes around lady and you'll definitely get yours [hopefully sooner rather than later 🤞🤞🤞 🤬🤬🤬].
So to sum up, yes I liked the story - in fact I've already pre-ordered the audio of book 2 American Fairytale, and Sean's narration was pretty cool with loads of Spanish and Latinx phrases...after all, we're talking about Puerto Rico, the DR [Dominican Republic], Haiti and Cuba folks. Never having been to any of those countries [nearest I've been is the East Coast of Florida around St Augustine], it was like a mini tourism guide.
May 26, 2019
4.5 Stars!
This book has all the buzz. And it should.
Adriana Herrera pens a stellar romance between Nesto and Jude as well a love story of chosen family with between Nesto and his friends.
I love a good flirt. We don't get enough of that in romance books. The like you so much, I can't help myself, I have to lean in, charm, entice. So great!
All the building blocks to set the stage, food truck chef, librarian, new city, a dream, close friends, the sizzle of chemistry for a troupey good romance.
And then perfectly drawn heroes: workaholic Nesto and Jude whose devout family disowned him. Watching them fall in love is a delight and seeing the how they each have to risk and adjust and grow to become a couple we believe is lovely.
We have villain in this story. The pinch of white privilege, xenophobia, and class ache through the plot in the outside conflict as a local cell phone white lady tries to ruin Nesto business.
Of course, the joy of representation and the Afro-Latino crew is everything set in this excellently crafted world that I can't wait to visit again.
Pick it up!
This book has all the buzz. And it should.
Adriana Herrera pens a stellar romance between Nesto and Jude as well a love story of chosen family with between Nesto and his friends.
I love a good flirt. We don't get enough of that in romance books. The like you so much, I can't help myself, I have to lean in, charm, entice. So great!
All the building blocks to set the stage, food truck chef, librarian, new city, a dream, close friends, the sizzle of chemistry for a troupey good romance.
And then perfectly drawn heroes: workaholic Nesto and Jude whose devout family disowned him. Watching them fall in love is a delight and seeing the how they each have to risk and adjust and grow to become a couple we believe is lovely.
We have villain in this story. The pinch of white privilege, xenophobia, and class ache through the plot in the outside conflict as a local cell phone white lady tries to ruin Nesto business.
Of course, the joy of representation and the Afro-Latino crew is everything set in this excellently crafted world that I can't wait to visit again.
Pick it up!
April 28, 2019
I feel like I've been issuing this warning a lot lately, but don't read this book while hungry or you might end up eating your e-reader.
Seeing Jude's house, I got an image of myself walking up the pathway and opening the door to find him there waiting for me...
There's a lot to like in this book. And sometimes, it's a bit irritating. For one thing, this was a lot of 'tell' almost like a recipe. Nesto told us how he was, Jude told us how he was, there was a one-dimensional bigot loser creating trouble...and a good cast of secondary characters, one of whom definitely stole the show and is one of protagonists in Herrera's next novel. And truly, Nesto's mother and group of friends (particularly Milo, the one stealing the show) added lovely dimension to this-as well as Carmen, Jude's best friend.
So, if you can't tell from the title, this book is all in on immigrants--and culturally, it did a great job reflecting the group from the Bronx supporting their friend moving to Ithaca to make his way with a food truck. While singularly focused, of course Nesto meets the Jude, who was closeted most of his life due to his conservative Christian family. And then cut off by said family. This is a pretty decent set up--but unfortunately that 'telling' got in the way of what had the makings of a complex social commentary of the clash of two worlds. (Nesto has a supportive out and proud group of friends and family) I felt a little pummeled by the immigration and other social issues--and in this case, less is more. What might have worked in an NA / YA does not always work here. I've had interaction with immigrants since birth, and this comes off too preachy and not nuanced enough-- as if Americans not growing embedded in places thought to be multicultural would have no clue how integral immigrants are to the fabric of American culture. I'm all about socio-political commentary in my romance--hell, most great romances excel at it, I just felt a little...nagged. What did shine, for this level of detail, was the specificity of detail on Dominican culture. So it was a mixed bag from that perspective. And of course, with a relationship between a white man and immigrant from the DR, there's some good humor:
"Don't give me too much credit on my Latinx music prowess though; I discovered them in the whitest way possible."
At this, all three of them turned to me with different versions of a look that said "Oh I can't wait to hear this."
I paused for effect, then quickly muttered, "NPR."
All in all, this was a solid debut, with characters I would've liked to go deeper on, and a style that speaks of some promise. I'll be looking forward to reading the politically engaged Milo's novel, hoping it has a bit lighter touch on commentary than the spoonfed, generic, & repetitive rhetoric that accompany this--credit the reader with understanding why Nesto's getting harassed, for example-I really thought that was a great touch until the characters told me why it was happening. The conversations just didn't ring true, a bit elementary and I would've liked to see more about the 'feeling' of it, whether anger, exhaustion (though there was that) or the expectation that these types of encounters are met with. Instead I got the type of conversation that occurs in fairly unsophisticated settings, which is a disappointment.
All in all, I appreciate the cultural center of this book and the beginning. Unfortunately, it got a little long, the sex scenes and dirty talk just weren't for me--but YMMV. The group of friends and family bring it up, as well as what I felt was real-life conflict. Looking forward to more after this promising start.
Seeing Jude's house, I got an image of myself walking up the pathway and opening the door to find him there waiting for me...
There's a lot to like in this book. And sometimes, it's a bit irritating. For one thing, this was a lot of 'tell' almost like a recipe. Nesto told us how he was, Jude told us how he was, there was a one-dimensional bigot loser creating trouble...and a good cast of secondary characters, one of whom definitely stole the show and is one of protagonists in Herrera's next novel. And truly, Nesto's mother and group of friends (particularly Milo, the one stealing the show) added lovely dimension to this-as well as Carmen, Jude's best friend.
So, if you can't tell from the title, this book is all in on immigrants--and culturally, it did a great job reflecting the group from the Bronx supporting their friend moving to Ithaca to make his way with a food truck. While singularly focused, of course Nesto meets the Jude, who was closeted most of his life due to his conservative Christian family. And then cut off by said family. This is a pretty decent set up--but unfortunately that 'telling' got in the way of what had the makings of a complex social commentary of the clash of two worlds. (Nesto has a supportive out and proud group of friends and family) I felt a little pummeled by the immigration and other social issues--and in this case, less is more. What might have worked in an NA / YA does not always work here. I've had interaction with immigrants since birth, and this comes off too preachy and not nuanced enough-- as if Americans not growing embedded in places thought to be multicultural would have no clue how integral immigrants are to the fabric of American culture. I'm all about socio-political commentary in my romance--hell, most great romances excel at it, I just felt a little...nagged. What did shine, for this level of detail, was the specificity of detail on Dominican culture. So it was a mixed bag from that perspective. And of course, with a relationship between a white man and immigrant from the DR, there's some good humor:
"Don't give me too much credit on my Latinx music prowess though; I discovered them in the whitest way possible."
At this, all three of them turned to me with different versions of a look that said "Oh I can't wait to hear this."
I paused for effect, then quickly muttered, "NPR."
All in all, this was a solid debut, with characters I would've liked to go deeper on, and a style that speaks of some promise. I'll be looking forward to reading the politically engaged Milo's novel, hoping it has a bit lighter touch on commentary than the spoonfed, generic, & repetitive rhetoric that accompany this--credit the reader with understanding why Nesto's getting harassed, for example-I really thought that was a great touch until the characters told me why it was happening. The conversations just didn't ring true, a bit elementary and I would've liked to see more about the 'feeling' of it, whether anger, exhaustion (though there was that) or the expectation that these types of encounters are met with. Instead I got the type of conversation that occurs in fairly unsophisticated settings, which is a disappointment.
All in all, I appreciate the cultural center of this book and the beginning. Unfortunately, it got a little long, the sex scenes and dirty talk just weren't for me--but YMMV. The group of friends and family bring it up, as well as what I felt was real-life conflict. Looking forward to more after this promising start.
March 7, 2019
This book had a lot going for it. Some great, wonderfully diverse characters, strong family and friends, mouthwatering descriptions, authentic voice and some really well done dirty talky sex scenes. However, it had things that really detracted. It tackled a lot of emotional things (homophobia, xenophobia, racism, familial shunning, evangelical proselytizing, cancer, death) but never seemed to really get emotional enough. The time hoping was a disappointment and made everything seem disconnected. It didn't help that Nesto had this unrealistic and arbitrary time limit for how long he would keep working his truck if he didn't get a restaurant deal*. There was never enough space for everyone to actually feel through the big issues introduced. The only overwhelming emotion we ever got was Nesto being frustrated and a big jerk; mostly toward Jude.
Frankly, Nesto was the kind of boyfriend that in any other book was the guy Jude left for a real, true love that appreciated him.
Another problem was that this book didn't have a strong enough difference in voices between Nesto and Jude. It was hard to tell whose head we were in without knowing by the chapter header when they were together.
Finally, Some of the conversations seemed forced -after three years of friendship I doubt Carmen had to explain privilege to Jude. C'mon. The white character is an uber bitch that was so over the top she was a caricature. It's like the white privilege had to be in your face and obvious which did a disservice to this book since more often it's more subtle and invasive. Including this in nuance would have been a great asset to the storytelling.
All in all, I think this was an unbalanced first book that hopefully will lead to better storytelling in the coming books.
*
Another problem was that this book didn't have a strong enough difference in voices between Nesto and Jude. It was hard to tell whose head we were in without knowing by the chapter header when they were together.
Finally, Some of the conversations seemed forced -after three years of friendship I doubt Carmen had to explain privilege to Jude. C'mon. The white character is an uber bitch that was so over the top she was a caricature. It's like the white privilege had to be in your face and obvious which did a disservice to this book since more often it's more subtle and invasive. Including this in nuance would have been a great asset to the storytelling.
All in all, I think this was an unbalanced first book that hopefully will lead to better storytelling in the coming books.
*
March 15, 2022
4.5 fuck it, I'm rounding up.
4 days later and I'm still thinking about this constantly.
so much chemistry and intensity.
and there is something so magical to me in seeing bilingual interactions on page - be they romantic, familial or platonic. here's to the conversations that could never be contained to one language, and to the people you don't have to filter or translate yourself for.
getting to be your unedited self is truly priceless.
4 days later and I'm still thinking about this constantly.
so much chemistry and intensity.
and there is something so magical to me in seeing bilingual interactions on page - be they romantic, familial or platonic. here's to the conversations that could never be contained to one language, and to the people you don't have to filter or translate yourself for.
getting to be your unedited self is truly priceless.
March 5, 2019
Audiobook reviewWe have a new voice on the m/m scene; Adriana Herrera, and what a talented voice she is. American Dreamer was a delight to listen to and I will for sure look for more books by this author. Herrera weaves a beautiful tale about a man with a dream and how he goes about to fulfil it, the adversities he face, the joy and the love.
Nesto Vasquez is an out and proud Dominican American who loves authentic food. All food. He dreams of setting Afro-Caribbean cuisine on the culinary map, but making it in NYC isn’t going to happen, so he takes his food truck and moves to Ithaca, and gives his dreams his all. And flirting with the sexy librarian makes his life so much better.
Jude Fuller is content with his life – for the most part. He has a job he’s passionate about and great friends. There is no boyfriend or significant other though. He learnt his lesson the hard way early on. People never truly cared about him. And happiness is only a dream. So when Nesto wants to take things further, to deepen their relationship he is hesitant.
American Dreamer is a slow and gentle story. It’s not only a story about two men falling in love, the dance they do around each other from that first meet and towards a relationship. It’s also about the prejudice against persons of colour, immigrants and their fight for equal rights to be treated with decency. How they are so often met with suspicion and mistrust.
This could have been a heavy book, dealing with bigotry in all its forms. Then there is the religious angle where Jude comes from a ultra-religious family, who thinks all gays will be condemned. But this book is far from heavy. Despite the negativity thrown around, the love and happiness overtakes it all. Because the characters are genuinely happy people determined to not let other people or circumstances bring them down, they are close-knit and stand together. That’s what this book brings, that sense of family, of place.
Sean Crisden did a great job with this book. As always he had different voices and great pacing and infliction. However, there were a lot of Spanish thrown about in this book and he didn’t always get that quite right. (And that’s to my highly untrained and non-native, no speaking ears). I do love it that he tried, because in the end that’s far preferable to no accent at all and a monotone reading of the words in front of you.
American Dreamer was a wonderful debut novel and one that is definitely worth a second and third look.
A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
September 12, 2019
This was a really sweet romance that I liked but didn't love. There were a few things that didn't click with me--it was a bit too sweet for my tastes (the less romance characters call each other "baby" the better, in my book) and the villain was a cartoonish caricature. But there was a lot here to like too, especially the descriptions of food and Nesto's close-knit group of friends--I'm looking forward to reading their stories too! Definitely recommend to readers who love sweet m/m romance.
February 17, 2019
Wow! This is a great debut novel. Not only heartwarming, it was also full of the richness of pride in a Dominican Republic heritage, and on a lighter note, full of descriptions of Afro-Caribbean foods that made my mouth positively water.
Nesto Vasquez moves his Afro-Caribbean food truck from his original base in New York City to the wilds of upstate New York—Ithaca, home of Cornell University, to be exact. His mom has lived there for the past ten years, along with his aunt and cousins, and his strong family ties and need to prove himself and make his dreams come true are the driving forces behind the relocation. But more than family keeps him there, as he meets, befriends, and eventually falls in love with librarian Jude Fuller. Sweet, intelligent, and alone, Jude was ostracized by his religious family when he came out to them five years before.
There’s so much to like about this story—the writing, the pace, the interesting information on the culture of the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Islands. Add to that the personal touch, the relationship-building, the strength of family of origin and family of the heart, and finally the love between two young men—a love that very nearly didn’t survive when the drive for success in his career almost caused Nesto to lose track of the need for balance and for the love of his heart, his Jude.
The secondary characters are terrific and include Nesto’s three best friends, each with a Caribbean heritage. They grew up together and their moms banded together to keep them out of trouble and off the streets—a ploy that worked well, and coincidentally helped cement Nesto’s appreciation of a variety of Caribbean cuisine. Jude’s library coworker and bestie, Carmen, also has a DR heritage and is the first to encourage Jude to join her at the food truck, where he meets his eventual love.
But there was also a very nasty, self-centered, homophobic, prejudiced coworker who undermines Nesto behind the scenes throughout much of the story. Misty works part time at the library as a grant writer and spends much of her time throwing monkey wrenches into Jude’s plans for a youth mobile library for his county—something much needed for rural teens. She also spends a great deal of time undermining Nesto’s budding business as she couldn’t bear his success while her son’s food truck was not thriving. She added a lot of angst and drama but, although I normally hate that sort of character, the author did a great job in bringing her to life and keeping her believable.
Though her first book, I’m sure this won’t be Adriana Herrera’s last and I’m definitely looking forward to more from her in future. In fact, we will likely get a story of each of Nesto’s three besties and I can’t wait! I very highly recommend this one to all lovers of MM romance, especially to those who enjoy stories rich in culture that inspire a reader to want to learn more.
Nesto Vasquez moves his Afro-Caribbean food truck from his original base in New York City to the wilds of upstate New York—Ithaca, home of Cornell University, to be exact. His mom has lived there for the past ten years, along with his aunt and cousins, and his strong family ties and need to prove himself and make his dreams come true are the driving forces behind the relocation. But more than family keeps him there, as he meets, befriends, and eventually falls in love with librarian Jude Fuller. Sweet, intelligent, and alone, Jude was ostracized by his religious family when he came out to them five years before.
There’s so much to like about this story—the writing, the pace, the interesting information on the culture of the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Islands. Add to that the personal touch, the relationship-building, the strength of family of origin and family of the heart, and finally the love between two young men—a love that very nearly didn’t survive when the drive for success in his career almost caused Nesto to lose track of the need for balance and for the love of his heart, his Jude.
The secondary characters are terrific and include Nesto’s three best friends, each with a Caribbean heritage. They grew up together and their moms banded together to keep them out of trouble and off the streets—a ploy that worked well, and coincidentally helped cement Nesto’s appreciation of a variety of Caribbean cuisine. Jude’s library coworker and bestie, Carmen, also has a DR heritage and is the first to encourage Jude to join her at the food truck, where he meets his eventual love.
But there was also a very nasty, self-centered, homophobic, prejudiced coworker who undermines Nesto behind the scenes throughout much of the story. Misty works part time at the library as a grant writer and spends much of her time throwing monkey wrenches into Jude’s plans for a youth mobile library for his county—something much needed for rural teens. She also spends a great deal of time undermining Nesto’s budding business as she couldn’t bear his success while her son’s food truck was not thriving. She added a lot of angst and drama but, although I normally hate that sort of character, the author did a great job in bringing her to life and keeping her believable.
Though her first book, I’m sure this won’t be Adriana Herrera’s last and I’m definitely looking forward to more from her in future. In fact, we will likely get a story of each of Nesto’s three besties and I can’t wait! I very highly recommend this one to all lovers of MM romance, especially to those who enjoy stories rich in culture that inspire a reader to want to learn more.
March 2, 2019
[free review copy] My new favorite m/m romance! Herrera NAILED what so many writers try and fail to do - build a deep and satisfying love story within the context of our complex and difficult racially charged country. This story is about love, of course, but it's just as much about being Dominican in the US and being gay in the US and being in a mixed-race relationship in the US. But Herrera did an excellent job of showing just how woven together those things are, and not portraying them as flatly difficult, as so many books do.
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Being Dominican is amazing, loving a man is amazing, being the child of an immigrant single mother is amazing. The struggles Nesto faced were raw, and real, but the whole book wasn't about struggle. It was about friendship and deep love and family loyalty. I'm a white woman who can't possibly review this on an #ownvoices level, but having read enough in this genre and enough other rave reviews, I know that this book is a winner in so many ways. I also know I probably didn't write this review in a way that truly conveys the heart of the story, so please just read it yourself!
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What can I say? Give me a m/m romance with one of the love interests being a food truck owner and one being a librarian and write it so eloquently that I can't put it down - I'm obsessed. I already preordered book 2 in this series, "American Fairytale"! This one releases on March 4, 2019 from Carina - get your hands on it as soon as you can!
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Being Dominican is amazing, loving a man is amazing, being the child of an immigrant single mother is amazing. The struggles Nesto faced were raw, and real, but the whole book wasn't about struggle. It was about friendship and deep love and family loyalty. I'm a white woman who can't possibly review this on an #ownvoices level, but having read enough in this genre and enough other rave reviews, I know that this book is a winner in so many ways. I also know I probably didn't write this review in a way that truly conveys the heart of the story, so please just read it yourself!
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What can I say? Give me a m/m romance with one of the love interests being a food truck owner and one being a librarian and write it so eloquently that I can't put it down - I'm obsessed. I already preordered book 2 in this series, "American Fairytale"! This one releases on March 4, 2019 from Carina - get your hands on it as soon as you can!
February 21, 2019
I loved this book. The MC's, Nesto and Jude, are full of purpose, passion, love, and faith in themselves as well as each other. I always love a story with strong secondary characters and this book was full of great friends, strong woman, and a tight knit community. I would love to say that the antagonist was exaggerated, but alas we all know someone exactly like this. The story has a great sense of culture, one that takes you a long for a ride as well as teaches you something special; what it is like to rejoice in where you come from, even if you do not live there anymore.
March 26, 2023
I am at 75% and bored during the whole book. I missed the emotions between the characters. All drama came from some OTT side character.
Follow my reviews at https://hemmelm.blogspot.com/
Follow my reviews at https://hemmelm.blogspot.com/
March 27, 2019
I finished American Dreamer last night and wow was that a fantastic book. Jude and Nesto's stories were both intense: Jude's evangelical family background and Nesto's immigrant one both come with challenges that are fully portrayed. But we mostly see joys: Nesto's friends and family were delightful and the food truck details were fun. Both felt like fully realized characters. Some if their strengths were also their weaknesses, which feels very true to life. Plus I loved the author's voice and the slow ramping up of the relationship that felt very natural given their respective personalities. It's a debut book and there's a little bit of that in it, but it's a startlingly refreshing read and I loved it. I was utterly correct to have American Dreamer as one of my most anticipated reads of 2019 and now I can put it on the list as one of my best reads of 2019!
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April 28, 2019This was such an enjoyable romance!
It felt real and rich, with a lovely family--both found and not--aspect. And the food. I am so hungry! I enjoyed the way Nesto's and Jude's relationship developed...including the bumps and communication issues, and how each owned up to their own flaws and worked to change.
The rest of my impressions will go behind a spoiler cut, 'cause I can't really talk about what I liked without spoiling some things.
It felt real and rich, with a lovely family--both found and not--aspect. And the food. I am so hungry! I enjoyed the way Nesto's and Jude's relationship developed...including the bumps and communication issues, and how each owned up to their own flaws and worked to change.
The rest of my impressions will go behind a spoiler cut, 'cause I can't really talk about what I liked without spoiling some things.
April 6, 2019
American Dreamer was not on my radar until I came across it on NetGalley. I'm so glad I requested it because I've found a new author whose writing I really enjoy. American Dreamer was such a satisfying romantic read in every sense of the word.
The book starts off with our hero Nesto and his food truck moving from NYC to upstate NY in order to chase after his dreams of opening a restaurant. Nesto was a very well-rounded and familiar character. I found him to be charming, familiar and endearing. Nesto was a hard-worker and was absolutely 100% passionate and his passion truly came through American Dreamer. Adriana Herrera does a beautiful job with all the layers to Nesto's personality. I especially loved how rooted to his Dominican side he was. It was lovely and heartwrenching at times reading about the immigrant experience. I don't think many people realize the utmost courage it takes to leave behind your home to build new opportunities for yourself in a foreign country. Adriana captured that with Nesto and his family's experience. Besides that, I loved the focus on Nesto's dreams in this book. He is ready to sweat to achieve his goals and we certainly see him thrive in this book. It warmed my heart to read all about his ambitions and oh my goodness, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention just how amazing his Afro-Carribean food sounded. The food descriptions had my mouth watering and gave me a foodgasm. You should definitely have something to munch on while you read American Dreamer!
Nesto is paired up with an adorable librarian, Jude, who I found to be equally charming and passionate. Jude was a bit more introverted and reserved when it came to relationships, but he was a fantastic guy. I loved how dedicated he was to his job, particularly to his proposal of funding a mobile library to reach teenagers in rural areas. As a gay man, he knew the importance that books could hold to kids. He sparked as a character, so learning about his family's unacceptance of his sexuality was so heartbreaking. I was so angry and hurt on his behalf. Unfortunately, this is still the reality for some. I was glad that Jude at least had people who supported him in his new life. I was even gladder when he and Nesto hit it up. These two were adorable together! The progression of their relationship was very sweet. We get to see them slowly open up to each other about their dreams and vulnerabilities. Throughout it all, their chemistry was palpable. Nesto and Jude are without a doubt a favorite fictional couple of mine. American Dreamer also had a fantastic secondary cast (with the exception of racist Meddling Misty - ugh!) - I adored Nesto's family and his best friends back in NYC who kept in touch with him.
American Dreamer was a story that offered more than just a love story. It's also a story of family, culture, and dreams. I can't recommend this fantastic debut enough!
December 27, 2019
This book is full of the flavors of Nesto Vasquez's Afro-Caribbean heritage, as he moves his food truck business to Ithaca, New York and tries to make a success of it away from the cultural melting-pot of the City. His family and friends are a big part of the story, warm and opinionated and vibrant, giving him a community he didn't lose with the move. Nesto is almost larger than life with his enthusiasm for life, for his food, for his culture and everyone he cares about. The kind of guy it would be great fun to know.
On the other hand, Jude Fuller has been pretty isolated, other than his best friend Carmen, but he's working a job he loves in a library and advocating for an expansion of their programs to outstate kids who don't have access to books. For someone raised in a narrow, religious household, he has embraced new ideas and experiences. Nesto's food (and Nesto himself) quickly become one of the joys of his days.
Both characters were fun to follow, had their flaws, and caught my sympathies. The romance had a warm, reasonably-slow arc to it. The theme of immigrants sharing the best of their backgrounds with America resonated with me.
The villain of the piece is pretty one-sided.
Over all, a warm romance with a definite unique flavor and a satisfying ending. And I love the cover with our POC main character on it. Looking forward to another in this series.
On the other hand, Jude Fuller has been pretty isolated, other than his best friend Carmen, but he's working a job he loves in a library and advocating for an expansion of their programs to outstate kids who don't have access to books. For someone raised in a narrow, religious household, he has embraced new ideas and experiences. Nesto's food (and Nesto himself) quickly become one of the joys of his days.
Both characters were fun to follow, had their flaws, and caught my sympathies. The romance had a warm, reasonably-slow arc to it. The theme of immigrants sharing the best of their backgrounds with America resonated with me.
The villain of the piece is pretty one-sided.
Over all, a warm romance with a definite unique flavor and a satisfying ending. And I love the cover with our POC main character on it. Looking forward to another in this series.
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