A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

“So I wanted you to choose a future that’s first and foremost yours alone. Not to belong to me. I want you to belong with me” 🤍I really enjoyed reading A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. I originally grabbed this to join the YA book club at my local bookstore but unfortunately had to miss out.Lila is fresh out of high school and has just experienced 3 different heartbreaks, her family wants a change of scenery for her and sends her to visit family in England where she finds the world is a little bigger than just the hometown that has her heart, and that her heart is capable of holding more than just that hometown and those in it. This was such a sweet easy read, I loved watching Lila and Orion grow closer and seeing them grow as individuals as well.“She forgets that what she does in one small moment can affect tomorrow”

Loved this book and looking forward to “a British girl’s guide to hurricanes and heartbreak”

This was cheesy and had such an unlikable main character. The writing style is also cheesy to the point it makes reading this book difficult, I had to reread the line multiple times! I’m surprised more people don’t mention how badly this book is written. On a positive note, I like the Hispanic/Latin American references and nods to British culture.

I literally love every single thing about this book! This book hit me in the feels in the best possible way , it was so beautiful, I was in tears reading this book. I don't typically read a lot of YA, but when I read what this was about I was drawn to it. I just like Lila was vey close to my grandma. Although she didn't own a restaurant, food and feeding people was one of her passions, and so much of our time together was spent in the kitchen. I loved the way Lila spoke so highly of her grandmother and their time together. I loved seeing the Cuban culture we get to see in this book, and I loved seeing Lila's time in England. I love Lila as our heroine. I know that I haven't been 17 in a lot of years, but Lila felt so real to me. Her emotions regarding her relationships with her ex boyfriend, her best friend, her family and even herself felt genuine. I love seeing her growth. Orion is way too young to be a book boyfriend, but he is amazing! I absolutely love Lila and Orion together. Their relationship felt way more mature than several adult romances that I've read. This book is full of family, friendships. It was sweet and swoony. I had the best time reading this book, it will go down as one of my favorite books I've read this year.

A CUBAN GIRL’S GUIDE TO TEA AND TOMORROW, by Laura Taylor Nameymiddle and upper grades (just a little kissing)first-person POVstandalonecontemporary / realistic / romanceLila is from a close-knit Cuban family in Miami which owns a panaderia. When her beloved grandmother, who taught her to cook and runs the bakery, dies, plus her boyfriend dumps her, plus her best friend backs out of their after-HS plans, Lila is understandably upset but doesn't handle it well. Her concerned family sends her to Winchester, England for 3 months to stay with an aunt who owns a guest house there. Lila is very unhappy about this and is determined to hate everything because it is so different from Miami.Her cousin introduces her to some local teens and she gets the chance to bake for her aunt's B&B so she starts to enjoy herself slowly. Of course she meets a young man (who also has family sorrows) and they gradually feel themselves falling in love. Lila learns that there is a Cordon Bleu school in London with a pastry course and she is interested, but torn between her original plan - to run the family panaderia with her older sister - and to stay in Winchester helping her aunt and attend the Cordon Bleu school.She has some conversations with her former boyfriend and former best friend which give her closure and help her feel better about their relationships. Lila is very strong-willed and tends to bulldoze everyone around her; she realizes this has affected her relationships. And although she does go home - her family's shop was selected to be on her mother's favorite reality TV baking show - she also realizes that Miami / England is not an either / or choice.Peppered with Spanish phrases, most translated, and mouth-watering (accurate!) descriptions of Cuban food.

This was a cover buy for me. Not only did I fall in love with the colors and art style but also the title itself. Cuban Girl? Tea? Tomorrow?! YES. I was looking forward to this, mostly because I am part Cubana and I thought it would be amazing to see that side of my heritage highlighted.While I enjoyed the author’s unabashed display of Cuban/Cuban American culture, I wasn’t so thrilled by the story itself. The pastry descriptions along with Lila’s deep connection to her family, especially her abuela, resonated and shined through the standard YA contemporary fare. And Lila’s journey in learning to love and understand herself was also a positive takeaway.However, the characters themselves were not all that memorable or, dare I say, likable. Lila, particularly, happened to be my least favorite character. To some degree, I could sympathize with her pain (losing someone is hard) and I also understood her love of baking (because sweets are good for the soul). Unfortunately, I was put off by her personality. Stubbornness can be endearing, but to a certain extent. And there’s a thin line between being knowledgeable and being obnoxious. Lila crosses this line several times, especially when she is in the kitchen.The romance was lackluster, mostly because I was not attached to Lila and the love interest, Orion, was fairly flat and underdeveloped. Sweet, but also made of cardboard. Their relationship may have functioned better as a platonic connection, if anything.I didn’t love this book, but it was decent. The themes about family, culture, self-awareness hit their mark, but just barely. And the England settings was nice, though limited. I’m mostly glad for the Cuban rep.

El libro llegó un poco dañado del borde, y la portada también estaba poquito sucia. Fuera de eso, parece que todo está bien.

Very cute story with sweet MCs. There is no spice, which I find refreshing because I dont want to read chapters of that in a short book.I really liked the way the relationship between the two developed.

It is a beautiful story with relatable characters. I very much enjoyed reading it

Easy, light and a quick summer holiday read.The foodreferences sounded mouth watering and I loved the friendship group. Enjoy