A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

Lila Reyes knows exactly what her life has in store for her: she is going to carry on tradition and her Abuela's legacy by baking at La Paloma and running the family business with her sister. But when her Abuela passes away, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and she has a falling out with a friend, Lila is self-destructive enough that her family decides a complete upheaval is best. They send her to a friend in Winchester, England, hoping the change of scenery will help her. At first, Lila is angry and wants nothing more than to go back home to Miami, but as she starts to make friends - and especially as she meets a boy, Orion, who agrees to be her tour guide - her clear plan for tomorrow suddenly looks less black and white.

This was a show more really sweet friends-to-lovers slow burn romance, with a nice character arc for Lila as she grows, learning to let go and live in the moment. There's nothing new or life-changing here for adults with life experience, but it's a book for teens and one that I would have found comforting as I, like Lila, prefer a plan mapped out over uncertainty and change. And it does it all well, with fleshed-out characters and believable development in more than just Lila's story. A warm, enjoyable read that left me smiling. show less

3.5 (listened to audiobook)

I found the main character incredibly frustrating but the story overall is pretty cute, despite the fact that it didn’t really have much substance.

My biggest issue was that Lila was very narcissistic about her cooking and ideas being *so much better* than everyone else’s, down to the point where she insulted some woman’s dead grandmother (and seemingly that woman’s entire lineage as well). This is never really addressed other than a small bit about her learning that she was controlling of people back at home and I don’t think she really learned from it.

The book does, in my opinion, do a really good job of showing what grief can do to a person.

Oh My Lanta, how I loved this book!
I think the best way to put it is just "cozy": but it felt much more personal to me. I really felt like this could have been "my story" or what I'd have liked my story to be like if that makes any sense. Anyway, it wouldn't be fair just to label this book as a simple "love story" - because though it is that, it's a story about falling in love with places, family, and tradition as much as it is about falling in love with any one person. Also - there's the food: this book is absolutely a love story to food - namely Cuban baked goods and your grandma's kitchen. If anything, "explore the world and eat everything" is the moral of this book. Don't read with an empty pantry.

"She changed her own recipe, too...Not just food. Abuela changed her life recipe...In my heart, Abuela tells me I've been wrong all this time. She never put a spoon in my hand and skills in my head to tether me to one place. She gave me knowledge so I could choose, too. The place she built. Or the places I will build...I was brought up for this place but I can change my life recipe, too."

What a sweet story this was! It was a tale of tremendous grief, healing and reinvention. Lila, a Miami born Cuban girl shares a passion for food and cooking because it was a bond she shared with her grandmother who helped raise her. When her grandmother dies, her high school sweetheart dumps her a few days before prom and her best friend nixes their show more plan to move in together and attend college backs out without warning, Lila spirals into a mental breakdown. Her family sends her to England for the summer so she can gain her bearings and grieve.

I loved that Lila was a headstrong protagonist and did not allow anyone to dictate her path. All the food references made me so hungry and I was tempted to book a flight to Miami to indulge. I loved the pacing of the romance and how the chemistry between the characters felt natural.

The greatest lesson I took away from the story is that identity is personal and you can remain who you are regardless of geography. When you are given the freedom to make sense of your own emotions, choices and experiences, your future path becomes clearer. Your culture lives within in you and no one can take it from you. I also learned that you can chase more than one passion at a time because life is not just a straight line with only only one path to the goal. Life is about organizing your goals in a way that makes sense to you. Your life path is like a recipe where you are always adding and taking things away. show less

Lila is struggling - grieving her abuela, a breakup with her boyfriend, and the loss of her best friend. Her parents decide to send her to London for three months to stay with family friends at their inn. Lila LOVES to bake and cook. Soon she makes the kitchen at the bed and breakfast her own. After shedding some of her sadness, she decides to embrace this new place. Opening herself up to friends, romance. I'm definitely going to get some Cuban food after finishing this book! Such a sweet story of self discovery and opening up to the word.

I really enjoyed this story, the mashing together of two cultures, of food and love for home and a new home. I cried at some parts, laughed out loud at others, empathized with Lila and fell in love with a boy named after a star. And became really hungry from the incredible and edible descriptions of the foods Lila created and baked in an English Inn. It was a story of self discovery, finding out that no matter where life takes you, home will follow.

From the book jacket: For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panaderia, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then The Trifecta happened, and everything – including Lila herself – fell apart. Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But, … what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila … until she meets Orion Maxwell.

My reactions Okay, I totally picked this up because I needed a pink cover for a challenge. I noticed, too, that this show more was a pick for “Reese’s YA Book Club” and thought it might have some meat on the bones.

Some of this stretch credulity a bit far for me, but on the whole I enjoyed it. I liked that things were not all wrapped up nice and tidy in a pretty bow, albeit there is still a happy (or at least hopeful) ending. Lila is a complex character, with shifting emotions (typical teenager, and typical of the grief process). Orion has his own problems, with a mother suffering from early onset dementia, a little sis who is acting out, and more responsibilities than an 18-year-old should have to shoulder.

I liked that Namey showed that Lila’s attempt to forget her problems by focusing on food was a strategy that would take her only so far, and that she needed to face the issues that led to her breakdown before she could move forward. I really liked Orion. He’s a steady young man, with natural charm, but not at all pushy. All in all, this is a pretty good example of the YA romance genre.

And I loved all the references to food. I think I gained 10 pounds just reading about all the Cubano bread, and specialty pastries Lila concocted. show less