Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

I really liked the idea of this book, but the execution was lacking for me.

First off, things I liked. It was interesting to see a YA where the main character has divorced parents who still have a decent relationship. Both parents were supportive in their own way and had interesting stories. I liked the idea of Alaine going to Haiti to understand her history, and the way the country and culture were described was great.

Things I didn't like: Alaine is supposed to be 17 but she's very immature and babyish so it makes her relationship with a “college boy” seem skeevier than it is. The idea of her including the flirty slack messages in her final project is absurd. The embezzlement plotline felt unnecessary and the culprit is the one person who acts suspiciously. The adults all have interesting stories that are barely delved into. Rosaline in particular is more plot device than person. The tone in general is a wild pendulum between silly teen antics and very serious subject matter (not just the mom's Alzheimers but another character dies out of nowhere and this is handled in an absolutely bizarre manner). The whole family curse plotline felt kind of pointless (especially having so recently read When You Trap a Tiger which did this better) and I would have liked to see more of Alaine's work with the Patron Pal app and kids instead.