Don't Date Rosa Santos

Fun and cute with a sweet heart at the center.

Hmm. Hmmm. I may have entered this with too high of expectations, since I'd seen it compared to Jane the Virgin? And that's a really high bar. I can see why the comparisons are made–3 generations of Latina women, semi-magical vibes, but...well, for starters, Jane the Virgin is VERY funny and very light on its feet, where this felt a bit clunky, a bit like it was stumbling over what it had set for itself to do. It felt like maybe the sea curse could have been set up a bit more, especially given how...abruptly it was broken?

Still–a lot of good parts here, I liked Rosa as an ambitious over-achiever who suddenly isn't sure what she wants to achieve, and the romance is sweet if a bit abrupt. I really enjoyed the description of Cuba and what it means for various generations, and I imagine this would all resonate a lot more for a Cuban-American reader than for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a treat to read.

The writing is so well, the atmosphere of the book surrounded me and truly made me visualize the colors and sounds of the community. Everything is so colorful and held such joy, while any less than joyous moments were also detailed well.
The thing is, even though there are some sad or anxious moments, the main takeaway I have of this book is just how sweet it is. There is a huge sense of family, both those by blood and those of the community we accept.

I liked Rosa as a character as well. She thinks she has her life planned out for her, but in the face of change realizes she has to come up with new plans. She is a planner and willing to try new things. She also mentions a lack of romantic interests in the past, but does say she has crushed on both guys and gals. Her romance with Alex is adorable and sweet, while also potentially cursed making her waffle about what to do. Alex is charming though and I did wish we had more of him in the book. But more of him would have meant less time for family matters.
Because romance isn't the main part of this book, I truly think it is about family and learning how to move forward in life without having to leave your past...if that makes sense.

And while I will gush about how cute an sweet this book is, it also took my emotions for a ride. I wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter or so of the book – I thought it dragged some– but it rounds out the story and the topic of the curse – another reason why I also mark this book as magical realism.

I definitely recommend this one to people looking for a summer read, or something about identity and family.