⭐⭐ 2.5 Stars

I feel like lately I’m not writing reviews, I’m writing rants, very long rants.

I enjoyed many things in this book, and I would like to start with that. The cultural aspect was probably my favorite, the conversations in spanish, the descriptions of the Puerto Rican food, the family restaurant, very enjoyable things to read about. The grandparents were hilarious, probably my favorite characters, their friendship was really cool and sweet. In general I liked the story, the main couple also had very cute moments, and in the end I did cry a bit. Also, I think it’s important to address the gentrification problem and how it’s taking latin american family homes with low income, forcing them to move out of local neighborhoods because rich people are taking over. I live (and was born) in a tourist mexican city with this exact problem, it’s devastating to see all the rents and property value increasing and only foreign people having the opportunity to live in these places that once belonged to the locals.

However, there were some things that I just couldn't let go. The first and most important: The Latin family. Everyone was incredibly rude and mean to her. She gave up so much for her them, she cared very deeply for the family restaurant and she wanted to fulfill her grandmother’s last wish, I completely understand that she felt the weight of all of it on her shoulders and also was a bit resentful of it, but somehow the author made it seem like she was wrong for having those feelings. I live in a mexican household, I’m the oldest daughter and trust me, it’s a burden, as a woman, they all expect you to take care of everything, you have ten thousand more responsibilities than all your male family members, and even though you love your family, is completely normal to feel frustrated about it, putting the family above everything it’s a given in every latin family, and she did that. She gave up her dream school and future for them and when she needed them they all abandoned her. She was trying to save the restaurant and they all ditched her ideas and treated her like a child while simultaneously telling her to grow up. The siblings were the worst, no one actually cared about the restaurant, not even the parents, she was the one with the degree, the motivation and the knowledge, why was it a big deal if she took over? You're supposed to team up to tear down decades of wrong parenting, fellas, not humiliate and belittle your sister.

Somehow every problem in this book was Khamillas' fault and I did not like it one bit. I didn’t feel like she was trying to change Liam, in fact she was the only one who understood him, and he even says it. She’s not perfect and lying it’s awful, but she was caged and no one wanted to listen to her. It's very unfair how the author put the blame on her while Liam did the same thing and didn’t get the same amount of s••• as she did. I was mad when she was apologizing and taking the blame FOR EVERYTHING and not just the lie.