American Dreamer

Between four and five stars. This is a very good book, and I also found it an enjoyable read, even though it deals with a lot of serious topics. It's constructed very well, the characters are sympathetic but flawed, and the journey of the MCs' relationship makes sense. I rarely read contemporary romance, but this one felt pretty realistic to me. I also liked most of the humor. Overall, I was charmed.

I just saw a review complaining that this book is heavy-handed in its social justice themes, and I was really surprised. There is a lot of stuff along those lines, but it's all woven very naturally into the story. There's nothing didactic. But I can understand that you may not appreciate this kind of material if you have hateful conservative political beliefs. I don't think it's a book that would bother people who avoid the news in general, though, because it isn't necessarily topical stuff. But I don't know.

The characterizations of the two MCs are excellent and beautifully consistent. I can't believe this is the first book this author has published; if you're reading this review and this specific book doesn't appeal to you, you still might want to keep an eye out for her future releases anyway. I definitely will!

I struggle a bit when villains feel like real people I've known, and this one, Misty, a racist and self-important meddler, really fit in that category for me. I liked that she did face bad consequences for her actions, but her comeuppance was not a particularly important plot point. People like her are not all that important in reality when they no longer hold any power over others. I guess that's why they hurt so many people trying to hold onto it.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sean Crisden. He really did an amazing job, with such different voices & accents for all the major characters that it honestly felt like a multi-actor recording. I'm so glad I gave this book a try, and I'm grateful to everyone who has enthusiastically recommended it. I plan to listen to the second book very soon.

Very impressive debut novel, if a little rough around the edges. I like romances in which the MCs have to work on their relationship and aren't just kept apart by Big Misunderstandings. Nesto is the one who has to change his behavior the most, but Jude also goes through some tough personal growth. They're very cute together, although at times almost overwhelmed by all of Nesto's BFFs, who are all getting their own books in due course I assume. The book's villain is pretty cartoonish, but unfortunately I don't think her blatant bigotry is that unrealistic. I've seen some reviewers complain that the Dominican pride is played up too much, but considering the lack of Latinx representation in romances, I'd rather see it emphasized than whitewashed. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars, but I would definitely check out another book by this author, so I'm going with 4.