Here to Stay

Full disclosure: I requested Here to Stay from Net Galley not realizing that it was an M/F romance. (I thought I was getting Herrera's upcoming M/M book, [b:Finding Joy 52360895 Finding Joy Adriana Herrera https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584384914l/52360895.SY75.jpg 77604258]). I mostly read queer romance these days so in all honesty I'm not the best person to review this book. But I will give a few brief impressions. Like the [b:American Dreamer 42983586 American Dreamer (Dreamers #1) Adriana Herrera https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543514360l/42983586.SY75.jpg 66820163] series, Here to Stay features a Latinx MC from the Dominican Republic. I enjoyed reading Julia's descriptions of her background, her family's customs and personality, and I could sympathize with her need to establish a life for herself away from her loving but somewhat smothering family. I also appreciated the way Julia took proactive steps to find a friend group of “Gotham Exiles” who turned out to be the support system she needed. Finally, it's rare but rewarding to see a positive portrayal of a social worker from an author who obviously knows about the requirements and responsibilities of the profession. I'm not really going to comment on the romance because I rarely find M/F couples interesting or fulfilling anymore. I will say that most of Herrera's MCs go heavy on the introspective angst, and they never say one thing without reflecting and overthinking on it three times as much, which can get tiresome after a while. I prefer that my characters reveal who they are through their dialogue and action instead of their internal musings, but YMMV. So whoops, I didn't mean to read this book but I enjoyed it for the most part anyway. If I were giving this book a rating I would award it an extra star for a cute animal appearance. The critter's name alone is worth half a star. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.