American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera

Thank you to LA Public Library (@lapubliclibrary).

Adriana Herrera writes a steamy sex scene! So for those of you underprepared for that, get a fan and a cold towel, because this one has some scorchers.

Nesto and Jude are complex thoughtful three-dimensional characters that made me want to immediately eat some Afro-Caribbean food (must find this food truck NOW!) and reach for the second book in this series.

I liked these people, the way they react to the world, how they give each other chances to apologize and correct behaviors. I like books with a reasonable confrontation and resolution, considering that the book is about adults.

It even made me say "Ithaca sounds nice." (I've been to Ithaca and it did not feel as special as what I read).

Thank you Adriana Herrera for these people and a glimpse into their lives.-Sky

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I second Sky here, what a lovely debut.

Nesto moves from NYC to Ithaca to get a bigger piece of the food truck pie. He immediately meets sexy librarian Jude, who flirts with him in Spanish! Jude has an enemy in town, Misty and she’s a real piece of… and now Nesto is on her radar too.

This book took me a very long time to read because I had to keep stopping to think about big topics like racism in America, which Nesto experiences a lot, and my experiences with Toxic Christianity, which is Jude’s big external hurdle.

This is Adriana Herrera’s debut novel. It’s amazing, though the first few chapters are a bit clunky with exposition. It very quickly smoothes out and it’s a lovely and emotionally tough (for me!) ride. Also! Excellent sex blocking and steamy scenes. -Ford