Synopsis:
For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.
Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.
A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
Review:
I feel like I start most reviews with this, but A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow has been on my to be read for literally years. I’ve wanted to read this for so long and I’m glad I finally got around to it. To most this won’t be a five star read, but it was for me.
Small English towns are my kryptonite in romance books. There’s something so warm and fuzzy about them that I just can’t explain. They’re the best setting for a romance and you can’t convince me otherwise.
I already knew I loved Lila because I know her character pretty well (more on this in the next section). However, I didn’t know too much about Orion other than Flora thinks he’s an annoying, overbearing older brother. Well, I don’t think that at all. He’s wonderfully charming and sweet. Watching Lila and Orion’s friendship bloom into love was an absolute joy to witness–hence why I am rating this five stars.
Grief was handled pretty well in A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow but after reading the second book first, I know just how beautifully it will be handled in the future. The grief that Lila is experiencing compared to what Flora will go through is very different and both were dealt with wonderfully.
The journey of healing and self discovery Lila goes through is really well written. Nothing felt rushed and the desire for her to stay in England didn’t feel forced. It didn’t take much convincing to make you think of England as her home and these new people in her life as family. Everything fits together perfectly.
A huge part that made A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow so great to me was the characters. Orion’s friend group was great, I especially loved Jules. Although I am a little confused about Gordon’s age. He’s hanging out with Orion (19) but he’s also Flora’s (15) best friend and *SPOILER* love interest. Confusing.
Another book based kryptonite for me is baking. I loved it whenever Lila was baking or talking about how much she loves baking. It did make me super hungry though. I crave pastries on an average day nevermind when I’m served a delicious description of one every other chapter–no complaints from me though.
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is the type of book I will look back on with fond memories. The romance was super cute, I especially loved that they became good friends first, and the cast of characters were wonderful. I’m hoping Laura Taylor Namey decides to write more books in this series, one from Jules’ perspective maybe?
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