Stephanie Jane reviewed American Dreamer by Adriana Herrera
A joy to read
4 stars
I bought American Dreamer on the recommendation of Olivia (at Olivia's Catastrophe) who loved the story for many of the same reasons that also appealed to me so I am glad to have been swayed by her enthusiasm for this series. I don't often pick up romance novels, but American Dreamer's Dominican Republic authorship made it a perfect fit for my WorldReads project and I love that this story focuses on American people of colour simply living their lives. There is tension and angst, but of the romantic variety and a certain character's racism is a subplot, but Nesto and Jude navigating the possibility of a lasting relationship between them is firmly at this novel's heart. Food is also central to American Dreamer and I loved how Herrera explains the cultural significance of certain dishes to people living away from their family homelands. I have experienced this in a small …
I bought American Dreamer on the recommendation of Olivia (at Olivia's Catastrophe) who loved the story for many of the same reasons that also appealed to me so I am glad to have been swayed by her enthusiasm for this series. I don't often pick up romance novels, but American Dreamer's Dominican Republic authorship made it a perfect fit for my WorldReads project and I love that this story focuses on American people of colour simply living their lives. There is tension and angst, but of the romantic variety and a certain character's racism is a subplot, but Nesto and Jude navigating the possibility of a lasting relationship between them is firmly at this novel's heart. Food is also central to American Dreamer and I loved how Herrera explains the cultural significance of certain dishes to people living away from their family homelands. I have experienced this in a small way myself so could empathise with Carmen's joy on her first visit to the OuNYe food truck.
American Dreamer evoked similar reading vibes for me as Adiba Jaigirdar's The Henna Wars (although I must say that American Dreamer is intended for an older audience and does have a few sex scenes). The narrative is fairly light compared to my usual literary reads, but it never felt shallow. I already knew we were heading for a Happy Ever After, but Herrera's authentic portrayals of multicultural friendships and a gay relationship mean the whole book is filled with positive representation which was a joy to read. I've already got the next book in this series added to my wishlist!