3.5 Stars

CW: Overdose (likely intentional), mental health (depression, bipolar), racism and racial profiling, gangs

Another pleasant surprise with a wonderfully diverse cast. This is definitely a romance but not a cute and fluffy one. It’s about two people from different worlds who meet on a train and feel drawn to each other. As the relationship progresses they see that there can be wonderful moments and challenging ones for people from both sides of the ‘tracks’. The heavier themes were dealt with in a way that didn’t detract from the fact that this is primarily a love story, but neither was it a flippant look at issues such as parental expectations, racism, and stereotyping. They were blended together and struck a harmonious balance. There were a few tense moments in the story that had me internally begging the author to make things go the way I saw them in my head. I was unaware how invested I was in the relationship between Isa and Alex until I welled up at a particular point. No actual crying, however welling up in a book is huge for me on the emotional scale. An enjoyable book. ( )

audio (9 hours) - light skinned dancer with Cuban roots meets dark-skinned (often racially profiled) baseball pitcher and poet with Dominican roots on the subway; love eventually prevails despite prejudices and complicated family situations. ( )

CW for parent and sibling with bipolar disorder, suicide attempt, gang violence, police violence ( )

Isabelle Warren, a ballet student, and Alex Rosario, a baseball player and aspiring poet, meet on the subway in New York City and begin a romance. However, he is Dominican and she is blond and from the Upper East Side. His family is split and hers is dealing with mental health issues and her father's loss of his very lucrative job. Throw in Alex's friend, Danny's membership in a gang and you have a perfect storm. ( )

I thought the romance was really cute. I would love for a guy to write me sweet poetry too.

"Our knees kissed under the dining room table (pg 176)."

Come on, that would make my day. I enjoyed Alex and Isa together. I also liked the way Spanish is weaved into the story. I didn't know all the modismos used (like pérate is short for espérate = (you) wait), but it's super easy to figure them out with context. In addition, I liked the story with Merrit, Isa's brother, and how her family was managing with his mental health and relapses. I also really liked that the story showed this took a toll on Isa's mental health too.

A positive point is that therapy and psychiatrists are lovingly accepted and acknowledged throughout the story. Usually, with these stories it is a struggle to get the characters to seek help, but, here, it is already happening. Awesome. This story was more than just Isa's first love. It's also about life and how real stuff happens.

Everything beyond that is kind of typical. A rich (white) girl defies the odds and falls in love with a poor or at least not rich (insert ethnicity) boy. "I don't care what you say, Mom/Dad I love him!" *plays "Nobody Want to See Us Together" by Akon* In all seriousness, I was surprised that the whole ordeal wasn't the constant focus.

Anyway, I thought the writing and Alex’s narrative was good. Isabelle by herself was a little too much at times. Like, girl burst into dance one more time, I dare you. However, her impromptu bachata routine was fun and unexpected. She's not irritating, so that's good. Well, at least until she starts running away from her problems. That was realistic though still annoying. She put that boy on ice, didn’t she? First, Alex reacted normally and then like a total loser. He says he told Kiara straight-up he wasn’t looking for something serious. Okay. Well, you have to be firm. Alex knew that girl was in love with him from day one. She’s not going to take a friend with benefits relationship well. Honestly, he was just using her, and she knew it.

Also, Chrissy's predicament about not being a virgin went on way too long. That did not need to be a side-plot. Idk why Chrissy thought she needed to go on a whole apology-tour that she wasn't a virgin and was sexually-experienced. In her eyes, she thought she was some huge ho. Well, what about Kevin? What was he doing? Did he say "I only date virgins or something?"

Another thing, Isa acted so basic when Alex was facing police brutality. Did she really think the cops were going to just believe her? She didn’t try to film the cops, go down to the police station and argue on his behalf, or any of the stuff her bro Merrit did. One thing with these types of stories the white counterpart never seems to care or realize stuff like racism and prejudice exists until it affects him or her directly, i.e he or she falls in love with someone of a different race and sees their lover being mistreated. She said she should have asked Alex why he got so scared/felt about cops. Really, girl? You’ve never heard of police brutality like ever? And you live in New York?

The common theme of familial relationships and trying to live up to your dreams vs parent’s expectations were grrrreat *Tony the Tiger voice*. Alex's parents are divorced but cordial, and Alex has a good relationship with his half-brother and his dad's girlfriend, Yaritza. I wasn't expecting that. Alex's love for his little bro Robi is so heartwarming. The family relationships, romance, and the mental health conversation were the strong points for me.

Overall, it wasn't the normal, run-of-the-mill love story. The climax is exciting in a horrifying way. It’s like a car crash you see coming but you can’t look away. Maybe I’m easy to please, but I liked reading this for the most part. Also, this story gets a gold star for referencing my favorite Romeo Santos song, "Bella y Sensual."

[Rating from personal enjoyment: 3.5 stars ] ( )