Summary (from Goodreads):
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.
My Thoughts:
*4.5 stars*
What a surprise! Me and contemporaries have not been the best of friends lately so I was really hesitant to pick this one up. But as summer was coming to an end, I knew that if I didn’t read it, it would remain sitting on my shelves until next summer and by then who knows what would’ve happened! I think a big reason I liked this so much was because I saw so much of my life in it. I moved from North Carolina to London nearly 5 years ago and it was a lot of fun to relive some of the culture shocks Lila experiences upon landing in the UK. There were other parts where the pain was still fresh though, like the loss of a grandparent and close friendships which Lila faces and that I’m also still learning to adjust to. It’s no surprise that I shed a few tears over the course of this book!
But I loved watching Lila grow and rediscover who she is through new places, friendships and romance. Just watching her experience true joy and happiness after enduring so much heartbreak warmed me to the world a little more. As I said, I currently live in London, but this book made me ache for the beautiful and quaint towns in the countryside! I took a half star off because of an unresolved plot point about a certain graffiti artist, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait to read the companion novel! Happy Reading 🙂
The Art of Reading 