Unexpected romance, a life re-direct and some deep post-heartbreak introspection make this endearing YA novel delicious and gratifying.
After a trifecta of personal disasters, Cuban American baker prodigy Lila Reyes struggles to "outsmart [her] own universe of loss" by running, baking and hiding from her loving but gossipy Miami community. As a hardcore planner--some might even say over-controller--the 17-year-old feels shaken and purposeless when her family decides that sending her to England for a few months to stay with relatives at their quaint inn will help her recuperate. Lila resists the charms of cold, unfamiliar "Not-Miami" as long as she can, but soon the appeal of the inn's kitchen, the dark intrigue of the Winchester music scene and a certain handsome 19-year-old tea shop proprietor begin to broaden her palate.
In A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Cuban American author Laura Taylor Namey (The Library of Lost Things) writes in language as rich as her protagonist's pastries, with just the right amount of sweetness. Lila, hanging out with a new friend, considers her (temporary, maybe) new scene: "We lean against moss-painted stone that was built eons before either of us was ever imagined. A friend, eating my food after late-night music. Miami, Winchester--like salsa dancing and band rehearsal, they're different but also kind of the same." Characters have realistic depth and failings, making every one of them sympathetic. A delectable read about loss, renewal and pastelitos. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor