To me, this is what romance is.

Romance is not something that comes and erases every part that we are. it is complementary. it can enhance everyday life or it can be destructive. it can be the main reason of happiness or just one of the many! There is no right or wrong as long as all parties involved feel good and are respected and trusted. So yes, this is a romance novel for me (answering to some of the reviews that say that the book was falsely marketed, I disagree).

Yerba Buena has a romance plot to its core but that is not what defines the characters. S and E have lives, complex backgrounds, fears and baggage that interfere sometimes with them getting to know each other and form a relationship. When there is miscommunication there is a REASONING for it, it is portrayed as truly unintentional or circumstantial and not just 'oh I am afraid to say how I feel with no reason whatsoever other than 'oh what will the other person think'. sorry If I sound cynical, I am just tired of unrealistic depictions of romance, and  although rom coms are great,  each subgenre has its place and Nina LaCour writes within the realism realm which I truly appreciate.

Having read *We are not Okay' some years ago, I was expecting a lyrical, painfully gut punching language which I felt lacked in the first part of the book which knocked this one down to 4 stars instead of 5. The beginning of the book felt like there was a lot to say a lot to inform the reader about brushing off three scenes in particular that had me eye rolling (with no spoilers, the scenes were: 1. dad drawing, 2. random boy meeting and follow up, 3. teens acquiring money fast in X way.) I wanted to have those themes explored more, understand why they chose to do them, talk about them, ponder on them which for some happens much later but for others they just vanish in the void and so in my head were deemed unnecessary to begin with, shock factor aside.

We explore dysfunctional families and their respective dynamics, characters with dreams and 'flaws' with childhood trauma haunting them and their future life choices and lifestyle. I will stop there regarding the plot as I feel I would give away things. Well one more point is that..

I loved the ending, loved it! so fitting and beautifully executed with so many quotes I would love to include but can't as it would give a lot away.

Some quotes I can include though are as follows:

'They didnt have comfortable, familiar silences'

'The strange sadness of looking at beauty that no longer moved her'.

'the pleasure felt pleasurable for the first time in ages.' ... ' And yet it frightened her when it was over. No emptiness this time. It frightened her how open her heart was'.

Family, loneliness, grief and feeling lost are themes that are explored in this book, and of course romantic attraction and everything that comes along with it when two people's worlds collide.

Nina LaCour is talented. Attentive to the world around her that she described with seemingly simple words but in a way that evokes the deepest of feelings. Thank you,Nina, for touching my soul that way.

And how I wish I could have one of S's drinks!

What a beautiful middle grade book!

I absolutely loved it! read it in one sitting and was so immersed in the story from the very first chapter.
We are in Russia during the time that Catherine the Great is empress and has overthrown her husband.. The story is about chess, family and about a... device that is based on a true story without wanting to reveal more! I had no idea about the Mechanical Turk going into this story and that made it even more stunning of a novel!

Loved the prose and illustrations, an excellent book for little ones and adults alike! For fans of the Queen's Gambit and more!

Thank you Netgalley and Barrington Stoke for this e-copy! I would love for my kid to read it too when she is older and teach her chess if she so desires :)