Cover Image: Too Soon for Adiós

Too Soon for Adiós

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Member Reviews

Touching tale of loss and new discoveries.

Gabby has always dreamed of being a chef and finally made it to sous-chef, only to have to walk away from the job to look after her mum. Finding herself jobless and crippled with debt after her mother's death, Gabby discovers her biological father has a solution to her financial problems, the only problem being she needs to leave her home in LA and get to know a man who's never featured in her life.

Following Gabby as she undertakes an emotional journey, uncovering a number of secrets and truths about her family and self, this heart warming novel shows that even in the darkest moments, good friends and family can help you move back into the light.

A lovely story filled with rich imagery as well as lots of mouth watering dishes. Be prepared to have your heart strings tugged and tear ducts tickled.

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3 stars

"The fact that he knew the feel of my mattress threw me for a second. It was personal. Intimate. But the man had seen me naked. We were way past intimate, I guess."

"“No. But it does mean they have the power to hurt me.”
“You can’t think of it as who has more power and who has less power. You’ll never be happy guarding yourself from hurt. It’s not possible. People you love are going to hurt you. People you love are going to leave. People you love are going to die. That’s life. Teresa tried so hard to hide herself away from being hurt again that she never got to experience love again. That’s the real tragedy.”"

I found the first 20% of the book very, very depressing, which made it difficult for me to pick my phone up to continue reading. But once Gabby reaches Sonrisa, the story starts to pick up. I went into a 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' haze then. A pink and yellow, cotton candy phase, if you want the visuals. The haze was a good thing, because 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' is one of my all-time favourite pieces of content I have ever consumed.

The book introduced so many good characters, the collection of life stories from these characters which Gabby collects and falls in love with Sonrisa (very slowly) and learns to accept Raul as a part of her life. Her budding relationship with Diego was a wholesome development. And every time Diego was shy???? It made me melt into goo so much and so fast! So much so that I declare him my favourite character from this book.

The author did an excellent job at explaining Gabby's relationship with her mom, who passed at the beginning of the book. There was so much bitterness yet so much love. At times, I hated Sandra as much as Gabby would have, or was supposed to. I felt mad for Gabby for going through a difficult time even though Sandra wasn't around. But then there were the times when Gabby felt guilt and the way she handled her grief truly made me feel the love she had for her mom, despite their differences.

After the 60% though my 'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' haze lifted and the story started becoming predictable. The language became choppy, especially with the formatting. Or maybe I noticed it because the haze lifted.

All in all, I thought it was like any small-town book, with more focus on Gabby's story rather than the romance, but with a Mexican twist. It was a fun but not a memorable read.

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

What an incredible story. A Story about grief and loss and how we all process it differently. A story about family and friendship and their secrets. A story about love and healing , A story about our roots and ancestors. ❤️‍🩹

The story follows Gabby Medina who just lost her mother and on the funeral day, her biological father mysteriously re appears after being absent all of her life. At the moment she doesn’t want to deal with him & the idea that he exist and is trying to get back into her life by offering her his family home as a present.

She obviously refuses as she is focused to get her old job back ( she’s a chef) BUT things go awry wrong and she has to reach out to her father Raul and well… your story begins. Gabby moves to Sonrisa, New Mexico to sell the house her father is gifting her and finally have a chance at following her dreams.. or so she thinks…

This was a lovely story about second chances. The author set the tone from the very first page and it was an emotional ride that I didn’t want to end.

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This was such a wonderful story to watch unfold. The romance took a backseat and honestly worked so well for the story. I loved the focus on family and food.

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This book was so much more than I expected. Gabby is a young chef with a ton of student debt. After her young mother’s death, she finds she’s even further in debt, courtesy of her mom. At her mother’s funeral she’s confronted by her biological father. He makes her an offer she has no intention of accepting. After an attempted sexual assault at work, though, she finds herself without other options and heads to New Mexico.

Gabby was a strong character with the will to work, a strong love of family and a need to express herself through her food. I loved watching her character grow more confident and open to her newfound family and friends. The food and recipes sounded amazing, and Diego was the perfect love interest for her.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC.

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I enjoyed Too Soon For Adios. It was about grief, self discovery, identity, transformation, family, love and so much more. It was beautiful. It's my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last. I'm looking forward to reading more by her.

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I was fortunate to get an ARC on NetGalley and this story was poignant, all consuming! Gabby is at a loss of words when she loses the only parent she knows, her mother. In the middle of mourning and picking up the broken pieces of her life, the father who abandoned her resurfaces with an interesting offer.

Guided by her protective Aunts, Gabby struggles with making the right decisions for herself. Should she move on in the only home she’s known, or pack up in hopes of a new journey getting to know the other half of herself?

Annette Chavez Macias knows how to write the perfect amount of emotion that pricks at the heart! ❤️😩

#toosoinforadios #netgalley

🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Too Soon for Adios was very thoughtful and absorbing. I absolutely loved Raul and learning his family history, Lola, the history of Sonrisa (which I think was fictional?) and Adelitas, and the food descriptions. You really feel Gabby's character growth throughout the book, though I felt like some of it was a bit heavy handed. The romance was enjoyable - I felt like there was just the right amount of focus on the romance to get me invested without taking away from the other pieces of the story.

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Four friends have stolen aboard the Titanic. They're after the Rubaiyat - a book inlaid with priceless jewels. Josefa is a charismatic thief, Hinnah a daring acrobat, Violet an outstanding actress and Emilie a talented artist.

It is Josefa's plan, but she needs all of their skills. Despite their very different backgrounds, in a world of first-class passengers and suspicious crew members, the girls must work together to pull off the heist of their lives.

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Too Soon for Adios

4.25 ⭐️

This was such a wonderful story to watch unfold. It starts out pretty heavy, with Gabby’s mom dying and even a sexual assault scene. Gabby goes on a beautiful recovery journey as she finds her biological father and a new home.

Throughout the book, the characters always felt authentic. I think the single perspective worked really well in this one. The romance to a backseat and honestly worked so well for the story. I loved the focus on family and food.

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A shocking charmer, with the caveat that it is a hard one to read in times of grief. I wasn't counting on how effectively, at times. The chemistry was good, the characterizations solid. No complaints.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

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Too soon for adios is a story of redemption, and self discovery. Gabby reconnects with her biological father after the unfortunate loss of her mother. Her cynicism melts away as she spends more and more time getting to know the people who will become the family she gains after just having lost the only family she knew. The backstories for the main characters are traumatic but their futures, brought together, are optimistic. It was a good read.

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From author Annette Chavez Macias comes a heartfelt novel about a woman who embarks on an emotional journey when she meets her biological father on the day of her mother’s funeral.

This book was a breath of fresh air, I loved the honesty from all the characters. I did not like the main character a lot at the start of the book but I did feel sorry for her and as the book went on, I began to like her more and more.

The ending was super sweet and I loved to see how it all worked out.

I rated this 3.5 stars!

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I love and adore this book! It was heartfelt and real with a touch of romance and love that made it the perfect mix of relatable and swoony! The exploration of grief and complicated family dynamics was perfectly executed and added so much depth!

Mayor Paz was perfection!
Gabby’s character development too!

Highly recommend!

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.I enjoyed this book. Didn't go in with any expectations and was throughly surprised

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED Gabby so bad. I felt so connected to her and her story. I think i cried 3 times reading this book. I will not stop recommending it to others. Absolutely loved everything, such a heartfelt novel.

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I want to start of by saying that I loved this book.

Right from the start I was intrigued with Gabby and what she was going through in life.
this book discusses grief, Self discovery, family heritage and Mexican cultura.

You get the best of both worlds when you read too soon for adios. you get a realistic romance, heavy topics about finding oneself and dealing with traumas and you learn a bit of mexican cultura.

Gabriel is a character that I can deeply identify with, a young Latina entering her 30s with no idea what her future is going to look like. Her current situation is not ideal and on top of that she is feeling alone and without a sense of belonging.

No worries guys this book will take you along her journey of self discovery and it will end in a way that you too will feel a sense of closure lol.

I recommend this book to any and everyone that feels like they are alone. not in a place in their life that they should be or anyone that has questions about their past. this book will be one you can identify with and love as well.

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Having lived through a parent who walked away, I related to the book so much. It’s always hard allowing someone back in your life when the trust has been completely broken is hard.

I respect Gabby and what she has done, I respect her wishes and it couldn’t have been an easy decision. Raul, her Dad, literally done all he could for her - giving her the house to do up and sell was respectful on his part.

Diego started off as a douche to me but as soon as he was introduced, I knew there would be something between him and Gabby.

It was such a heartwarming read and something I really needed to read. The emotion, character building and grief was written to perfection. I felt every emotion Gabby felt and I was there with her every step of the way.

Thank you @netgalley and Montlake for allowing me access to this ARC. @authorannette thank you for writing such a great book. It touched me right in the feels throughout.

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I loved this book, I could feel myself relating to the characters so much due to their realism.
Of all the people Gabby medina expects to see at her Mums funeral, her biological father is not one. He abandoned her and her mum when Gabby was a baby but nw hes back and wants to make ammends... by giving Gabby a house t do with as she pleases.
While Gabby wants nothing to do with her father, feeling like she's betraying her mum and stepfather who stepped up and gave her everything she could hope for, having given up work to care for her mum she could do with a place to stay... and the money from the sale of the house...
Using this justification Gabby makes a deal, she'll move to her fathers town, fix up the house and get a quick sale for some much needed cash. Simple, until it is not so...

This book has quite a predictable ending, however I still enjoyed it and feeling like I was immersed in Gabbys world.
TW for cancer, death of a loved one, sexual assault

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Again, I read another Annette Chavez Macias book in under 4 hours and in 1 sitting. This book was nothing short of amazing. There were times I forgot I was reading a booking and thought I was watching a movie unfold in my head. As always, she does such a phenomenal job on women's fiction with such a great ensemble of characters. She doesn't shy away from describing grief as the real, raw emotion that it is that I have never before seen talked about it in books. It was really refreshing for it to be talked about this way. I feel as if the author handled such sensitive topics so perfectly.

As always, there is the Latinx representation, with the entire town of Sonrisa. The history behind the town and Mexican culture that she never fails to give us in her books. I was worried that this book would just glaze over everything but knowing Macias she really dug into things and showed how hard healing really is, how beautiful healing can be. Which makes this book beautiful. I'm really looking forward to its release next year.

I suggest everyone pre-order this!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review as always all words are my own.

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