What an incredible, heart-warming story. To me, this was about so much more than Gabby learning she has a father at her mother's funeral. It's a story about grief, complex family histories, and learning to love oneself and those around you.

Gabby is an incredibly relatable main character. While processing the loss of her mother, and the life she had with her mother, she finds multiple reminders that life doesn't wait for you to process your grief. With a mountain of debt, and a disastrous work-situation, Gabby is forced to consider an offer from her estranged father that she never would have considered before. In doing so, she finds herself doing a deep-dive into her existing boundaries and where she is comfortable shifting them.

I was thoroughly impressed with the characters in this story. Besides Gabby, every other character has a rich backstory that threads together so beautifully. I loved that, even though the story is centered around Gabby finding herself, you are rooting for some of the subplots to unfold in a specific way. Every story is told with warmth and depth, and I found it incredibly touching.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What I liked:
-The descriptions of all the food were amazing. So detailed and I genuinely felt like I could smell and taste it.
-I love a small town romance, which was a nice addition to the plot

What didn't do it for me:
-This really felt like nothing was happening for so long. Other than the first chapter, I never felt compelled to keep reading. It just wasn't holding my interest, and the MC was my least favorite character.

All in all, I felt like the story had a lot of potential, but it just dragged. The main character fell flat for me and that made it difficult to rate highly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

A poignant but hopeful story about grief.

"Too soon for adiós" follows Gabby Medina, a young, Mexican-American chef, as she navigates loss, grief and family secrets.

Gabby was raised by her mother in Los Angeles, with the help of her aunties and, eventually, her adopted dad, on the belief that her bio dad had never wanted her. After her mother's funeral, a man she's never seen before claims to be her father, and that he wants to give her a house for Gabby to sell back in his hometown of Sonrisa, New Mexico. Torn between needing to pay off a mountain of debt and loyalty to the parents who raised her, Gabby decides to accept the offer, get the job done as far as possible and leave. At least, that's the plan.

The beginning was very tough and it almost made me want to stop. The protagonist's mother has just passed away from cancer before 50, and the first chapter is the funeral as seen through Gabby's eyes. I'm really glad I decided to move forward, but I wanted to point this out so you can decide if or when to read it. While this is a story about processing and learning to live with the grief of losing someone forever, and therefore might be a healing read for some people, it could also trigger feelings of grief and anxiety in others.

The premise falls into the romcom-esque trope of "woman moves into small town to escape a situation, falls in love, finds herself". However, I'd argue that it has a heart that sets it apart from that kind of romcom and, while it has romance, it's not the focus of the story.

I found the characters to be complex and relatable, and their relationships compelling, overall. Gabby is at times exasperating in her reactions, but they're also generally justifiable for someone in her situation - grieving and dealing with 30 years of abandonment. I really appreciated her nuanced relationship with her mother and her aunties, at times tense, and her journey with her bio father. I was a bit indifferent about her relationship with the love interest, but it grew on me.

This book is a love letter to Mexican-American culture, from Gabby's food to the town's history with las Adelitas (something I learned!). It had a lot of that small town charm you can expect from this type of stories, but it felt culturally significant.

I do wish the appearance of the main characters had been described more. I finished the book and still didn't have a mental image of how they looked like, not even Gabby.

The book also includes a storyline of sexual assault that is described, plus a background story of gender violence and femicide. Your mileage may vary regarding the purpose of both. Personally, in regards to the first one, I thought that the survivor had valid reactions to the situation, though I wish I had been used for something beyond a plot device for the character to do something else. I don't think that sexual assault can't be part of a story unless the story is about the sexual assault, but I also felt like it was almost brushed off. As for the second one, it was used to inform another character's background and motivations, but I thought it added a heaviness that the story didn't need, because it already had enough.

Other than that, I enjoyed this book a lot and would really recommend it to anyone looking for a story about learning to live with your grief and moving on.

This story has a beautiful mix of tradition and modern flavor just like Gabby’s dishes do! From grief and the overwhelming anxieties of continuing life without a loved one, dealing with the complicated feelings brought forth by family secrets, breaking generational curses/trauma, and taking the biggest risk of not only believing in oneself but believing there are people there to support you unconditionally, Too Soon for Adios truly has it all. The character relationships and magnificent displays of culture throughout the piece make you fall in love with and wish you could up and move into the wondrous, rich small-town of Sonrisa.

It was very solid read for me, and I quite loved it. I really loved the way the story flew throughout my entire read, as it had me in a strong chokehold since the very beginning. I loved the little nuggets about the Mexican culture, especially the mentions of cuisine had me drooling. Also, the characters were fairly interesting too. Overall, it was definitely a 5 stars read for me.

Who meets their dad for the first time, at their mom’s funeral? Apparently Gabby does. He has been absent from her life and now he wants to give her a house? Gabby has no interest in being part of her father’s life, but she does need the money. She plans to sell the house ASAP, but as she learns more about the town, people, and her past. She finds herself unsure of her original plan.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I had a good time with this book. I feel like it has a bit of mystery/intrigue but also it is very much a coming of age story, which is usually a good time. This wasn’t my favorite, but it was also a good time. I gave it a solid 3/5 stars.

4* A lovely tale that starts in sadness and ends with many doors opening for more than one!

This is my intro to this author and I'll admit that it was the cover that drew me in, but goodness, what a likeable character Gabby was. Not a romance or other kind of trope in sight, although I was wishing that a certain person got their comeuppance for what they did. Maybe they'll go on to pick on a less nice person and will get what's coming.

It's a tale that starts with Gabby's mother's passing (off page) and with secrets coming out and new people coming into her life, and it seemed like such a normal thing to happen, in a locale that meant something to her ancestors, not that she knew of that side of her family. It felt like a tale that could have happened anywhere about 60 years or so ago, when things were far less rushed, where people helped each other just because they could, where trust and one's word actually meant something. There was a romance, too, a slow-burn one that didn't overshadow the tale, which was about Gabby's awakening as someone more than a daughter and sous-chef. I really enjoyed it and the cast of characters in the tale.

ARC courtesy of Montlake Publishing and Netgalley, for my reading pleasure.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley!
This book is quite good overall, Gabby is a well written character and the plot is quite solid. I loved how the author included Mexican heritage in this book especially with culinary references. The rythm is fast paced and the story is quite addictive.
However there a few things that didn't really work well for me: the plot of the book was about Gabby connecting with her biological father, Raul, but after finishing it I've just felt like their relationship is unfinished. Also after Gabby moved to NM, it seemed like she forgot about her mother and her grief which is kinda weird considering how close she was with her. I mean there are some thoughts about her mother but I just wish we had more in depth analysis especially after reading that Sandra wasn't a perfect mother !
Overall I definitely recommend this book if you like small town romances as Gabby and Diego's relationship is a central topic!
3.75/5

Too Soon for Adiós by Annette Chavez Macias is a beautifully written story.

I think not only will some will connect with this story but also connect with the characters in this book.
Gabby, she is a wonderful person. And trying to navigate this life she is living. While also dealing with her grief of losing her mother. And trying to figure out how to deal with meeting her father for the first time. And how to have a relationship with him. And on top of all this can add romance to the mix?!

I believe Annette Chavez Macias did a wonderful job at creating a character dealing with so much emotion. I could feel for Gabby and that made me really connect with her.
The writing is done so well. I ran through this book in 3 sittings.
An easy, heartfelt and emotional read. I truly enjoyed getting to know Gabby and reading her story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Montlake,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

I’ve seen some other reviewers use the word heartwarming to describe this book and I think that is such a perspective description! Definitely what I needed to read in these trying times!

This novel is the perfect definition of HEARTWARMING. With the right blend of characters, pacing, heart, this author tells an amazing story of family, love, grief, and trust. I won't change a thing about this book. I love it so much!

Too Soon for Adiós is a book about new beginnings, about mourning, but about going ahead. I loved the characters, how the author wrote about different culture, Gabby is an interesting girl, she's not the "perfect" size and I love this, and I love her confidence, she's intelligent but her relationship with her father or even with other people (DIEGO ♥) is being construted during the story. And I Loved it! I remembered Brittainy's Cherry stories and it was another reason to love it

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC.

Too Soon for Adiós by Annette Chavez Macias follows the story of Gabby Medina, a chef out of Los Angeles who unfortunately loses her mother at the top of the book. In an unseen twist for Gabby, she meets her biological father at the funeral, and is given the opportunity to start fresh. Hesitant to take it, she later leans into the change to escape a horrendous boss who attempts to take advantage of her in the worst way.

My favorite element to this story is how Macias describes Sonrisa, NM, where Gabby lands after her bio dad offers her his deceased grandmother's home, no strings attached. The town is quaint, close-knit, and reminded me so much of where I live now. She ends up working with handyman Diego (who also happens to be the mayor of Sonrisa) in order to fix up the home and of course, hate turns to love, which is one of my favorite of the Romance novel tropes. Macias writes their interactions with wit, and laces in the color and hardship of what it's like to be Latino in America, which as a Latina myself, I connected with immensely.

While there were moments where the story moved a little slow for my taste, it was ultimately a beautiful story about loss, love, and what happens when you step outside of your comfort zone.

Too Soon for Adiós by Annette Chavez Macias has written a heartfelt story of Gaby Medina, that includes grief, generational trauma, finding your way, and even some romance.
Gaby Medina has put aside her career to take care of her mom along with her two aunties, who grew up with her mother. At her mother’s funeral, Gaby comes face to face with a man. That man turned out to be Gaby’s biological father, who she had never met.
Grieving her mom, she now has her biological father that wants to get to know her. When she meets with him, Raúl makes Gaby an offer. He knows that Gaby has some bills to pay, so he offers his grandmother’s house, her great-grandmother. Raúl is very considerate in accepting Gaby’s conditions for what the relationship will look like.

Then we see Gaby move to New Mexico, to a small town she has no interest in getting to know. Since her visit is transactional. She planned to get the house fixed and sell it. To pay her bills and to move back to L.A. Upon arriving in Sonrisa, Gaby briefly meets with her father Raúl in a small restaurant. This restaurant has so much of Gaby’s family history, as the entire town of Sonrisa does. It’s up to Gaby to figure out if she’s going to open herself up to learning about herself and the people of Sonrisa, especially her contractor.

The story is beautiful. Life gets put on pause to be someone’s caretaker. It is hard to move on once that person is gone. Gaby has to come to peace, understanding that how to honor someone is not to stop living. Get your tissues ready because the generational healing that takes place in this novel is deep.

The cover of this book is so gorgeous! It will make a wonderful addition to any book collector's shelf. The story within that gorgeous cover was heart wrenching and then uplifting.

This is a story about second chances and taking a leap of faith when life basically brings you to your knees.
Our FMC, Gabby, has lost her mother, her job and is drowning in student loans and medical debt. An offer from her biological father to fix up his grandmother's house and for her to keep the proceeds is a lifeline for Gabby. She takes him up on his offer and there begins her journey of finding out about her roots, and opening up her heart to the possibility of a relationship with her bio dad. Throw in a love interest in the form of the town's mayor and we have a cute story, but one that addresses the harsh realities of life in the form of medical debt, sexual harassment of women in the restaurant industry, etc.
I liked this one, although there were some heavy themes, they did not take away from my enjoyment of it.

Too Soon for Adiós
by Annette Chavez Macias

What a beautiful book. It was more senses that came alive. A touching book, of love, loss and so a new twist on the human soul. Gabby could twist your heart, make you smile with her sweetness, and in the end, through the tears, you have to smile. It was more than I expected, and one I know will stay with me.

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with the eARC of this book.

I was genuinely surprised by this book, i was very intrigued by its description and went to it not having any expectations and it was a FULL ride! (when i found out it was set in a small town i was instantly sold!! give it to me)

All the characters emotions felt so real, the way they grieved, the way they loved, the way they communicated, the way they felt was so raw that i sometimes found myself in pain with them.

What i loved the most about this book is the description of food! it was very detailed that i almost could smell the scent of the dish, as someone who loves food and loves trying different kinds of cuisines and dishes from all around the world, reading about it was very refreshing because books rarely have that.
It was a heartwarming book but it did discuss heavier topics in the beginning. so a heads up for future readers!!

This story was much more than romance, it was about grief, family, learning about your history and heritage. As well as growth and forgiveness.

Here’s one quote i absolutely loved:
“love is more than just acts or words. Real love is like a presence. Someone can say 'I love you' all they want, but if you don't feel it, then they're just words.”

I just couldnt get into this book i could connect to the story nor the characters but it had beautiful writing. Maybe ill give this author another chance but this book wasnt it for me

I loved this so much. I didn’t want to put this down, the relationships feel real and relatable, the main character is funny and I feel her pain. This was a nice refresher from the heavy books I’ve been reading lately.