I LOVED THIS BOOK! Poor Rosa has to live in a town where everyone fears her family's curse. She knows she'll be doomed if she meets someone who loves the ocean, so of course she falls for Alex, who not only owns a boat, but lives on it. Despite the curse, she loves her town and the people who live there, and she works hard to help others.

What a gorgeous debut!!! I wanted to read this as soon as I saw that Gilmore Girls comp, but I wasn’t expecting to be quite so swept away. I inhaled this book and it smelled like lemon and saltwater. Utterly captivating from the first page.

I LOVED this book so much! The writing was wonderful, the setting rich and detailed, and I fell in love with Rosa and the strong Matriarchs in her family. I love how the story weaves together history, trauma, and romance in a seamless way that is compelling and real. I also love that the romance does not overshadow Rosa connecting with her Cuban roots or her academic goals. I can't wait to buy this when it comes out, and share it with students and friends.

2.5/3 stars

I think the best way I can describe my experience with this book was it was solidly okay. I didn't dislike the book, but with tight library budgets I don't think I'm going to rush to order this. I liked the concept of Don't Date Rosa Santos. Similar to the movie Practical Magic the Santos family is cursed and any man that they love (who is some way shape or form connected to the sea??) will die. While we have that story line, we also have Rosa who is desperate to go to Cuba, the one place her grandmother refuses to talk about. One top of that the community pier is in danger of being bought out by a huge company which would probably kill some of the culture that I really loved reading about by the way. Then, on top of all of that, we have the romance angle.


My biggest issue with the book was that I was easily lost and distracted. There were a lot of side characters who confused me. I wanted more from the "curse" angle, the mom seemed to be pretty tortured by the curse, but the grandmother, who was apparently the beginning of it all, seemed to struggle more with her memories of Cuba than her lost husband. That action "diluted" the curse a bit which made it seems a bit ridiculous when Rosa panicked about it.


What I did like was how fleshed out Rosa was as a character. She was meticulous, she was organized, she was driven, she loved her family, she loved her culture. she was a peace maker. and she was a do-er. I could picture exactly who Rosa was and I think that pushed me to read through this book.


I wouldn't say that I didn't like Don't Date Rosa Santos, I'm just not necessarily in my top 10 books to recommend. As I said, it is 100% okay.

The first page of this book had me roped it. Other parts of the story dragged a bit, but overall I liked it. I loved Rosa's community and the diverse people represented there.

I absolutely loved this book! The Cuban-American representation was amazing and much needed. The story was engaging and heartfelt. Highly recommended!

A great piece of YA fiction set in the heart of the Cuban immigrant community in Southern Florida, that is so much more than your average teen romance. The titular Rosa feels she is cursed in the romance game, following the tragic deaths of both her grandfather (when he was escaping Cuba with his pregnant wife) and her father (also lost in peril on the sea). When she falls for the moody broody fisherman, Alex, her mother and grandmother want to wrap her up in cotton wool to protect her from history repeating itself, and another Santos woman left bereft, screaming at the ocean.
What ensues is a wonderful slice of life in the vibrant community of the fictional Port Coral. Comparisons have been made to the Gilmore Girls, and there are certainly parallels to be made, in the generational difference and cultural mores that provide a rich vein in this book. Pacy, compelling and heart-warming, this is a great read. Highly recommended.

Rosa Santos is cursed.

She has spent the past two years planning to leave her home in South Florida in favor of Havana, but at the last minute those plans fall completely apart. Not only that, but she's falling for a boy with a boat. Rosa knows about all the heartbreak that lingers there - boys with boats leave, carried away by the ocean. The last thing Rosa wants is to end up like her whirlwind mother - standing at the water's edge, screaming at the sea for taking her love (Rosa's father) away. But when tragedy strikes, Rosa must look deep within herself and finally decide where she truly wants to go in life.

Don't Date Rosa Santos is a slow paced story with heartbreak, laughs, happiness, love, and a touch of swoon set in a cute little sea town. The ocean - of course - plays a big part in the overall story and the cover as well. There's a double meaning there (or atleast I think there is..lol) and I love it!

Really enjoyed this one; it turned out to be something completely unexpected and that's certainly not a bad thing!

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

A little magic. A lot of family. A beautiful story.
If you don’t fall in love with every character, I’d be surprised.
Preorder it now or you’ll regret it.