My new favorite m/m romance! Herrera NAILED what so many writers try and fail to do - build a deep and satisfying love story within the context of our complex and difficult racially charged country. This story is about love, of course, but it's just as much about being Dominican in the US and being gay in the US and being in a mixed-race relationship in the US. But Herrera did an excellent job of showing just how woven together those things are, and not portraying them as flatly difficult, as so many books do. Being Dominican is amazing, loving a man is amazing, having to work hard to overcome prejudice can be amazing too, in Nesto's world. The struggles Nesto faced were raw, and real, but the whole book wasn't about struggle. The white characters in the book weren't all villains (but one certainly was) and while there was definitely homophobia from some characters, it was fought hard. I'm a white woman who can't possibly review this on an #ownvoices level, but having read enough in this genre and enough other rave reviews, I know that this book is a winner in so many ways. I also know I probably didn't write this review in a way that truly conveys the heart of the story, so please just read it yourself!
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What can I say? Give me a m/m romance with one of the love interests being a food truck owner and one being a librarian and write it so eloquently that I can't put it down - I'm obsessed. I already preordered book 2 in this series, "American Fairytale"! This one releases on March 4, 2019 from Carina - get your hands on it as soon as you can!

A lovely debut from Adriana Herrera. She's definitely an author to watch. Nesto and Jude are wonderful, memorable characters. Their personalities and backstories are so rich, and the build of their relationship felt true.

I know some people like going into books blind, so I'll put content warnings below in spoiler tags. I highly recommend you read them if you don't mind being spoiled for plot points that occur toward the end:
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SPOILER STARTS
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[CW: cancer/death of family member; anti-immigrant actions and racist sentiments from a secondary character; explicit and painful interactions with homophobic family members; attempt to make gay protagonist "repent" with aid of priest.
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SPOILER ENDS
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Before I start rambling (I'm so terrible at review organization, so apologies in advance!), I do have one piece of advice:

Do not start reading this book if you're hungry. Hell, even if you're not hungry, make sure you have food close at hand because this book will make you hungry again. If you're lucky enough to have access to Afro-Caribbean food (or know how to cook it), then you should definitely procure some. Unlike the fictional Ithaca, the real Ithaca sadly does not have any Afro-Caribbean cuisine and my cooking ability is limited to boiling pasta. I was unfamiliar with most of the food that Nesto cooks, but that didn't stop me from craving it anyway. You have been warned.

I was really excited to receive an ARC for this book because 1) I currently live in Ithaca, NY and the book is set in Ithaca, b) it's a food truck romance, c) I'm a first gen Indian immigrant to the US and I'm always interested in protagonists who are also first gen immigrants, and d) I first heard of the author in an episode of the Fated Mates podcast, and I've been super interested in this book ever since. Having high expectations can be a double-edged sword sometimes - if I dislike the book, it makes the disappointment so much more painful. And in this case, I was doubly nervous because I was afraid that the portrayal of Ithaca wouldn't feel accurate. Thankfully, the book exceeded my expectations and I loved it.

The Premise:

Ernesto Vasquez is a first generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic and has lived in NYC for the past twenty-seven years. After years of working a full-time job and going to culinary school on the weekends, he's finally ready to risk it all for his dream: operate an Afro-Caribbean food truck in upstate NY (where his mom and younger sister currently live), with the hope of owning a restaurant someday.

For Nesto, the food truck isn't just his job - it's his opportunity for financial stability, the merging of his American and Afro-Caribbean identity, and the culmination of all the hopes and dreams nursed by every first generation immigrant. The book is titled American Dreamer for a reason. As someone with very close ties to India, I completely understand and connect to Nesto's identification with the Dominican Republic. He may have only lived in the DR for six years, but those years left an imprint that he wears with pride and joy.


“Emblazoned on the back was the logo for my business, OuNYe, Afro-Caribbean Food in huge bold black font on a red background. The black and red contrasted with the flags of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica painted over the entire truck.

To name my business, I used a word from the Yoruba language. Which had been spoken all over the Caribbean by our ancestors, the West Africans who were brought there as slaves. Ounje is the Yoruba word for nourishment, and I’d decided to play a bit with things and put the NY right at the center.”


OuNYe is everything to Nesto. He's given himself a goal: make the business into a success in six months. If it is, the food truck business will have proven to be viable, and he can keep operating the truck in Ithaca. He's moved upstate with the sole goal to concentrate on his business. Unfortunately for Nesto (or fortunately, as it turns out), that plan didn't account for Jude Walker, sexy librarian and devoted NPR listener.

Jude Walker is the Youth Services Director of the Tompkins County Public Library. He's emotionally guarded and careful with relationships - and for good reason, too. Jude grew up in an extremely conservative/religious family and remained closeted for a long time. When he finally came out to his family, they disowned him and he hasn't had contact with them ever since. He's had relationships since, but nothing too serious because he's terrified of opening to his heart to love (and the pain and disappointment that inevitably follow love). Instead, he's thrown his heart into his career and is working toward his dream project: a mobile library project to help provide books to the more rural parts of the county. Nesto isn't the only one with a dream in this book.


“The idea is to get books and other services from the library to children and teens who are out in the more rural parts of the county. Our library is amazing, and there are very nice smaller ones in most of the towns, but we still have gaps in what kids can get out there. There’s also the issue of the libraries being run by people from the towns... [redacted text] ... Checking out a book about something taboo or potentially embarrassing in a library where the entire staff know your parents can be a big barrier for kids in vulnerable situations. We just have a lot more to offer here in the big library. My hope is to make what we have in town available to all the young people in the county.”


Like Nesto's dream, Jude's mobile library project is more than just a job. As a gay kid living in rural upstate NY, the library was a haven for Jude. He would escape into other worlds and felt comfort in knowing that the world was a much larger place than his small town. Jude wants to provide that haven to the kids of Tompkins County because he knows just how much reading can change the trajectory of someone's life.

American Dreamer is a story about two thoroughly good people who fall in love. Surprisingly enough, this isn't always a given in romance. I rooted for them, both individually in their dreams and together in their relationship. Regarding the romantic element: the sparks literally fly off the page from their first encounter. By the time Jude officially introduces himself to Nesto during his lunch break, they've progressed to actively lusting after each other.


“Getting the rundown of a burrito menu should not be this erotic.”


I don't want to spoil their relationship progression and conflicts, but know this: no matter what strikes them, Nesto and Jude remain thoroughly good people. Unlike a lot of romances (where I often want to slap a protagonist for acting like a dumbass), Nesto and Jude both stay true to both themselves and their core values. And when they finally earn that happily-ever-after at the end (with a little help from friends and a truly heart-warming grovel gesture), I wanted to stand up and cheer in celebration.

The only thing that frustrated me was that the last third of the novel felt a little rushed. I thought that the characters needed more time to decompress and talk it out when they make up after the black moment. Also, I was frustrated that Jude didn't confide in Nesto when he was feeling 2nd best to the food truck business. Still, these were minor issues and I otherwise loved the romance.

Besides the main couple, I adored all the secondary characters who supported Nesto and Jude. Carmen, Jude's librarian colleague and a Dominican-American like Nesto, is flat-out hilarious and unsubtle in her match-making ways. Nesto's mom is a strong woman who takes no prisoners and adores her son. Nesto once refers to her as a lioness and that moniker is 100% accurate. Nesto's core band of friends (all Afro-Caribbean) love him enough to drive ten hours on weekends and help him with the food truck during a festival. It's important to me that both men have strong support networks that could help them in times of trouble (and knock some sense into them!).

I've now finished the main part of the review, so I'll make a small digression and discuss the world-building and Ithacan setting: it was spectacular. Anyone who says that world-building isn't important in contemporary settings is a liar. You can't just half-ass modern settings because of an assumption that the reader can fill in the blanks. If anything, I'd argue that getting the world-building right is more important in contemporary settings than historical/paranormal settings because the reader intimately knows today's world. They're less likely to forgive mistakes or brush off a feeling of non-authenticity. As someone who's lived in Ithaca for the past 3.5 years, I know that the author perfectly captured the tone and setting of Ithaca in many ways:

1) The geography! This is surprisingly basic, but yay for getting basic facts right! The university is on top of a giant hill and you have to go down that hill to visit downtown Ithaca. The Ithaca Commons is "a large strip of shops and restaurants in the heart of downtown Ithaca." There are streets called Buffalo and MLK and Cayuga in the Commons - I walk on them every day. The library that Jude works at is at the heart of the Commons, and there's a practical reason as to why Nesto parks his food truck nearby - it's the best place in town to get foot traffic and customers (okay, I'll admit to being a little jealous that a fictional character didn't choose to serve food near my classes, but I got over it!). It also makes perfect sense that Nesto and Jude live in the nearby and more rural Trumansburg instead of downtown Ithaca (which is far more expensive due to a small supply of housing and students living off-campus). I won't give it away, but the author's description of the Ithaca Farmer's Market nailed every detail - the timing/location, the types of vendors present, and how the stalls are arranged. And the descriptions of Seneca Lake during the festival makes me long for summer and my frequent picnics by the lake (it is currently very cold in Ithaca right now, and I'm fairly sure the lake has frozen over). These descriptions probably won't be noticed by readers who don't know Ithaca well, but it mattered to me that the details are right. If you don't want to spend time researching for a book, you may as well put on your city-planner hat on and invent your fictional town. My love for the book increased every time I caught a reference to the setting - the wineries, the heart-stopping view of the lakes and mountains, and (of course) every reference to Cornell University. I wasn't that surprised to discover that the author used to live in Ithaca, and it shows. Congratulations on a job well done.

2) World-building is more than just street names and geography. I'll never understand how contemporary authors write books set in small towns, mid-sized towns like Ithaca, and cities - and never have a single non-white character show up. It's simply unbelievable, and it would have been egregious had that been the case here (thankfully it wasn't). As a college town with two large institutions (Cornell University and Ithaca College), Ithaca has a diverse student population. But it also has a sizable refugee population. Two of Nesto's employees are immigrants and he specifically went out of his way to hire immigrants/refugees with the help of a local nonprofit. Ari is an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo while Yin is a Burmese refugee who spent his teenage years in a Thai refugee camp.

This is one of those references that a non-Ithacan wouldn't catch. Yin being of Burmese origin isn't a coincidence. Ithaca (and the nearby Syracuse area) has a sizable population of Burmese refugees. According to Ithaca Week, there were around 3000 Burmese refugees/immigrants in 2013. That number has risen significantly over the past few years, especially as Ithaca has opened its arms during the Rohingya crisis. All the institutions in the surrounding area (including Cornell, Ithaca College, and TCCC) have sponsored outreach programs to help the Burmese locals (Cornell actually offers all levels of the Burmese language and has a large lending library for Burmese educational resources). This is all to say: literally none of you care about this, but it matters to me because I'm friends with Burmese immigrants. I've volunteered in after-school programs with the Cornell Southeast Asia Program. It may be a throwaway line to you that Yin is of Burmese origin, but to me, it's another example of how this story could only take place in Ithaca instead of Generic Small Town USA. Throwaway line or not, I appreciated it.

3) I was hesitant to talk about this last point, but I think it's incredibly important. There is a conflict about an incredibly vicious woman trying to foil Nesto's food truck. Early on in the book, she asks for Nesto's "documents" on his first day operating the truck and silently implies that he may be an undocumented immigrant (and that she would be more than happy to report him and his employees to the police). And her tactics get more and more vicious (seriously, I hated her so much. One of my critiques of the book is that she doesn't ever face appropriate consequences for her behavior).

She isn't racist in front of her white friends, but has no problem showing her distaste and suspicions to non-white people. Carmen summarizes her personality perfectly:


“Misty is at all the fundraisers, talking about the plight of this minority or that vulnerable group until her tongue falls out. But only as long as those people stay in their place, as her ‘good person’ talking points. As soon as she personally has to make space for any them, all of it goes out the window and she’s back on her homestead guarding her shit to the death... [text redacted] ... Black and brown people causes are extremely nice on a tote bag, or for making you feel better than your country club friends on Facebook. But actually seeing them as human beings who should get to have the same things you do? Oh no, fuck that shit, there’s not enough to go around.”


Honestly, is there a better summation of white liberalism/feminism? This plot point of Misty trying to report Nesto and his employees as undocumented really struck home. Ithaca is currently a sanctuary city, but that doesn't mean people like Misty don't exist. In 2017, I distinctly recall a large public outcry after an undocumented Latinx man was arrested and put in detention. I remember many Cornellians becoming outraged and shocked: "How could that happen here? In Ithaca?" they asked. "We're a liberal oasis in the otherwise conservative NY-23 congressional district."

Well, guess what? Living in a liberal college town doesn't somehow magically erase racism. Deportations don't only happen in red and conservative states. It can (and has and will) happen here. Ithaca is diverse with the refugee/immigrant/student population. That fact doesn’t erase the existence of law enforcement and terrible people like Misty, who are determined to make all of our lives miserable (either through micro-aggression or outright hatred by calling ICE). So as much as I hated Misty, this is another example of how accurately the author captured Ithaca's world-building.

In case it hasn't already been explicitly clear in this review: I recommend this book and hope that you'll enjoy it, too. I can't wait for Milo's book in American Fairytale (out May 20, 2019).

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and will cross-post this review on Amazon on release day.

Adriana Herrera's debut AMERICAN DREAMER will make you swoon and give you the munchies. A fantastic m/m contemporary romance between Nesto Vasquez, who's moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to his mom's new home upstate, and youth librarian Jude Fuller, who's making a quiet home for himself away from his past in an unaccepting home. Their chemistry is off the charts from the first, and their relationship developing while dealing with challenges in their community is so deftly done you'd never guess that this was a debut. AMERICAN DREAMER is a must-read for m/m romance readers, and a great entry-point for fans of contemporary romance looking to branch out into m/m.

Lovely foodie romance. Jude and Nesto has amazing chemistry. I read another review that said this is the author’s first book. This is an amazing debut and I can’t wait to see what else she will write. This one is absolutely one of my favorite romances of 2019. Highly recommend.

I have tried to read this book several times and can't connect with the story enough to continue it. It has the right parts, but the story just started too slow and I didn't care for the characters.

Wow! This is a great debut novel. Not only heartwarming, it was also full of the richness of pride in a Dominican Republic heritage, and on a lighter note, full of descriptions of Afro-Caribbean foods that made my mouth positively water.

Nesto Vasquez moves his Afro-Caribbean food truck from his original base in New York City to the wilds of upstate New York—Ithaca, home of Cornell University, to be exact. His mom has lived there for the past ten years, along with his aunt and cousins, and his strong family ties and need to prove himself and make his dreams come true are the driving forces behind the relocation. But more than family keeps him there, as he meets, befriends, and eventually falls in love with librarian Jude Fuller. Sweet, intelligent, and alone, Jude was ostracized by his religious family when he came out to them five years before.

There’s so much to like about this story—the writing, the pace, the interesting information on the culture of the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Islands. Add to that the personal touch, the relationship-building, the strength of family of origin and family of the heart, and finally the love between two young men—a love that very nearly didn’t survive when the drive for success in his career almost caused Nesto to lose track of the need for balance and for the love of his heart, his Jude.

The secondary characters are terrific and include Nesto’s three best friends, each with a Caribbean heritage. They grew up together and their moms banded together to keep them out of trouble and off the streets—a ploy that worked well, and coincidentally helped cement Nesto’s appreciation of a variety of Caribbean cuisine. Jude’s library coworker and bestie, Carmen, also has a DR heritage and is the first to encourage Jude to join her at the food truck, where he meets his eventual love.

But there was also a very nasty, self-centered, homophobic, prejudiced coworker who undermines Nesto behind the scenes throughout much of the story. Misty works part time at the library as a grant writer and spends much of her time throwing monkey wrenches into Jude’s plans for a youth mobile library for his county—something much needed for rural teens. She also spends a great deal of time undermining Nesto’s budding business as she couldn’t bear his success while her son’s food truck was not thriving. She added a lot of angst and drama but, although I normally hate that sort of character, the author did a great job in bringing her to life and keeping her believable.

Though her first book, I’m sure this won’t be Adriana Herrera’s last and I’m definitely looking forward to more from her in future. In fact, we will likely get a story of each of Nesto’s three besties and I can’t wait! I very highly recommend this one to all lovers of MM romance, especially to those who enjoy stories rich in culture that inspire a reader to want to learn more.

Debut novel by a debut author. I think i wanted to love this story so much more than what i did. I really did love the characters, and that's what drove me to finish the story. I loved that this was very culture based, and amazing DR rep, but for someone who knows nothing of this culture and language i found it extremely hard to follow along and to understand the way it was written. I found it to be very wordy, and because i didn't know any Latin it is written in the assumption you would know how to follow along. the plot and story of the two men falling in love is beautiful, the friendships are wonderful and i found myself really enjoying that part of the story. There were some time jumps, some unnecessary angst/drama towards the end with miscommunication with Nesto and Jude. Some times i had to flick back to see who's POV i was reading in because i found that the characters voices were very similar and not separate enough for me to tell who was who, only sometimes not a lot of times, but is this my own thoughts as this is an arc review. I adored all the side characters, and will look forward to reading about them at some point. TBH I felt dumb reading this book, at some points because i felt lost, or because I didn't understand the language that was being forced upon me to understand i just didn't enjoy my time, uncomfortable moments.

2.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book! Adriana successfully worked in some current issues into the romance and I loved the backdrop of the food truck world. The supporting characters were also believable and contributed to an enjoyable story.

This is an excellent romance with strong story around being an immigrant and chosen family as well as lots of delicious food.

Nesto has moved from New York City to Ithaca to be closer to his mother as well as try his hand at owning and running and Afro-Caribbean food truck. During his first days in Ithaca he meets Jude, a librarian and Youth Services Director trying to get a mobile library funded to give more rural areas access to books and resources.

Jude has a lot of difficulty trusting people, especially because his family disowned him when he came out because it went against their religion. He found himself in many ways through books, and he wants to pass that on by bringing books to rural areas. He has trouble asking for what he wants or needs, and too often accepts the bare minimum or blames himself when he’s let down.

Nesto has always had a strong sense of community and family, especially with his three best friends - Juan Pablo, Camilo, and Patrice - who all came from the Caribbean like him. He created his food truck, OuNYe, as a tribute to his heritage and his family, keeping the whole restaurant tied to his roots.

Overall, I really loved the romance between Jude and Nesto, as well as the scenes with their families. There is definitely a feel of insta-attraction, but we still see them working to trust each other and open their lives to the relationship they’re building. My biggest romance complaint is there is a point when they break up, and I wish that wasn’t the direction things had to go. They definitely needed better communication because Jude tended to keep things surface unless pushed, while Nesto had a bad habit of putting his business above his relationship. The ending was still super sweet and happy, and I’m definitely looking forward to Camilo’s book next.

Around the romance, we also have Nesto trying to get his restaurant off the ground in six months while a local white lady with power keeps trying to thwart his efforts with her bigotry and racism. Jude is working to get funding from the library for his book truck, but is also facing pushback from the library’s grant writer for selfish and petty reasons. I liked that conflict was largely external but a new stressor was introduced about 60% in that I’m not sure really added to my enjoyment. While emotional, the conflict with Misty was plenty to build the story outside the romance, and in some ways the later plot point felt like a lot.

I did really enjoy this book and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a foodie romance. The chosen family and romance are excellently done, and the parts the dealt with race and immigration felt especially important, especially with where American society is at.

WARNING: This book will make you feel hungry for a taste of Carribean/Dominican foods!! And if you live ten thousand miles away, like me, you're basically screwed

Ernesto "Nesto" Vasquez's dream is to introduce and to sell Afro-Carribean cuisine to people outside of Big Apple. Nesto packs his food truck, OuNYe, and heads to Ithaca, New York, to get his dream off the ground. Librarian Jude Fuller also has a dream to launch mobile library project, to bring books to rural kids who may not have access to them. The two meet when Nesto first arrives in Ithaca, both realizes their attraction to one another, and things goes from there.

American Dreamer is the first entry of debut author, Adriana Herrera, of a series wonderfully entitled Dreamers that plays strong tribute and respect to Herrera's own background of Caribbean roots. I am serious when I say that you will be hungry for the food -- the description is so mouthwatering, if there's a time when I WISH I can walk into the pages of book I'm reading, it's this time. Of course, you may come for the food, however, you will leave with much love for the characters.

I enjoy the relationship between Nesto and Jude. Although the sexual attraction is instant, but the progress itself is taking time. Nesto is serious about his business, wanting so much for OuNYe to succeed and must overcome some obstacles coming his way. Jude is struggling with old Catholic guilt, his family kicking him out when he comes out as gay, as well as fear of people he loves to turn back on him.

So yes, there are things that Nesto and Jude need to work on. Luckily, we also have HEAPS of amazing secondary characters to help our heroes. From Nesto's kick-ass Mama, to Nesto's entertaining friends slash brothers from another mother, (who will get their own books, of course), and Jude's best friend, Carmen.

Now, the ONLY thing that ruined this book for me is the villain. We have a bigoted woman, whose attempts to sabotage both Nesto and Jude's dreams are too unmistakable, it crosses the land of being like cartoonish evil mastermind for me. Not to mention, why is it have to be a WOMAN who becomes the villain?

I know that in reality, there are women like Misty Fields. I'm sure there are. Unfortunately, I'm in that point in my life, where I despise having women characters written as villains in contemporary romance, especially in LGBTQ genre. I have enough having women in real life being called as bitches, sluts, homewreckers, witch, etc. etc. I no longer appreciate female villains -- UNLESS, they're in form of paranormal/urban fantasy romance, where female villains can kick serious asses. But in contemporary romance? Nope. No more.

Overall, it's still a good romance. I already keep my eyes on the next book, which will be about Nesto's friend, Milo. I'm excited about his story because of his occupation as a social worker. This book will be out in May. So yay! Only need to wait for about three months

I’m gonna get the not-so-good out of the way first so that I can gush unrestrainedly about this. There are some editing issues, especially around how the timeline is managed, and the dual-first-person POV is a bit jarring initially as though the author is working a little too hard to differentiate them and not just letting their personalities shine though. That’s really it though.

This book is delicious, and not just because the food Nesto dreams up had me salivating. Food is more than just as sustenance for survival and I loved the way the author wove it into all of the important moments in the book. While it would be easy to write this focus off on the plot line of Nesto trying to get a food-centred business off the ground, that would be foolish and short-sighted. Nesto’s whole origin story makes it clear why food is so important to him, sure, but food is an important aspect of safety and security for all humans and the author does a beautiful job of ensuring this comes through in ways that have nothing to do with Nesto’s big plans.

I’m a little bit in awe of Herrera here, tbh. Carmen helps Jude woo Nesto by sending him leftovers. We know Jude is opening up to share his closely guarded history when he asks Nesto to make him a specific meal. The villain is identifiable right off the bat because of the food terrorism she enacts on Jude’s lunches. She sabotages Nesto but (initially) that’s less about him and more about how she wants her son’s business to thrive. How do we know this would be bad (apart from her all-around petty assholery)? We know the son is lazy and – more importantly – he serves bad food. When she threatens to cut Jude’s budget it’s the food and drinks piece she goes after.

For all that I could go on and on about Herrera’s cleverness in her use of food, I don’t want to downplay the villain’s racially-driven attacks against Nesto and his business. This book is nothing if not intersectional. Nesto is proudly from the Dominican Republic. His history, and those of his besties who are all Caribbean, flavours everything about how he interacts with the world. From way he handles the villain, to the business-side of the truck, to the delightful sprinkling of Spanish throughout – we never lose sight of who he is and where he’s from.

This is also an out-and-proud queer book. Nesto loses no time in making it clear to a potential investor that he’s gay and unwilling to hide it. Jude may have come as quietly out of the closet as he could manage but he did it firmly and we get to see a lot of his strength and grace as he holds to his truth and belief in himself. The sex is hot and the way they interact with each other – going all blushy/awkward/handsy whenever they’re around each other – isn’t just adorable, it drives the plot. It pushes off the conversations they need to have, since sex is easier and more fun, and that pushes them to a place where they’re forced to use their words. Spoiler alert: they’re good words ;)

I realise I’m not talking much about Jude and I want to clarify that Jude is every bit as deserving of a glowing write-up. His big dream is to create a mobile library to improve access to reading and library services in underserved communities. Can I just say how much I love that both of their dreams involve actively bringing the thing they love to the people that need it? So so much love. We get to know Jude in large part through the ways he prepares to present this idea.

Jude was a challenging character for me to read as so many of his feels resonate deeply with me. His anxiety, his fear of letting people in, his need for touch hidden behind a standoffish demeanour are all skilfully portrayed. I got angry on his behalf a lot at the beginning as the people in his life seemed to ride roughshod over his boundaries. Full disclosure – I *almost* didn’t want him end up with Nesto because my heart broke right along side his and retreat definitely felt safer.

I was a little afraid the resolution would be some grand gesture to makeup for lots of little neglects and I should’ve given Herrera more credit. Nesto does a grand gesture, sure, but he does so much more too. I’m so glad these two got their shit together!

CW: racism, homophobia

As an afro-latinx, it's nice to see more narratives focusing on the experience. It wasn't my experience personally(Im afro-Cuban, cis, a woman, dark skinned and pan) but really enjoyed.

I think I wanted to love this story much more than I did love it. Although there was amazing rep for people from DR and other Caribbean cultures and foods, I found that more general technical writing aspects let it down. Sudden time jumps felt disjointed to me all over the narrative, although I'm unsure how one would have fixed this issue given how much happened in this story and the amount of time those things needed in which to happen.

The more damning aspect in this novel, for me, the fact that I didn't really get a sense of Nesto and Jude as different characters. This was a problem because more than once I had to flick back to see the character name at the start of the chapter or scene because the character voices weren't separate enough, especially at the start, to tell me who was who.

Perhaps these technical aspects were no more than signs of a first novel, which this book appears to be.

I did enjoy the latter half of the story more than I enjoyed the set up. Having Nesto's dreams starting to come true, having Jude's family coming back into his life with less than fantastic reasons and the difficulties that both of those things brought into the relationship the two main characters were building drew me in.

Side characters in this novel were fantastic. Carmen, and the husband she references, were a lot of fun. Nurys, Nesto's mum, had enough personality to basically carry this book on her own. And Nesto's childhood friends, from whom we will get future books in this series, moved me enough that I will be picking those up when they become available.

When Nesto Vasquez leaves his beloved NYC to pursue his dream of making his Afro-Caribbean food truck into a full time career, maybe even a restaurant, he is determined to stay focused. There's no time for other dreams, even if the adorable librarian Nesto serves at the truck inspires some of the distracting, late-night variety.

Jude Fuller is also fully dedicated to making his mobile library bus a reality for youth living in the outskirts of Cayuga who wouldn't otherwise have access to the wealth of materials a library can offer. The same information that saved him as a kid when he struggled to reconcile his attraction to men when everyone in his life told him that was a sin.

Now living a fulfilling and safe, but lonely life, Jude is flabbergasted when the outgoing and sexy chef pursues him.

Flirtation leads to dating, and as Jude and Nesto fall in love, they'll need to learn to balance their career dreams with their hopes for a future, together.

Oh my gosh, this book is adorable, swoony, and so sexy. A fabulous debut from an author to watch, you'll definitely want this one on your TBR immediately. Be sure to eat a good meal while reading, as the food descriptions are drool-worthy!

I loved how this romance is a small-town contemporary, but also recognizes the realities of living in a small community and being out, of being perceived as being "illegal," of being "different," and the good and the bad that goes along with that.

I'm really excited to read more in this series!

I really enjoyed the strong sense of diversity and community in this book, along with both of the heroes and all of the supporting cast. Ernesto is a talented chef who takes his Afro-Caribbean food truck from NYC to upstate Ithaca, in hopes of growing his business. Jude is the Youth Services Director of the county's public library, who is working to get funding for a mobile library making books accessible to kids in rural areas. The attraction between them is real, but Nesto can become too focused on his demanding career and Jude has past trauma due to a religious and intolerant family (in sharp contrast to Nesto's Dominican family and multi-cultural friends). But love wins out in the end, and I cannot wait to see what this author does next.

What a sweet, funny read! I loved Nesto and Jude so much and the secondary characters are just as fun!

American Dreamer is book #1 in the brand-new contemporary romance series Dreamers by debut author Adriana Herrera. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Hooooly fuck, this book! To be honest, it grabbed me from the beginning. I love the fact that it started with the conversation about Nesto’s future and his friends. Bravery and friendship on the first page.

I got to the book quickly after one of my friends started yelling about how good it is, that it doesn’t even feel like a debut novel. She’s right. The story pulls you in, makes you root for some characters and deeply, and I mean REALLY REALLY deeply hate some. Unless you’re like latter ones, then you probably shouldn’t even read the book.

I admired Nesto’s character because even though his life in the US wasn’t privileged, due to his origins, to his skin colour, he had big dreams. It’s easy to dream and follow those dreams if you’re rich and privileged, or, as Nesto says at one point, following your dreams is for trust-fund people. What Nesto really has, though, is family. Not just family by blood, but found family. He is also very career-driven, and Jude’s the first person who has ever distracted him. While this does come up in the book, Carina reassures us that there is a HEA 😉

I also sympathised with Jude. His life wasn’t easy either, but in different ways. While Nesto had family, Jude had books. And his sister, till he came out. His family, traditionalists and religious as they were, couldn’t accept it.

Then there was the call-out, in the form of a character I despised so much. Misty, the racist. She wasn’t a pleasant person in any way, but seeing her act up in a book it drove forward how real this is, how many people are actually like that. Having connections can help anyone enforce their will, be it good or super bad, as it was here.

The book really sucked me in and made me feel so much. I cheered for Nesto to reach his dreams, and for Jude to reach his. It’s also really hot and I loved it. I cannot wait for the next book in the series! 🙂

A vivid, community-driven story of a Dominican immigrant launching a food truck in Ithaca, NY, where he meets a guarded children's librarian. They fall in love!

Herrera explores numerous issues that immigrants, POC, and queer communities face, and her writing is deft and fast-paced. Her characters are well-described and each have a distinct personality. I'm probably too vindictive to believe that Jude would forgive Nesto for being a workaholic, particularly considering the trauma Jude experiences with his deeply religious and intolerant family, but I appreciate that his forgiveness was granted after both parties had an honest discussion.

I loved Nesto's mother, and I appreciated how many strong female characters were a part of the narrative. All in all, it's a wonderful queer romance, and it's just as nice to read something by one of the founders of the POC Queer Romance Authors database.

Netgalley review.

Adriana Herrera's debut is nothing short of marvelous. 'American Dreamer' is a beautifully written tale of love, friendship, chosen family, and so much more.

Ernesto Vazquez is starting over. After quitting his job, finishing culinary school, and investing his savings in a new business venture, a Caribbean cuisine food truck, Ernesto leaves New York, his hometown, for the quieter hills of Ithaca, New York. In Ithaca, Ernesto meets Jude Fuller, a librarian who's been working on a project to make the library's catalog more accessible to children in rural parts of the county. Ernesto and Jude's chemistry emanates off the page from their very first encounter, but Jude is reluctant to risk his heart in a new relationship. The novel isn't an angst-ridden dance of "will they?/won't they?." Ernesto jumps at the chance to woo Jude and Jude, while somewhat shy, is absolutely smitten with Ernesto's charm and tenderness. Instead, the novel unpacks how this couple can protect and nurture their love in the midst of so much strife. Ernesto continually finds his business pursuits thwarted by a hostile town resident who has no desires to see an immigrant, Afro-Latinx entrepreneur prosper. Moreover, unexpected contact from Jude's estranged family dredges up emotional trauma from Jude's past. There is no doubt that Ernesto and Jude are in love; the question is, is their love enough?

'American Dreamer' was an absolute pleasure to read. Both Ernesto and Jude were multidimensional characters, and their love story made me *SWOON.* Jude was sweet and shy, and Ernesto had no hesitation in showing Jude that he was all in. They were adorable and sexy all at once, and readers will be desperate to see them get the happy ending they undoubtedly deserve. I loved that Herrera created a universe full of queer affirming communities of color, particularly queer affirming Caribbean communities of color. I can't wait for the secondary characters like Patrice, Milo, and Juanpa to get their own novels!

Herrera didn't shy away from exploring the potential effects of family rejection, the pain and harm that it causes. My heart broke for Jude so many times. However, Herrera didn't make the novel a tragic one because tragedy has no place in tales of queer love.

Adriana Herrera has made me a fan. I strongly recommend 'American Dreamer' and look forward to reading Herrera's future work!