Cover Image: American Sweethearts

American Sweethearts

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Member Reviews

The final book in the Dreamers series, and the best was saved for last. Two best friends who have been off again on again off again as they have to figure out how to grow and mature as their own people first. They finally have their stuff together and are tentatively figuring out how they fit with each other and into the new people they are. Despite the main pairing being between Priscilla and Juan Pablo, it is still very much a queer book and unapologetically sex positive.

Continuing with the themes of the previous books, family and the immigrant experience and its impact on the second generation is well written and shown vividly. I love how the characters don't exist in a vacuum and how the relationship is both helped and hindered by their friends and family. The author gives us a well drawn NYC that is mesmerizing and wonderful.

**I did receive an ARC from the publisher via netgalley, but I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book**

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Given the blurb and what I knew about Juan Pablo and Priscilla's relationship, I knew this wouldn't be the book for me. That said, for the sort of romance it was, it was well done and I'm not mad I read it.

I definitely look forward to whatever Adriana Herrera writes next.

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What an absolute pleasure and breath of fresh air this series has been! From book one Adriana Herrera has taken us on a beautiful and not always easy journey with these characters. Juan Pa and Priscilla are no different. The tension between the two has been building for three books and it finally boils over against the backdrop of Camilo's wedding. The give and take of their relationship and they way each character has grown and changed brings them a second chance at making this work. Priscilla has her reservations and every right to them. I related to her character on many levels and loved her strength and ownership of who she is as a person. Juan Pa showed a vulnerability and self-awareness you don't often see in male characters, which makes him all the more loveable. I loved every minute of watching them figure things out as the people they have grown to be. And with all the books in this series, I love the cultural touchpoints and the fact that issues with society are not shied away from.
These characters are family in every sense of the word and watching their journeys has been a joy. To Nesto, Camilo, Patrice and Juan Pa: you are gentleman, scholars, and beacons of light.

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God I loved this romance so much. Juan Pablo and Priscilla are just the absolute best and I loved reading about them falling in love.

Yes there is an amazing pegging scene and tbh there should be more pegging in romance novels. I’ve become obsessed.

Herrera is an amazingly fresh voice in the contemporary romance world and I ever since I read her first book, she’s been an auto buy for me, no question.

Can’t help but squee over this amazingness!

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I've really enjoyed this series! Adriana Herrera is a gifted writer, and her characters exude depth. I especially looked forward to Priscilla and Juan Pablo's story since second chance romances are a personal fave. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't feel as though I was *really* familiar with Juan Pablo and Priscilla's past. Rather than move between past and present to show readers what Priscilla and Juan Pablo's relationship was like in the past vs. now, we're told that Juan Pablo was very immature/unsupportive. However, I felt that not actually seeing their relationship in the past (aside from the prologue which opens with their first break-up) prevented me from really getting a comprehensive view of their relationship, of really understanding what was at stake this time around.

Herrera writes very sensual sex scenes, and Priscilla and Juan Pablo were as passionate as the series' other protagonists. As always, the sexual chemistry was palpable, leaping off the page.

Herrera has written a really wonderful queer multicultural series that shows a wide array of romantic and familial relationships. I've enjoyed it, and I will miss these characters!

(One thing I did have a question about: Priscilla often spoke about pleasure for "trans and black bodies" or "black and brown bodies" in reference to her side gig. On an editorial note, I wondered why not use "people" or "folks" as opposed to "bodies"? Of course, the choice is up to the author and her editorial team, but as a graduate student in Africana studies, my cohort members and I have been encouraged to refrain from speaking of "black bodies" as opposed to "black people" unless we are specifically referring to the dehumanization and depersonalization Black folks have endured. Since Priscilla was speaking of pleasure as a form of empowerment, I assumed she'd talk about the pleasure that trans, Black, and brown *people* should experience from sexual intimacy or discuss trans, Black and brown folks' relationships with their bodies with respect to sexual intimacy as opposed to solely referring to trans, Black and brown bodies. I hope that makes sense!)

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Did I come straight home from work and read this straight through? Yes. Yes, I did. Should you preorder it? Yes. Yes, you should.

🧡 Second (tenth?) chance romance
🧡 Reformed fuckboi
🧡 Sex toys for social justice
🧡 Afro-Latinx joy
🧡 🥕🥕🥕

Adriana is doing important social justice work with her books while also delivering on romance. She delivers a message about the importance of pleasure for marginalized folx. She also depicts how first-generation Americans navigate honoring the sacrifices their parents made while also trying to find their own joy. Juan Pablo's development across the entire series comes to fruition in this book work Adriana showing that people don't just magically change--it takes hard work.

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