4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

* Thankyou to netgalley for a copy of this ARC

"I wanted to hug her and tell her sometimes, a lot of times, the dragon twins would swallow us whole. The world worked that way. But even the fiercest of dragons could be slain."

Let's start by hoping Rubi gets a really good therapist! 😂The whole time I was reading, I felt so bad for her, and all the pressure she was under by her parents to do what they felt would be the most successful career for her.

This book had awesome and realistic characters who pulled at your heart strings! The flow between characters was written very well and allowed you to connect to the characters in a heart-felt way.

You get:
• YA vibes
• Teen romance
• Chasing dreams
• Baking
• Character growth
• Close friends
• Afro-cuban heritage

I highly recommend this book! Was such a good read. Check it out now!

"But because one day, I wanted to be the person sitting where Addison sat, perched atop the highest peak in all of Pelican Point, across from a person who, like me, needed a hand on the way up. Only I'd know they weren't reaching. They were climbing. It was a difference I knew, and Addison couldn't. Despite all of her best intentions, she'd never know. So, I fed into Addison's game. It was the only way for me to someday change it."

I appreciate the author's efforts in what she was trying to do, but I found the writing in this book to be all over the place.

First of all, it was a little disturbing how much Rubi was willing to grovel in front of her bully -- enduring, among other things, clearly racist comments -- to get the help she needs to get into her fancy university. Then, when she meets a representative of that university, it seems like that representative is angling to make Rubi the next diversity admit by insisting Rubi talking about her "unique" background. Yet even as she's processing the questions that the representative is asking, Rubi is willing to justify them for...what? Because her parents want her to be a lawyer and go to that school to do it? They may want that, yes, but I don't think they want her to lose her self-respect in the process.

As the child and wife of immigrants myself, I fully understand Rubi's position. I really get it. That's what this story was so disappointing. Why does Rubi have to ingratiate herself with Madeline to that extreme? What would her parents say? And why is it that none of her friends are standing up for her? If Rubi is the captain of the debate team and has done such a phenomenal job with them, surely she's earned the admiration of some of her peers who are willing to speak out against Madeline. So why aren't they?

Second, these teenagers don't talk like most teenagers I know, including the two I'm the mother of. Some of the dialogue just feels manufactured or what the narrative assumes teens say to one another. It doesn't feel authentic at all. It might have helped if the author had asked some teens to beta read the book, since they're her target audience.

Lastly, I have to take issue with the way Rubi sexualizes Ryan from the very first time she lays eyes on him. We say we won't tolerate it for our girls; why are we okay with the same treatment for boys? The overtly sexual jokes, too, are just a bit much at times.

Also, Rubi can be completely bold with Ryan and essentially pursue him through her baking, but around her parents she can barely utter a peep. And I get that the author was trying to set down a character type by referring to Rubi's mom as "the Boss" constantly, but after a while I got tired of the term and as a mom to a 17-year-old myself found it borderline disrespectful in some scenes.

This definitely wasn't the book for me.

I always get so hungry when I read a book like this, with all the amazing descriptions of food. It makes me want to go out and just buy all the pastries I can get my hands on!

This book reminded me a lot of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, mainly that the main characters of both books are put on a “ban” from baking (for different reasons) but they were also different enough that it didn’t feel like reading the exact same book.

I really enjoyed the story and the dynamic Rubi had with her best friend Devon.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. (The version I read was a finished copy.)

I love books about baking, so I had very high hopes for this. Especially at the start, the book wasn't really drawing me in though. I think this was mainly due to the writing style; I think it didn't really work for my brain, which unfortunately just happens sometimes. I did think parts of this were really good, but then the book as a whole just didn't really land for me. Another reason is probably that I've read other books that are similar to this, but I think those were better.

I loved this book! There was such great representation among the characters, it will serve as windows and mirrors for my students to open up their world view or see themselves represented. The bakery setting and story was interesting and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the debate world as well. Feeling the pressure and expectations of their families is something many of my students experience and this book will be great for them to relate to. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

DNF @ 30%

I was really excited for this one since I love books about baking, especially bake-offs, but I was underwhelmed. Something about the writing feels more middle grade to me--some characters feel clichéd, and the dialogue feels childish and outdated. I was also not a fan of the insta-love and the way a big part of the storyline is based on a lie. While this one wasn't for me, I can definitely see many readers enjoying it, especially those who, like me, love a book about food.

Rubi Ramos’ Recipe for Success is a sweet coming-of-age story following a graduating senior as she grapples with her parent's dreams and expectations for her and her true dream for her future. The character's devotion to both her family and her passions was really evident which really helped to bring the character and the stakes of her story to life. She’d dealing with the pressure of holding what her parents gave up for her while trying to figure out in what way she relates to her culture and making big life decisions, which feel like really palpable, important decisions to make. I also really liked watching the character stumble through the decisions because it seemed really accurate to what it's like having to make huge life-changing decisions when you’re not even a legal adult yet and how tempting it can be to evade these decisions or responsibilities altogether.

That being said, I think it was fairly obvious what choice she would eventually make all along and I do think the resolution happened fairly quickly and painlessly after setting up a lot of roadblocks that the character herself didn’t necessarily have to conquer, and I wish that she’d played a bit of a more active role in the choice. I also didn’t totally feel that the romantic interest added anything to the story, so I wished they learned from each other or caused conflict for the characters a bit more.


**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Rubi’s parents are immigrants from Cuba who have worked so hard to give Rubi the childhood and opportunities they didn’t have.

This is Rubi’s coming-of-age story as she figures out what makes her happy, what her future should look like, and just how important her family is with many mishaps along the way.

And no story is complete without a romance, an awesome best friend, and an arch nemesis.

Such a cute & sweet YA read with a great narrator.

Rubi Ramos is such a lovable character! I'm a sucker for a good story about a baking competition and this one delivered! This is a coming of age story where we see Rubi navigate challenges as well as her first romance made for a very enjoyable read! Getting to watch her character grow while competing in a fun competition made for a wonderful story.

Honestly just a meh moment.
While I loved the writing, it didn’t seem to 1: fit in the book and 2: was over used. By over used I mean that when describing things (settings) the author used metaphors about baking and foods, which I liked, but it happened so often I got bored of it.
I liked the coming of age factor and that Rubi was waitlisted by her college, but there didn’t seem to be much plot.

A weird thing that is just a pet peeve for my in books is when the characters kiss and then it says (not exact obviously) ‘we kissed. And we kissed. And we kissed. Just so many kisses’

If you like cute romances about characters with big dreams, then this book might be for you!

This was a very cute read and I could see so many students or even adults who love cooking shows, a little family drama, and some good culture picking this book up.

i'm really late on writing this review and i read it so long ago now that i have honestly forgotten a lot about it but i do remember enjoying it! all the scenes describing the food she was making sounded really good and made me wish i could jump in the book to try them. ryan was adorable i loved him and the romance plot so much! the bake off and the debate team event (was it debate team?? i think so??) happening at the same time both on campus was very "audition callbacks + scholastic decathlon + basketball game" vibes from high school musical and i loved it ahaha overall this was a fun, fluffy, and delicious read!

This book was so adorable and sweet! I could not stop smiling the whole time I was reading. As a Latina, I was so happy to find a book where I felt I could identify with the main character and her struggles. From the family dynamics to the identity struggles, everything made me feel seen. It is very hard to find books like these. I am happy more of these books are becoming available to them. I would say the romance in this book was very minimal. The book's main focus is on Rubi and her self-discovery journey. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend having some snack available to you when you pick up this book because you will need them!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my gifted copy!

There’s something so refreshing and lovely about YA novels that are culturally-encompassed, full of girl power, and sprinkled with romance. Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success has all the perfect ingredients. It’s sweet and tender, empowering, and the bits of drama aren’t overly traumatizing. While this book itself isn’t a cozy mystery, it had many of those elements that made reading so fun and also so pun-y.

While there was a mean girl that incorporated a bit of girl-on-girl drama, Rubi herself rose above it. There were conversations about race and culture - Rubi’s parents immigrated to the US to escape harm and she has to deal with following her heart and making her parents proud. There’s also a lot of conversation about education and the college admissions process.

Working in higher education myself, I was horrified with pieces of the conversation Rubi had with the director of admissions, and how Rubi’s culture was really just a way to increase “diversity” for the college’s numbers. Seeing this in a fictional story really reiterated for me why I do the work I do, and I hope the students I work with don’t ever feel like just checking a box for the college’s DEI agenda.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved Rubi and seeing her relationship with her parents, friends, and others she interacted with. I also enjoyed the sweet romantic side plot and thought this story was very sweet while also being more than that. This was a wonderful novel, and I’m impressed it’s a debut novel at that. I would absolutely read more from Jessica Parra.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted book.

Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success is a cute contemporary YA book about a Cuban girl who loves to bake.

I love that we’re seeing so many books on what it’s like to be a child of an immigrant. The high expectations we struggle with. (IYKYK)

This book celebrates the food and culture of Cuba. I’m not Cuban so I cannot speak on how much truth is in this story,

I enjoyed the story and the writing itself. The author did a great job at keeping this light despite some heavy topics.
I recommend this if you like diverse coming of age stories.

3.5 stars

This was a cute, baking-based YA book. I enjoyed meeting Rubi and learning about her culture and heritage through her bakes.

I thought the pacing was decent, though sometimes it felt like too little happening in one chapter. Still, it went by quickly enough and was engaging enough that I was able to finish this in one day.

The writing style was good and the dialogue felt authentic. However, despite Rubi being a high school senior preparing for college, the book feels geared toward a younger audience. This is partly because Rubi’s relationship with Ryan, while sweet and very clean, is pretty surface level. But I also wish that there had been a more robust perspective from Rubi’s parents and their journey from Cuba; I just feel like we didn’t get the whole picture there.

Cheesy references to baking and baking puns aside, this was a good read. I think it could be an enjoyable family movie, and I would recommend this for middle and high school readers.

What a surprisingly sweet story, both for the baking and the romance. I thoroughly enjoyed Rubi’s relationship with her parents and her internal struggle regarding her passion for baking. I’d been expecting a more straightforward story, so the added elements of competition and familial history really rounded out what could have been a plain story.

Sometimes YA doesn't work for me anymore and that's more depressing for me than anything else. I think I would've appreciated this way more when I was younger but mostly I was just bored.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC. This is my honest review.

Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success is an entertaining contemporary YA book. Rubi is a high school senior, the daughter of Cuban immigrants. Her parents grand dream is for her to attend Alma University and become a lawyer. Rubi's dreams are more complicated. Much as she loved debate and law, her first love is the family business: baking. When Rubi gets waitlisted at Alma and finds herself unwittingly constructing a web of omissions and outright lies to friends and family as she seeks to get herself off the waitlist and onto the admissions list. Along the way she meets a cute boy who may share a lot more in common with her than she initially realizes, and she finds herself in the running for a local baking championship that just may change the trajectory she's on.

Rubi is engaging from her first appearance on page. She's smart, direct, interesting and relatable. Ryan is a sweet love interest.

Overall the story is well paced and interesting, the action and plot moving forward well chapter by chapter. It held my interest and I found the author did a good job highlighting the immigrant experience and the yearning for something more for their children. It also deftly tackled the teen angst of parental expectations vs personal wants.

A strong, entertaining read. Kept my interest.

This is a book you should not read hungry. I definitely made that mistake multiple times! This was a sweet YA. Rubi has a plan her mom made for her but when she is waitlisted from university she can’t bare to tell her parents. Instead she comes up with a plan to get tutored from the cute and smart surfer named Ryan.
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In reality all Rubi wants to do is bake but her mom wants more for her. She wants her to be a lawyer. Her mom has told her repeatedly that they didn’t leave behind their life in Cuba for her to be a baker. This is a book about expectations, finding your own path and becoming your own self independent of your parents.
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @libromfm and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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