⭐️ 3.75/5

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC.

~ Rubi’s parents work hard in their bakery so they can have the means for Rubi to follow their “Recipe For Success,” meaning getting into law school at Alma University and not end up like them—working nonstop to make ends meet. But Rubi has love and talent for baking which her heart desires to pursue but feels she can’t because (1) she’s a good daughter and feels it is her duty to ensure her parents’ sacrifices don’t go to waste and (2) the Baking Ban so she can focus on getting into law school. Torn between pursuing her parents’ dream for her or her own’s, what would she choose? ~

What I loved about the book is the imagery. It was amazing— descriptive and detailed. It worked all my senses! The author did a great job in setting the scene nicely; I could picture myself wherever Rubi is. Most of the supporting characters were all likeable.

Because I experienced it first hand and as a child of an immigrant, I understood it right away why it was important to Rubi’s parents that she become more than a baker. We get bits of explanation throughout the novel about this: the sacrifices immigrant parents had to make and their ultimate goal for their child/children. But I think it would be better if this was explained in the beginning so that readers from all walks of life can fully empathize with Rubi from the start; otherwise, it might just be confusing why she thinks they she does and why there’s a baking ban, especially since they have a bakery that seems to be doing well. So one would think they would love for Rubi to take over one day.

On another note, although it was explained early why they call the mom “The Boss” it didn’t come across as an endearment (maybe it’s not meant to?) and when the dad had the mom’s name as The Boss in his contacts, it felt strange to me. I think it would’ve been more fun if they say it behind her back or mouth it when she’s not looking after she “bosses” them around but not all the time. For me, it made me think that they don’t like her as a wife or a mom. There were also a lot of reference about her being a boss but there was not enough demonstration of it. I feel there should be if we have to acknowledge it and it’s said so many times.

Overall, a slow paced story but easy to read. It may appear light but there’s depth in this story. Once you understand the weight of Rubi’s dilemma, it’s easy to empathize. You can sense her feeling lost, the heaviness of the expectation and the pressure put on her to achieve the dream of her parents. It was frustrating and heartbreaking but Rubi showed so much determination and she was inspiring.

The story outline was nice and charming. I will say the overall tone of the book was good. I enjoyed Jessica’s writing style and I would probably read more of her stories.

I think a solid 2.9 for it and i went with a three because of the over all theme of the book.

Thank you netgally and St. Martins press for the Arc.

More like Jessica Parra’s recipe for successful story. I truly love this little book. A pretty fun YA romcom.

Coming of age, following your dreams, family pressure, YA

It was great to watch Rubi stand up for herself and go after what she wanted. Her parents play an important role in her life, but she doesn't want the same things for her future as them. I loved seeing her reach her goals with support from her family and best friend.

this was such an incredible read!! i absolutely adored this and i am so grateful to netgalley for letting me read this book early!! it was fun and lovely and sweet and precious. pick it up!!

Rubi Ramos' s Recipe for Success is an amazing confection of a book. It may appear light and fluffy, but, like the remarkable Cuban delicacies Rubi creates for the bake-off competition she's in, there's more going on under the surface!

Rubi is a graduating senior. Her "recipe for success" is perfectly delineated - captain her school debate team to a championship and head off to the college she and her immigrant parents have determined is the right one for her law career. A few things are standing in the way. She's been waitlisted for the law program (she hasn't told her parents), and she's got to keep her trig mark up to have a hope of getting in. Oh, and there's that baking competition she's entered despite "the ban" - her mom's decree that her baking not get in the way of her scholastic endeavours. Her parents run two successful bakeries, working extremely hard, and do not want her to have to do the same - even if it may be what she wants.

How Rubi solves the assorted pitfalls in the recipe is the joy of this book. She has an amazing best friend, a fabulous trig tutor/boyfriend, the love of her parents (expressed in very different ways), a terrific debating coach and her own remarkable independence and ingenuity. This book gets past the "I want to do something different from what my parents want me to do" trope in creative ways, and honours the relationship between parent and daughter in a disarmingly honest way.

There's a lot here. The weight of being the child of immigrants and focus of a lot of dreams other than your own; navigating who you are and helping your friends do the same; dealing with racist and classist stereotypes about who you should be; figuring out how to date in the context of the immigrant parent thing, and in this book specifically, trying to respect your parent's struggles with their home country (Cuba) while doing your own exploring around that culture. Jessica Parra navigates all of this very deftly.

Grab this one for your readers Grade 7 and up. Lots of them will relate to Rubi.
Thanks to NetGalley , St Martin's Books and Wednesday books for the e-arc.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

I loved the writing style but unfortunately I didn’t like the book,I’m so sorry ! I love the cover but I disliked the main characters

My experience reading Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success was admittedly a strange one. On one hand, I was quite impressed with Jessica Parra's writing. Honestly, this did not feel like a debut novel, which I applaud. The characters were heartfelt and the pacing was solid. On the other hand, I was really underwhelmed by the premise of this novel. The setting (both time and space) and dilemmas of this novel felt quite typical of a young adult contemporary. So while I really enjoyed Jessica Parra's writing, the actual plot of this story never really intrigued me. Still, I'm sure it will to others, so I would still recommend this book if this is a genre that you enjoy.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I couldn't get into this book. I really liked the description, but I felt like I was dropped into a story already in progress and that I was missing important pieces. I'm not sure if these things will change before the book is published in May. I was allowed to read an election ARC thanks to Netgalley.

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success was a delight. It follows Rubi as she tries to balance what her parents want for her and her own ambitions. Along the way, she encounters many obstacles, but also a bit of romance.

I really enjoyed how much Rubi truly loved baking all the way down through her soul. It made me wish there was a tasting plate to go along with the book.

I thought the parental pressure was very relatable. So many parents live vicariously through their children and push them to live the life that they had wanted for themselves.

I recommend this book for anyone who is going through or has gone through the intense process of applying to college. In the end, it’s most important to stay true to what works best for you and this book really drives that home.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

What do you do when you have to pick between what your heart wants and what you know you are expected to want? With graduation is just a few months away, Rubi Ramos is determined to get into the prestigious Alma University, except the one thing she didn’t expect was to be waitlisted. Rubi has been banned from baking by her parents in order to focus on getting into the school they want her to, yet she can’t resist. She adores baking and wants to pursue it, so when the First Annual Bake Off comes into town, Rubi can’t resist entering. Throw in a super cute surfer boy who has an amazing kitchen and is willing to help tutor her to bring her math grade up to make her part of the top 5% of her class and Rubi has a very difficult recipe on her hand. She hasn’t told her parents that she was waitlisted, in fact she lied and told them that she was accepted into Alma... now she just has to find a way to get off the waitlist and she hopes that by winning the baking competition and juggling her law debate team into winning nationals, she can show that she is a standout... but with so many things piling up and so many secrets, soon she’ll have to decide what she’s willing to risk and what path she is going to follow. Will she give up her baking dreams or will she try and have her cake and eat it too? This was such a fun read, I enjoyed it so much. Rubi was a great protagonist, she was trying her best to juggle so many things and pursue her passions despite everything working against her. She made the time, she put in the effort, and she really tried her best. The friendship and romance in this was also so sweet and amazing. Seriously give this a read and add it to your tbr ( I was dying to try some of her recipes and treats!)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This heartwarming tale of family, friends, and dreams gave me all the feels. When we meet Rubi, she is a hard worker, trying her best to fulfill her parents' dream for her. It was great to watch her start to prioritize what she wants, rather than what they want. With a little help from her family, her best friend, and the swoony surfer/mathlete she meets, we get to see Rubi achieve her own goals.

I highly recommend this fantastic YA Contemporary read!

I made a mistake and sent another book’s review so I am making this message to remove the bad critic for this book. I will edit it again when I will have finished the story. Very sorry for the misunderstanding.

A book that had a really refreshing family dynamic. The pressure of family. The pressure of finishing high school and getting into college. Figuring out what you want to do with your life in the future. Yes it’s a YA book, but it’s about the transition from teenager to adult. I loved that the author takes our main character and shows the struggles of making decisions and dealing with the consequences of those choices. It was a very sweet and delicious book. I loved the inclusion of baking and the detail of some of the pastries. It’s a great debut novel.

You know when you read a book and it pulls you in from the first page, the kind of book that even when you aren’t reading you still think about? That’s Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for success.

You can't help but root for Rubi Ramos in this book. She tries hard to please her parents and get into a choice college. You will smile throughout this fun novel.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this title. Rubi Ramos's Recipe for Success is just so good. I couldn't put it down! Though the romance hit a bit quickly, there were enough positives in terms of familial relationships, friendships, and coming to terms with who you are that they outweigh that sticking point. Though there is romance in this, it's not the focus of the story; it's just one facet of Rubi's growth. I also wish there were recipes to try at the end of the book or available somewhere for book club meetings or "dish and dish" programs.

THIS WAS SUPER CUTE. I think I can agree and understand Ruby's dreams and aspirations. There is a huge difference between what society wants to see and what you really want to do and mostly it is really hard to choose. I like it when I can relate myself to the main character. I remember my graduation and I was super excited about it and felt extremely stressful because it was a very important step in my life and in the life of any person. This YA romance is the debut romance and I wanna say that it was an amazing book! As Ruby's parents my parents are my example, how I need to live because they did everything for me and support me everyday. I found those connections with Ruby. Dreams and expectations that we have and real life sometimes are very different and cannot touch each other. It is really sad, however our life is not only one way that we can choose, there are plenty of highways and county roads, rocky ones and those through the fields, and we just need to try another one. Maybe your dream-way is the best way for you! There were a ton of emotional moments as fun as sensitive ones. And if you wanna see a hot math genius you choose the right book. I hope you will enjoy this book and I highly recommend it to you!

I enjoyed reading this book. THe characters were all really likable and really well-developed. The romance was also really nice to read about. I was entertained by this book so I would recommend it.