What I Liked: Island Creatures is a book that is written in prose and goes back and forth through the perspectives of our two main characters, Adán and Vida. Throughout the book you get to meet the people in both Adán and Vida's life to see the various ways in which these families have and continue to impact both of their lives. It's fascinating to see this story play out through both perspectives as you see Adán struggle when he messes things up with Vida and you also get a chance to see how she is feeling through all of this. Within the two perspectives there are pieces shared by the narrator that showcases Vida and Adán's lives when they were children which is a great addition to the story.

This relationship becomes complex near the middle because of previous familial tension between Vida's grandmother and Adán's grandfather. This tension causes Adán to behave in a manner that Vida isn't fond of, and he begins to question what he is doing and how his family's history is impacting his future. This feud between them adds an additional layer to this story and shows you how strong the women in this story are.

This book closes with a hurricane and these moments are just as tumultuous as Adán and Vida's relationship. The author does a great job of building tension through just a few words and throughout the pages of the book leading up to this moment. These final moments of the book make it so hard to put this book down and you have to keep reading just to know what happens in this romantic relationship as well as with all of the animals.

Final Verdict: Island Creatures is a beautifully written romance novel told in prose that showcases the difficulty of making a new place your home when you leave loved ones behind. Those of you who love animals, enjoy romances, and especially love the childhood friends to lovers trope will enjoy this book.

This was a sweet tale of young love amidst family turmoil, coming of age, and societal realities set in a wildlife center/zoo.

Vida and Adàn were childhood friends separated by war and social unrest until fate brought them back together. It’s at orientation that they reconnect, discover and reflect on their shared past. All is well until their families reconnect and everyone is forced to relive a troubled time in Cuba and the source of conflict.

While they navigate their new relationship they’re also making decisions about their futures, trying to mend the rift between their families and avoid a major weather catastrophe headed their way.

This is a heavy read so if you're a parent I'd encourage conversation with your children while reading. There's more than one instance of S- Assult and it didn't feel necessary - the scene felt very misplaced and there didn't seem to be any adult support to Vida in those situations.

I felt at moments it was all over the place and there were some storylines that didn't feel complete to me.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC. All opinions stated are my own.