Too Soon for Adiós

Amazing read, it’s okay to bring down the walls we build on our own. To be happy and be able to forgive what we once thought wasn’t possible .

these are my personal views - your impression of the book and this author may be very different. The story line had potential, always glad to find new authors to read. But overall this book did not do it for me, the writing was not strong, I finished the book thinking the main character still has a lot of growing up to do. For now things worked out, but nothing tells me she is wiser or stronger than when the story started. I expected more, my personal rating is 3 / 5, but I conceded many can find this type of story is what they want, so I adjusted to 4 / 5.

What a beautiful story. It weaved in history, family, nature and the beautiful Southwest of the United States. It explained cultural context by perfect story telling. A story of secrets, love, hardship, and heart for forgiveness. I enjoyed the banter of the characters, the description of Nature and landscape of gorgeous New Mexico and it was a bit of a history lesson too. I only have one regret: I read the book too fast. It was so beautiful and I failed to enjoy it slowly. If you're looking for a book to give you courage about new beginnings, about learning to believe in yourself and following your passion, you definitely found it. Thank you for loving your craft of writing so much that you gifted us with this beautiful novel.

This story was about Gaby, who just lost her mother to cancer. Her mother’s 2 friends who were basically her aunts, try to help Gaby after her mother’s passing. At the funeral, Raul, Gaby’s real father comes to pay his respects, and that’s when she learns about what really happened with their relationship. Raul, owns a restaurant in Sonrisa, New Mexico. It has been in his family for years, and Gaby ends up realizing that is where she got her love of cooking. She was there only to fix up and sell Rauls grandmothers house, but not only does she fall in love with the town, but with the mayor as well. Cute story, love the history about the Adelitas and soldaderas.

This book was so good. What a journey it took me on. I have to say I chocked up several times throughout but this was so well written. Easy to enjoy. I felt love loss heartache grief. I’ve experience my share of all of those so feeling it in this book hit close to home. I love how anxiety was represented in here as well. The main character Gabby while experiencing such heartbreaking loss and struggling with anxiety showed how strong and determined she was to make a life for herself even when she felt so lost. Finding out some things about her life that was kept from her shocked her to her core. But she navigated all of her ups and downs so well. The book had funny moments great banter family friends romance small town and lots of love.

Overall, I’m willing to give this novel 4 stars, but the main character’s poor communication skills drove me batty on more than one occasion. ***Potential spoilers**** She never once acknowledged that what her mother did to her was a literal crime and worthy of massive anger. Nope! Sandra is dead now, so all must be forgiven. I’m not saying Gabby should hold a grudge, but she’s allowed to feel her anger for pity’s sake! Then Gabby was bound and determined to hate her biological father and see his actions as abandonment. Raul tells her that he wanted to be with her so much that we was willing to break the law to get the money for the lawyer. But what does Gabby hear? “He didn’t want me.” *face palm* Then we have the classic break-up-fight trope. I’ll admit, that one was largely Diego’s fault. But still, neither one of them knows how to communicate their real feelings. And why, oh why, did she take sole responsibility for that fight? Waiting until you have a quite chunk of time to have a tricky conversation, doesn’t mean you’re keeping important details from your partner. *sigh* All that aside, I enjoyed the setting of Sonrisa and the way Gabby slowly discovered her century-long connection to the town. The founders festival with all the Mexican Revolution history was really interesting. The way Gabby and Raul bonded over cooking was handled perfectly, going at the right pace to make the development of their relationship feel natural instead of forced. The book could have benefited from more small interactions between Gabby and the townsfolk in order to cement her connection to the town. Especially since her initial interactions were largely contentious. This is not a romance. It’s a story about one character’s personal journey, which happens to include a romance. Still, this is a good read for fans of contemporary romance. I’m not sure what other category I’d put it in, just be aware that the romance is a subplot. Mainly, Gabby is learning to know and accept herself.

Plot: 3.5 Engagement: 3.5 Characters: 3.5 Style: 4 Overall Rating: 3.63/5 Review: I'm groaning inwardly because I really *wanted* to like this book, I just didn't connect to it. Billed as a "heartfelt novel about a woman who embarks on an emotional journey when she meets her biological father on the day of her mother’s funeral." It was more of a weird will-they-wont-they romance with a random guy (Mayor Baseball Cap) from the town this woman ends up in while trying to get money from the sale of a great grandmother's home (who the character never met) while ignoring her estranged father. Gabby would rather go on this crazy journey (intending not to get to know her bio father at all and willfully mistreating him) than accept the monetary help of her Auntie. There's also a lot of weirdness with the side characters. The Aunties are judgy and occasionally morally iffy. Why is Mayor Baseball Cap a Mayor and Doctor and Handyman? Convenience? The neighbor is...caring or a witch or her best friend? Chef Dean...did this scene need to exist in the book? I will say that I appreciated the history and traditions and those few moments of family that were included. At the core, the problem was I didn't love Gabby. She was negative and off-putting. Granted she had some hardships in her life, but her attitude towards everyone was rude and entitled for a good chunk of the book. Because of this, I didn't connect with the character emotionally and wasn't invested in the outcome.

I truly enjoyed Too Soon for Adiós. I felt each character had a story to tell and they were all connected to the books overall theme. This book has a little bit of something for everyone: strong personalities, love, loss of a loved one, betrayal, friendship, small town, city life. Annette Chavez Macias has definitely become one of my favorite authors, especially the way she tells Mexican American stories. You are getting heartfelt generational storytelling at it’s best!!

Coming from a Mexican background, I found the themes of this book very relatable. The author has a very beautiful and descriptive way of writing that allows you to visualize what's happening in the story and keeps you hooked. 4/5 stars for this one.

Everyone who likes a light read and love a good storyline. It changes on you as soon as you think Ah that's it! - NO read on .......Loved it

I laughed, I cried, and yes, I even got a little bit mad at times. This book was so well done. I loved the story and of how she gets to know her father, her history and also herself. The way Gabby’s growth through the story is written is just so organic. I loved the character development and that no one was perfect - everyone had flaws, but they all had a place to belong. This was my first novel from this author and I can’t wait to read more!