Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour 

 
4 Stars 

I don’t read a lot of contemporary fiction and by its description this is not a book I would normally be drawn to. For whatever reason, perhaps the beautiful cover, I chose it as my BOTM for May. I’m really glad I did. I was in a bit of a slump after reading a lot of mystery and historical fiction and I needed something different. Once I picked up Yerba Buena, I couldn’t put it down. 

 

Following the lives of two women in Los Angeles, Emilie and Sara, this is the perfect summer weekend read. Both women have complicated backstories that inform their character and how they act in life and relationships. They are drawn together after both working at the restaurant Yerba Buena, but there are years in between their meeting and truly coming together. I would not call this story a romance in the traditional sense, it is more about the defenses we put up in response to our experiences in the past, and the people that we allow in. 

 

The book, which takes place in Los Angeles, gives a good sense of place and also has such beautiful descriptions of everything from flowers to cocktails to houses. I don’t know that the story will stay with me very long, but I definitely had an enjoyable weekend reading it. This is LaCour’s adult debut, and I would be interested to read what she writes in future. 

Yerba Buena focuses on the tumultuous lives of Sarah and Emilie, and subsequently how they tumble in and out of each other’s lives. The characters are rich and genuine, which make it hit even harder when they face trauma after trauma. This book is not for the weak at heart! Content warnings include sexual assault of a minor, death, abandonment, drug abuse, and addiction. This book is for anyone looking for a raw telling of what life throws at us, with a sprinkling of fleeting romance. As an OwnVoices reviewer, I found the LGBTQ representation spot on. The audio narration was lovely and really drew me in. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this copy of Yerba Buena. I plan to review it on my TikTok channel, @alyssamayreads.

This is literary fiction that follows two different women as they try to heal the wounds of their pasts with a pinch of mystery sprinkled in. 

Emilie and Sara have my whole heart. This audiobook was wonderful. If you love Mary H.K.Choi, you definitely need to read this.

(AD-PR Product) Thanks so much to LibroFM and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy!