a story of two women finding themselves and, eventually, each other over the span of years. less a romance (as the characters don't meet until halfway through) and more a journey of self-discovery and grappling with painful pasts.

it's a challenge to identity what exactly about this book failed to make it really work for me. there were definitely elements i liked: believable chemistry between the mains, nicely flowing prose, and complicated family dynamics that felt well handled if a little under-explored.

part of my struggle may have been unique to the audio format, where i sometimes struggled with the dual-POV, both in the sense of the two mains having similar voices and with the story swapping between their teen and adult lives throughout. it might equally have been a matter of pacing and a lack of truly believable character development. while there's definitely growth from the characters, there was a recurring habit (particularly in sara's case) of traumatic events seeming to serve as stand-ins for actual character development.

julia whelan's narration served the story well, though faltered a little in the character voice department as some dialogue was challenging to make out. this was my first nina lacour and while i know it's an adult departure from her usual YA, i'd be curious to see how it compares to her earlier work.

thank you to netgalley and macmillan audio for providing this digital review copy in exchange for an honest review

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.

 An absolutely stunning adult debut from Nina LaCour! A sapphic literary romance that pulls no punches and shows the complexity of queer womanhood, trauma, and the uncertainity adulthood brings to all of us. This is a story about two young queer women, set over the course of ten years that explores elements of family trauma, self doubt, grief, and the pain that often comes with love.

Something to keep in mind - this book is not your typical genre romance novel, and I do not say that as a slight to this book; this is one of my only full five star books of 2022. This is just something to consider when book talking or when you go to pick it up to read yourself. It has element of a romance and does have a Happlily for Now ending, but this reads much more like a literary novel that is character driven and about self exploration, trauma and grief (and beautiful prose) than about plot and getting to that HEA.

THANK YOU TO THE PUBLISHER FOR SENDING ME AN ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. 

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. 

A free ARC of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Nina LaCour’s writing for some time now, but admittedly I haven’t kept up much with her recent works, so hearing about Yerba Buena was an exciting surprise. Following her shift from young adult to adult writing feels oddly fitting and personal—I first read one of her novels as a young teenager, maybe even a pre-teen, and now I too am, at least legally, an adult. Unfortunately, though Yerba Buena is poignant and beautiful, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. 

Writing-wise is where the novel primarily shines—it’s been some time now since I last read LaCour’s earlier pieces, so I can’t really recall enough to compare (not that I would be too inclined to if I could), but her style here reads very cleanly and smoothly. Each sentence flowed well, and there was a definite neat balance of showing and telling. The writing is somewhat subdued and laidback, if looked at as a whole, but that adds to the general quiet warmth Yerba Buena exudes. 

In substance, Yerba Buena does have a great deal to offer. It’s a very human work, driven by character and emotion. The handling of trauma and healing in particular is very thoughtful and compelling. A great deal of heavy subject matter is present—some of which I wish I had known about in advance, though it fortunately doesn’t affect me too severely—but it’s treated with care, and the note on which things end is a soothing yet realistic one. There is closure, but it is acknowledged and shown that recovery isn’t a simple, linear process. I do wish that some things and their aftermath had been touched upon more, but I’m overall satisfied with how these themes are depicted. 

While romance ends up being an important element in Yerba Buena’s narrative, I’d actually hesitate to classify it as a romance outright, which I consider a positive. Its focus ends up primarily just being people’s lives and bonds, including but not elevating romantic relationships. The portrayal of complicated family relationships, from loving to distant to both at once, was interesting and engaging as well. 

To speak on the romance in specific, though: Sara and Emilie’s dynamic is very understated and well-written. It doesn’t actually feel like the “star-crossed” type of connection the blurb cites, just two troubled people who have managed to find each other and choose to work toward a relationship, which is super refreshing and nice to see. It’s a fairly minor thing to take note of, but I also liked that it was far from either’s first relationship (even if I have mixed opinions on Emilie’s prior romances). The development itself is a little rushed, but it slows effectively enough to appreciate and enjoy. With a tad more buildup, it would definitely rank as one of the best relationships I’ve seen in fiction as of late. 

Getting involved in the characters’ lives and stories was easy enough, but ultimately, I feel that I lack understanding of who they truly are. Their hardships and struggles well outweigh the softer, quieter moments, which makes their exact characterization hard to get a grasp on. This is perhaps the point, as finding identity is a major theme, but it kept me from investing in full. There are some side characters I wish had been delved deeper into as well; though the cast is broad enough in theory, no particular characters are really explored in great detail. With how character-driven the novel is, this is likely its most glaring flaw. 

The pacing also felt a bit strained in places; I had some trouble keeping up with the timeline, although this admittedly could have been on my part more so than the book’s, as I got through it far faster than I expected or planned. I did like that certain backstory scenes established early on were embellished upon later, but I’m not certain that their actual inclusion to open the novel was the most effective choice. Some loose ends remain by the conclusion as well, but I wasn’t actually especially bothered by most. 

Yerba Buena is a well-written piece with a number of intriguing themes and things to say, but I found it to fall flat in some areas. I enjoyed my time with it—perhaps a bit too much, if my reading speed is anything to go by—but ultimately was not able to take as much from it as I anticipated.