What could have been a run-of-the-mill, enemies to lovers/workplace romance story was made much more enjoyable by the author’s perfect capturing of a unique lifestyle and attitude that belongs to one group of people.
Every major city has its quirks, and life-long residents grow up incorporating them (often unknowingly) into their own characters. There is no place where this is truer than New York City.
People from there have a style and persona that is identifiable as “strictly NYC.” That even carries into the Boroughs, and further into neighborhoods. I lived in the city, so I’m very familiar with most of them.
I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. The author did a fantastic job of capturing that certain something New Yorkers have. From the lexicon to the clothing styles, it all felt familiar and a little bit comforting.
BUY LINKS
Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369700926_here-to-stay.html
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Stay-Adriana-Herrera-ebook/dp/B086R2QY77
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-to-stay-adriana-herrera/1136795733
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/here-to-stay/id1506190677
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Adriana_Herrera_Here_to_Stay?id=_-zaDwAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/here-to-stay-20
I especially liked Julia. She reminded me of a Dominican I once worked with in Midtown. Big and bold, but at times unsure in new situations. I also enjoyed Julia’s mom’s attitudes toward her daughter living in Texas. That’s another NYC thing…nothing is as good as what you can get in the city (even down to hand lotion).
I thought Rocco was an interesting character. He was working class Queens (also familiar) but painted as the bad guy in Julia’s eyes. I enjoyed watching the two of them slowly grow to understand each other and realize how much they actually had in common. It showed the importance of looking beyond the surface of people.
I got the feeling that this was written for a younger set of readers. Due to my teenage son, I’m pretty up on slang and current phrases, but don’t use them myself. The characters in this book used them consistently, especially when the NYC transplants were together. It made the book very contemporary.
I would highly recommend this well-written and “current” book. I think a lot of people will be able to identify with the characters and their situations.
About Adriana Herrera
Adriana was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.
When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The WashingtonPost. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s ‘Best Romance Debuts of 2019’, and one of the ‘Top 10 Romances of 2019’ by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American LoveStory, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective. Represented by Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.
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