Content warnings: death, loss of a loved one, mental health, racism

Lila Reyes is shipped of to England to spend her summer with some relatives to overcome her plummeting mental health. Lila meets new friends, meets a new boy, and is torn between loving England and loving Miami.

I struggled with this novel so much; reading through it was the book equivalent annoyance of nails on a chalkboard. Lila is seventeen going on thirty. She is a baker and will be taking over the head baker position at her family's bakery. I have to ask, how is a seventeen year old in charge of a bakery, having only had training from family? Lila is predictable and annoying with a voice that sounds at least a decade older than what she is.

There are some LGBTQ+ characters among the slate of Lila's new friends, but it seems more like those dimensions were added to the characters just to check the box of having LGBTQ+ rep. I understand how it's imperative to showcase characters for more than one dimension of their identity, but the LGBTQ+ identity just seemed slapped on just to have it.

Lastly, it boggles my mind that the author took the time to do research to aptly describe and name places in both England and Miami, yet, any discussion around Lila's best friend Stef's diversion from their plan to go to college is simply "going to Africa." (Side note: There is mention of Ghana but it's minimal compared to the references to Africa.) Africa is a continent rich with culture and history with fifty-four countries, two independent states, and multiple territories. Instead, Africa was painted as one thing that lacked nuance or detail. That's just inexcusable, especially in this day and age.