Get your box of tissues and self-care routine prepped and ready, because Nina LaCour is here with another book, ready to break our hearts! I’m a big fan of her YA titles and was excited to see her debut adult book, and despite telling myself to get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions, I was still not ready for this one.

If you’ve read other books by LaCour, you know to expect beautiful, heart-wrenching writing, and that’s exactly what Yerba Buena delivers. Listening to the audiobook was an incredible experience, as I was able to sit back and hear this story like it was being told from another perspective. Instead of reading a physical copy, it felt like watching from far away, which allowed me to appreciate it in a different way.

The story follows two women, Sara and Emilie, as their lives twist and turn and eventually begin to intersect. Sara ran away from home as a teenager but has made a name for herself in LA as a bartender, famous for her signature cocktails. Emilie, who has been in college for seven years, constantly switching majors, leaves a relationship she was having with her married boss in order to ground herself and her life.

The two may seem like an unlikely pair, and the universe has the same idea. Their past’s keep pulling them away from each other, but fate wants them to connect again and again.

I really enjoyed how the story flipped back and forth between the two characters and gave more background and insight about them as individuals. When they came together, their quirks played off one another and we were able to see them together, but also understand their unique differences as well. And of course, all of it tugs on your heart and kicks you right in the feelings.

Yerba Buena was everything I was expecting and explores a beautiful yet difficult relationship between two female characters. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for sending me an audio ARC via NetGalley. Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour comes out on May 31 ,2022 🌺