[Skye’s Review:] Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno

Our Way Back to Always
by Nina Moreno
Pages: 368
Release Date: October 19th 2021
Genres: YA, Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Format Read: ARC
Goodreads

Luisa (Lou) Patterson grew up across the street from Sam Alvarez in the small, quirky town of Port Coral. They used to be inseparable--spending every holiday together, shooting silly YouTube videos, and rescuing stray cats. But then middle school happened, including the most disastrous (and embarrassing) serenade ever, and Lou and Sam haven't talked in the four years since. Sam is now the golden boy with plenty of friends, while Lou is an introverted romantic who's happy playing video games and writing fan fiction. But it's also the summer before their senior year, and life is knocking on Lou's door.

With her older sister having given up a scholarship to Princeton to have a baby and work at the local botanica, all of their mother's expectations are now riding on Lou's shoulders. She's retaking her SAT's, signed up for way too many AP classes, and her sights set on colleges with fancy names like Duke and Vanderbilt. But when she finds the bucket list she and Sam wrote together as kids, before Sam's father was diagnosed with cancer, she's shocked to see that she hasn't accomplished any of the goals she'd set for herself. Go to a party? Nope. Pull the greatest prank of all time? Still no. Learn how to be a really good kisser? Definitely not.

Torn between the future that her mother, sister, and younger self planned for her, Lou sets out to finish the list, and in a stroke of destiny or fate, Sam decides to tag along. Still trying to stay afloat amid the grief of losing his father, Sam himself is staring down a future that feels all too close, and is coming far too fast. But with the bucket list to guide them, Sam and Lou might just be able to find a way through the future, and also a way back to each other.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more! Our Way Back to Always is captivating from beginning to end; full of great tropes, swoon-worthy romance, and Latinx culture. This story was the perfect balance between romance, comedy, and grief. Nina Moreno really captured the various feelings of senior year: excitement, dread, worry, and joy. It’s bittersweet growing up, and this book really shows that. 

Check out this book if you like the following:

Friends to ex-friends to friends to lovers
A bucket list full of fun tasks
Romance
Real, authentic characters
Latinx culture

One of my favorite things about this book is how real it is. This book tackles some heavy subjects such as the death of a parent, the weight of a parent’s expectations, finding yourself, and following your passion. Life is messy and full of highs and lows, and this book reflects that very well. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book! It’s such a fresh, fun read about two teens who find their way back to each other.