Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea-at least, that’s what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you’re a boy with a boat.

But Rosa feels more caught than cursed. Caught between cultures and choices. Between her abuela, a beloved healer and pillar of their community, and her mother, an artist who crashes in and out of her life like a hurricane. Between Port Coral, the quirky South Florida town they call home, and Cuba, the island her abuela refuses to talk about.

As her college decision looms, Rosa collides – literally – with Alex Aquino, the mysterious boy with tattoos of the ocean whose family owns the marina. With her heart, her family, and her future on the line, can Rosa break a curse and find her place beyond the horizon?

My Review

“Sometimes it felt like the idea of being cursed was all in my head. Like it was a fabled warning to remind me to work hard and focus on my goals. The women before me had lost too much for me to be anything but firmly focused on the future. I was meant to achieve and make all of the loss, heartache, and sacrifices mean something.”

I’m not going to lie, I went into this book with the highest expectations. It’s something that I try not to do because that’s a lot to live up to. But I’ve heard such amazing things about this and we can barely keep it on our shelves at the Library I work at. And I say this with a full heart, this lives up to the hype and so much more!

A curse that follows the ocean and the women who fall in love, close family bonds, rich cultural representation, the friendships, and being in two places that own your heart all at once is what this brought forward into the world. It touched my heart so deeply that I still get goosebumps when I think about this entire book.

I’ve never read a book that made me look at my own life and appreciate every single thing that is in it and a part of it. It made me appreciate my friends and family in my life. It also made me love all the traditions that I share with them. That close bond is something we all thrive for and this book makes it known that it is possible.

Don’t Date Rosa Santos was a phenomenal book that made my heart so full. It’s definitely one that is going to stick with me for the rest of my life. The characters and the story were just beautiful and I even found parts of my family in Rosa’s family. It shows us that things in life can be scary but with the right support team you can overcome anything. Go for what’s in your heart and not what people tell you.

Rating: 4.5/5