Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak
• Author: Laura Taylor Namey
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Release Date: 9/25/23
• Genre: Romance
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Rating: ★★★★
• Publisher’s Summary: In this highly anticipated companion to the New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow , Flora Maxwell heads to Miami to find a path for her future…and finds her heart along the way. Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions. So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace. But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light. Laura Taylor Namey’s newest novel navigates heartbreak that feels like a hurricane in a city that is famous for them.

I loved A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, and its companion/sequel, A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak is everything I could have hoped for.

There’s something so special about a book in a series series that explores the point of view of a different character than the previous book. I loved Flora when I read A Cuban Girl’s Guide, so I relished the chance to dive into her story. Of course, Flora’s story absolutely paralells Lila’s. Both of them leave their home in order to process grief and explore thier art.

I appreciated the centering of all different kinds of love in this story. Of course, there is the familial love between Flora and her dad and brother. Lila’s family also takes Flora in with so much warmth and selflessness. Lastly, friendships are incredibly central to this story. All of these different relationships are tested and healed in a beautiful way throughout this story.

I wish the reader got to see more of Gordon throughout this story. It’s clear how deeply Flora cares about Gordon, but he feels removed for much of the story. Even though he makes his way to Florida from England, he is in the Keys rather than in Miami with Florida. When he does make his way to Miami, it feels like his interactions with Flora are very distant. Of course, they are working on figuring out their relationship, but I wanted more.

One of my favorite elements of this book is its use of the fake dating trope. When Flora agrees to pretend to date Baz, I had a certain expectation of how their relationship would play out. I really love Baz and the way in which he encourages Flora to explore her art and the way he takes care of her through her first hurricane. Without spoiling too much, I will say that this story subverted my expectations, and I loved that.

I’m hoping that Namey Taylor continues this series, because I am eager to continue journeying with these characters. They have so much warmth and heart, and the stories are so cathartic.