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A summer in England was never part of Lila Reyes’ plans. Instead, she was going to take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, move in with her best friend after graduation, and live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But when her boyfriend breaks up with her, her friend decides to pursue an opportunity outside of the country, and her grandmother passes away, Lila begins to fall apart.

Worried about Lila’s mental health, her family has made a new plan for her. She’ll spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But Winchester isn’t Miami. There’s a lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook who doesn’t seem to like her, and a definite lack in Miami flavor (in both the food and the small town). But then there’s Orion Maxwell.

Orion is a teashop clerk with troubles of his own, but he still seems determined to help Lila out of her funk. With him as her self-appointed personal tour guide, it isn’t long before Lila finds herself charmed not only by Orion, but also by England itself.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is a charming, heartfelt story that feels like an indulgent rainy-day read — from its descriptions of food to its misty Winchester streets.

Lila’s passion for baking and her pride in her Cuban roots show in everything she does in the kitchen, and I love how her appreciation of heritage and family is such a strong part of the story. As such, her abuela’s passing deeply affected her. However, instead of using Lila’s grief and depression as a mere catalyst for the story, the author uses grief and healing as the driving forces of the story.

Grief and healing aren’t the only emotions captured within these pages, though. There is something about travel stories that ignites a spark of adventure inside the reader. This sense of adventure in experiencing new things is something that Lila also grows into as she comes to see the beauty in the world around her — even if it isn’t home. It’s the same bittersweet feeling someone might experience growing up, or going to collage, or moving away from family.

Overall, this is a surprisingly wholesome story about family, food and self-discovery that I would definitely recommend — as long as you can overlook the language.

Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes around 5 uses of strong language, 18 uses of moderate language, 36 uses of mild language, and around 30 uses of the name of Deity in vain (half of which are uttered in Spanish). There are also 27 uses of the British (bl-) profanity. A character flips someone off. Characters drink and show signs of being drunk (though they were all within the age limit for drinking and purchasing alcohol in England). Characters kiss.

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