A British Girl's Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak (Cuban Girl’s Guide)
“All hurricane and heart and deep family roots.” —Jenna Evans Welch, New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato and Spells for Lost Things
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.
In this powerfully emotional novel, Laura Taylor Namey navigates heartbreak that feels like a hurricane in a city that’s famous for them.
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.
In this powerfully emotional novel, Laura Taylor Namey navigates heartbreak that feels like a hurricane in a city that’s famous for them.
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
A British Girl’s Guide to Heartbreaks and Hurricanes follows young Flora as she seeks to escape her home, running away to Miami in hopes of dealing with her grief.
Storytelling
One of my favorite things about this novel was it took place in Florida. I’ve been a Florida resident since 2001, and every mention, every road, and venue was so easy to envision, including the mention of a Chicken Tender Pub Sub. Some things are too good not to mention, and that pub-sub is one of them, giving the story a much-needed sense of authenticity.
I loved that feeling, how real it felt, how genuine it was because it reflected the grief of the character, Flora.
When her mother was dying due to a long illness, Flora escaped into her photography. This also means, for her mother’s last moments, moments Flora will never get back, she was gone, running away.
Grief is never an easy topic to deal with, no matter the age, but when you grow up with an ailing mother at such a young age, death can hit you hard. It was reflected in her need to run away and escape to Florida because she feels like a hurricane, causing destruction wherever she goes, and Florida is used to those.
The characterization was well done, and although I got frustrated with Flora occasionally, I understood her and still related to her. She is coming from a place of grief, and it resonates. You could feel her in the eye of the storm, her emotions spinning around her, whipping at her. You feel her pain, but you also feel her love.
Namey builds up the romance wonderfully. At times, it does feel a bit predictable with the love triangle. Still, even then, the friendships that blossomed and grew between her and the two boys tugged at the inner romantic in me (shh, don’t tell!).
Final Thoughts
A British Girl’s Guide to Heartbreaks and Hurricanes is an excellent read. It’s fun, emotional, and, for any Floridian, a perfect read.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Quirky, heartwarming, and sweet, A British Girl’s Guide to Heartbreaks and Hurricanes is perfect for Floridians, complete with pub subs and scenic routes.
A British Girl’s Guide to Heartbreaks and Hurricanes follows young Flora as she seeks to escape her home, running away to Miami in hopes of dealing with her grief.
Storytelling
One of my favorite things about this novel was it took place in Florida. I’ve been a Florida resident since 2001, and every mention, every road, and venue was so easy to envision, including the mention of a Chicken Tender Pub Sub. Some things are too good not to mention, and that pub-sub is one of them, giving the story a much-needed sense of authenticity.
I loved that feeling, how real it felt, how genuine it was because it reflected the grief of the character, Flora.
When her mother was dying due to a long illness, Flora escaped into her photography. This also means, for her mother’s last moments, moments Flora will never get back, she was gone, running away.
Grief is never an easy topic to deal with, no matter the age, but when you grow up with an ailing mother at such a young age, death can hit you hard. It was reflected in her need to run away and escape to Florida because she feels like a hurricane, causing destruction wherever she goes, and Florida is used to those.
The characterization was well done, and although I got frustrated with Flora occasionally, I understood her and still related to her. She is coming from a place of grief, and it resonates. You could feel her in the eye of the storm, her emotions spinning around her, whipping at her. You feel her pain, but you also feel her love.
Namey builds up the romance wonderfully. At times, it does feel a bit predictable with the love triangle. Still, even then, the friendships that blossomed and grew between her and the two boys tugged at the inner romantic in me (shh, don’t tell!).
Final Thoughts
A British Girl’s Guide to Heartbreaks and Hurricanes is an excellent read. It’s fun, emotional, and, for any Floridian, a perfect read.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
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