American Dreamer

Between four and five stars. This is a very good book, and I also found it an enjoyable read, even though it deals with a lot of serious topics. It's constructed very well, the characters are sympathetic but flawed, and the journey of the MCs' relationship makes sense. I rarely read contemporary romance, but this one felt pretty realistic to me. I also liked most of the humor. Overall, I was charmed.

I just saw a review complaining that this book is heavy-handed in its social justice themes, and I was really surprised. There is a lot of stuff along those lines, but it's all woven very naturally into the story. There's nothing didactic. But I can understand that you may not appreciate this kind of material if you have hateful conservative political beliefs. I don't think it's a book that would bother people who avoid the news in general, though, because it isn't necessarily topical stuff. But I don't know.

The characterizations of the two MCs are excellent and beautifully consistent. I can't believe this is the first book this author has published; if you're reading this review and this specific book doesn't appeal to you, you still might want to keep an eye out for her future releases anyway. I definitely will!

I struggle a bit when villains feel like real people I've known, and this one, Misty, a racist and self-important meddler, really fit in that category for me. I liked that she did face bad consequences for her actions, but her comeuppance was not a particularly important plot point. People like her are not all that important in reality when they no longer hold any power over others. I guess that's why they hurt so many people trying to hold onto it.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sean Crisden. He really did an amazing job, with such different voices & accents for all the major characters that it honestly felt like a multi-actor recording. I'm so glad I gave this book a try, and I'm grateful to everyone who has enthusiastically recommended it. I plan to listen to the second book very soon.