Book Review: Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success

Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success by Jessica Parra ~ 320 pages ~ to be published on May 16, 2023 by Wednesday Books

Goodreads Synopsis:

Graduation is only a few months away, and so far Rubi Ramos’s recipe for success is on track.

*Step 1: Get into the prestigious Alma University.
*Step 2: Become incredibly successful lawyer.

But when Alma waitlists Rubi’s application, her plan is in jeopardy. Her parents–especially her mom, AKA the boss–have wanted this for her for years. In order to get off the waitlist without her parents knowing, she needs math tutoring from surfer-hottie math genius Ryan, lead the debate team to a championship–and remember the final step of the recipe.

*Step 3: Never break the ban on baking.

Rubi has always been obsessed with baking, daydreaming up new concoctions and taking shifts at her parents’ celebrated bakery. But her mother dismisses baking as a distraction–her parents didn’t leave Cuba so she could bake just like them.

But some recipes are begging to be tampered with…

When the First Annual Bake Off comes to town, Rubi’s passion for baking goes from subtle simmer to full boil. She’s not sure if she has what it takes to become OC’s best amateur baker, and there’s only one way to find out–even though it means rejecting the ban on baking, and by extension, her parents. But life is what you bake it, and now Rubi must differentiate between the responsibility of unfulfilled dreams she holds, and finding the path she’s meant for.

What I Thought:

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase. 🥰

What a sweet story! (pun fully intended 😉) I went into this book expecting it to be mainly a romance. I was incredibly satisfied when I found that it was mostly about finding who you want to be, even when it goes against the wishes of those you love.

Rubi was such a great character to get to hang with! I loved how passionate she was about baking, but also how passionately she loves. She loves her parents so much, and wanted to make them proud of her. She was willing to push her own dreams aside in order to make her parents happy. She reminded me, a bit too much, of myself as a teen. She was fun and funny and stressed and anxious. Just a tornado of emotions haha

I loved Rubi’s relationship with her Dad. She had this really sweet bond with him over the ‘baking ban’ where he would allow her to stretch it just enough to keep her sane. I loved how supportive he was of her in all things. Her best friend, Devon, and her potential boyfriend, Ryan, were great supporting characters.

The star of this book though, was the baking! I loved how vivid the descriptions of all the things Rubi baked for the competition were. It made me so hungry! I even looked up Hispanic bakeries in my area (I found one, and I will absolutely be visiting it soon). It is rare that a book makes me want to try a new food, and this one achieved that rarity.

I loved seeing Rubi grow as a person, and as a baker throughout the novel. It was such a lovely coming-of-age story with some family drama, overcoming racist behaviors and sweet romance thrown in. And baking, we can never forget the baking!