Our Way Back to Always

by Nina Moreno

Overview

To All the Boys I've Loved Before meets Since You’ve Been Gone in this effervescent romance about childhood best friends reconnecting, full of sunny days, warm nights, first kisses, and mended hearts.

Lou Patterson and Sam Alvarez were inseparable—the best of friends—until the most embarrassing middle school promposal ever. Now, four years later, Lou is an introverted romantic who’s bearing the weight of her mother’s expectations. Meanwhile, Sam is the golden boy with plenty of friends who’s still mourning the death of his father.

When Lou finds the bucket list she and Sam wrote together as kids, she’s disappointed to see that she hasn’t accomplished a single one of her goals. Go to a party? Nope. Pull the greatest prank of all time? Still no. Learn how to be a really good kisser? Definitely not.

Lou sets out to finish the list, and in a stroke of fate, Sam decides to tag along, stirring up old arguments and some very new feelings. But with the bucket list to guide them, Sam and Lou might just be able to find a way toward the future and each other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759557475
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	505,769
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Nina Moreno is a YA writer whose prose is somewhere between Southern fiction and a telenovela. She graduated from the University of Florida and writes about Latinas chasing their dreams, falling in love, and navigating life in the hyphen. She lives by a swamp outside of Orlando where she enjoys listening to carefully curated playlists, hunting through thrift stores, drinking too much Cuban coffee, and walking into the sea every chance she gets. She is the author of Don't Date Rosa Santos and Our Way Back to Always.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—Senior year is about to begin when Lou unearths "Lou and Sam's To-Do List Before We Graduate," a six-year-old bucket list Lou created with Sam, her ex-best friend. When Sam discovers Lou found the list, he's determined they'll complete it together before the end of the school year. For Lou, this means getting close to Sam again, which has her wary given her past experience. For Sam, it's his chance to prove he can complete something, despite a recent tragedy throwing his life off course. What these two former friends don't expect is how this list will completely challenge their world and reshape their perspectives of each other. Moreno's delightful romance is a winning sophomore novel, set in the same sunny Florida town as Don't Date Rosa Santos. This warm romance showcases teens working on their mental health in an emotionally realistic way. As Lou and Sam's senior year progresses, their anxiety over the future reveals how loss and rejection are normal parts of life. And yet, despite these seemingly heavy topics, the tone of the novel remains upbeat and encouraging, as readers cheer on Lou and Sam's evolving relationship. Lou is Colombian and white; Sam is Cuban and white. VERDICT A comforting, feel-good read, with an endlessly hopeful message of being true to yourself. A definite purchase for library shelves.—Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., IL

School Library Journal

2021-09-15
Former best friends find their ways back to each other while completing their senior year bucket list.

Luisa and Samuel live across the street from each other, and they were inseparable until the seventh grade. A middle school promposal incident caused a rift that each blamed the other for; then Lou went to Colombia for the summer before either had the chance to apologize or clear the air, and afterward they stopped hanging out with each other. Five years later, while cleaning her room, Lou finds the old list they created of things to do before high school graduation and decides to complete the tasks. When Sam finds out what she is doing, he insists that they finish it together. As they begin to repair their friendship, romance blooms, and both Sam and Lou try to reconcile these new feelings while also dealing with decisions about their futures after high school. Told in alternating viewpoints, the exploration of both grief and family relationships in Latinx communities is strongly written, and the complexities are expertly explored. Diverse representation is another strength of the book, not only in the biracial main characters—Sam is White and Cuban, Lou is White and Colombian—but also in the supporting characters, who include Afro-Cuban, Chinese American, South Asian, and Puerto Rican individuals. The friends-to-lovers story is comfortably familiar and absolutely enjoyable.

A coming-of-age story with a good balance of humor and romance. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"Thoughtful, vibrant and full of warmth, Our Way Back to Always hit me right in the solar plexus of feels. I cried for Sam, cheered for Lou and swooned endlessly as these former best friends found their way back to each other in a new and lovely way. I could spend all my life in Port Coral and never want for anything more."—Erin Hahn, author of You’d Be Mine and Never Saw You Coming

"I loved returning to Port Coral and getting swept away by Lou and Sam’s sweet love story about second chances and new beginnings. I’m forever a fan of Nina Moreno’s work."—Kristina Forest, author of I Wanna Be Where You Are and Now That I've Found You

"Come for the perfectly messy beach town romance, stay for the healing of generational trauma, the profound exploration of growing while grieving, and a lovable underdog victory that will have you straight up cheering out loud. No one does the intersection of swooning and sobbing like Nina Moreno."—Tehlor Kay Mejia, author of We Set the Dark on Fire

"My heart swelled when I read this story. Both main characters' struggles and their growth throughout was realistic and poignant, and you will be hooked from the start with the story. Featuring complicated family issues, as well as exploring love and friendship as a teen, you will be blown away by Nina's book, especially if you love yourself a great contemporary read full of a lot of emotional elements."—Aurora Dominguez, contributing writer at Book Riot and Frolic young adult expert

* "This beautiful novel will show readers that there are many different paths one’s life can take, if only we remember to appreciate every moment. YA romance fans will not want to miss this one."—Booklist, starred review

"The friends-to-lovers story is comfortably familiar and absolutely enjoyable. A coming-of-age story with a good balance of humor and romance."—Kirkus Reviews

"This warm romance showcases teens working on their mental health in an emotionally realistic way.... A comforting, feel-good read, with an endlessly hopeful message of being true to yourself."—SLJ

Praise for Don't Date Rosa Santos:
 "Full of complex family relationships, a diverse community, and plenty of swoonworthy moments, fans of rom-coms won't be able to put this one down."—Kirkus Reviews

"This beautifully written first novel tells a story of finding your place. Moreno paints a lush picture of what a crush can feel like when more than a potential break-up seems to darken your meet-cute. Rosa is a compelling protagonist whose unique voice—smart and funny, but also warm—is refreshing in the YA landscape. Don't Date Rosa Santos is the perfect read for those searching for answers about their world and about themselves."—Booklist

"Interwoven into Rosa's energetic story are rich, often humorous descriptions of the goings-on in her lively, intergenerational, multicultural community (which is monitored and documented by Insta-addicted viejitos), the mystical practices and herbal lore of her abuela, and the pressures put on children of immigrants."—BCCB

"A love song to family, diaspora, and to girls on the verge of discovering who they want to be."—Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of Labyrinth Lost

"Don't Date Rosa Santos blends two cultures brilliantly, seamlessly, and humorously. Rosa is a relatable American teenager guaranteed to make you smile."—Gloria Chao, author of American Panda

"Maybe you shouldn't date Rosa Santos, but you should definitely read this book. This enchanting novel will sweep you up like the sea."
—Stephanie Kate Strohm, author of Prince in Disguise and Love à la Mode

"The delicate aroma of fresh-baked pastry combined with the heady intoxication of sea winds infiltrate the pages of this romantic debut novel. Pa'lante."—Jaye Robin Brown, author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

"A lyrical and enchanting story about love, loss, the sea, and sassy grandmothers. Nina Moreno writes beautifully, pulling you into the story so wholly that you can almost feel the sea breeze as you read."—Adi Alsaid, author of Let's Get Lost

"A refreshing new voice, Nina Moreno takes on the sometimes complicated relationship between daughters and their mothers with such heartwarming and magical touches that readers will fall in love with and root for Rosa. A beautiful story that will stay with you long after you reach the end!"—Lilliam Rivera, award-winning author of The Education of Margot Sanchez

"In Don't Date Rosa Santos, I saw my own experience laid bare."—Bustle

From the Publisher

Narrators Natalia del Riego and Adan Rocha make a perfect pair in this Latinx contemporary romance. Luisa "Lou" Patterson and Sam Alvarez used to be best friends, but it's been four years since they've talked. Now it's their senior year in Port Coral, Florida, and they have some unfinished "bucket list" business. The dual narrations give listeners a deeper look into each character as they stumble through miscommunications and misunderstandings. In this charming and easy listen, del Riego and Rocha capture the struggles and successes of balancing family expectations and personal desires. Del Riego deftly shows Lou's headstrong personality while still making her lovable. Rocha's portrayal of Sam's grief is especially notable, so palpable and heartfelt that it will leave listeners full of emotions. E.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Narrators Natalia del Riego and Adan Rocha make a perfect pair in this Latinx contemporary romance. Luisa "Lou" Patterson and Sam Alvarez used to be best friends, but it's been four years since they've talked. Now it's their senior year in Port Coral, Florida, and they have some unfinished "bucket list" business. The dual narrations give listeners a deeper look into each character as they stumble through miscommunications and misunderstandings. In this charming and easy listen, del Riego and Rocha capture the struggles and successes of balancing family expectations and personal desires. Del Riego deftly shows Lou's headstrong personality while still making her lovable. Rocha's portrayal of Sam's grief is especially notable, so palpable and heartfelt that it will leave listeners full of emotions. E.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile