Cubanita

by Gaby Triana

All Isa wants is to be a regular American teenager, something her Cuban immigrant mother most definitely does not understand. After almost eighteen years of constant debate over everything from birthdays to boys, Isa has had enough. She's counting down the days until she leaves for college—and can get as far away from Miami (North Cuba) as possible. But the more Isa tries to detach herself from her roots, the more tangled she becomes. Will she ever find the normal American life she dreams of? Or is she destined to become a cubanita after all?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Sexuality, Latino

195 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

GABY TRIANA is the Cuban-American author of 25 books for adults and teens, including Moon Child, Island of Bones, River of Ghosts, City of Spells, Wake the Hollow, Cubanita, and Summer of Yesterday. Her short stories have appeared in Classic Monsters Unleashed, A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, A Conjuring for All Seasons, Novus Monstrum, and Weird Tales Magazine. She has co-authored ghosthunters Sam & Colby’s horror novel, Paradise Island, and edited the ghost anthology series, Literally Dead (Tales of Halloween Hauntings; Tales of Holiday Hauntings).
As a ghostwriter, Gaby has penned 50+ novels for bestselling authors in every genre. Her own books have won the IRA Teen Choice Award, ALA Best Paperback, and Hispanic Magazine's Good Reads Awards, and she writes under several pen names, including Gabrielle Keyes for her paranormal women’s fiction. She lives in Miami with her family and the four-legged creatures they serve.

FB: @GabyTriana.author
IG: @GabyTriana
YT: The Witch Haunt

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so, I definitely picked this up because it was autographed, it was about hispanic culture, and because it was 2$

I think what pissed me off the most was Andrews character. I didnt buy his act for a second from the start. Especially the second Susy said she thought he was cute when Isa arrived for her first day at camp. It put something off for me between them. Especially by ho fast Isa seemed to be moving with him. I really appreciate the ending because rob didn't seem like the best fit either. He definitely broke my heart with how much he loved her but... she said she wanted space and despite how much she annoyed me sometimes I could respect that

About the hispanic culture, I totally understood it and can testify to its validity. I'm the first child to be born and raised in the U.S. and my dad's love for his country has always been intense. Unlike Isa, I was never embarassed for it or about it. I was always taken to said country and became kind of proud of it. I like how the mom was because that's exactly how mine is too.

Overall it was a quick read, super fast, and it kept me interested. Definitely suited for maybe a slightly younger audience.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book about Isa, a 17 going on 18 year old, fresh out of high school, awaiting the upcoming Fall when she will have the chance to get away from the Miami she's always known to go to school in Michigan. Isa's spending her summer at a camp teaching art and flirting with her new-found flame, an older man, no less! Isa's a well-grounded young woman who briefly loses her head while in the midst of her relationship, but quickly regains it once she learns the truth about how this handsome, new guy likes to play the dating game. While Isa's teen lust/love craziness is going on, her mother is diagnosed with an illness and throughout the entire book, Isa struggles with coming to terms with her Cuban heritage and acknowledging who she is and how she wants to define herself.

[Maricela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I READ THIS BOOK LIKE A YEAR AGO FOR A CLASS. AT FIRST I WAS NOT ALL THAT INTERESTED BUT THEN CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER IT JUST KEPT GETTING BETTER. SEE IM NOT A READER BUT WHEN SOMETHING IS REALLY GOOD I JUST CANT STOP READING IT. THE BOOK ITSELF IS GOOD ITS NOT TOO LONG BUT ITS NOT TOO SHORT. IT WAS A LITTLE ROMANCE AND I KNEW WHAT ISA WAS GOING THROUGH BECAUSE MY MOM WAS THE SAME WAY!

[Maria Aenlle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the author's style was fast-paced and funny. Her main character, Isa, is an American born to Cuban parents who live in Miami where she navigates from one culture to the other to end living in a mix of the two. Having been born in Cuba myself, I totally understood her perspective. I enjoyed her summer story and how her character is able to become more aware of who she is.

[Jennifer]

this book was really interesting- isa really tried to be non cuban and all american girl-but she starts to realize what she is and in a way matures more and takes pride in what and whom her culture comes from-also her relationship with her mom becomes so much better.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book. It's all about staying true to yourself and being proud of where you come from.

[Ma'laikia Brantley]

AWESOME!!!!!

[Dulce Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice

[Meaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting story about a high school graduate and that awkward summer before college. isa lives in miami and has many different things to deal with in this book: boys, identity, cancer, etc.

[Judeline]

Very good book, a perspective on the cuban culture

[Thuy-vi Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about a young cubanita. Had a good message for young girls.

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cubanita is a charming, lively coming-of-age story about a girl named Isa. Isa is not perfect, she makes PLENTY of mistakes, and comes across as the average teen girl portrayed in Hispanic households. This book reminds me of Erika L. Sanchez's "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" because both stories explore the dynamics within Hispanic households and the pressures of living up to family expectations and comparisons. I very much appreciated Isa's journey in finding herself and connecting with her mother and Cuban heritage. Isa’s stubbornness in acknowledging her Cuban roots and her dismissive attitude toward her mother were frustrating, but understandable, given her mother’s equally pushy and stubborn nature.

The compelling drama among Isa, Susy, and Andrew kept me engaged and influenced my decision to rate the book a 3 instead of a 2, along with Isa's evolving relationship with her mother. However, I did find the love story between Andrew and Isa to be predictable, especially since Andrew came across as suspicious right from his introduction. I believe the plot could have been executed more effectively. While it’s a short book and had its moments, I wanted more depth. The storylines felt somewhat inconsistent and also a bit messy. I also didn’t connect with the characters. Andrew struck me as sleazy, and I felt uncomfortable with their relationship, particularly given the six-year age difference—him being a grown man dating a minor. As someone close to Isa’s age, the idea of dating a 26-year-old felt strange, especially during some of the more descriptive scenes, but that's just my opinion.

Susy's character annoyed me SO MUCH; while she did warn Isa, she didn’t seem to genuinely care or act as a true friend even before we found out about her and Andrew going behind Isa's back. Both Susy and Andrew were poorly developed characters and they had no personality or good quality that I liked about them. Isa's ex-boyfriend, Ryan was also annoying. He was sort of just there and came across as clingy and controlling. Isa's Dad was honestly my FAVORITE character. He was just a peaceful, relaxed old man and just kept the peace between Isa and her mother. Isa's brother was also kind of just there but his little parts in the book were funny and I enjoyed them.

Aside from that, the ending gave me a good amount of closure and made me change my thoughts on this book. Although some may find Isa's revenge on Andrew childish or cruel. I absolutely LOVED the revenge Isa got on Andrew, IT WAS HILARIOUS!! I also really enjoyed the development of Isa and her mother's relationship. In the second half of the book, we learn that Isa's mother has stage 1 breast cancer, which impacts the entire family. This heartbreaking situation fosters compassion and deepens the bond between Isa and her mother. They finally put aside their differences and truly listen to each other. The Cuban expo scene was particularly beautiful, highlighting their connection and helping Isa appreciate her Cuban heritage. This was a wonderful way to conclude the book.

[Nenia Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

CUBANITA is a cute, sassy coming-of-age story about a girl named Isa. Isa is the sort of YA heroine I love-- she's not perfect, she's not particularly good or bad. She does good and bad things, and makes tons of mistakes, and reads like, well, your average teen girl. What makes this book extra interesting is that it is a) sex positive, b) about a Cuban-American girl who is struggling to come to terms with her dual identity, and c) actually affords Isa tons of agency, not just in her sexuality but also in standing up for herself.

This came out like fifteen years ago and it seems to have slipped through the cracks, which is really sad because diverse books really weren't marketed as well in the aughts as they are now, which made a lot of people think that they just basically didn't exist. The on-page Spanish, her fun interactions with her family, and the brushes with Little Havana really give this book a fun, unique vibe, and all of the subject matter-- first love, first betrayal, forming your social identity-- are just as relevant now as they were then.

I thought this was a very fun read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes edgy chick-lit that dives into real-world issues with heroines who have tons of confidence.

3 stars

[Natalia Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book during the time my oldest daughter was in school. It was one of her assigned reading books. I really enjoyed it and connected to it since it takes place in South Florida where we live. We are also Hispanics so we were able to understand as a Hispanic mother and daughter the many challenges she faces.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cubanita tells the story of a 17 yr old girl named Isabel aka Isa who struggles with her Cuban heritage and preparing to leaving for college in the fall. I really enjoyed Cubanita as a lighthearted, quick read. There were so many points throughout the story where I found myself literally laughing out loud. Growing up in a Cuban household I really related to Isa and her family. I saw so much of myself in her and I couldn't help but feel connected to her. The one downfall of this book was the love story. Andrew was such a sleazy character and I didn't like him from the start. As soon as I found out his was 6 years older than Isa, I knew he was going to cause a lot of trouble for her. Sure enough, he didn't let me down. What a sleazball. Aside from that, the story was super cute and funny and I think it was a good portrayal of Cuban-American life for girls in Miami. I was definitely able to relate. The only issue I could find with the book was that there were plenty of parts when the characters were speaking in Spanish and there were no translations. I think that could be a problem for readers that can't read/speak Spanish.

[Devon H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although pretty typical, this book was also filled with grace. Isabel Diaz, a Cuban American girl, works at a summer camp each year. This year she has recently broken up with a long time boyfriend and funds herself falling for an older counselor. This the story of her love interests, her family, and how they interact.

I loved the conclusion of her relationship with the older counselor. It was perfectly suited for how I felt about the situation, and remarkably surprising and an act of courage on Isabel’s part. Books about family in the YA genre are always a little tricky because they often end up being about rebellious teens and how they end up needing their family in the end and discovering that their parents were right all along. I understand that sometimes that truly is the case, but sometimes it irritates me because it seems like a fabricated moral to the story designed to prove that parents are always right, which is not in fact always the case. So unfortunately that was how the ending of this story played out, but I did like that Isabel was able to reconcile her Cuban American roots with her personality. The conclusion was very positive and good natured.

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t recall coming across another YA book set in Miami, where I live, and I felt at home with the setting of Cubanita. Isa is the "gringa" in her Cuban family, and she’s always arguing with her mother about something. Her solution to escaping her mother and Miami is to attend the University of Michigan--where it’s cold and unCuban--in the fall. In the meantime, she spends her summer before college working at a camp where she meets a handsome coach named Andrew. The two start dating but Robi, her ex, won’t leave her alone because she told him they were on a break, not breaking up. Then there’s still the issue of escaping the Cubanita label, so that Isa can be an all-American girl. There are deep themes like culture and family ties embedded in the romance and comedy, so this isn’t a typical chick lit novel. I found this to be a fast, enjoyable read.

[lucem · Rating 4 out of 5]

CIP: Seventeen-year-old Isabel, eager to leave Miami to attend the University of Michigan and escape her overprotective Cuban mother, learns some truths about her family’s past and makes important decisions about the type of person she wants to be.

This is an easy read that will most likely suit tweens & teen girls best. The main character is a high school senior who faces some issues surrounding boyfriends, but nothing too racy or that needs pre-mentioning to readers. It is the normal girl growing up and leaving the nest story, but with a multicultural twist that the literature world needs.

Reviewed in School Library Journal (Aug 2005) and The Booklist (May 15, 2005).

[Maggie V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isa wants to get away from Miami and being "Cuban." Fortunately she doesn't go to Cuba to realize that she is proud to be Cuban and have that as a part of herself even as she is making her own way in the world.

It did annoy me how blind she was to her boyfriend's behavior and how often she argued with her mother (but that's normal teenager about to leave the nest). Very fun, and truthful about Castro and things that happened during his take-over

[Vanessa Kinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

its actually a nice read. i find it entertaining but not a good recommendation for those who love to devour books. its a nice one but did not make me so engrossed on the book. i think this would be preferred by teenagers (like 13-19) but for someone of my age, not that much.

good read though.. it helps you while away time (since i finished the book in a half day!)

enjoy,
V

[Susan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isa has always been annoyed by her Cuban mother's attachment to her homeland, but when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, she makes more of an effort to understand the attachment and the history behind it.

PPYA

[Olivia Vona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truthfully, i read like half of this book and really disliked it. i do not recomend this book at all! it looks intresting and the back cover of the book seems intresting to but i will leave that up to you.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a pretty easy read....cute story line. Nice ending!

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book more than I did, but in the end it was sort of forgettable =(

[Maryam Ahmad Parwani · Rating 1 out of 5]

ahhhhh itss soo good ;)

[Maryam Ahmad Parwani]

i have it right no and goin to sign it put

[Issamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is an awesome books it has many features in it...

[Virna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate haft of this book ,the way she is with her Mom is annoying the end was ok

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good read. Its especially funny for cubans living in Miami, you can definitely relate to the character.