Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams

by Angela Velez

Never Have I Ever meets Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute in this hilarious and moving YA coming-of-age about a girl juggling way too many lies, one very off-limits crush, and a secret summer internship—all while steering clear of the dreaded f-word: her future.

Ezzie Ramos is a champion secret keeper. Her brilliant-professor mami and nosy abuelita don’t know about her daily ritual (wandering the art museum), her college applications (hopelessly blank), or her summer plans (avoiding the dreaded f-word, a.k.a. her future, at all costs).

Ezzie’s biggest secret? She’s interning at Sprout, the urban garden she’s stunned to discover her father founded weeks before his death. All she knows about Papi begins and ends with his dazzling scientific research legacy—but what if he dreamed of a different path too?

With seven weeks to uncover who Papi really was, Ezzie must chase down every lead, even if it means tangling with Sprout’s star volunteer, Gabe McCalister, who couldn’t be more off-limits—or distractingly cute. But as Ezzie begins to put down roots at Sprout, she learns that secrets, like seeds, have a way of growing toward the light. . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Family, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Fiction, Young Adult Contemporary

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Angela Velez grew up in Baltimore, under the watchful eye of her Peruvian immigrant parents. She has a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. Angela lives in Pittsburgh, with her piles of books, three plastic flamingos, and one wobbly disco ball. Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity is her first novel.

Reviews

[jo ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge thanks to netgalley + the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts are my own.

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!!

🌿𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ ᰔᩚ🪴🐝

i always wondered what it would be like if so many things i loved were in a book. in all honesty i dont know if i've felt this way about a story since i read ann liang's writing. because contemporary ya is such a great but also semi boring genre at times, this book knocked it out of the part call it shohei ohtani.

what does this have
🪴 banter like actually good banter
🪴 plants and gardening rep
🪴 actually likeable fmcs
🪴 swoonworthy mmcs
🪴 realistic plot duhhh
🪴 side characters that are actually likeable like hellooo
🪴 and a latina rep like, lets go babes


what i love

i find writing five star reviews hard because oftentimes i have so many things i like about the book that i cannot express it in words but that five star rating should be more than enough. each word in this book was perfect and the vibe, prose and plot mixed with how all the characters did everything was just like chefs kisses.

i will be purchasing a copy and literally obsessing because it's too gorgeous. please pick up a copy of this book and i'll maybe figure out words for how to describe it.

~
the inside is JUST as good as the cover.
full review to come !!!

[hazel rae ᥫ᭡]

DNF

nothing against the book, I just wasn’t feeling in the mood for this right now + wasn’t a fan of the content.

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure at first with this one. It started a little slow for me. That being said, once it hit a certain event at a party, I was more involved and ready to find out where the story would take me. Now, along those lines, there was a LOT going on in this story. But all of it did figure into the story in some way and connect it all at the end.

I was right there with Ezzie, hoping she’d find out more about her father after she found information that he had been possibly going to quit his job as a professor/scientist and run a not-for-profit gardening group. Even as it was just a small crumb here and there that helped her on her quest, she also learned so many things about the world around her, as well as about her self and what she wanted with her life. Sprout was such a neat place, and even though I am not a plant person at all, nor do I have any interest in gardening, getting my hands dirty like that, I did enjoy learning about all the things they did there.

Ezzie’s kind of “meet-cute” with Gabe at a part towards the beginning of the story, was fun, and so when he was at Sprout when she showed up, I was definitely there to see where the two of them could connect and become friends, and hopefully more eventually. I loved their time at Sprout, as well as all the different events they participated in, and ran in some cases towards the end. It was fun for the two of them to go to the art museum together, and for the two of them to let down their guard with each other, again, friendship blossoming into more. Even with the history he had with Ezzie’s best friend.

Now, let’s talk about her best friend Dora. It was obvious she was keeping things from Ezzie, even as Ezzie was hiding the fact that she was growing closer to Gabe. However, Dora was kind of caught in some lies by Ezzie, but Dora continued to not tell her what was going on. So, at the point where the lies caught up to the two of them, and then Dora acted like Ezzie’s lies were worse? I totally disagreed and was very angry at how that was handled. Supposedly Dora tried to tell her Ezzie, but it didn’t at all come across as trying to tell her, especially when you look back at how she did it. So Dora for me, well, while they did make up in the end, I don’t think she was fair with Ezzie at all. I feel like Gabe had a right to feel upset with Ezzie, because of how it would feel to know that she was hiding him from her friend, and that she knew about his background because of her friend, but she hadn’t bothered to tell him.

Ezzie’s family was a big emotional part of the story as well. I was in shock at how her mother handled finding out about Ezzie being a part of Sprout. But I adored Ezzie’s Abuelita. All of the things she did and said made sense, but then when she realized how things were going for Ezzie and she saw how she was growing and changing and learning about herself, the way she embraced her granddaughter was perfect.

In the end, this was a really good story. I do feel it could have maybe been a little shorter, maybe not as much detail about so many of the different things was needed. The whole escaped bird part of the story was funny and did connect one person to her father, but at times maybe was a little extra? So I would recommend it, but would also just have people know there is a lot of story here.

Review first posted on Lisa Loves Literature.

[Katy Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams is about a girl who's torn between her own talents and dreams (art) and her family's expectations for her (science), which is intensified by her private school's summer project. When she discovered that her recently deceased father had created an environmental organization, named Sprout, she decided to work there to find out more about it (and why he never told her about it) under the guise of her summer project. Meeting her best friend's ex there makes things more complicated, especially when she learns there were reasons they had a falling out and she likes him more than she expected to. There were a lot of strong and relatable themes in this book -- troubles/complications with friendships, miscommunications, teen relationships, family dynamics, death and grief, and exploring our choices. While I struggled with the pacing at times, I appreciated that we got to see each of the characters grow in nuanced ways; no one was perfect and everyone had to really look at themselves and consider their actions. This would be a good addition to any library serving environmentally focused teens, teens who like romance or realistic fiction, or those who appreciate coming of age stories. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

[Renae Reji · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Tangled Roots and Wild Dreams* has a heartfelt message about family, identity, forgiveness, and discovering where you belong. Those themes were the strongest part of the novel for me, and I appreciated the author's exploration of generational relationships and the emotional growth of the characters. The writing was engaging, and the story had several touching moments that kept me invested. I especially enjoyed the emphasis on healing family relationships and finding hope even in difficult circumstances.

That said, the part that made me give this book three stars and not five are the transgender characters. Overall, while the themes of family and self-discovery resonated with me, the book wasn't entirely for me.

[tinaathena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet and laced with the romantic moments of young love, intoxicating friendship of youth, the blur of beginning to understand who you are, AND there is good food in it. Didn’t shy away from grief, depression, and pain or some of the cultural challenges of growing up as “other” in America. Good form Angela Velez!

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful reminder to keep living and loving and growing, even when the future is unclear. I can’t wait to keep learning about all the people I love.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams” by Angela Velez is one of those soft, heartfelt YA reads that sneaks up on you in a good way. It’s messy, warm, a little chaotic, and very much about figuring out who you are when everything in your life feels uncertain.

The story follows Ezzie, a high school senior who is very good at keeping secrets. She’s avoiding thinking about her future, dodging college applications, and quietly dealing with the lingering grief of losing her dad years ago. When she discovers that he had plans to start a community garden called Sprout before he died, she decides to secretly intern there to learn more about him.

And yes, she lies about it. To pretty much everyone. Which obviously goes great and never backfires at all (not).

What starts as a simple summer internship turns into a whole journey of self-discovery. Through Sprout, Ezzie begins uncovering a different side of her father—one that isn’t just the polished, academic version her family talks about. It’s really about realizing that people (especially the ones we love) are more complicated than the stories we’re told.

The emotional core of this book is so strong. The family dynamics, especially between Ezzie, her mom, and her abuelita, feel real and layered. There’s grief, tension, love, and a lot of things left unsaid. I especially loved the grandmother’s presence and the little bits of wisdom she brings; it adds so much heart.

Ezzie herself is such a likable narrator. She’s funny, a little dramatic, very relatable, and definitely flawed. Her “web of lies” gets increasingly complicated, but you understand why she’s doing it, which makes it more frustrating in a “girl please just be honest” way rather than an annoying one.

There’s also a romance with Gabe, who happens to be her best friend’s ex, so there is some immediate drama. It’s very much a slow burn, and honestly, it feels realistic for this age. Awkward, sweet, a little messy. It never overshadows the main story, which is nice; it’s there, but it’s not the point.

And then there’s the whole garden setting, which I loved. It’s not just a backdrop; it ties into everything: growth, roots, identity, and the idea that secrets (like seeds) don’t stay buried forever. There’s even a symbolic escaped parrot running around the story that kind of mirrors Ezzie’s situation, which is a fun little touch.

If I had to nitpick, the plot itself is pretty low-stakes and character-driven, so if you’re looking for something super dramatic or fast-paced, this might feel a bit quiet. But that’s also kind of its strength; it’s more about emotional growth than big plot twists.

Overall, this is a really thoughtful, tender coming-of-age story about identity, family, and learning how to be honest with others and yourself. It’s the kind of book that feels especially perfect for that “what am I doing with my life?” stage.

If you like character-driven YA with heart, a little romance, and a lot of self-discovery, this one is definitely worth picking up.

[Teenage Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the daughter of immigrants, Ezzie Ramos was taught that success looked like universities, doctorates, and lab jobs—forever. So when she finds the paperwork showing that her deceased father planned to leave his university job to start an urban garden called Sprout, Ezzie feels compelled to learn more. Unfortunately, this means a lot of lying: lying to her mother about her summer internship, lying to her abuelita about the dirt under her nails or why she’s at the farmers market, and lying to her best friend that Gabe is just a co-worker—not the person she’s been developing feelings for.
Velez keeps us captivated as Ezzie spins these lies through her life while learning more about her papi, who died eight years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Ezzie’s story is relatable and engaging, as she keeps up this false narrative only because she doesn’t want to hear the negative opinions her family and friends might have. She needs to know who her father was, and Sprout is the way to do that. Gabe just happens to be a happy accident. The jock heartbreaker who once hurt Dora turns out to be a decent guy trying to get his life back on track as his own home life falls apart.
I truly loved the many interactions Velez gives us between Ezzie and Gabe, allowing their relationship to develop naturally as they move from friends to something more. It doesn’t feel rushed, and although Velez includes the classic second-act breakup when Ezzie’s lies come out, the way it’s handled shows the maturity of both Ezzie and Dora. Unlike her mom—who is more childish in her reaction—Dora actually has a valid reason to be hurt. I know grief affects everyone differently, and Velez does a great job portraying that, but I still wish Ezzie’s mother had embraced her with open arms.
Velez’s writing makes this novel feel truly real, capturing the complexity of everyone’s lives, especially Dora’s and Gabe’s, while keeping Ezzie’s voice and worries authentic for someone her age. The pressure of having immigrant parents and needing to achieve highly is intense, and we see both the negative and positive effects this has on Ezzie and how it shapes who she becomes. Velez shows this through Ezzie’s actions and through deep conversations with her abuelita, her mother, and even Dora. Overall, it gives Ezzie an edge and a perspective I loved learning about, setting this novel apart from other coming-of-age stories.

[Michael Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams by Angela Velez is a realistic novel about discovering your roots. High School Senior Ezzie is desperate to learn more about her father, who died 8 years ago. Her archeologist mother won't talk about him because it hurts too much, and her grandmother only says that he was a college professor who loved his job. But then Ezzie discovers that he had planned to start a not-for-profit plant nursery called Sprouts just before he died. Needing a summer internship for school, Ezzie finds a way to work at Sprouts in hopes of finding out more about her dad by interviewing people who were there when it began. Ezzie's mother is on a work trip out of the country, and Ezzie knows her mom wouldn't want her working at Sprout. So she lies about it, and finds that it's harder and harder to keep lying. At Sprouts, Ezzie gets paired up with Gabe, another volunteer who is also Ezzie's best-friend Dora ex-boyfriend, and therefore, their mortal enemy. But almost as soon as Ezzie is elbow-deep in dirt at the nursery, she discovers that Gabe isn't all that bad of a person -- so she lies by omission to both Dora and Gabe. There's also an escaped parrot named Lola that has become a local celebrity as it is spotted around town while its keepers from the National Aviary try to get it back into captivity -- an easy to catch thematic element symbolizing Ezzie's freedom to search for her father with her mother gone, and just as the parrot is captured, Ezzie's mother returns and all the lies catch up with her. This is a heartfelt novel about navigating your own space in a fraught and tense family (and friend) situation, with healthy and reasonable real-world resolutions. There is some romance, but the focus is less about focusing on 'getting the boy' than it is discovering family history and mending rifts with Ezzie's mother and grandmother.
This delightful realistic young adult novel deserves a place in every high school library! And plenty of home bookshelves as well. I highly recommend this book!

[Michael Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful realistic young adult novel deserves a place in every high school library! And plenty of home bookshelves as well.
High School Senior Ezzie is desparate to learn more about her father, who died 8 years ago. Her archeologist mother won't talk about him because it hurts too much, and her grandmother only says that he was a college professor who loved his job. But then Ezzie discovers that he had planned to start a not-for-profit plant nursery called Sprouts just before he died. Needing a summer internship for school, Ezzie finds a way to work at Sprouts in hopes of finding out more about her dad by interviewing people who were there when it began. Ezzie's mother is on a work trip out of the country, and Ezzie knows her mom wouldn't want her working at Sprout. So she lies about it, and finds that it's harder and harder to keep lying. At Sprouts, Ezzie gets paired up with Gabe, another volunteer who is also Ezzie's best-friend Dora ex-boyfriend, and therefore, their mortal enemy. But almost as soon as Ezzie is elbow-deep in dirt at the nursery, she discovers that Gabe isn't all that bad of a person -- so she lies by omission to both Dora and Gabe. There's also an escaped parrot named Lola that has become a local celebrity as it is spotted around town while its keepers from the National Aviary try to get it back into captivity -- an easy to catch thematic element symbolizing Ezzie's freedom to search for her father with her mother gone, and just as the parrot is captured, Ezzie's mother returns and all the lies catch up with her.
This is a heartfelt novel about navigating your own space in a fraught and tense family (and friend) situation, with healthy and reasonable real-world resolutions. There is some romance, but the focus is less about focusing on 'getting the boy' than it is discovering family history and mending rifts with Ezzie's mother and grandmother.
I highly recommend this book!

[⟣ selah ⟢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

3.75 stars

Contemporary ya books are very hit-or-miss with me, and I'm never sure if I'm going to enjoy contemporary book going into it. I'm happy to say I did enjoy Tangle Roots & Wild Dreams! I love when books with beautiful covers don't disappoint. The only thing that kept this from reaching four stars, is that it did take me a bit to get into the story.

Ezzie was a relatable protagonist, and I loved her character arc of self-discovery. It was a nice change of pace to read a lower-stakes story that was more character-driven. I also appreciated that Dora, Ezzie's best friend, was actually likeable and had a personality outside of being the FMC's bestie. Angela Velez really nailed it with all the side characters. I adored Gabe. He was so funny and sweet, and overall a solid love interest. I wish we got to learn little more about Gabe's family because they do play a minor role in the plot later on, but that's my only complaint about his character.

The romance between Ezzie and Gabe felt very realistic and believable. I loved that it was a slow-burn and not insta-love!! Their little banter was amazing and felt natural.

I also really enjoy the fact that, even by the end of the book, Ezzie still didn't really know what she wants to do with her life. Even though the future was still uncertain for her, Ezzie has learned to be confident in herself as a person.

If you're looking for a heartfelt, character-driven contemporary story with a splash of romance Tangle Roots & Wild Dreams delivers.

[mood_reading_maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to HarperCollins for the e-ARC and HarperAudio for the ALC.

This was a lovely coming of age YA novel with delightful audio narration. Ezzie Ramos was earnest, messy, motivated, and still held onto age appropriate shadows of insecurity. Like many young adult novels, this has slice of life scenes that punctuate the pacing, which does move a bit slowly overall, and most noticeably in the first 25%.

Grief is a theme that weaves throughout the story, driving Ezzie's mission to uncover who her father was - beyond the carefully cultivated image her abuelita and mother have crafted for her. It also brings up something that many teens likely discount: who are your parents as people, outside of their role as your caregivers? How well do you really know the key adults in your life? Interwoven with this theme is how one responds to personality facades, unidirectional pathways to success, and how to break free from forced expectations. Ezzie's personal growth arc is the narrative counterpoint that buoys the weight of grief underpinning the story in Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams.

There's an appropriate level of miscommunication throughout the story. Because believe it or not teens are not the best communicators! Especially when it comes to their feelings. For the characters though, their key points of growth are demonstrated through the more honest and vulnerable moments of conversation they have with one another. It shows that sometimes the moments that require the most bravery means revealing truths about yourself to others.

This is the kind of lightly sad x horny book I wish I'd had as a teen.

[Amber Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.

I will be honest: this one starts slowly, and there were a few moments early on where I almost put it down. Stick with it. It is absolutely worth the patience.

Tangled Roots and Wild Dreams follows Ezzie Ramos, a high school senior with a brilliant professor mother, a nosy abuelita and a summer full of lies.

When she discovers her late father secretly founded a non-profit garden called Sprout, she takes a covert internship there, hoping to piece together who Papi really was.

What this book is really about, though, is the weight of other people's expectations and grief. Ezzie is the kind of teenager who scores well on every aptitude test. She is good at everything, which makes it harder to figure out what she actually wants. There is something very real in that tension, especially for kids raised in high-achieving households.

The grief element is handled with a lot of care. It is not just Ezzie's grief we see, it’s the way her mother's grief has shaped the whole family's relationship with Papi's memory, and how that silence creates gaps Ezzie has had to fill in on her own.

And then there is abuelita. I want her as my own grandmother. She comes across as a hardass at first, but her love just keeps growing and becoming more apparent with every chapter. One of the best slow-burn character reveals in a book.

At its core, this is a story about how history and storytelling are inseparable from identity. Knowing where you come from, the full complicated version of it, turns out to be the thing that helps you figure out where you are going.

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

After really enjoying Velez's _Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity_, I was very enthusiastic about reading this author's new YA romance. My high incoming expectations were met and perhaps even exceeded!

Ezzie is surrounded by strong women and the pressures of a well educated family. She's really still trying to navigate where and how she fits into this collective. An added challenge for Ezzie is the fairly recent and fully unexpected death of her father. As anticipated, she is struggling with this a lot, and that's exacerbated by her mother's preferred coping mechanism: silence. Ezzie wants to know more than she's able to learn from others, so she goes to find out on her own. That's how she ends up with an internship that connects her to her father and his secrets.

This is a romance and a satisfying one at that, but it is also so much more. Ezzie is a great character. She's strong, curious, reasonable, and a generally good person, but she's also realistic in that she is deeply flawed. What more could one want out of a YA protagonist? The ancillary characters add a lot to the experience, with Ezzie's abuelita really standing out among that great group.

I enjoyed this read - especially the audiobook - and will be recommending it to my students.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc and alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rep: Latinx (Peruvian) FMC with anxiety, SCs with depression

Thanks, @netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers, for the e-ARC. TRAWD is a really beautiful portrayal of grief, loss, and discovery. Eight years after the sudden and tragic loss of her father, Ezzie is a lost and directionless senior, trying to figure out what she wants to do in the future, where she wants to go to college, and in the immediate, where she wants to volunteer for her summer internship. Ezzie uncovers secrets about her father: that, weeks before his death, he founded a community garden and might not have been as happy with his career path as she thought. I found it refreshing to have a book talk about grief years later without any need or encouragement to “get over it” or the implication that the loss is somehow easier now that time has passed. And that each character: the grandma, the mother, and the daughter, deals with grief and loss in their own way. I also loved the concept of continuing to learn more about a loved one after their passing and how that can open up a rich inner world. There’s a forbidden romance plot in here too, but tbh, I was much more taken with the dad and community garden plot. There were parts of the story that felt a little sluggish or unnecessary — like the whole bird search — but overall, really, really lovely and heartfelt read.

CW: death of a parent, grief, drunk driver, fatal car accident, blood

[Stephanie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
Essie doesn’t know what she wants to do with her future. Her parents were scientists but she does really enjoy lab work. One day while going thru her deceased father’s belongings she finds a letter of resignation to the university he works at stating that he is starting a nonprofit called Sprout and will be leaving to run that organization. Essie decides to intern there to find out more about her father. She can’t bring him up at home
because it upsets her mother. Essie lies to her mother and her grandmother about working there. While there she meets up with Gabe, who broke her best friend’s heart when he ghosted her. The more time they spend together the more she realizes he has changed.

I really enjoyed this coming of age story. I like how Essie learns to work thru her grief and discover the possibilities of what her life can be like while working with the plants. I really enjoyed her slow burn romance with Gabe. It felt very realistic. I live that they were both working thru family issues and were helping each other through it. I loved her relationship with her grandmother. Her grandmother is strong and set in her ways in the beginning but slowly realizes that there are more than one way to do things.
I really enjoyed the audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job and I would recommend the audio version.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love the cover design for this book. I also really appreciated the narrator and her authentic pronunciation of the Spanish included in the book. Beyond that, however, this narrative did not do anything to make it stand out in any way amongst the plethora of other young adults, contemporary, coming-of-age novels that I have read. That doesn’t mean that this is a bad book. It just means that it felt average. In this narrative, the main character set out on a fellowship volunteer opportunity that she needs to complete as part of her high school's honors program. She is living with her grandmother and her mother, although at the time of the narrative, her mother is in another country working on a research project as part of her job as a geology professor. The main character chooses a community garden organization because she discovers that her father - shortly prior to his tragic death at the hands of a drunk driver - created this program and was about to resign his university professorship. She also has a meet-cute with a boy who is also volunteering at the program who is a sort of ex of her best friend. The driving conflict of this narrative ends up being the secrets that she’s keeping from all these various people yes, I understand how such a thing can drive a plot. However, this type of narrative conflict gets old quickly. I do not think this was a bad book, just not one that greatly grabbed my attention.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was lovely. It was so lovely that I don't even know how to write a review for it because the only word that comes to mind is "lovely". This is a lovely coming-of-age story about a lovely girl finding her way, with a lovely romance subplot, lovely friendships, and lovely references to identity and culture. Oh my gosh, and the title and cover too. And all of it was sweet without being saccharine. The characters aren't perfect and they don't live in an unrealistic bubble. But they are lovely!

And the author's style of writing was, well, lovely. Very lyrical with some lines sounding like they came from a poem. I listened to the epilogue several times and eventually just wrote down the lines I loved so that I could reference them whenever I want.

Both the author and the narrator are new to me. I'm definitely checking out Angela Velez's other novel. And I thought the narrator, Brenda Arteaga-Walsh, was very sweet and really did right by the story. Mostly because I listened to the epilogue so many times that I really came to appreciate how she spoke the words and her inflections.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC. Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams comes out June 16, 2026.

[Talya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams is the kind of book I wish I’d had when I was sixteen. Seeing a girl like myself reflected on the page at that age would have meant everything. The story follows a girl on the cusp of her senior year who needs a summer internship to graduate. After her father’s death when she was ten, she learns that he was once involved in a community garden project named Sprout. What begins as a volunteer commitment soon becomes her school project and a journey of self-discovery. Through the garden, she uncovers deeper connections to her father, her family, and even her first experience with love. The slow-burn romance feels incredibly authentic for this age group, capturing that instinct to please everyone while never quite being honest with yourself or others. The settings are beautifully described, the guidance from her abuelita is heartfelt and wise; I loved her dichos. Most importantly, the characters were all real, flawed, uncertain, and growing. This novel is tender, honest, and deeply relatable.

[L.A. Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet, heartfelt book! I listened to the audiobook, and it was amazing!!

This is the story of Ezzie, a girl who is trying to find out more about her dead Papi, while also struggling to discover who she is. I really liked the connections Ezzie made with people in her community. I think that in learning about others, Ezzie was able was able to in turn learn more about herself. Along the way, Ezzie gained a support team that she could count on, and developed a better relationship with her family. Speaking of relationships, the romance in this book was so sweet!!

Brenda Arteaga-Walsh did a phenomenal job as the narrator for the audiobook. She conveyed the emotions of Ezzie so well. I have never cried while listening to an audiobook until now!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Children’s for an audiobook arc of this book! All opinions are my own.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ezzie is not sure what to do for her summer project. Her mom is out of the country doing research and her Abuelita has a busy social life. Both think she is doing recycling all summer, because they have pushed her to be perfect, but she really doesn't know what direction she wants her life to go. She ends up at a garden center for the summer, where she learns more about her dad, who has passed, and more about who she wants to be and where she wants to go in the future. Ezzie is so relatable. Many teens feel this way before they are looking into colleges and looking towards the future. This book is full of great characters and a great setting. I could picture myself there and following along on the adventures with Ezzie.

[Kassie Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Children's for an ALC of this book!

Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams caught my attention from the cover. I mean COME ON, that is beautiful! I was very interested in Ezzie's story from the blurb as well.

First thing, the narrator was perfection! Her voice was really easy to listen to and kept me intrigued throughout. The voice felt like a teenager was telling me the story of her life, it was really special.

Following Ezzie as she is finding herself was so nice. Her story felt very relatable for a teenager who is uncovering parental secrets, while also trying to find herself.
I also liked that there was a romantic element within the story, but it was definitely not the focus.

I highly recommend this story!

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

High school student Ezzie has gone through the trauma of losing her Papi in a tragic accident 10 years ago, but even now her family refuses to talk about him. So when the opportunity comes for her to do her summer internship at Sprout, a place her Papi founded, Ezzie jumps at the chance to find out more about him. Along the way, she meets a boy (of course) who becomes her partner in action as she discovers little bits here and there about her father.
This was slow to get into but after a while I was hooked. I could have done without some of the friend drama–I was actually pretty frustrated with the best friend. All in all, this was a pretty average YA read.

[Honora Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

much thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts are my own

this was a beautiful story. at the beginning, i wasn’t so sure about it, but as it continued, i grew (pun intended) to love it and i really appreciated the themes, the writing style, and of course, gabe.

i would have appreciated way less LGBT content, and other comments and such that only took away from the story instead of adding to it. (hence the three stars) overall, this isn’t a book i would go around recommending, but it’s still a sweet story that i enjoyed and am glad that i read.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. I liked the imperfection of Ezzie and her goal of uncovering the secrets about her dad after his death and related to a project he was working on especially with the cryptic announcement message he was going to be sharing but with everyone's devastation about his death, Ezzie finds herself the only one willing to get answers and she's lying to her family to do it. And there's a boy. The banter was fine. It didn't necessarily affect the reading, but I didn't quite like Ezzie herself though I recognize her necessity in YA lit. Plus, the cover!

She's got gumption.

[reece t]

huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Was not into it, unfortunately! I felt like the paragraphs were so dense and the latina fmc felt more stereotypical than not :((

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! Ezzie as a main character is so vibrant and full of love and big feelings. Her life in Pittsburgh felt so fleshed out and real - this novel is a true love letter to the city. I tore through this book and it was a joy to read. Essie’s Abuelita is also iconic!

[Tami]

DNF

I am not the target audience but I usually enjoy YA fiction, however, I found this very slow and didn't feel interested/invested in any of the characters. Which is a shame, because I adore gardening and science! Bummer.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

More of a YA book due to language and content, but a fun choice for high school readers.