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, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Audiobook, Teen

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 ❣︎]

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 !!!

[annotated by Noi (in & out)]

This was lovely.

It really said, coming of age story? Bet, let's put everything we can - dealing with expectations, the future, discovering what you really want, relationships (with family, with friends, first love), grief...

Should have annotated it because there were some good lines :)

[hazel rae ⊹ ࣪ ˖]

DNF

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

[Karina]

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.

[Dysha Cole]

I didn’t really care for this book or connect with the characters

[Rayo Reads]

DNF at 40%, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get into the story.

[Lisa Mandina]

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.

[⟣ selah ⟢]

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.

[tinaathena]

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!

[Katy Jones]

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]

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.

[Anna]

This was cute. It's about a girl who is torn between her own wishes for her future and what her family wants for her. Her father died when she was younger and when she finds out that he helped start a small grassroots non-profit gardening center that her family knows nothing about, she decides to secretly intern there for a school project during the summer while her mom is away on a research trip.

There is a romance and that's all fine. This is mostly about figuring out what you want for your future and doing what is best for you without letting other people's expectations get in the way. It was nice.

[Ash M]

4.5!

A book about a young girl’s coming of age followed through her journey dealing with grief, balancing friendships, keeping secrets, and finding herself in a world where she has been put on big expectations by her parents.

I loved the easy fun banter, the family concept within Sprout. How despite everything, how loving and caring Essie’s family was to her during her most difficult moment. It’s the perfect way to end August!

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens]

This girl is 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.

[Hannah Schorr]

This was a good YA novel with a bunch of very good lessons and thought provoking subjects. Bonus points for the Pittsburgh setting and extra bonus points for including the great National Aviary Eagle Escape, which absolutely gave me a chuckle every time it popped back up.

[Andrea]

3.75⭐️

Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams by Angela Velez is a YA coming of age story about Ezzie Ramos. Ezzie is a high school student who has lost her father and is very unsure about where her next steps will lead her. What does she want her private school's summer project to be? Where does she want to apply for college? Ezzie goes through her father's belongings and comes across a project of her father's called Sprout as well as a letter of resignation from her father before his death. Why did her father want to resign? What is Sprout? Throughout this story Ezzie navigates family history, grief, romance, friends, and a lot more. I would recommend this novel to young adults who can relate to Ezzie's character in some way. This story covers a lot of topics and additional story lines, so I could see this story potentially being overwhelming if you are a young adult already overwhelmed by the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio Children's for an ALC of Tangled Roots & Wild Dreams by Angela Velez. This title was published on June 16, 2026

[Carline]

🎧 This was an ARC read. While it’s appropriate for the intended YA audience, especially the Latinx community, I think juniors and seniors in high school, and older readers, will appreciate the deeper themes and emotions behind the story. So many moments felt relatable to me. It captures the essence of a coming of age journey with authenticity. The characters experience meaningful growth, the plot unfolds as a beautiful journey of self discovery, and the world building feels grounded and believable. Overall, it was a heartfelt and well crafted read.

Update: I kept thinking of this book a week later. I changed the rating from 4 to 5 for the simple fact that I would reread this and I loved the cultural and topics written in this story.

[Alaina Weaver]

Very cute!

[Madison Lessard]

I know the cautionary adage about books, covers, and judgements, but have we ever considered that sometimes a book and its cover ARE simultaneously beautiful?

[Vanessa]

I LOVED this book! The banter is so real and compelling, the relationships are beautifully developed, and all of the Pittsburgh details made the whole story come to life.

[Danika Ford]

Thank you for this Goodreads giveaway!

[Sophia]

A sweet book, with likeable characters and an engaging setting. A few too many moving parts (some of the side plots could have been pared back) overall rewarding. I don’t read much YA but I really enjoyed being young in the Pittsburgh summer along with the MC.

[Lindsay]

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]

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]

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.

[Kassie Rankin]

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!

[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]

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.

[Johnna]

A comfort read for sure. Warm and beautiful from start to finish. 🩵