Book Title: A BRITISH GIRL’S GUIDE TO HURRICANES AND HEARTBREAK
Character Name: Flora Maxwell (with a surprise appearance from side character, Lila Reyes)
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
My family is loving and stable, but early on I earned the nickname Hurricane because of my tendency to “act out and overcome” instead of relying on those closest to me. Much of my life has been spent dealing with my mum’s declining memory and health due to early onset dementia. She recently passed away, which has been extremely difficult for my whole family. And it’s caused me to make some choices that are so risky, I’ve kept them a secret.
What was your greatest talent?
I am quite good with a camera!
Significant other?
Okay––hola, todos, this is Lila Reyes stepping in here. I’m not going to let my hermana in spirit Flora answer this because 1.) It’s way too complicated 2.) Flora doesn’t even have enough clarity on this matter to speak. Yet. But she will, just give her a little time. Besitos, Lila
Biggest challenge in relationships?
I don’t always feel worthy of good things, love, and kindness. I’m known for self-sabotaging.
Where do you live?
Winchester, Hampshire, England. But I’m spending the summer in Miami, Florida. Or I’ve escaped there, to be more clear . . .
Do you have any enemies?
My biggest enemy is myself much of the time.
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
I’m writing from my summer Miami bedroom, and I love this place and the Reyes family. They’ve taken me in during the cruel aftermath of the most difficult time in my life.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Since I’m just 18, no children yet. I have repeatedly asked my dad if we could get a dog (except for the one time I begged for a certain cat I did fancy) but he’s firm on the no-pets rule.
What do you do for a living?
I’ve just finished school and currently, I work with my brother Orion’s girlfriend Lila as her pasty assistant.
Greatest disappointment?
That I always seem to disappoint my family whilst trying to care for myself.
Greatest source of joy?
My friends and taking pictures.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
Hanging with my friends, baking with Lila, and in Miami, I really love the beach.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
The day my mum passed away, and how I handled it and reacted. I can barely speak about it.
What keeps you awake at night?
Wondering what I’m going to make of myself in the future. I’m having such trouble deciding what I want to do and become.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
That I must write a beautiful tribute speech to honor my mum, and I have to pick a course of study for uni. Neither are coming easily to me in this time of grief and regret.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
I want to be at peace with myself and my family. I want a future that feels like mine.
Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?
Everything I see in the mirror. My doubts, fears, and regrets are typically in the way of most good things. And I’ve spent so long dealing with my mum’s illness that I haven’t had the mind to figure out a lot for my future.
Cuban Girl’s Guide
In this highly anticipated companion to the New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, Flora Maxwell heads to Miami to find a path for her future…and finds her heart along the way.
Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions.
So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.
But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.
Laura Taylor Namey’s newest novel navigates heartbreak that feels like a hurricane in a city that is famous for them.
Young Adult Romance [Atheneum Books for Young Readers, On Sale: September 26, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781665915335 / ]
Laura Taylor Namey is the New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, The Library of Lost Things, and When We Were Them. A proud Cuban-American, she can be found hunting for vintage treasures and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.
This former teacher writes young adult novels featuring quirky teens learning to navigate life and love. She holds a BA in Elementary Education from the University of San Diego and is the winner of the Peggy Miller Award for excellence in young adult fiction.
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