Book Review: Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia

September 5, 2025

So, this was an overflow from my summer list that I just didn’t finish in the month of August. I very well could have just pushed it to a next summer read, but I am so glad I didn't. This book was so sweet and so heartfelt I already want to read it again and I just finished the book.

We follow the story of a young woman named Almudena the summer of the 15th birthday. Her mother takes her to live with her dad, who she has never met, over the summer because she was given a once in a lifetime opportunity to tour with a dance troupe. She knows it will probably be the last time in her life that she will ever be able to do it, and jumps at the opportunity, even if it means leaving Almudena by herself. Almudena struggles with this choice, but wants her mom to live her dreams, even if they don’t involve her, but did it have to be that she stayed the summer with a man she’s never met? She has so many questions for the man, and also feels so confused as to why she knows so little about him. Upon getting to the brownstone her dad lives in, she comes to find out that he does not speak any English, and she does not speak any Spanish, and this is going to be more difficult than she thought. Together, they spend the summer learning how to communicate, discovering new things about each other, and fixing the brownstone into apartments for the community that is slowly being gentrified around them. All the while, Almudena is learning about the half of her she hasn’t ever known, making friends who feel like family, and discovering more about herself than she knew possible.

I truly loved this book. It was deep and meaningful and filled with beautiful people. I cannot think of a single person who should not read this book. It is simply lovely. I highly recommend.