Like it was some big reveal that just happened, instead of the character just excusing themself to go to the bathroom. But I didn't. And by the time I got home I was kind of invested in the story, so I just gritted my teeth and tried to let it go. I was interested in the plotline more than the romance, to be honest. I loved the Jasmine and I'm still not convinced that Ashton is quite right for her. The drama was a bit much at the end, and I left the story not being in love with the relationship and how everything went down. It's a great start in the trilogy for Alexis Daria and I can't wait to read the stories of Michelle - my homonymous, lol - and Ava! I grew up watching telenovelas. In a Hispanic household, they were a huge staple of weeknights in my younger days, and gathering around the TV to partake in the entertainment was just the thing to do. I remember bits and pieces of titles such as Maria La Del Barrio, Esmeralda, Pasión de Gavilanes, and La Mentira. These stories were often over the top, but also rather entertaining. To this day, I'm fond of Portuguese telenovelas—such as O Clone—even though it has been years since I've dedicated the time to watching them. But as soon as I caught a peek of the synopsis in You Had Me at Hola, I knew that reading it would be my chance to enjoy a little bit of that history.

Now, having said that, I certainly didn't hate them. I was rooting for them to get their happily ever after. RITA ® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings readers an unforgettable, hilarious rom-com set in the drama-filled world of telenovelas—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin and The Kiss Quotient. When I read this, I had just spilled a glass of water on my laptop, my child, the love of my life, and been informed it would have cost NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS to fix. I spent the day in a malaise of TikTok and reflecting on my own suffering. Eventually I read my library ebook copy of this on my phone, instead of on my then dead computer, as nature intended. Well, you know what’s going to happen if you’ve read a rom-com or two, but You Had Me at Hola is really enjoyable. It was refreshing to read a book with Latinx characters, and a soap opera-esque show is the perfect setting for a story like this. It was also great to have the female protagonist really have the control in the story.Have you ever read a book that you know you didn't give a fair shot, because you were in a bad enough mood that you could have read the greatest story ever told and still not liked it, but also simultaneously known that even if you had read that book when life itself was nothing but sunshine and rainbows and every day was a new delight you still wouldn't have liked it? Soap opera actress Jasmine Lin Rodriguez has just landed the lead role on a Latinx romantic comedy show, to be streamed on a Netflix lookalike, so you know it’s a big deal. She’s paired up with a famous telenovela star in his own right, Ashton Suárez. They get off on a bumpy start after he accidentally spills coffee on her during their first meeting, and try as they might to create some chemistry between them while filming, something seems to be missing. So they agree to work on their lines behind the scenes, and that’s when things really heat up. That last rule becomes more difficult to observe when a last-minute casting change puts hunky telenovela actor Ashton Suarez in the role of her leading man. But Ashton, who has secrets of his own, is also determined not to let anyone get close to him, especially his beautiful costar. As smooth and easy as the reading was, I also really appreciated the Spanish words that not only added a nice touch to the story itself but let the readers connect with the characters’ roots.

stars. I don't know if my expectations for this one were just too high, but a lot of things about this book just didn't work for me. I loved the diversity of the characters, the representation and how real and lovely they felt. As a queer latina, my heart feels really happy and complete with this book. I'd say that the only true core issue I had was that the romance was a little awkward for the first third of the novel. Was it supposed to be enemies-to-lovers? Insta-love? Something else? I'm additionally apprehensive at any signs of a love story's stakes being based around very simple miscommunications. There were also some sections with quite a bit of telling instead of showing. After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had. I never see Ashton’s son as a big obstacle for their relationship and the angst part between them were a little unrealistic. They may talk with each other like normal adults.When she would read the regular narration parts of the story. And then she suddenly turned into William Shatner! It's through Daria's deep and nuanced exploration of these ideas that You Had Me at Hola says hello to new risks. It's a sensual choreography of romance, feminism, and identity that harmonizes the characters' relationships on and offscreen — while making all the jefa moves.

This book reads like a labor of love. There is so much detail put into the setting and the characters and it's done so lovingly at times that it may seem a bit corny. Thing is, that's just how Boricua love is. It's loud, it's boisterous and it's warm to its core. Eighteen-year-old Mallory Greenleaf is no longer interested in chess, not since her hypercompetitive dad left—the game calls up painful memories. But she grudgingly agrees to play in a charity tournament as a favor to best friend Easton Peña. After she unexpectedly beats current world champion Nolan Sawyer, she’s offered a fellowship that will prepare her to play professionally. Even though Mallory doesn’t want to play anymore, she needs the money that winning would provide; she’s delayed college to support her family, since her mother is chronically ill with rheumatoid arthritis and is unable to work regularly. The more time she spends with Nolan, the more Mallory comes to like and respect him—and the more time she spends playing chess, the more she remembers how much she loved it. But when she learns that Nolan has been keeping a big secret from her, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to move past it to build a relationship with him. Filled with the author’s signature humor, well-developed characters, and realistic conflicts, plus the fully realized setting of competitive chess, this captivating romance will delight teen readers as well as Hazelwood’s adult fans. Mallory and Nolan are both cued white; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast. Mallory and Easton are queer.

I wasn't a fan of Ashton and his behaviour towards the end just cemented my dislike of him. Deal with your shit like an adult geez! And on a scale of one to steamy, this book is approaching "I think my head might've detached from my body and transcended dimensions only to explode" levels. So she needs a clean state, fresh start, concentrating on her career. But it seems like it is impossible task when you have so freaking charming co-star and sharing so many intimate, hot kissing scenes with him. Yes, she starts falling fast and she needs to stop but does she really want to stop?

now, Ángel Luis...jesus christ. he is one of my favourite love interests ever. i'm so happy that i've found another author who i think genuinely does male perspectives so well. his character is so refreshing, always polite, respectful and sweet and, to me, he is a man written by a woman. ugh, he is just such a gentleman. he's also a single dad and i'm usually one who does not like children/pregnancy aspects in romance books but ohmygod Yadiel is the sweetest breadroll and Ángel's love for him was everything. She and her cousins have put together a “Leading Lady Plan” for her to live by, which includes knowing she doesn’t need a man to make her happy and vowing not to mess around with her costars. Of course there were other things I enjoyed about this romance, the banter, the Latinx representation, and the drama of a telenovela. It just wasn’t enough to make it an outstanding romance for me. Ok. Just as an example (not an actual quote!) instead of saying, "She left the room, went outside, and put on a sweater.", she would say, "She left the room (stop) went outside (stop) and put on a swea-ter." All I can think now that I’ve read this is that I want to read more books that explore Latinx stories, especially within the romance genre. It was rich in culture, boisterous, loud. I mean, you’ve seen that cover.I really enjoyed this book and read it within 24 hours, I loved it that much. This book has the story within a story trope, which I really love. I loved the characters, particularly Jasmine, I felt I could relate to her and how she was actively trying to achieve her goals. Ashton, the main male character, was also very developed for me, as he had so many layers and walls around him and it made him seem very real. The romance between the two was also great and I loved how it began, as it’s something you hear happen so often in the media. There was steam, and lots of attraction and chemistry between the couple. BUT the beginning between them was bit awkward and slow. The love story between Jasmine and Ashton wasn’t sure what it wanted to be and that prevented me from really enjoying it. And it was very sweet and cute – not necessarily my kind of romance.