User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Things I liked: the all Latinx cast and crew, the emphasis for representation in Hollywood, and the progressive way that they handled the production of the show with an intimacy coordinator and talks of consent. The coordinator’s role was interesting to learn about and I would have liked more spotlight on the crew members since it seemed like a great production. This book focuses primarily (or only) on the two actors though, and I was disappointed to find a severe lack of chemistry between the two leads. Despite them being experienced telenovela stars, they both acted so awkward around each other and had very vanilla dialogue. I didn’t find the love interest to be attractive at all because he acted so lukewarm and unnecessarily standoffish. Both characters behaved like it was their first time ever working with an attractive person, despite their years of experience in the industry. The majority of their conflict and angst is both of them thinking they can’t date each other because they have to care about their career - this makes zero sense because co-stars date all the time and publicists often spin this to get PR. It makes no sense why they would act like the world is over if people thought they were a couple, considering this happens to every actor that plays a couple on a show AND they are supposed to be experienced. Their emotional immaturity in dealing with conflicts, despite the man nearly being 40 and the protagonist constantly talking about being an independent strong woman, culminated into a dramatic breaking point in the 3rd act of the book that was ridiculous, unnecessary, and annoyingly almost jeopardized the full Latinx production crew that we’re supposed to be proud of seeing get put together.
Rating: really liked it
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.More addictive than if it was a real Netflix show!
I'm not usually a fan of books about famous people, but this was an exception as we focus on the main characters actually
doing their jobs rather than just being ~famous~. I loved that both characters were unabashedly ambitious and took their work seriously. Though the show they were filming was pretty cheesy and definitely cliche at times, I could forgive that due to the wonderful behind-the-scenes tension (the kissing choreography killed me).
The ending somehow dragged while also wrapping up a little bit too quickly? But I still highly enjoyed my time with Jasmine and Ashton! I am for sure going to dive into Alexis Daria's backlist ASAP.
Rating: really liked it
i liked this a lot more than i thought i would! i was worried the whole premise would be dramatic and over-the-top in the cheesy way soap operas are, but it wasnt. this is surprisingly adorable!
i had fun following jasmine and ashton both on and off set. they definitely have a lot of chemistry, so it was super easy to see how they started to fall for each other in and out of character.
i also liked the emphasis on family throughout the book. obviously actors have a much different life being in the public eye, but it wasnt difficult to relate to jasmine and ashton as they both tried to sort out their private lives when it came to their families and relationships.
overall, super cute and i would watch a telenovela starring these two MCs any day!
â 4.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Welcome to the glamorous world of telenovelas! As a great fan of adapted telenovelas “Jane the Virgin”, “Ugly Betty”, I was so excited to get my hands on this book.
Two rising stars of LatinX community are excited to work on brand new show: Carmen in Charge. It will help both of them for polishing their careers and finding better places for them in the movie industry.
We’re introduced: hot blooded, fiery, genuine, entertaining, straightforward, friendly, social Jasmine: who recently moved to NY for her new gig, having hard time to prove her family she is good at her work and wish they show more respect to her career, broken hearted by her ending relationship and humiliated by her ex-douchebag boyfriend who is also notorious bad boy/rock star declared to the public he dumped her via tabloid magazines. (Yes: her situation is worse Than Jen Anniston who is miraculously being pregnant for 10 years according to the tabloids and had secret marriages at least 15 times with Brad Pitt!)
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?
And what about Ashton? He is not young any more. He needs to focus on his career to realize his Hollywood dreams and getting better leading roles. His privacy is so important and nothing should attract the press’ blood thirsty attention to ruin his big secret. He has a 8 year old son lives in Puerto Rico and his one and only priority is being a good father and giving his son a happy life he deserved so he has no time for romance, especially flirting with co-stars but why Jasmine is way too much sexy and attractive. How will he resist her charm? There is too much at stake! But he cannot help himself to spend more time with her. And they’re just working on their lines and they’re sharing some secret kisses for the sake of their project. Right?
The most interesting thing about the book of is you read two romantic stories at the same time and I have to admit at some parts: I enjoyed telenovela’s plot more than the angsty and emotional love story of Jasmine and Ashton’s so I looked forward to read the script parts about Victor and Carmen: divorced couple, learning from their past mistakes and coming clean about their resentments, secrets , the intimate feelings they still have for each other.
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.
But the passion and chemistry between them are strengths of the story. I also enjoyed girl power parts between cousins and Ashton’s family, even his 8 year old son acted more mature to his relationship than him. I loved those genuine, lovely characters.
It was entertaining, soft, sweet reading. I got some points because our hero earned so many slapping points from me. So I’m giving 3.5 stars and eventually I’m rounding them up to 4!
P.S: This book’s cover earns 5 stars! Look at this amazing illustration!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins Publishers for sharing this entertaining and feel-good ARC in exchange my honest review.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars. This was an absolute DELIGHT. Jasmine and Ashton had SO. MUCH. chemistry and this book ended up being WAY steamier than I expected it to be (in the best way!!!). My only real complaint about this one is that the scenes that we got of the actual show were a bit cheesy, but the rest of the book was a 10/10 in my book and I am SO GLAD that I finally read something by Alexis Daria. I am 100% going to be working my way through her extensive backlist after how much I enjoyed this. So good!!!!
TW: stalking (in the past)
Rating: really liked it
“Vulnerability is exhausting.” I think I should start watching Jane the Virgin again.
This was so damn entertaining and as lovable as that glorious cover.
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 adored the scenes we got when they were filming the episodes and how that almost reflected the characters. Not directly, but there were emotional parallels there for sure and I just couldn’t get enough.
We got to know the characters really well. I instantly fell for them. And the more we got to know them, the harder I fell.
I wish we had more. I think that’s very minor complaint. I wish we had moments with Jasmine and her parents who didn’t really understand her and got to explore how she couldn’t really be herself around them. I think that arc would’ve been exciting to read about - for me, that is.
And seen more exposure when it came to Ashton as a father and both these characters dealing with their mental health.
But other than that, Alexis Daria, please keep writing.
Rating: really liked it
This was a cute read, but it was a pretty average romance for me. I love stories that follow actors behind the scenes and I love the fact that they are working on a telenovela. It reminded me a lot of
Jane the Virgin because of that and that made me happy. The audiobook was fun to listen to. The ending felt like it started to drag on quite a bit for me though and the male lead started to drive me a little nuts ð
But other than that I enjoyed this one!
Rating: really liked it
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?
Does that make sense at all? Because that's this book, for me.
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.
So I probably wouldn't have liked this even if it made me laugh and cry and shake my head in disbelief at its sheer magnificence.
But I didn't do any of that, so.
This just didn't work for me. I didn't feel CHARM. Or CHEMISTRY. Or ROMANCE of any kind, in this story of ROMANCE. I thought the characters were assholes (especially our male lead, who for no reason at all says the most heinous things I've ever encountered to our female lead, and also our female lead, who just rolls over and takes it) or cartoonish to the point of bordering on stereotype (hello, all of our background characters).
The idea of this was nice, to me, but the execution was boring and unwieldy and disappointing.
Bleh.
Bottom line: Hard to know which was more upsetting - reading this, or the conditions of my life while I was doing so!
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pre-reviewcurrently, the nicest thing i can think to say about this book is that i read it very quickly.
review to come / 2ish stars
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currently-reading updateshelp i spilled a glass of water on my laptop 3 days ago and i don’t know how to use this site on mobile. also i’m reading this
(update: i'm on a laptop now. i never figured it out)
Rating: really liked it
You Had Me at Hola was such a treat to read and was the perfect story to break me out of this reading funk that I’ve been since the beginning of 2020.
What makes a truly great romance are strong character dynamics and palpable chemistry between the two love interests. Ashton is an adorably awkward character who tries his hardest not to let Jasmine past the walls erected around his heart, and then we have Jasmine, eager to ignore the press shadowing her every move after a bad breakup and to make it big as a Leading Lady. Together, as they slowly grow closer while being on set, they can’t deny the electricity that courses between them.
Not only do we get a wonderful, romance blossoming behind the scenes of this show but we also explore the variance of Latinx identity. Ashton is a Puerto Rican actor eager to make it big in Hollywood rather than being stuck playing love interests in telenovelas while Jasmine is a Puerto Rican-Filipina who isn’t completely fluent in Spanish but has to speak the language in this bilingual show.
Words can’t describe how much this meant to me as a bilingual who is too afraid to speak Spanish in front of non-family members because my grammar isn’t completely perfect and I don’t know how to conjugate as quickly as I’d like to.
I saw so much of myself in Jasmine, in her language, her family dynamics, and the way she seeks out validation through others’ love. Jasmine is both a powerful protagonist and a vulnerable one, and I’m forever grateful to dive into her world because it made me feel less alone as a Latina.
You Had Me at Hola is a vibrant celebration of Latinx identity in the backdrop of Hollywood without relying too heavily on the influence of the paparazzi like other Hollywood stories do. Mixing together dual perspectives from both Ashton and Jasmine who live such different lives but come together to form a healthy, loving relationship while also showcasing scenes from the show itself, You Had Me at Hola is a fantastic contemporary with a fiery romance that left me smiling long after I finished it.
SEE MY FULL REVIEWS AT STORIESFORCOFFEE.COM
Rating: really liked it
2.5 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.
The first thing I struggled with was the writing. The writing felt very clunky to me and I feel like the author spent a lot of time telling us things instead of showing, which really took me out of the story. Some of the dialogue was clunky and unnatural, too, and I really couldn't get connected with either of the characters. Then, the storyline would switch between Jasmine and Ashton's romance and scenes of the show they were filming together. I really didn't care about the romance in the show and didn't like getting a bunch of chapters of those scenes. These more took me out of the story and made it even harder for me to care about Jasmine and Ashton's relationship.
Another reason why I couldn't really connect with the characters is because of how they were presented. Jasmine was obsessed with how the tabloids looked at her and Ashton was obsessed with the tabloids discovering his son and something happening to his son because of his fame. These two people willingly chose their careers as actors and were pursuing fame, yet they were both actively trying to stay out of the limelight. It just didn't really make sense to me.
Then, the conflict that drove the couple apart near the end was very frustrating to me. I did not like Jasmine's reaction and I was still frustrated with Ashton for sheltering his son so much. I understood he was affected by what had happened in the past, but it was still over the top and not at all fair to his family what he was doing. I just found it very hard to feel for these characters or connect with the writing. While I was super excited for this book, it was just a miss for me.
Rating: really liked it
Gah I adored this book so much. It was my first time reading about telnova's and I am addicted. This was steamy, fun and so romantic. I need all alexis daria's book asap! OBSESSED!
Rating: really liked it
Read it. Don't listen to it.
I thought the actual
story was cute. There were problems with it but
nothing when compared with the terrible reading of this book.
And the weird thing is that the narrator has a
beautiful voice. When she spoke for the characters each voice was distinct and lovely. Literally everything you could hope for in a voice actor!
EXCEPT.
When she would read the
regular narration parts of the story. And then she suddenly turned into William Shatner!
There were odd pauses in the middle of sentences as though each comma was a full-stop period. The last
words in those sentences had weird breaks in them, too. I don't even know if I can explain it right...
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." Would that not drive you nuts? It drove
me nuts.
And every sentence (<--no, I am NOT exaggerating) ended in this breathy
DUN! DUN! DUNNNN! Like it was some big reveal that just happened, instead of the character just excusing themself to go to the bathroom.
By the end of the 1st chapter, if I had had another book available, I would have deleted this thing from my phone.
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.
Alright. The story? It was interesting. I loved the telenovela stuff. I mean, those wacky soaps are soooo over the top good. I remember when I was younger, I used to get sucked into them as I scrolled through channels even though I didn't speak a lick of Spanish.
How could I not?!
The gist is that the two main actors on an Americanized telenovela fall in love for real while filming for a Netflix
ish streaming service. They've got insecurities, baggage, and one of them even has a secret love child.
But while the backdrop is cool and the bones of the plot is juicy, the characters themselves aren't anything to write home about. Jasmine is...nice. She falls in love with every guy who pays attention to her and just wants someone to love. I was not all that impressed with her.
Ashton, in a ridiculous effort to keep his family safe, is secretive and closed off. He dreams of being a huge Hollywood star, but he somehow forgot that you don't get to duck interviews and have a completely private life when you're a celebrity. Can anyone
be that stupid?
So. I wasn't all that impressed with him, either.
Now, having said
that, I certainly didn't hate them. I was rooting for them to get their happily ever after.
Just...sooner rather than later because I couldn't take much more of that narrator.
Seraphine Valentine - Narrator
Rating: really liked it
Steamier than I expected it to be!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.
The main thing I really loved was the discussion, on the importance, of representation in Hollywood and how the characters were advocating for that themselves and through the show they were creating.
Only reason this book wasn’t a 5 star read for me, is because I felt the romance was accelerated near the end. I think it could have been paced out a little better and not so rushed. Overall, very enjoyable read and I would highly recommend! I also did a reading vlog review of this book on my YouTube channel. You can check the video out to hear more of my thoughts: https://youtu.be/nX0RNKw_sNM
TW/CW: Stalking
Rating: really liked it
3.5 STARSIf you’re a fan of the show Jane the Virgin, you’re gonna want to try You Had Me at Hola! There’s Latinx rep, telenovelas, actor main characters, and a ton of on- and off-screen steam. It was my first book from Alexis Daria and I really liked her writing. I loved the telenovela aspect and that we actually get to read the script (which is a dramatic second chance romance I was super into) and see how the actor characters play it out. While I did have my issues with parts of the book, I still would recommend it if you’re looking for a romance with great Latinx characters who are making their way into Hollywood.
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.
Jasmine and Ashton’s romance was sweet. I liked the fact that the hero is the one who is awkward and a bit shy when it comes to the romance. Ashton has his reasons for being very wary and closed off from relationships. He doesn’t want to be in the limelight because of a secret he’s keeping that he wants to be kept hidden. Unfortunately, I think Ashton took this a bit too far for too long. I got frustrated with how hot and cold he was with Jasmine and wasn’t a fan of the way he didn’t understand that his pursuit of Hollywood came with the cost of his privacy. He sadly took too long for my taste to realize he had something good with the heroine.
Luckily, Jasmine wasn’t as frustrating for me. I loved her character! I enjoyed her ambition and how much she loved being a lead role on a Latinx rom-com. I adored her relationship with her family and close cousins – the female friendship in this book was lovely and family plays a huge and important part to both Jasmine and Ashton’s lives. And one of my favorite aspects of this book was actually the show, Carmen in Charge! I’ll admit, at times I was more invested in the show’s romance than the off-screen romance. It’s a second chance romance with a ton of angst and I 100% would not mind if it turned into a real book or show. I do wish I could’ve loved You Had Me at Hola more but I would still highly recommend it if you want some fantastic Latinx characters!
Rating: really liked it
ashton calling himself "pendejo" gives me so much fucking life. yes, we love insults in spanish ð
ðŧ
if jane the virgin was a telenovela latina, and i'm here for it. my latino ass is craving to read this book and i fucking will, just to feel something and because i fucking love latino drama (i live for this, lmao)
