I believe this book was a "read now" offer and sounded interesting enough. It was nice. Much of the Spanish was untranslated, but I took enough in high school to get by. I think the "new adult" genre just isn't for me, which isn't the author's fault at all.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. The description of this book sounded amazing, the book itself, not so much. The writing could use some assistance as could the character development.

The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

My snappy description of Izzy in El Mareo by Danielle Ledezma, in three words is compulsive, humorous and fanciful.

Book synopsis:
Izzy’s trying to cope with life, love, and loneliness, but her fast life in Houston is rapidly spinning out of control.

So when the twenty-three-year-old American takes a job at an international resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, she hopes her old life is behind her at last—and with it, all the self-doubts and insecurities that have plagued her since childhood. She’s wondering if she’ll be able to survive in a new job in a strange country, but for now, the city’s breathtaking ocean views by day and sexy club scenes by night look like paradise.

Happy and energized by the unfamiliar sights and sounds of her surroundings, Izzy sets out to prove herself in the Spanish-speaking office. Soon she’s making strides at work, partying with new acquaintances, and all the while gaining confidence as she successfully navigates the local culture (and the men in it).

But soon the lines start to blur in paradise. Izzy misses her family and her boyfriend back home; she senses her new friends may be ignoring her; and when she travels for work, she feels insecure and out of place. Her self-esteem takes a hit. Confusion and disorientation set in. Returning to old habits—drinking, partying hard, and looking for love with strangers—Izzy is feeling more alone than ever. When an office gaffe threatens to ruin her much-anticipated trip home for Christmas, Izzy is forced to take stock: Was the whole move to Mexico a mistake? Can she find a way to get her career—and her life—back on track?

In this poignant, funny, and edgy coming-of-age story, debut author Danielle Ledezma shows us that there’s strength in being vulnerable, it’s all right not to be perfect, and most of all, we have to learn to love ourselves before we can truly love anyone else.

Danielle Ledezma was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She currently lives in Texas with her husband, Pedro, and their two fur babies, Cali and Cole

My musings:
I found this an entertaining story, though it was frustrating to read in parts. Essentially a coming-of-age tale of hope, change and living life, it's extremely well-written. Danielle Ledezma delivers a seemingly strong protagonist in Izzy, but Izzy herself is unsure whether she has made the right decision in travelling to the exotic location of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The novel is gritty and empowering, and I had oodles of fun exploring new places around the world, but I struggled a little to find a connection with Izzy. Her character was somewhat self-destructive, frequently displaying ill-considered behaviour, made worse by her inability to come to terms with her choices. However, it was compelling and edgy, and helped along by the super setting. One good thing about Izzy's frustrating experiences for me, was that they came across as real, because she was not averse to taking risks or making mistakes.

Verdict:
Recommended for those looking for an entertaining, winsome, and disarming read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Greenleaf Book Group/ River Grove Books via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Lovely cover that drew me to the book. The book was lovely. A feel good read perfect for this time of year lazing on holiday or in the garden. It was easy to read and well written. Great read

I apologise for requesting this book as it is not my usual type. Began to read and good not finish. Sorry

The short aka non rambling version: This is something I want to read as a new adult novel! The writing has a lot potential, but isn't flawless, like Izzy. She has some harsh moments, but in the end it becomes understandable. But, please, give this book a chance! You will experience a cultureshock, feel Izzys isolation, struggle with her job and find out what you're looking for in a friend- and relationship.

"Izzy in El Mareo" is a new adult book how it should be. I don't know when it started that the genre became a synonym with erotic novels for people in their early 20s. But for me a new adult book is a book about struggling with your first job, adulting and in general with growing up. Let's be honest: during puberty you grow up with sort of guidance but in your twenties everyone expects that you can grow up on your own but in reality you never learned how that should work. And the worst: you arenow fully responsible for your descisions.
Izzy experiences a lot of these struggles: she wants to take the next step in her career but is also trying to figure out what she wants in general for her life. Does she want to make a career or get settled and want to build a family? Expecially this is a huge topic/issue in a relationship, which she gets to understand first hand.
This is something I also really liked, Izzy had a few relatioships so she could gain some experience and knows what she is looking for or at least has an idea of it. The same with sex. Izzy is confident and tried a lot, so she knows what she likes and clearly says that this is okay and her right. Sex should be fun for everyone. But on the other hand she talks about the risks, too. Talking about STDs isn't common in this genre.

Sadly, this book isn't without its flaws. Izzy is extremly naive and judges easily the people around her. In general, this isn't that bad but once in a while it becomes really (and in my opinion way too) harsh. In the end, I can see why she is how she is: it is supposed to work as an eye opener to the reader but a good editor still should have changed some formulations. I guess this comes from the lack of experience, which you notice in some dialogues too.
In general I missed some good dialgoues. This is more sort of a description of Izzys insight. It expresses her culture shock pretty well, above all her isolation. It get's better in the course of the story but then there appear more spanish conversations. I don't know how to feel about this, because on the one hand I really liked that Ledezma didn't translated it one to one. Instead she made it part of Izzies thoughts but on the other hand it got quite annoying and during the end I skipped the parts and started looking for the translations.
Ledezma shows that she can write, particularly descriptions of the nature and atmosphere where truly stunning. It's her debut novel and there is a lot of potential. I can't wait to read more new adult books from her in the future!

Izzy is a young woman with a lot of growing up to do. She takes a hotel job in Mexico thinking it is the next step for her. But, Izzy is so egocentric that she creates her own problems and that is where she needs to learn to see what she is doing not what others are doing. It is an interesting take on growing up as instead of some guy coming along to save Izzy from herself, she has to be the one to come to some conclusions on her own.
It is a cute book but I found myself tiring of Izzy and of her complaints. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was given this advance copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was intrigued by the premise and thought it had the makings of a fun, beachy read. However, I couldn’t actually finish this book, the writing and story development was so poor. The character development was non-existent and the character traits were not believable. First example, Izzy moves to Mexico to take a job and there is a paragraph about how many Spanish language classes she has taken yet when she is in Mexico she can’t understand the basics. The storyline jumps around too much between present and past, often in the same chapter and without any transition.

This book is probably a chick lit type of book. It has a long plot with interesting storyline. I feel absolutely miserable for the poor Izzy as her life is turned upside down, back to front and the poor girl is swept along and lonely.

It was really hard for me to get into this book. I thought I'd be able to relate to it as someone who has also left her home country to work abroad for a bit - however, I really struggled trying to identify with the main character. I do think this book has a lot of potential and would recommend it to others to read!

It was fun exploring new places around the world with Izzy, yet this novel was a little hard for me to embrace, as Izzy was so insecure and self destructive. The main character, putting great focus on personal growth and improvement, fell a little short for me. Thank you NetGalley for the reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was OK. I may be a little old for this one, but I like to broaden my horizons sometimes. The author demonstrates talent, and I expect she'll blossom with more experience. I had trouble liking to the main characters due to her decisions, but I liked that it was a straight novel showing the struggles one can experience. Maybe the younger folk will appreciate this more than I. A good first go!

This book wasn’t flawless, much like Izzy herself. I do love the setting of Peurto Vallerta and Mexico in general. But this is just a middle of the road novel. Brings nothing new to the table.

That huge blurb pretty much sums up the story.

Izzy moves to Mexico for a job. She suffers from culture shock and struggles to adjust to a new life.

This was a genuine coming-of-age story with a very real and flawed female protagonist. I could not empathize with her because of the decisions she takes and her reactions to certain situations. Izzy is immature and naive, especially when it comes to trusting people, especially men. Most of the men in this story are trash. Not that the friends are any better. Izzy really has a crappy sense of judgment. But thankfully, by the end, she finally comes on to her own. The one good thing about Izzy's frustrating experiences were that they felt real. She is not averse to taking risks or making mistakes. While it made her a flawed character, but it was also sort of refreshing in a way.

This was a very situational story with no big twists or reversals. The flow of the story very much relied on Izzy and her experiences. I feel that the conversations and the dialogue could use more polishing. The author has definite potential as is evident in her descriptions of Izzy's feeling of isolation and bringing to life the places and the setting. But I feel that better editing could've done the story wonders. Also, most of the dialogues written in Spanish are not directly translated. We get a gist of the conversation but never the exact words. As a reader who likes to take stock of the conversations and the words spoken, I was kinda annoyed.

Not a bad attempt by the author for her first book. But not a great one either.

Would I recommend it? I guess it's worth giving the book a shot!

I enjoyed seeing Izzy stop defining herself by outside adoration and accomplishment at work. It was obvious that she was immature in terms of decisions she made for her friends but she eventually took ownership which was great to see.