If you are a fan of Jane the Virgin and telenovelas and hispanic culture, you’ll love this fun romance read! As the telenovela characters got closer, so did the actors playing them, and it was a cute (and steamy at times!) story.

From the very beginning of You Had Me at Hola, it's clear Alexis Daria has created something beautiful. We're dropped straight into Jasmine's big, boisterous family. She has returned to her hometown of New York City after an embarrassing public breakup, and she's determined to execute her "Leading Lady Plan" as she begins filming her latest project, Carmen in Charge, for the leading streaming service. Meanwhile, Ashton, a single father and longtime telenovela staple, is ready to tackle a role that he hopes will bridge the gap between Miami and Hollywood. This is a heartfelt coworkers/friends-to-lovers romance, and both protagonists are holding secrets and fighting anxieties as they grow close. I loved the extensive cast of characters—Jasmine and Ashton's families are both significant to the story, and the all-Latinx cast and crew of Carmen in Charge flesh out the background of the story. (Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the eARC!)

This book was so much fun & still had enough depth to make it a good read. I LOVED LOVED LOVED that both our main characters were Latinx and had their own character arcs while still having amazing chemistry. Jasmine's cousins were so much fun and I loved their group chat. I would love to see Michelle & Ava get their own books!! Overall, I fell into this novel and could not put it down. I recommend this one to fans of Jane the Virgin & romance novels!

This book was a delight!

This book was so funny and charming and allowed me to be a voyeur into the world of telenovelas! I loved the authenticity of the representation and how seamlessly that IDENTITY was woven into the DNA of the story. Jasmine was kind of a hot mess, and I loved her because...she knew it! Ha! And Ashton, that sweet, sweet...very hot man. Their coupling had me swooning.

LOVED IT!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.*

This was a hard one for me to finish. I probably would have DNFd if it wasn't an arc I felt compelled to finish. My main issue.

There was no tension. No chemistry. This is a romance, where's the pull? The intrigue? These characters fell absolutely flat to me. They were boring. All of their character arc is revealed from the beginning. The girl who falls too fast and too easily meets the man who has closed himself off because of his past. The worst part is we don't even get any mystery. It's all laid out for us from the beginning.

If I don't care about characters I can't care about anything else and that's where this fell short for me. I did appreciate the representation but I just couldn't get into this one.

Squeal, I absolutely loved this book! The characters were so colorful and full of authentic personality just like real #latinx people! I’m always so happy to see diverse reads featuring Latinx peeps but I do get nervous that someone will get it wrong and basically end up with caricatures. Definitely not the case here. I really liked that layers of Jasmine and Ashton were peeled back chapter after chapter, letting us in to their private worlds and helping us understand what makes them tick and why they are the way they are. The love scenes were very well written, a good amount of steamy and sensuality oozed off the page. One big source of enjoyment for me were the families, more often than not we come as a package deal so I was happy to see both families getting their due part in this book. Highly recommend it!

I thought this was such a unique novel, and I very much enjoyed it. The characters were fun to get to know, and it was extra fun reading about two MCs that were from a hispanic background.

The plot was interesting, and I liked the clever way their acting jobs were portrayed. It was a fun way to see Jasmine and Ashton in their roles, and at the same time seeing how their roles helped them get closer to one another.

I also appreciated how they both sought out some help for their issues in the end. There were clearly some deep emotional traumas that hindered their relationship, so I liked knowing that they were both working on it individually. It made me feel like their HEA would be secure and realistic in the future.

After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. 

Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy. 

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. 

Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars. 

With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.- Goodreads

I too had an obsession with American soap operas. However, One Life to Live was my favorite one of all time and it was because of three men;  Antonio (Kamar de los Reyes) and Cristian (David Fumero) Vega and Todd Manning (Roger Howarth). The Vega brothers were everything to me. I live to watch their stories and Todd. . . he was a mess but a mess with a soft heart.

This book. . . made me remember all of that.

First let me say how well this book was written. Not only do you get both Jasmine and Ashton's point of views but you also read the show; basically you are seeing reading two stories at the same time. So you're getting a bang for your buck.  The transitions are clear and smooth. The writing is engaging, extremely detailed without the drag and there is a balance of color and culture. What I mean by that is the author is trying to tell a love story and within that love story give you a glimpse of the culture while not stressing the politics of the culture. Honestly it was refreshing. I say that with no insult. I say that because its nice to read a diverse book without a struggle. We see it all the time in books by Black authors, Hispanic authors and any non straight, white authors. This book was refreshing.

Jasmine and Ashton have pure, makes sense chemistry. There is an instant attraction that wouldn't say is lust.  But they are grown adults (with baggage) that responsible (ish). There are definitely some drama within their relationship but it doesn't happen as sudden as other romances. 

Beyond their chemistry, Jasmine and Ashton were great characters with their own personalities that were different from each other but complimented each other.  They didn't allow their individuality to change or shape their relationship. I love that. Too often you see someone in a relationship trying to be someone different because of the person they are with. 

Both of them experience growth, not just at the end but also as you read. Also the author makes reference to their past growth (at least on Jasmine's end). 

I loved this novel and have every intention of buying a physical copy for my library. 

Overall, 

4 Pickles

This is one of the best romances I have read in a while!! The plot, characters, story within a story all meld together to create this world that I couldn't leave until I had finished the book in one sitting. If you loved Jane the Virgin or really any telenovela, you will love this book.

Gorgeous cover, a fun read, especially for anyone who has caught telenovas or at least can appreciate what they are about. It was cute and steamy at the same time. I enjoyed Jasmine, not so much on Ashton. He was a little too guarded, would have liked to have seen more vulnerability. I mean I thought he was vulnerable at times, and those were the times I really liked his character, but at other times not so much.. I also felt his character flip at the end was too sudden. Definitely good for a beach read this summer

This was SO good. One of the best romances I've read this year for sure. I loved the two main characters, and I thought the contrast between their circumstances was really well-played.

Also, this is very sexy. Daria writes great sex scenes.

Two thumbs up! Will happily recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC!

I picked this one up because I serve a predominately Mexican and Puerto Rican community and also I love soap operas, and it was really cute. While some of it felt like it dragged on forever and there were plot points that were overdeveloped and some that were underdeveloped, overall this was a very fun read and easily one of my favorite covers of the year.

This book was amazing! Strong plot! Powerful characters! A plot that held my attention the entire time!!!! I couldn’t put it down. I needed to find out what happened next!

After a messy breakup Jasmine is hoping a staring role in a new romantic comedy will spruce up her reputation. She has a plan in place, a "Leading Lady Plan", to ensure success. What she isn't prepared for is her new costar, Ashton Suarez. He's charming, good looking, and their chemistry is smoking hot. When rehearsals turn into something real can Jasmine stick to her plan, or will she throw it all away for love?
This was the first book I read by Alexis Daria, but I had been hearing the buzz around it for months sp I was excited to read this book as soon as it hit my approved list on NetGalley. I loved both of the main characters, especially the emotional depth she explores in both Jasmine and Ashton. I especially liked that Daria gave us a compelling but shy and unsure hero, so different than the norm of brash "alpha-holes" in contemporary romance. His determination to guard himself was, at times, frustrating to me as a reader but made sense based on his character. Jasmine's determination to rise above the bad breakup, her commitment to living her dream as a leading lady, her strength of character, and her desire to be loved were all relatable and endearing characteristics.
What slightly didn't work for me was that some of the pacing of this book got a bit confusing because we are switching between the two main character's POV plus some scenes from the show. I also am not the biggest fan of slower burn romances, and found it frustrating to wait for these two passionate people to finally get together. However, when they do get together it was very enjoyable to read and their chemistry was nearly incendiary.
I have always been a fan of "soapy" television or book plots and this book did not disappoint. Both the cast of the show and the secondary characters in the main couple's real life were fun and interesting. There were several laugh out loud moments for me, which is rare these days and was very much appreciated. This book has been frequently compared to the popular CW show Jane the Virgin, and I would agree it has a similar vibe. I think anyone that enjoys some angst, drama, passion, and heart with their books will enjoy this novel.

DNF @ 27%. I really wanted to like this one. I love the cover and the comparison to Jane the Virgin definitely intrigued me. There were just too many little things adding up that didn't work for me. My biggest problem was how the scenes from the tv show were written. It starts out with just a bit of script direction to set the scene, but instead of staying in script format, it goes back to the normal narrative style. And instead of describing things from Jasmine's POV as she acts the scene, it described them as if Carmen, the character she's playing, was experiencing them. And we would get Carmen's feelings and internal monologue, but then there would be some thoughts from Jasmine interspersed with those and it was just weird. I know I'm not explaining it well, but it just really threw me off. There were a few other little things, too, that just ended up making this book a chore for me to get through. While both the main characters and their families were likable enough, I just didn't really connect with them and I don't really care enough to keep reading this. That said, I have seen some really good reviews for this book, so I'm sure many others will love it.

Alexis Daria brought it with You Had Me at Hola. She gave us diversity with intention, she gave us sex-positive romance scenes, and she gave characters who had real heart. Some of the dialogue was a little cheesy and events were a little much toward the end, but it all tracks with the fact that the whole story is based around a telenovela. In fact, it'd be weirder if Daria didn't turn the drama up to an 11.

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.

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.

This one's around 3.5ish stars for me for those reasons, but definitely approaching four-star territory because of all of the other lovely parts of this novel. And I'm absolutely reading Alexis Daria's previous books and anything she writes in the future.

WRITING STYLE: 3/5
SUBJECT: 3/5
CANDIDNESS: 3.5/5
RELEVANCE: 5/5

I gave this book a 5/5 for the topic regarding Relevance, because the world of books need more stories starring Latinx characters surrounding a story about modern-day novellas! Perfect for Jane The Virgin watchers!

I enjoyed being in company of the main character, Jasmine. She was sassy as heck and I can understand and relate to her emotions and insecurities.
The cover is also magnificent and stunning!

HOWEVER, Ashton, the male character on the other hand? couldn't connect with him for even a moment! I found him quite dull, and his problems didn't make me feel anything for him.

I'm afraid the romance was also really flat. In the first opening chapters, the story made sense. It began with a story filled with colors about where she came from and who she [Jasmine] is as a person, but it 60% in it gets boring. The romance between Jasmine and Ashton lacked chemistry and was verily bland and very predictable...

However, I did like the writing style and I look forward to reading other books by this author, but unfortunately this wasn't the book for me.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

First, this cover is mesmerizing. I'm obsessed.

the great

Minus the magical realism, You Had Me at Hola gave me all the Jane the Virgin vibes. The tension between Jasmine and Ashton sizzled, and there was just enough buildup to not feel like instalove. They both have baggage, and they have to work through it if they stand a chance of being together. It was great to see a romance where things don't just happen to fall into place. I loved how we get to know their families, and the discussions of what their show will mean for Latinx representation were great and moving.

everything else

Parts at the beginning and end dragged a little. It also seemed that some of the major conflicts were a little contrived, but not to a degree so heightened that it felt like a real telenovela. Scenes from the TV show script were included at the beginning of some chapters, which was a fun way to incorporate that story. However, I'd like to have seen those scenes written like a screenplay, as the format chosen was a little confusing.

in summary

I'm so happy that this book exists. If you like strong, fleshed-out families and a grounded hate-to-love romance, this is for you. Plus, THE COVER, I CAN'T STOP LOOKING AT IT.

I received an ARC from Avon via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

YAAAAAAS!

As a Latina (Puerto Rican) woman myself, I instantly gravitate towards this and I’m so happy to get my grubby little hands on it. It was a cute, fun read and even though the instant love vibes made me cringe more than I liked to admit, I actually enjoyed this. The plot, the storyline, the unfolding drama that didn’t seem to stop with the constant misunderstandings, our leading actors and their sizzling romance made this an instant page turner plus the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The only cons I would point out was the instant love (for obviously reasons) and the flow of the story. The POV between the lead characters and the TV characters didn’t transition as smoothly as it should have with the constant back and forth. Despite that, I had a decent reading experience with Alexis Daria’s latest release.