I chose this as it was part of BookSparks Summer Camp. I did finish it but raced over so many of the pages. I like romance but not romantic books and this was way too predictable for me. Instant attraction, can't seem to stop their emotions and desires for each other even when their supposedly logical brains are telling them it is only going to end in tears. The author had a great idea with the Incident but then told us all about it straight away, leaving no tension or plot twists. From then on I felt that the characters were stuck in a personality loop to fill the pre-requisite pages before the OH! moment at the end and the everyone lives happily ever after.
The big, Latina families and the Puerto Rican references were the only things that kept me reading. It wasn't badly written at all but it was just too romance driven and I am not a huge fan of sex scenes and there were quite a few in this one,
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review.

Thanks to @netgalley, @avonbooks and the author for my review copy! This book took me back to the times I would see telenovelas, oh the drama and romance! Haha. Popular Spanish telenovelas such as Marimar and Maria Del Barrio were mentioned throughout the book and so were soap operas like Days of our Lives and General Hospital.
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The main character, Jasmine, has been a star in soap operas and after a bad break up she ends up in the tabloids. I mean if it’s in a magazine it must be true right? Anyway, she wants to breakout into something new and she ends up casted on a new show that will be streaming. Ashton, a telenovela star that is well known in that community is casted last minute as her opposite. Ashton wants to break out of the telenovela scene and catch go into the Hollywood scene. Both Ashton and Jasmine have roots in Puerto Rico and Jasmines grandma happens to be a huge fan of Ashton.
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Anyway, I loved the Spanglish and Spanish throughout the book. Jasmine understands Spanish but does not speak it perfectly so for her character, Carmen, she has to practice it. On the other hand, Ashton speaks Spanish fluently and tries to work on bettering his English. Jasmine and Ashton definitely have chemistry from the first time they meet but they both hold back for different reasons. I enjoyed the fun moments we saw between them and family members.
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“But now, she understood that being whole and happy on her own was the only way the other two things - getting recognition for positive reasons and making jefa moves- could happen.” Alexis Daria, You had me at Hola
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I loved how we got chapters that were part of the script for the show they were starring in, Carmen in Charge. Those chapters were unique because we got to read what they were acting out. What I loved most about this book was the diversity and the family dynamic. I love when a book has a great group of friends and family and this book had that.

This is one of the moments in my life where the cover 100% brought me to the story. This cover is so stunning that I wouldn’t have cared if the story wasn’t good. But don’t worry, the story is just as good as the cover. This is my first Alexis Daria but it won’t be my last. You Had Me at Hola is sweet, sexy, funny, and heartwarming.

Characters are the most important part of a book for me. Even if the plot is not good or the writing might not be either, if the characters are lovable I will love this book. And all of the characters in this book are such wonderful beings. They’re obviously not as developed as Jasmine and Ashton, but they each have personalities that are easy to read about. I loved how much this book focuses on family and friends. In so many books, people aren’t always close to their families but that is not the case for Jasmine and Ashton. There are so many moments Jasmine has with her cousins and I would love to read more about them. It also gave both Jasmine and Ashton a drive that I think many of us can connect to: our decisions aren't always made just for our benefits.

I loved seeing the cultural connections that they both have in a way that is really well done. Even though Jasmine is a Latina, her Spanish isn’t the best versus Ashton who speaks fluent Spanish. This doesn’t mean that jasmine is less Latinx than Ashton; they’re still valid. As someone who is an immigrant and English isn’t my first language, this is such a big part of how I navigate this world. Aahton’s acceptance and kindness made me so happy.

And of course, we need to talk about the romance which was perfect. Ashton is such a sweetie and I loved the little moment of hesitation he had when it came to his career and his connection to Jasmine. Jasmine and Ashton didn't begin their romance on the best foot and it led to a lot of hilarity between the two. I appreciate that both of their careers were important to them and so was their budding romance. They didn’t want to forsake one for the other. I think this is a very valid concern people who are dating right now have. As it’s made clear in this story, you can date and have a successful career but you have to make sacrifices.

I don’t know if my review makes any sense but I really love this book. I was laughing and I was rooting for both Jasmine and Ashton from the beginning. If you had any hesitation about picking up this book, I would highly suggest you do so. This is my first Alexis Daria but it won't be my last. Not only is her ability to write great family dynamics, her characters are wonderful and the romance made my heart happy.

“𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐞𝐟𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬”

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘏𝘢𝘥 𝘔𝘦 𝘈𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘢 is a fun rom-com that takes place on a Telenovela set.

Growing up with Mexican parents we had telenovelas on everyday. It was a ritual. We didn’t miss a single day!

So obviously when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to read it! And it did not disappoint.

Alexis Daria gives us two Latinx characters Ashton and Jasmine who fall in love while filming a telenovela. I absolutely loved that we actually got to read the scenes from 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘐𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦. It was like reading two stories in one book.

This is my first book by @alexisdaria but it definitely won’t be my last. She does a fantastic job portraying a Latin household. I really enjoyed her writing, it was an easy read.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘏𝘢𝘥 𝘔𝘦 𝘈𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘢 did not disappoint and I highly recommend it!

Alexis Daria writes an amazing romcom that immerses her readers into the glamorous telenovela world, and the sizzling hot chemistry on and off screen between Ashton Suarez and Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, the two LatinX stars of a brand new telenovela CARMEN IN CHARGE.

Jasmine who identifies as a Nuyorican, part Puerto Rican from New York, and whose grandmother is from the Philippines, is casted as the leading lady by ScreenFlix, the number one streaming service in the country. Ashton, whose character was just killed off in another telenovela, was added last minute, and he has much to prove to make sure his career isn’t dead. He is older and wants to realize his Hollywood dreams.

I found Daria’s writing fun, sexy and sizzling hot! I love both Jasmine and Ashton’s chemistry and their backstories. I enjoyed the creativity of getting two stories, one on screen with Carmen and Victor, and off screen with Jasmine and Ashton. It was swoon worthy and I just loved binging on this.

I also had the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook and was beautifully narrated by #seraphinevalentine Thank you to @librofm and @harperaudio

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria invites readers to make jefa moves and find completeness in themselves, not relationships.

Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is the star of You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. She’s a 30-year-old soap-opera star who’s known both for her acting and her relationship drama which keeps getting splashed across the glossy pages of the tabloids.

Determined to reclaim the narrative of her life after another break-up, Jasmine–along with her Primas of Power, Ava and Michelle–comes up with a Leading Lady Plan to help her focus on her goals as she steps into the lead role of Carmen in the Screenflix adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela, La patrona Carmen.

According to the Leading Lady Plan:

Leading Ladies only end up on magazine covers with good reason

Leading Ladies are whole and happy on their own.

Leading Ladies are badass queens making jefa moves

Jasmine’s co-star, Ashton Suarez, is an established telenovela star, but he’s looking to make his break into the American entertainment industry. Ashton is approaching 40. His career isn’t fizzling, but he’s worried that if he doesn’t transition, he’ll slowly be pushed out of the spotlight.

Like Jasmine, Ashton isn’t concerned about falling in love, but romance rarely cares about its players’ carefully laid plans. Between a coffee spill anti-meet cute and Ashton’s anxiety, the two don’t hit it off on the best of terms but the more time they spend together, the more they begin to open up and melt in each other’s presence.

However, it wouldn’t be a romance without some drama and Daria delivers hers in spoonfuls as You Had Me at Hola progresses toward its inevitable explosion between its two leads. Jasmine’s ever enfolding life in the gossip rags and Ashton’s overprotective tendency toward his family thanks to a traumatic event simmer in the narrative until Daria slowly increases the heat chapter by chapter.

The chemistry between Jasmine and Ashton sizzles on and off-screen even if their love scenes are a bit rote. Daria’s talent lies within her ability to create a sense of family and belonging among the characters that bring her story to life. From the cast and crew of Carmen in Charge who embrace each others’ differences in gender and sexual orientation while bonding over their shared latinidad to Jasmine’s supportive relationship with her Primas of Power and Ashton’s loving family who take care of one another.

Identity is a huge part of You Had Me at Hola, both personal and communal. As Latinx actors in a predominately white American industry, Jasmine and Ashton are very aware of what their show means to their community and what it could mean for their careers.

However, that gets lost briefly, and admittedly in an upsetting way, when Jasmine makes a rash decision that completely throws her Leading Lady Plan out the window and sends her cast family up a creek without a paddle. The decision is swiftly dealt with but it was a sour note in an otherwise decent romance whose best moments take place in the first half of the book.

You Had Me at Hola could have benefited from more space for its leads to grow. The novel splits its time between Jasmine and Ashton and the characters they play on Carmen. At first, the insertion of the scripts for the show was a fresh and interesting way of using the fictional relationship of Carmen and Victor as a means of our leads analyzing their own feelings and desire for one another, but after awhile it seemed to get in the way of the narrative.

Part of the problem has to do with Carmen and Victor’s romance being second chance, and Jasmine and Ashton being a fledgling love. The Carmen couple pulled focus to the point that the narrative basically requires the reader to be invested in their love story, too, in order to keep moving through Jasmine and Ashton’s romance.

What makes Daria’s You Had Me at Hola a jefa move in its own right is the space it helps carve out for Latinx characters, families, and stories in the romance genre.

It furthers the conversation by centering on a biracial Puerto Rican Filipina who loves and trusts easily because she feels inadequate in her own family. Despite being a mess, she’s successful, surrounded by love, career-oriented, and working to open doors for herself and the actresses who will follow behind her.

Ashton is a family man who puts too much on his shoulders and often lets fear get in the way of living. He’s a single father and a provider for three generations of his family. His anxiety and PTSD aren’t belittled in the narrative, and he’s allowed not to have it all together even though he’s trying.

Through them, and the plethora of Latinx characters in You Had Me at Hola, Daria weaves a story that depicts how multifaceted the Latinx experience is even between those who share a community like Jasmine and Ashton do as Puerto Ricans. It should be a given that people understand this but, unfortunately, it is not.

You Had Me at Hola is a good late summer read for those looking to delve into the world of television, experience a couple navigating the waters of romance in the workplace, and watch a leading lady come into her own.

"Leading Ladies don't need a man to be happy."

I have been seeing You Had Me At Hola all over bookstagram lately, and I can finally say that I understand the hype. The book was soo good.

Firstly, the plot of the book was perfectly crafted. I’ve obviously read books about characters who are famous in real life, but You Had Me At Hola added a new dimension to this particular trope. The book features scenes that happen on screen, as well as behind the scenes stuff too. It was really fascinating to see Jasmine and Ashton, our male and female lead, play their respective roles on the show that they’re working on together. The chemistry that they shared won my heart. I love it when we get to see couples in books grow together, and I am so happy that this was the case in You Had Me At Hola.

I loved Jasmine so, so much. Her friendly nature, along with her passion towards building a stable career was really admirable. I loved how she worked hard to show that she was more that someone who appeared on tabloid covers for the wrong reasons. Her character flourished throughout the storyline – she went from being someone who needed validation from others to be happy, to being a strong woman perfectly capable to feel happy on her own terms.

I needed a little more time to warm up to Ashton though. It was mainly because of his closed off-nature, but I got used to it when the background story got revealed. I read somewhere that there aren’t a lot of contemporary books that deal with anxiety from the male lead’s side, and I realized how true that was. This made me appreciate how the author chose to represent anxiety through Ashton’s life.

Alexis Daria’s writing style is very captivating as well, and that really helped me connect to Ashton and Jasmine easily. The emotions that both of them felt were so realistically expressed through their respective POVs. The Latinx representation in the book was spot-on as well. I loved reading about their culture, it was such a lovely bonus!

This book gave me romcom, telenovela, heart, and fire! It came out earlier this month and I definitely recommend it to any romance fans.
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CW: Sexually Explicit Scenes, Home Invasion, Slut Shaming, Alcohol Use, Grief

the absolute pleasure of reading this delight of a story cannot be overstated. you had me at hola finds a secretive telenovela star crossing paths with an up-and-coming soap star and all the fireworks happening.

their meet-cute is a total meet-disaster, but there's something between them from first bump. of course jasmine is coming off a bad break-up, and she's also a bit of a insta-relationship kind of girl. while ashton (or angel luis) is cautious about letting people in, having dealt with a violent stalker he's very cagey about his personal life.

so cagey that basically no one in the world knows about his secret son. a revelation that might not be handled well by jasmine. partly because in jasmine's world, everything is about familia. she would be lost without her primas.

bur once jasmine and ashton figure out how to communicate it's all magic. everything about this book was magic. i'm just obsessed with it.

**you had me at hola will publish on august 4, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/harper collins (avon) in exchange for my honest review.

There are romances with celebrities that emphasize the fame and the fortune — and then there are the (better) ones that emphasize the work. Like Anna Zabo’s Twisted Wishes series or Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities, Alexis Daria’s YOU HAD ME AT HOLA (Avon, paper, $15.99) is a story of two working actors who pour themselves into their craft: drilling lines and choreography, fine-tuning emotions, doing 17 full takes of the kissing scene.

Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, reeling from a breakup, has landed the lead in a new Latinx series for a major streaming service. Her co-star Ashton Suarez is trying to make the leap from telenovelas to Hollywood while keeping quiet the fact that he has an 8-year-old son. The hero’s secret baby (nice twist!) is a wonderful source of tension: Ashton is a busy actor but a loving father, and protecting his son gives him a reason to be wary and closed-off that’s more engaging than garden-variety alpha arrogance.

The buildup here is exquisite. Jasmine and Ashton slowly grow closer until the reader is aching for them to just go for it already. “In her, he recognized a loneliness that resonated with his own.” Swoon. A solid 7.5 on the angst scale, and an absolutely pitch-perfect summer escape.

You Had Me At Hola is a book that will draw you in just like your favorite Netflix drama! Jasmine is excited to get the lead role on a new bilingual series on the most popular streaming service (think Netflix). She’s less excited that her breakup with a rockstar is all over the front of the tabloids.

Jasmine gets together with her cousins and they make a list of how a Leading Lady would live her life - which does not include public breakups. She’s determined not to fall into the same romantic mistakes she’s made in the past.

Ashton is cast as the leading man and he’s determined to have this role be his jump from telenovellas to being a household name. He needs this to be a hit though. He also has a secret he’s been keeping from the media for years.

There were many things I loved about this book - the way scenes from the show were handled in the book, the portrayal of both of their relationships with their families and their chemistry. There was a trope involved that I normally don’t like but I felt like it was handled really well. I miss Jasmine and Ashton already and can’t wait to read the next books in the series.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the free advance reading copy.

Loved it! A fresh romance with interesting characters, compelling story lines, and great love scenes. I already know which library patrons I will be recommending this book to. More please!

The characters in this book, main characters of Jasmine and Ashton and including Jasmine and Ashton's family were so intricate and beautifully written that right from the first page, they just sucked me into their story. I also love the story within the story which in turn made Ashton and Jasmine's story seem richer and sexier. The love making scenes between the both of them are straight up fire. I really enjoyed this story about two working actors, especially as we got a chance to get a small peek in their lives rather than just watch them on TV or in theaters. I would highly recommend this book.

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins and Alexis Darias for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I want to give this book a thorough review because I think there were so many fantastic, fresh takes in it!
I loved the diversity here! I often think about how whitewashed the romance genre is. I feel like until recently we hardly saw a POV in a lead romance role! I don’t think I have read books with leads from Mexico and Cuba, but Puerto Rico was a new POV for me and I’m grateful for a fresh take. I am born and raised in Iowa and I know Puerto Rico citizens are far too often left out of the United States narrative. I will admit, before Maria, I hadn’t known much about Puerto Rico, but I quickly did what I could to educate myself. I can’t help thinking these kinds of miseducations wouldn’t happen if we gave the Latin community the same opportunities in the media... t.v., movies, music and books! There are so many stories to be told and way too many people who aren’t hearing them.

One thing, in my opinion, that Alexia Daris got very right were the intimate scenes. There were great conversations about consent throughout the entire book. On the show set, they brought in a intimacy coach, something that we only really started hearing about about the #MeToo movement. The characters went on to use the communication skills they learned there to connect outside of work. The sex scenes in this one were just the right blend of steamy without sliding into the erotica hole. Condos are a very standard staple of most romance sex scenes, but I don’t think i’ve read many that talked about lube. I just appreciated the very real look at a typical sex life for some! Too often there is a lack of sexual diversity.

I have to admit, I didn’t totally feel the love here. Lust? Yes. Like? Definitely. But I just wish the leads in romances didn’t feel the need to declare their undying love after such a short time dating. Instant love has never been my thing, though there is a large audience for this troupe! I just didn’t really feel a deep connection between these two. I was about 30% through the book before I realized that Ashton was almost 40, I was picturing them much younger based on their romantic maturity.

When the book started, their meet-cute had instant chemistry and great banter. I loved Jasmine’s wit. Sadly I feel like we lost that as soon Jasmine started to crush on Ashton. She starts the book in the midst of a messy breakup and creates a Leading Lady list with her girlfriends. But she was a pretty weak character, something she knew about herself and really didn’t do anything to change in my opinion! Ashton never grew on me, but we never really got to know him. I would’ve liked to see more of his life in Puerto Rico and see him open up more. I think Jasmine deserved better at the time, but I have hope Ashton’s character was working toward being that better.

I appreciated the mention of PTSD, anxiety, and therapy. I appreciate authors feeling comfortable being open and honest about mental health! I do wish we’d gotten a little more of that then the bit we did in the epilogue, but any exposure is good exposure!

All in all, Alexis Daris’ book You Had Me At Hola is a feel-good, contemporary romance that brings you to the fast paced and drama filled world of Telenovelas and the people behind the scenes of bringing those stories to life. Alexis Daris should be on your must-read list!

Jasmine is the leading lady in a new Jane the Virgin-like telenovela-for-American-audiences show at ScreenFlix. And it couldn't come at a better time: she can focus more on the job and less on her messy break-up that has been all over the tabloids. Ashton is the romantic lead on the show, which he hopes will be his foot-in-the-door to Hollywood after filming telenovelas in Miami for years. But Ashton has a secret that could topple his rise to fame, his blooming relationship with Jasmine, and more.

If you like Jane the Virgin and/or One Day at Time (the newer version), this book is for you! It's got awesome Latinx representation, messy family dynamics, steamy scenes, and emotional vulnerability. More books like this, please!

On the chaste to steamy scale, it's an 7.5.

Divers reads:
- Jasmine's dad is Puerto Rican and her mom is Filipino.
- Ashton grew up in Puerto Rico, and Spanish is his first language.
- Most of the cast and crew of Carmen in Charge is Latinx
- One of the very tertiary characters is trans.

Mental health:
- Ashton has anxiety and PTSD. They play a small part in the story and in the epilogue, it mentions that he is getting help for them.
- Jasmine struggles with appropriate responses to her what she considers her parents' and siblings' disappointment of her job. In the epilogue, it mentions that she goes to therapy for this, as well as to stop self-soothing with alcohol. However, I didn't get the impression that she did that when I read the story.

5 Estrellas!!!
I can’t even begin to express my giddiness while reading this book. It spoke to me on so many levels. I just LOVED it.

Jasmine has received an amazing opportunity as a lead in new show on a popular streaming service. This comes on the heels of a messy break-up for her and it’s a welcome distraction.

Ashton has been successful in his own right through his multiple leading rolls in telenovelas. Seeking to branch out into Hollywood, Carmen in Charge, is just the roll to do so.

As the pair start working together, the physical chemistry was undeniable, but it was refreshing to see how they had to work to earn that closeness they needed to make their acting better.
You can tell the author really put effort into this and did her research, which I appreciated.

I loved all the Latin culture references and how seamlessly it just fit into the story. Nothing was forced; it just came naturally.
I related to Jasmine so much when expressed her nervousness about not being fluent in Spanish. It’s always been an insecurity of mine as a half Mexican-American that I too, am not fluent. But I’ve been working on it all this year. (Thanks Quarantine 🙄😂)
I also identified with her being mixed and how that affected her upbringing. It’s so refreshing to see someone like yourself reflected in the books you read.

I loved her family and how everyone was in everyone’s business. It made for some hilarious moments. PLEASE, we need her cousins stories up next! I adored them both!

Ashton and Jasmine had the sweetest connection and their dialogue flowed so well. There were some secrets, as with any good telenovela, but I think it was handled in a way that fit the story. Did it make want to pull my hair out? Yes. But like I said, it was resolved in manner that was genuine to the story.
I loved this story, it swept me away on a romantic journey that was rich with culture, love and heartwarming feels. Definitely recommended!

As per usual, I finished an Alexis Daria novel and was aghast I don’t have any more to read. You Had Me at Hola was just as funny and deep and emotional as her self-published books and like always, I want more. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Jasmine Lin Rodriguez begins the books in the tabloids because of her break up with one name rock legend, MacIntyre, and she is over it. She's about to start filming Carmen in Charge and comes up with a Leading Lady Plan to stay out of the press unless there's a good reason. Unfortunately for her, aloof and mysterious Ashton Suárez draws her interest without even trying. And Ashton himself is a single-father desperate to avoid the media spotlight so, this is obviously a messy match.

One of the things at which Alexis Daria excels is creating characters where their motivations and characteristics feel so real and understandable that even when they're messing up or causing conflict, you really get it and understand why the characters are doing what they are. That was absolutely the case here. Even when I wanted to yell at Ashton to make better choices, I completely understood why these were choices he was making. I really cannot extol the virtues enough of Daria's ability to create characters.

Jasmine is also just such a fantastic heroine. I found her to be so relatable and I just adored her the most. From this line: “Jasmine tried not to take it personally, but taking things personally was one of her greatest skills.” to her sending out a text to her cousins that said, "Help. I've done something stupid." I just fell in love with her. Also, for those of you who would love to see more of the Latinx diaspora, this cast of characters delivers! Additionally, Jasmine has Filipino heritage in addition to Puerto Rican heritage. I also really loved the way Spanish was used in this book in multiple contexts. For one, it's not othered and for two, I really loved how Daria discusses the way not every Latinx person in the diaspora speaks Spanish.

And now to go reread Dance with Me because that little glimpse of Jess and Nik was just not enough. I need more. (Also, are we getting books about Jasmine's cousins??? I hope so!)

I didn't really understand Ashton's motivations during most of this. I didn't like the parts where they went to the scrutiny of the show and used the characters names but interspersed the real persons thoughts and feelings. It was confusing. I loved the cousins! They were hilarious. I also loved Jasmine. I really felt for her and enjoyed being in her POV. But I really wasn't a fan of Ashton. I didn't really connect with him or see what was so great about him.

You Had Me At Hola was such a fun romcom and the narrator was perfect for this book! Jasmine was an amazing main character and I loved watching her come into her own as a leading lady. Plus her family was so much fun (well... most of them). Also, her chemistry with Ashton was evident from their first meeting. Although I wasn’t a huge fan of Ashton at first, he started to grow on me once he started to open up a bit more.

I loved how Alexis Daria addresses the dark side of fame - paparazzi and stalkers - in this book. It felt so realistic and I liked how both main characters had to weigh what they were and were not okay with sharing with the general public. Overall, the plot was so delightfully over the top and enjoyable. Juxtaposing the acting scenes from Carmen In Charge with the actual story worked so well! The epilogue didn’t quite work for me but I did love the ending in general.

If you’re looking for a fun and engaging romantic comedy, definitely check this one out! I’m going to be keeping an eye out for any future books from Daria as well.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this audiobook for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It has been a MINUTE since I read a romance, and my soul was craaaaving it. This book was everything I needed: sexy, funny, heart-warming, and extremely swoon worthy. My only regret is I didn’t read it sooner!⁣
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You Had Me At Hola follows costars Jasmine, a soap star coming off a very public breakup, and Ashton, a telenovela star trying to make the jump to American TV. After a classically awkward rom-com meeting, these two are working on developing chemistry as on set love interests while their off screen chemistry is leaping off the charts.⁣
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This book was so goddamn charming. Jasmine is an incredible heroine who wears her heart on her sleeve and is desperate for love and affection (hi, relatable!). Ashton is a solemn hero traumatized by a past incident which he slowly works through and begins to open up. The steam was... out of this world good. I put my iPad down just to yell “HOLY SHIT” because it. Was. Intense!!! I loved both character’s families who were wonderful side characters that brought so much warmth and heart to the book. I’m desperately hoping Jasmine’s cousins get their own spin off books!⁣
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Beyond romance, this book covered the importance of consent by making consent explicit in sex scenes (consent has sexy!!!) as well as having scenes with an intimacy coordinator work with the actors to insure comfort. Lowkey, I would have loved a chapter from Vera’s perspective since she definitely knew these two were about to get it on. It talks about the importance of an all Latinx cast and crew discussing the importance of representation (shout out to Nico a side trans character!!) and slightly delves onto colorism in Latinx communities. This book had so much to offer beyond the romance, all the romance itself was TOP NOTCH!!⁣