I was hoping to love this book. Especially after having the chance to interview the author on my blog. But, honestly, there were some topics like misogyny that was never talked about or resolved. Some of the characters felt forced for me. I don't know... I was excited about this book because of the Latinx representation but it was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I quickly added this to my school library after finally getting to read it. Students are frequently picking it up as it’s one of few books that connects really well to their culture. So grateful to have the chance to read it early!

I had such high hopes for this one, as I would love to see more portrayals of quinceaneras in media, but sadly this missed the mark for me. There were certain enjoyable or relatable parts, but overall, I found the premise to be a bit convoluted and unbelievable. Not only that, but a major story catalyst stems from the protagonist being harassed at work, and nobody in the book who is supposed to be on her side (adults like her mom or aunt) seem to think it's a big deal. The book was way too much in Carmen's head and probably could have used more development of the actual plot. And sadly, none of the characters were compelling enough for me to care about what was happening.

Thank you so much for granting my request for this title. Unfortunately I am struggling to get into this book. I have decided to not finish it at this time. I will not be be reviewing this work because of this. I think that many younger readers will enjoy this book and I do wish it all the best. I may end of buying this for my classroom library for my students because I think that they would enjoy it more than myself.

Kind regards,

Brittney

Oh, when you have such high hopes for a book and it disappoints you! I am sad that Monica Gomez-Hira's debut YA novel, Once Upon a Quinceanera, did not live up to my expectations. Having heard of quinceaneras (Latin America celebrations marking a girl's passage to womanhood at the age of 15), but knowing little about them, I was excited to read this novel and get a glimpse into this tradition. Not only did Once Upon a Quinceanera fail to capture what makes quinceaneras so special, it also lacked in all other departments as well.

This novel unfortunately has more flaws than it does attributes. I was confused by the plot from the very beginning. Gomez-Hira brings readers up to speed in the first few pages by dumping an enormous amount of backstory into their laps before they are even prepared to receive it. Let us get to know and care about the characters before you tell us everything about them! Then there are the characters themselves, who are unlikeable and not engaging. The writing is stale and uninspired, and the conversations between characters are boring. Even the quinceanera itself was not the glittering, magical affair I expected. Once Upon a Quinceanera suffers from major lack of development and descriptive language. I felt like I was reading a book that could practically be happening anywhere, to anyone, when what I wanted to read was a novel that felt wholly special and unique.

I listened to an audiobook production of Once Upon a Quinceanera, and perhaps the most interesting aspects of this book was Gomez-Hira's sprinkling of Spanish words throughout the novel. It livened up an otherwise drab story, making it feel more authentic and interesting.

I love a good teen romcom and this one didn't disappoint. I love Belle and was excited to see Carmen take on that role. The romance was swoon-worthy and the culture was on point. Gomez-Hira is a fantastic author and really put her knowledge into this book. The characters were relatable and loveable and I would love to read something else by this author.

This was SO relatable and definitely brought me back to my days in high school (in Puerto Rico), attending a quinceañera party every weekend. This was my first book by Monica but it won't be my last!

I wanted to love this one because of the Latinx representation, but it just felt flat. The author had the potential to do so much with this book but it missed its mark in terms of character development, plot, and addressing problematic social mores that Latina girls have to live with.

This overly long, fluffy love story of a family feud and an over the top Miami Cuban quinceañera disappoints with its emphasis on coincidence and stereotypes.

After a video project goes awry, Carmen must spend her summer working as an intern for a company that provides character actors for parties to make up the credit. As if that isn’t bad enough, the team is booked for the hottest event of the summer-- her rival cousin’s quinceañera AND she’s partnered with the ex-boyfriend who humiliated her and broke her heart.

I wanted to love this book so much. As a latina, I am always on board for a story that celebrates our heritage and culture. And though I enjoyed the setting and Spanish mixed in, I did not like the characters. I found Carmen to be self-involved and I’m not sure that changed much by the end of the story. Perhaps these types of family rivalries hit too close to home, but it just wasn’t for me. Still, I appreciated the creativity of the plot and the vivid imagery of the setting. The writing felt authentic and believable. Readers searching for a strong female lead or a summer romance would find it here. Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for the opportunity to read this novel.

CWs: allusions to sexual harassment in the workplace, HP references, sexist slurs, mentions of underage drinking, some unchallenged fatphobia, catcalling/sexual harassment, allusions to cultural appropriation, references to sex, some violence/physical assault, some exploration of parental estrangement

Sadly, this was a book that started out promising enough, but quickly disappointed me. At first glance, this story is right up my alley, because it's about a young Latinx teen enduring quinceañera shenanigans and family drama, all with the promise of tackling classism and prejudice along with a second chance romance. It started out interestingly enough with Carmen struggling through her summer job of being a "party princess" (AKA a Disney princess rip-off as the entertainment for kids' birthday parties and special events) while being forced to work with her ex, but sadly I began to lose interest the more the story wore on.

One my biggest issues with this story is that all the tension is stemming from events that not only happened before the story began, but that largely exist off the page. In a nutshell: when Carmen was younger, her family had a big fall-out with her aunt and her cousin where something scandalous happened at a party and thus cancelled Carmen's own quinceañera. This is where a large part of the animosity between Carmen and her cousin, Ariana, stems from, and it's also connected to why she and her ex, Mauro, broke up.

Even summing that up in one sentence feels convoluted, and because that backstory was so hard to parse and yet so integral to the story itself, that made it hard to contextualize the book as a whole, even as more and more of what happened That Night is gradually revealed. Even in its full context by the end, it doesn't make much sense, and that lack of clarity makes it hard to understand the already-existing dynamics between the characters as the story progresses.

Besides the family drama being so convoluted to the point where this book felt like it needed a separate prequel to understand it, I found the characters to be mostly unsympathetic. There was a lot of unchallenged misogyny present in the story, and there was also a lot of toxic machismo being perpetuated by the "romantic lead," which made it hard for me, personally, to root for both the characters and the relationship. I'm not someone who thinks a character has to be "likeable" to have value, but it was hard for me to understand Carmen's motivations, and what little character development she experienced by the end didn't resonate with me.

All in all, this was not a memorable or meaningful reading experience for me. I had high hopes going into it because it felt like a promising Latinx YA summer romance that was setting up for some major character redemption, but it mostly left me feeling confused and empty. To this story's credit, it's a quick and relatively entertaining contemporary story full of shenanigans and drama, but ultimately I didn't glean anything from it beyond the surface-level appeal.

“Once Upon A Quinceañera” filled me with all the good summer vibes, Latina rep, and telenovela drama. I adored it.

Let me begin by saying a quick note and thanks to HarperCollins/Epic Reads for their dedication to getting Latinx stories into the hands of Latinx bloggers/reviewers/influencers. For a long while I’ve found it extremely frustrating to watch as review and final copies get sent out to non-own-voices bloggers. Harper has been one of the few publishing houses to make the effort to find Latinx bloggers to review and/or promote Latinx titles. It’s a change myself and many of my fellow bloggers have been pushing and waiting for. So, thanks Harper! Okay, onto the book.

Like I said, I adored “Once Upon A Quinceañera,” and that largely had to do with the characters. I did love the plot of course, that’s what keeps anyone reading, but I genuinely found myself immediately attached to Carmen and Waverly and Mauro and the Dreams. And I was so, so invested Carmen’s mom, her tía and tío, and her cousin, Ariana.

I immediately connected with Carmen and the more we learned about her, the more I saw myself in her, good and bad, surface-level and on a deeper, emotional level. We both love to edit videos and tell stories that way, and we both have a strong appreciation Harry Styles. I also thought it was sorta kismet that Carmen performs as Belle for her summer internship, and Belle is my favorite Disney princess.

Mauro was a fantastic character and love interest. I thought the history between him and Carmen was a great attention grabber, and immediately made me want to know what happened, while simultaneously following them on this new journey. While at times his actions did frustrate me, in the end I really liked Mauro. He’s quick-witted and funny, he and Carmen clearly have chemistry, and he’s really thoughtful. I looked forward to seeing him on page just as much as I enjoyed being in Carmen’s mind.

Something that I loved about “Once Upon A Quinceañera” was the entire family dynamic and storyline. While my own family is definitely no where near the level of dramatics of Carmen’s family, I could still see similarities in small ways through the interactions between them and the importance Carmen’s mom and tía Celia placed on forgiving family.

Don’t get me wrong, Carmen’s tía Celia absolutely annoyed me to no end, and I truly wanted to shake her at one point, but she was vital to the story and family dynamic. I also really didn’t like Carmen’s younger cousin Ariana at first, so going on that journey with Carmen and Ariana was vital to the reader as well, and I think it was very well written.

In fact, this entire story was well written and beautifully told. I will always love stories about brown girls going after their happily ever afters–even better when they’re romcoms. “Once Upon A Quinceañera” is warm, touching, funny, and dreamy. Go read it.

This plot follows a relatively expected path. The drama isn't especially high stakes. I did like the portrayal of Cuban culture, and the exploration of how the protagonist gets typed based on family history and assumption. She's stuck in a path and doesn't know how to change it. I also admire the idea that just because people judge you doesn't mean you have to change. There's a balance between practicality and dreaming that the characters are hunting for.

I really enjoyed this fun, cute enemies to lovers YA. This has culture, Disney, family, friends - everything I come to expect in a great YA book. I really enjoyed Carmen and her character growth as she learns more about what she wants for her future and her relationships. Such a delight and I would love to see this in my school's library.

Carmen lives with her mom in Miami. Three years earlier, there was a falling out with Carmen, her mom, her aunt, and her cousin. Because of this, Carmen never had a Quince. The falling out started when Carmen took her twelve year old cousin, Ariana, to her boyfriend's party (Mauro) and she drank alcohol.. Now Ariana is turning 15 and her mother is throwing her a huge Quince - Carmen has been asked to be on the Corte. This requires spending a lot of time with her cousin and aunt while rehearsing for the danza sorpresa.

Carmen also needs to finish a job during the summer to get her missed high school diploma. She ends up working with her best friend, Waverly, at Dreams Come True. She had to dress up as Belle and perform for children at parties. The Beast was late and finally showed up and it wasn’t the boy who normally played him. Carmen recognized the voice and it was Mauro.

The book focuses on the conflict between Carmen and her relatives and Carmen and Mauro.

#Netgalley #OnceUponAQuinceanera

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira
Rating: 3.5 Stars 
Trigger warnings: mentions of sexual harassment by an employer, underage drinking, mentions of drug abuse
Review:

‘Once Upon a Quinceañera’ is a coming of age romcom about Carmen Aguilar wanting to have her happily ever after. However, if Carmen is going to move into the future she wants, she needs to leave the past behind. Let every possibility of problems to arise ensue. 
At first, I was invested in this book because of the cover, the synopsis and being hispanic I was excited to reminisce about ‘quinceañeras.’ The story is told from the first point of view of our heroine Carmen and her desire to prove herself was relatable. There were times when I was indifferent towards her but she’s a teenager coming of age, making mistakes, besides no one is perfect. Truthfully, I didn’t love any of the characters, I found myself frustrated with Carmen sometimes but I also liked the fact that Carmen wasn't 100% lovable because most of us aren’t, haha. 
Carmen has built walls around herself and I don't blame her considering her backstory and family drama that it was too much to handle even for me! And even though we are left with knots untied, I believe the author did a great job fleshing out as much as she could. With that being said, what really sold me on this book was the ending. (Spoiler) Carmen realizes that one can’t change the past, one just has to move on. 
Oh the romance! How could I forget the romance?! I could have done with the family drama and Carmen coming into her own without the romance just fine because Mauro was a very flat character that was used mainly for plot purposes. And  I found the (minor spoiler) love triangle to be truly unnecessary, I also found her second-chance romance with Mauro to be bittersweet.  
Last but not least, I would like to rave about the writing and give where credit is due. I am a sucker for bilingualism because interchanging between English and Spanish is relatable as heck in my household. The writing was very fluid after one gets through the first couple of chapters because of the rough backstory (spoiler, Carmen gets sexually harassed by her employer during her internship), although it is realistically depicted because the victim is always blamed and the perpetrator hardly deals with the consequences). Moreover, the characters were either likable or not, and even though most of the cast was very one dimensional, it's important to take into consideration that the story is told from Carmen’s point of view and not an omniscient P.O.V.
The setting was nicely set up and the family dynamics really hit close to home, even the drama, haha.
Overall, it was an entertaining read that I liked reading the novel despite its drawbacks. I do think that it could have benefited from a stronger characterization and a deeper dive into some of its themes.

Once Upon a Quinceañera is for readers of…
*A Cuban Girl’s Guide To Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
*Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
*Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
*A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
*The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
*Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant

BOOK REPORT for Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira

Cover Story: Made Me Smile
BFF Charm: Eventually
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
Talky Talk: Solid Debut
Bonus Factors: Quinceañeras, Fandom Videos
Factor: Family
Relationship Status: Playing The Field

Cover Story: Made Me Smile

I kind of love this?! The bright colors are so fun, and all the little nods to actual things/moments in the book really tickle me. The only thing that doesn’t add up is that Ariana would NEVER have a cake that simple at her quinceañera; three tiers and sparkle or bust.

The Deal:

Carmen’s summer after high school isn’t going as planned. For one, she didn’t actually graduate due to an unfortunate incident regarding her senior project. So now she must don Belle’s ballgown and entertain sticky children while she works on her a different final project for summer school. At least she’s getting to spend her time working alongside her best friend, Waverly, before she leaves for college, right?

Except the universe is determined to ruin all of Carmen’s potential fun, because the Beast to her Belle is none other than Mauro Reyes, the boy who betrayed her trust and broke her heart during freshmen year. The boy whose wild house party (which, regrettably, had involved her younger cousin, Ariana, and some alcohol) was the direct result of a major fight between Carmen’s mom and Carmen’s aunt—a fight that has kept her family from speaking to each other for almost four years.

Carmen isn’t going to be able to avoid Mauro, and she certainly isn’t going to be able to avoid Ariana and her aunt when they hire Dreams Come True to dance at Ariana’s quinceañera. Worst summer ever, party of one!

BFF Charm: Eventually



I completely sympathized with Carmen’s lack of direction and the anxiety of the unknown that looms in front of her as she faces down adulthood. She’s not sure if college is for her, because what would she even study? Is it smart to even try to turn your passion into your career? She’s also dealt with things in her life that make her slow to trust and open up, and when she looks at her aunt Celia’s rich husband and her spoiled cousin, she practically glows green with envy. So I get why Carmen is the way she is, but that doesn’t mean I still didn’t want to shake her shoulders every now and then and tell her to stop comparing herself to others; to be happy with all the strengths she does possess. Because, Carmencita? You’re actually pretty awesome.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5

Carmen has closed herself off from feeling anything too real since Mauro, but she has her eye on someone she views as sweet and very un-Maurolike: Alex, a hot soccer player she’s crushed on all year. Their situation is one part that, the way it was written, confused me (see more below). I can’t tell if how I was supposed to feel was because Alex was just kind of a jerky person or if it was the lack of clarity in the writing. And course, the real thorn in Carmen's side is Mauro, who seems to have grown since the “incident”. Carmen’s confusion and hesitation over trusting him is understandable…if not always the most fun to read about because, as an outsider, it seemed to me he was genuinely remorseful.

Talky Talk: Solid Debut

As a debut author, Gomez-Hira’s writing was accessible, and her story easy to fall into. While I haven’t spent an extended amount of time in Miami, I have been on a few occasions, so it was fun to see places I know mentioned, and it felt like she nailed the vibe. I also loved the Latinx representation and learning more about how quinceañeras vary in different cultures (that was more my own deep dive into it versus the book explaining, but, what can I say, it peaked my interest!).

I did struggle with the pacing near the middle/final third of the book, as well as whenever any relationship drama set in, be it between Carmen and her family or her love interest. Sometimes the arguments about who did what/when/why and the points it seemed the characters were trying to make had me tangled up. I found myself needing to reread passages, and even then I wasn’t sure if I was catching the characters' actual meanings. Sometimes it felt like I was supposed to know more about the past events than was possible, since we never get a full flashback to Carmen’s freshmen year when all the drama actually went down. Hopefully those are minor writing quirks that will be improved with practice and time, as overall I found Gomez-Hira’s voice to be fresh and fun.

Bonus Factor: Quinceañeras



The Biltmore Hotel, the venue that hosts Ariana’s quinceañera, is a real place and real fancy. I imagine Ariana’s father probably spent a wedding-sized fortune on the event. While I’ve never been someone who cares about coming-of-age parties (I have never watched an episode of MTV’s My Super-Sweet Sixteen, and I, personally, would HATE all that attention on me), count me in as someone who would’ve loved an invite to Ariana’s shindig to peep at all the glitz and glamour.

If you’re someone who loves watching random videos of wedding parties dancing, then allow me to introduce you to the world of bailes sorpresa (from the comments this one sounds like it’s actual dancers from a studio during an expo, but like, are they showing off that they would be teaching you and your friends this dance?! What do you do if you have friends who aren’t coordinated? I guess, like Ariana, you can always hire professionals!) (Also: that girl’s dress? Those sleeves! I die.) It seems like the most traditional dance is a waltz, but people are doing all kinds of choreographed numbers nowadays!

Bonus Factor: Fandom Videos



One of Carmen’s secret passions is making fan videos of her favorite TV shows to highlight couples she wishes were together or change the stories to how she wants them to be. Editing together the right clips with the perfect songs gives her intense satisfaction. While I’ve never done much video editing, I do know that satisfied feeling when you find the perfect song for a photo slideshow, and I’ve definitely watched my share of fandom videos, good and bad.

Factor: Family



With the way the book is written, I hope I’m not spoiling anything to say that it’s pretty clear the goal is to reconcile Carmen/Carmen’s mom and their estranged family. But, like…they’re kind of awful? My confusion over what happened at Mauro’s party years ago compounds my mixed feelings about Ariana, who was very hot and cold with Carmen. Not to mention Tia Celia’s horribly petty behavior to her teenage niece and sister over and over. I was probably being overly petty myself, but I was rooting for Carmen to tell these people to heave-off and go thrive drama-free without them…

Relationship Status: Playing The Field

I’m not ready to commit to being a one-book woman, Book, but I liked our time together. I’d be willing to try out another date (maybe more dancing?) to see where this could lead.

Literary Matchmaking:



• If you want more about that transitional time between being a teen and being an adult while also having to wear a fancy ballgown, check out Karole Cozzo’s The Truth About Happily Ever After.

• For another story that tackles family relationships, complicated friendships, and finding your passion and sense of self, go read Julie Murphy’s Puddin’.

• Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia's Miss Meteor is a more fantastical (and adorable!) contemporary that also features characters whose friendship broke down after a misunderstanding.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from HarperTeen. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Once Upon a Quinceañera is available now.

This was truly a joy to read. It had the perfect mix of angst and sunshine. Loved the use of Beauty and the Beast and the consistency and respect to the culture.

After a string of bad luck that puts her high school diploma at risk, Carmen is looking for a happy ending. She doesn't expect to find it working for Dreams, a Disney princess (and prince) for hire company where, as her (bad) luck would have it, she runs into Mauro--her ex-boyfriend and another piece of bad luck from the past. When Carmen is hired to perform at her rich, estranged cousin's quince, she reluctantly agrees, despite having no desire to warm up to her cousin and her family again. But as time passes, Carmen begins to wonder if she should open up to the family--and the boy--that just might prove that they're worthy of her time despite past mistakes.

Carmen is a wonderful protagonist and really brings life to this book. She's spent her life a mediocre student but a great beauty, and in her eyes everyone around her has proven to her time and time again that they don't expect much from her--from her father who left her as a child, to the ex who insulted her and betrayed her trust in the worst way, to society as a whole (which has shown her that everyone expects the worst from girls that look like her). The whole story is about Carmen learning to trust and show vulnerability to the people who love her and prove themselves worth her time. I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who was looking for a fun romance with a fantastic protagonist--but I did feel the plot dragged in parts so I can't give it full marks. If it had been a bit shorter, I think it would have been perfect! I will definitely be looking forward to more from this author in the future.