While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as You Had Me at Hola, I absolutely had a blast with this one! The romance is spicy and so much fun. I loved the writing and the relationships between the characters.

I really liked You Had Me At Hola, but I absolutely adored A Lot Like Adios. Everyone has gone through a friend break up. But when your worst friend break up is also your first love and all of a sudden they're back in your life? The stakes become that much higher.

Michelle and Gabe were relatable, funny, witty, more than a little nerdy, and just plain fun to read about. Their meddling families provided excellent comic relief and had me laughing so hard multiple times. "El fanfeek" might just become part of my regular lexicon, I loved it so much.

This story also tackles a lot of feelings about blood relations versus found family and Gabe's struggles with that were never melodramatic, but written thoughtfully and with due care.

This was basically perfect rom-com. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Oh wow, this book had me swooning from page one! I loved this sexy second chance romance. From the reconnecting friends to the funny friends and family, this romance had it all for me. Romance fans MUST put this and the other book in the series to the top of their TBR!

Review will be posted at Love in Panels on 10/6/21.

I adore the Primas of Power and Alexis Daria's writing, so it's no surprise that A Lot Like Adiós was a quick, fun read for me.

Gabe and Michelle grew up right next to each other and were best friends until Gabe abruptly left for college on the other side of the country and cut all communications. Now he has to open a NYC location for his successful LA gym and Michelle is the best marketing pro in the NYC biz... and Gabe's partner has hired her. When Gabe realizes what's happened, he calls Michelle for the first time in 9 years and she demands that as part of her agreeing, he has to stay with her while he's in town. And of course they mend their relationship and explore the romantic and sexual feelings they'd been repressing all those years ago.

Second-chance romance isn't a favorite trope of mine, as I often struggle to hand-wave away the conflicts that were big enough to keep two people apart for years. This worked for me because Michelle was honest with herself most of the time. She knew she was mad at him and didn't pretend otherwise. Plus the "let's get it out of our system" banging was early and often, always an amusing premise for a romance reader. (It never works and the love interests always think it will. They make plans, we laugh.)

The only thing I had a hard time with was Gabe's relationship with his controlling parents. He left without telling anyone and then cut off his parents a couple years later at a family wedding, all because his parents were controlling and none of them were able to communicate in a healthy way. I don't have the ability to judge how this would read to others, but I'm estranged from one side of my family for a similar reason and the reconciliation in this book didn't work for me at all. It was too fast and felt to me like his father had suddenly changed and the ongoing estrangement was Gabe's fault for not staying in touch. Like I said, I'm too close to this.

Back to to the good stuff!

I bought A Lot Like Adiós in paperback but ended up reading it on audio, as is so often the case these days. The audio was well done and I zipped through in two afternoons.

Both main characters are bi, hurrah!

Mich and Gabe have lots of sex, but as usual Daria uses her sex scenes to look at some common--but not common in romance novels--aspects of sexual intimacy. For example, Mich doesn't usually bother trying to orgasm with a partner, while Gabe is into foreplay. So she's trying to get it over with but Gabe is trying to savor the experience. And *shocked face* they actually talk about it! Feeling like your pleasure is too much work or takes too long is a pretty common experience for women and I'm glad that Daria didn't treat it like Mich was just "repressed" or something. If you read You Had Me at Hola and appreciated the use of lube, you'll like this book for similar reasons.

Overall, this was a really solid read and I'm looking forward to the third (and last *cry*) prima's book!

I loved You Had Me at Hola so I had super high expectations. A Lot Like Adios did not disappoint! It was steamy and swoony and I adored Michelle and Gabe.

⭐️A Lot Like Adios ⭐️
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💫Alexis Daria💫
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📚Book 319 of 2021 📚
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I love a second chance romance and it’s even better for these best friends. Mich and Gabe were best friends until one day abruptly they weren’t.
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Gabe left the Bronx and his close knit family to go off on his own at eighteen. They crosses path when Michelle is hired as the graphic designer for the gym he owns. With a large extended family in tow this book is a pure blast with an ending this is pure satisfaction!
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All the scenes between the central characters, I enjoyed. However, there was an extraordinary amount of time spent on tedious conversations with side characters that did little to enhance the story. There was also a lot of time spent on discussing the gym Gabe runs, and obviously this is about personal preference, but all the business and gym discussion lost me. I did enjoy the interstitials of the fan fiction the characters wrote in high school, and their interactions on-page. Overall I enjoyed it but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

3.75 stars. I truly love friends to lovers to separated for a long time to lovers again .. is there a shorter name for this trope? Anyway! I was excited to read this as an OWN voice with a colorful LatinX setting. The families were great and the set up was great. Some of the conflict seemed a little forced. Some of the scenes were a little flat. The finale conflict was predictable and would have liked to see something new there.

A hot and heavy friends to lovers. I loved the history between Michelle and Gabe. The flashbacks and fan fiction chats were my favorite parts.

As an English only speaker, I had a hard time following a few conversations but overall really liked it!

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Two latinx bi hotties take center stage in Alexis Daria’s sweet second chance, friends to lovers romance, A Lot Like Adios. Michelle’s best friend Gabe cut ties and moved to California after high school, and she hasn’t heard from him in thirteen years--until an email lands in her inbox with a job offer. A business opportunity brings Gabe to NYC and back into Mich’s life--and finally, FINALLY into her bed. Despite how easy and comfortable this relationship is, they’re both very aware that whatever this is has an end-date. Gabe hasn’t said anything about moving back, and Mich’s whole life is in NY. Will love win out in the end?

It’s a romance so obviously they end up together. (Hooray!) What I loved about A Lot Like Adios was how much it celebrated latinx culture and community in all its combinations and complexities. I got to flex my Spanish muscles, and I was impressed by how much I remembered. Her extended family is so adorable, and I loved the entire cast of characters. I love series that subtly tie together--Jasmine and Ashton of You Had Me At Hola make an appearance since Mich is Jasmine’s cousin, and the families are incredibly tight-knit. Oh, and if you’ve ever written nerdy fan-fiction or lost a best friend only to reconnect again later, this book will definitely resonate.

There’s a lot of steam in this one, so have a glass of water handy.

I LOVED this title. Gabe and Mich were HAWT. I loved their 'friends to lovers' relationship, and the fact both were bi -- it added a layer of authenticity and realism, not always shown in other books.

This title felt like 'a love letter to the Bronx', as many of the sites referenced are ones I know well. It made me think Alexis Daria could be a Bronx resident.

I SO recommend reading this book. I plan on reading the preceeding one, and other works by this author!!!!!

As far as I’m concerned, Alexis Daria can do wrong. I adored everything about A Lot Like Adios. I loved the second chance friends to lovers romance that Gabe and Michelle had. I liked how they both challenged each other and helped the other person to grow. Their families and family gatherings sounded like so much fun. I cannot wait for Ava’s story!

I will update with the link when I share to my bookstagram account.

I flew through this book like my ass was on fire, which it was honey, because this one is steamy😊 and brings all the spice to the yard. I laughed as much as I swooned, strip tease and buying condoms with a parent present. That's all you'll need to read this one🤣🤣.
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But really, this is a second chance friends to lovers romance with Bi and LatinX characters. Both Michelle and Gabriel are open about their sexuality and engaging too, pulling you into their world with so little effort I was drawn to them like I am to a plate of spicy wings. Gaaad, and the sexiness made my little piggies curl.
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I absolutely love this series, with smart badass females who aren't shy about a damn thing. Plus, the cover, isn't this just a thing of beauty, dang. Ahem, and Gabe could get it it😜😜, that man is total Bae.

Michelle and Gabe go way back, but they haven’t spoken in YEARS. Gabe is finally headed back to New York because he’s super successful gym company is expanding and with the growth, he’s tapped Michelle’s marketing skills. So, Gabe is going to have to confront his family in The Bronx and his childhood best friend.

I thought this was such a quick fun read for my weekend! I did the first quarter of the book on my drive up on audiobook and loved it! Not going to lie — this book had me BLUSHING! It’s so steamy! I can just blame it on the sunburn right?! I also just loved the diversity and inclusion. There was a point where I stopped and told my friends, “I don’t think there’s a single white straight person in this whole book and I’m so here for it.” More 👏🏼 of 👏🏼 this 👏🏼

You absolutely don’t have to have read You Had Me at Hola first but the two are a series following three cousins and I can’t wait for the third!!

I really enjoyed You Had Me at Hola last year, but I LOVED A Lot Like Adios! This was the childhood friends to lovers of my dream! Alexis Daria completely nailed this storyline.

I loved how this romance between Michelle and Gabe played out, and with the occasional chapters from their teenage years it really made me swoon for them. Books like this remind me how much I truly love friends to lovers trope. And the steam!!! Daria is a queen at writing excellent steamy scenes.

A Lot Like Adios gets all the stars and was one of my favorite romances I've read this year. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

This contemporary romance novel leans heavily on fanfiction and its tropes, and I was there for it. It is a trope-fest: only one bed, second-chance romance, get it out of my system, all sorts of things. But it is anything but boring or cliché. Both the hero and heroine have to work through their own insecurities to be open to love and each other. Most of the conflict is internal, though their large, nosy extended families pay a part.

I will say this is a high heat romance with lots of sex scenes, so be prepared.

While this is the second book in the series, I did not feel lost having not read the first one. (I think I will go back and do so now). The deep friendship and bonds between the women here are a key part of what makes the characters work, and it makes me want to read the whole series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Thoroughly enjoyable. I liked the characters, though I felt they were missing a little in development. I want more from queer characters than just labeling them bi and not writing it into their back story. I will, of course, be reading the next Primas of Power book.

As the second book in this series, I liked it for a few reasons. 1. It was steamy. I've come to expect that from this series. 2. It used a romantic trope (best friends turned lovers) in a unique twist by also writing in the potential of an inevitable breakup. 3. You can read the series in order or as standalones, though there are more benefits to reading them both, and 4. it has a good ending.

One of my fave books of 2021!

It's essentially about two childhood friends who, the summer between high school and college develop feelings for eachother. With the exception of one unexpected hot and heavy incident, they don't act on their feeling, and become estranged soon after. Years later, they connect through a business venture and find that they are still attracted to eachother even as they navigate their long simmering hurt feelings about how they parted.
One thing to know from the outset is that this book is very steamy from the beginning to the end, so if you're into that- this book is definitely for you.

Reasons why I loved this book:
1- Latinx characters that are diverse- especially repping Mexi-Rican culture <3
2. The main characters bond through their love a Latinx Sci-fi TV show that was only on air for one season. As a sci-fan that is also Latinx, I very much loved this storyline.
3. The unabashed sexiness- this author does not play around - this is not for gentle romance fans.
4. The beliveable and deep love story- Daria writes beautiful love stories with characters that are flawed but so fully fleshed out that you still root for them. She made me cry full on tears that streamed down my face.
5. The storylines about forgiveness, family and the ability of people to change and grow in life really resonated with me.
6. I love the relationship of the primas/cousins and am excited to see each of their love stories.

Daria has penned another excellent contemporary romance about diverse, successful Latinx characters that make profound emotional and sexual connections to eachother.

It was great to see the characters from the first book in the series- 'You Had Me at Hola' (Primas of Power #1), but you definitely can read this as a stand-alone. I myself will be reading every book that she puts out and her back catalog too.

Do you ever like the second book in a series more than the first? That’s what happened for me with A LOT LIKE ADIOS by Alexis Daria. I enjoyed the heck out of YOU HAD ME AT HOLA, but book two really blew me away. I loved so much about this book, but especially the wonderful way it tackled the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, and how Michelle and Gabe reconnected after years apart. The family dynamics add a whole other layer to love, too. This book is sexy and delightful