Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

Lola is doing great in high school in every subject except one, Spanish, and her Latinx parents are not to happy about that. They decide to send her to Mexico over the summer to be with relatives, and hopefully become more fluent in Spanish. While there, not only does she become attracted to two young gentlemen, she learns of the possible curse on the women in her family from her grandmother, they are cursed when it comes to love.

This was such a cute and enjoyable story. The story was sweet and cute, and she was able to see and learn of some of her heritage, which is something I always love in stories. If you're not a spanish speaker like me, you're gonna want to look up some of the words (which is so easy if you're using a kindle). I will be looking for more books from this author.

Lola Espinoza studies hard, but when she receives a 'C' in Spanish, her father sends her to Mexico City to be with her family to learn the language. While there Lola encounters all the family drama and even learns about a family curse. Add to this she's drawn to two very different boys-handsome Rio and his more serious friend Javi. Lola works in one of her family's restaurants and learns much more than the language but that magic might in fact be around us all.

What worked: I loved this contemporary romance set in Mexico City. It's like a telenovela filled with chisma, family conflict, a curse, and two very different cute boys.

This story is much more than romance. It's a story of a teen learning not only about her Mexican heritage, but the power of family and her own path in life. Lola learns to think outside of the box and to take chances. Something the very studious side of her struggled with in the States.

I loved how the author shares not only the language, (kudos for not putting the language in italics), but also the rich culture, heritage, and foods. Lola's discovery of her own Mexican background is one I know will resonate with readers.

Engaging and fast-paced. The dialogue is authentic and adds to the richness of this story.

And finally, I liked the added touch of how Lola searched for how to break the family curse and what she learned along the way.

Heart-warming coming-of-age story. A love story shout-out to Mexico City, and finding your own place.

Originally posted: https://www.yabookscentral.com/viva-lola-espinoza/

There was some culture in this book and there was storyline of loooove. I think being sent away was struggle enough but this instance was like a whirlwind of events. I didn't completely relate but I did have a good time reading.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book.

This is a very sweet, charming, and touching story!

This is a great ya contemporary book for anyone who really loves it when books show the importance of family.

Lola struggles with her family expectations. The struggle is real! She’s also dealing with the pressures of high school and all that entails,
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When she is sent to Mexico City to spend time with her extended family the real magic happened! It’s so nice seeing this culture in the spotlight!

Overall, a great feel good book!

Thank you to Penguinteen for this advanced copy

I was so excited for this read but sadly it did not fit the bill for me. I got to about 41% of the book and had to dnf. I was having a hard time keeping engaged and I felt like the pacing was all over the place. I was interested to see the growth of the main character but the book just felt stagnant. I am rating 3 stars as it was enjoyable from a romance ya standpoint and has potential for other readers to enjoy.

This was such a fun read. The story of bookish teen and always gets straight A’s at school but not in life. Lola’s heritage is Mexican but being born in the US she struggles to learn Spanish. After receiving a C in Spanish her family sends her to spend the summer with her abuela. While in Mexico Lola discovers that there is more to life than books and studying.

I really enjoyed this book having a connection the the Hispanic culture but struggling with the language I could connect with Lola’s struggles. Lola’s character arc is the perfect example of most teenagers as they are ending their academic journey and trying to figure out what’s next. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters and the dialogue between members of the family. It was very relatable and realistic.

I would suggest if you are not a Spanish speaker reading this as an ebook to more easily look up phrases and words that you are unfamiliar with.

I love Pride and Prejudice, and was really looking forward to seeing how this story would spin the 1813 classic that’s been adapted countless times before (most in ways I adore!), but unfortunately this didn’t hit the mark for me. I appreciated what the author was attempting, and I am really happy to continue to see recent adaptations incorporate a variety of cultures and modern context while maintaining the beats of the original story, but I think the execution was rather disappointing as key things (including the big “family curse”) were really underdeveloped and under-utilised.

Viva Lola Espinoza is such a cute and charming story - I loved the cultural aspects of the story the most and found those to be the most engaging. The Chemistry between the characters was a little lacking though so the romance fell a little bit flat for me.

Adorable story. This was so charming and vibrant and full of cultural immersion. I loved how the dialogue was not translated because the whole scene worked to translate what was happening. The eldest daughter struggle was incredibly relatable and well done. The romance could have used some more sprucing and chemistry but it was a stellar book overall.

3.75/5

I will always love and cherish YA books that explore and expose the complex dynamics of Latinx families. I am thrilled that Latine kids and teens have such a wide variety of titles to choose from that don't shy away from the various experiences affect immigrants and their families back home.

While Viva Lola Espinoza isn't my favorite YA coming of age, it still was cute and cut to the heart of what it means to be a Latinx teen in a world where you are ni de aquí ni de allá. How much you strive to make sure you are worth all the struggles that came before. It succeeded in making my heart tug for all the Lola endured.

There was romance in this book, while it didn't drive the story forward (it wasn't quite developed enough to do so), it was wrapped up in the central plot of the curse. Speaking of the curse, I never quite grasped how it worked (or didn't), and while I appreciate the physical systems Lola experienced, they felt more physical than magical to make it make sense?

I know there are *spoiler* Rio's everywhere, but he gave me such a bad ick.

A solid debut that I hope gets read by the teens who need.

Thank you Penguin Teen for my advanced copies!

Viva Lola Espinoza! By Ella Ceron was a wonderful Coming of Age YA. This novel follows Lola who is struggling with Spanish class and therefore the Spanish language. Her parents in an attempt to help her send her to Mexico for the summer. She goes a little begrudgingly and is immersed into her family’s way of life there. She starts a job at her aunts restaurant and meets two boys. One of them is funny, sweet, interested and the other is judgmental and reserved a la Pride and Prejudice. We follow Lola as she discovers that the women in her family may be cursed. With the help of one of these boys she goes on a journey to break this curse and hopefully figure who she wants to be. I found this book so charming. I was so happy to see myself represented in Lola. At that age I was going through some of the things Lola is going through and I was relieved to discover that my experience wasn’t particular to me. I loved the conversations surrounding Mexican history and Mexican identity. I loved watching Lola grow into herself and be more sure of herself and her wants and needs. I loved the romantic aspect as well and enjoyed the sweet moments between the characters. I am looking forward to reading more from Ella Ceron. 4 ⭐️

Viva Lola Espinoza started out so strong but just didn't come together for me in the end. The pacing was jerky, the romance was forced, and the "family curse" was developed enough. While I liked the idea of Lola's giant family, I couldn't bring myself to care about them enough to keep track of who was who or distinguish one member from the other. I was hoping for a bit of escapist travel lit, but I don't really feel like we even got to explore Mexico that much. Overall, it was an ambitious effort that fell short when it came to actual execution.

I thought VIVA LOLA ESPINOZA was a cute story that follows a young Mexican American on her journey to Mexico City as she spends the summer with her mother’s family. While initially a type of punishment for not doing well in her Spanish class, Lola ends up discovering more about herself, her family, and her culture.

I really enjoyed the overall story and the significance of understanding one’s family heritage and culture. I could see this story resonating with many readers and the journey of self discovery that Lola embarks on. There were parts that tended to be a bit slow and I think there were parts that could have been omitted to help the story flow more smoothly. I also wish that there had been more interactions with certain characters, like Javi and Mari, which left me wanting more in the end.

Overall I thought this was a nice debut that had a valuable message for anyone still discovering themselves.

Viva Lola Espinoza is a coming-of-age story revolving around Lola. She is sent to Mexico to spend time with her grandmother for the summer by her father just because she got a C in her Spanish class, and unfortunately, she can't come back home to California until she learns how to speak and read Spanish fluently.

There was a lot of Spanish dialogue in this book and I enjoyed this part the most. I really enjoyed how Lola came out of her comfort zone and lived her life without thinking much during her stay in Mexico.

The start was a bit slow for me and the ending was heart warming. I loved all the family moments, the search for answers and the romance too.

This is overall a fun and exciting story about family, curses and falling in love!

Thoughts and Themes: I had just finished reading Ay, Mija when I started this book and was very pleased with the book. It reminded me of being a teenager taking Spanish courses but not picking up much in them. I was taken back to wanting to have conversations with my grandparents but not being able to because we spoke different languages. It wasn’t until I reached college that I took the time to learn Spanish and lose the embarrassment of speaking a new language.

I was expecting a romance book when I first read about this book and I was pleased to find that it is so much more than just a romance book. I liked the coming of age aspect of this book and how everything is navigated throughout the story.

Thank you for the #ARC of this read

The pace for this read was a little slow for me and there were also Spanish parts within the book that left it hard to read being as though i dont know Spanish. If the author is going to do this is more books i would hope that there is translation for the readers who are not fluent.

Other than that as stated the book was an ok read. The pace and not being able to read certain parts took away the enjoyment for me

This book was seriously so good. I really enjoyed this YA romance that turned out to be so much more. It was about family and a teenage girl finding herself with just the right amount of romance and magic. Lola’s family was so fun to read about and get to know and so was her BFF Ana. I loved this story and it’s one I’ll be thinking about for a while.

I’ll also mention that if you don’t know Spanish, read this on the kindle so it can translate for you. It made reading it that much more fun

Thank you PenguinTeen for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Viva Lola Espinoza is a story about a girl who is sent to spend the summer in Mexico with her extended family after receiving a poor grade in Spanish class that year. All Lola wants is to stay in the States with her outgoing friend but they’re forced to send the summer apart. It’s not until Lola discovers there’s a curse placed on the women in her family and if she wants to pursue a crush she has to solve this curse.

What I enjoyed about this story were the sections of Spanish. I read Spanish pretty well so it was fun challenging myself to work out sentences. That being said a non-Spanish speaker would find themselves googling phrases quite a bit. It worked out on my Kindle translate but on paper it might be a labor of love to translate.

The pacing did feel slower than I typically read. Maybe it’s because the MC is shy and reserved so she’s not prone to make a splash or go out on the town but the day-to-day pacing got pretty slow. I got pretty stuck about halfway.

The curse placed on the family is very open-ended and I think the story would have been more concise if it had a clear curse, like in other curse tropes. It makes okay sense for the ending but just for a reader’s standpoint a more direct curse might have made all the curse-hunting sections more interesting.

Overall this story was light and sweet, it would be perfect for a Spanish-savvy middle grade or young YA reader.

This was a nice blend Mexican culture and charm. Who knew getting a C in Spanish would be life changing?! Lola is typically a straight A student, except this one time where she gets a C and grandpa came to her rescue. What better way to learn Spanish than to be sent to your relatives in Mexico City?

As colorful and vibrant as the cover is, so is the story and the imagery. Experiencing Lola’s growth through this story was amazing and fulfilling. I did expect a little more romance, and the curse threw me a bit. However, I loved that some of the book features the Spanish dialogue, which is a beautiful language.

The dynamics between Lola and her family was beautiful and fun. I do wish the book wasn’t so heavy on the curse (even though it threw me, I enjoyed it), I think I would have rather it focused a little more on her family connection and Lola’s coming-of-age story… maybe even a little more romance. LOL.

Overall, this was a charming debut that came to life for me.