The problem with being a mood reader is that you can get an eARC for a book you're super excited about...and not read it until after its pub date.

I don't know about you, but when summer rolls around I crave two things: ice cream an YA contemporary romances. Granted, I'll never say no to either of those things no matter the time of year, but there's something about the season of sunshine that makes me crave things that are light and sweet. I honestly didn't even know what Julieta and the Romeos was about. I just saw "You've Got Mail" and Maria E. Andreu and requested it IMMEDIATELY. For once being a procrasti-mood reader worked in my favor because Julieta and the Romeos was exactly what I needed after the world's hottest day.

Julieta and the Romeos is just fun. No matter what your favorite trope is, Maria E. Andreu has got you covered. We've got a childhood best friend, a boy-next-door, and an academic rival/best friend's insufferable brother all in one story. While I'm generally not a huge fan of love triangles (or love squares, in this case?), I didn't mind the romantic geometry. Maybe it was because I knew who she was going to end up with from the very beginning, but I don't feel like the story is full of unnecessarily drama or the constant seesawing back-and-forth of "will they, won't they?" between the three love interests. If anything, we just end up with more romance and more tropes. (Though I will say, I don't necessarily think we need Bachelor #3 who doesn't get as much screentime as the two main love interests. More on that later.)

The book itself perfect for relaxing on a lazy summer day. It has enough tension to keep the story moving but is the kind of chill, quiet story that you want when you're in the mood for quick read. It's fluffy but grounded enough that it's not teeth-rottenly sweet. Most books that fit this description aren't particularly memorable or well-written, but Andreu writes with a precision that wrings every last drop out of her sentences. Her descriptions are painstakingly crafted and stunningly vivid without ever feeling pretentious.

Now for some minor complaints (because I always manage to scrouge up one or two.) There are a few mentions of COVID that seem clunky and unnecessary. I'm not a huge fan of pandemic references to begin with, and every time I came across one in Julieta and the Romeos, I was jolted out of the story for a bit. Andreu does explain in her acknowledgements this was written during and influenced by COVID, so I guess I'm willing to overlook it. (Maybe if she'd opened with that in an author's note I would've been a little more forgiving?) I mentioned this earlier, but the third love interest (I won't say his name in case any of you are really serious about avoiding spoilers,), but he only seems to pop up when he's convenient. He either needs to be developed more or scrapped completely. While we're on the topic, I don't know what the purpose Julieta's siblings are supposed to serve. I actually forgot about them half the time I was reading. They appear so infrequently, they might as well not exist. Lastly, the plotlines could've been smoothed out a little more. The online mystery and love triangle turns into a coming-of-age story about identity, friendship and the American dream. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for immigrant stories and BIPOC rep, but it feels a little like the first half of the book is dedicated to one story and the second half of the book is a completely different one.

If you're looking for a light, breezy read that has familiar tropes and still manages to be a little outside the formulaic box that makes up your typical YA contemporary romance, Julieta and the Romeos is the book for you. Maria E. Andreu's latest book is a love letter to romance writers that's full of charm and fluff.

Julieta has always wanted to be a writer. When she gets into a prestigious summer writing program where she will write for her favorite author, she is thrilled that she might finally achieve her dream. As the program begins, she realizes she will be competing against her best friend's twin brother, who also happens to be her nemesis. All this while she works through her feelings for an old friend and how she feels about a secret writing collaborator she met through her blog for the writing program. When things don't turn out how she planned, how will Julieta react, and what will she do? It is an interesting coming-of-age story about identity, friendship and love.

Julieta and the Romeos was a cute story to read. The characters were likeable enough and the setting was easy enough to visualize. As cute as the story was I wasn't grabbed by it and found myself losing interest, I wasn't invested in the outcome of the story, but it was still fun to read.

I was given a copy of Julieta and the Romeos for an honest review from NetGalley. I loved this book! Julieta is a relatable young woman who is juggling multiple relationship while growing up. She works at her family’s restaurant, helps care for her siblings and grandmother, tries to maintain her friendships, while dreaming of being a writer, She is attending a writers workshop in NYC during the summer before her senior year with her favorite author as her mentor. Her summer looks bright and love appears to be on her horizon, but which of the Romeos will be the one?

Such a lovely summer read! I loved that the romantic relationships were true to life as is her family life. This book shows the reality of juggling so many responsibilities, but keeping true to yourself.

This was such a cute YA romance to read. I love the characters and their backgrounds. I would highly recommend this book to others. Mainly, I love the Argentinian representation in this book. this was the first book I have ever read with this background for the main characters in it. I love the You've Got Mail vibe to it as well. I think everyone should read this book.

This book was so fun and cute to read! The only downside is that the main character is very self-invested and overlooks her other life events to prioritize boys. Boys do not make the world spin around. But at the same time you can have romance and good relationships at the same time!

Julieta is taking a summer writing course and after publishing her story online, gets a message from an anonymous user who wants to collaborate. She thinks it could be one of the boys she knows, from her childhood friend Lucas, to her best friend's brother Ryan, to her abuela's new neighbor Calvin. While she tries to figure out who her mysterious collaborator is, she's also dealing with her parents struggling restaurant and her best friend Ivy who is having her own relationship issues. Overall, a cute story that shows you can't focus on trying to fix everything and getting everything right or you might miss what's been there all along.

I've been seeing this pitched as a new take on "You've Got Mail" and I'd say that's an accurate this to compare this book to. I found it really cute and fun, a great RomCom for the YA genre.

I really enjoyed the family dynamics more than anything, as well as Julieta's culture and heritage being represented. There was also the fact that she dreams of being an author, so we got to see snippets of her work which for me was a fun addition.

All in all I found this to be a fun read that is perfect for those looking for something in the classic RomCom genre - but still has substance and story points beyond the classic tropes in the genre.

This was a sweet and easy and fun coming of age beach read!

I adored Julieta’s Argentinian family and their restaurant. My favorite parts of the whole book were any time it talked about food or her Abuela.

Overall though, this book was kind of forgettable. I finished it yesterday and already can’t remember the name of one of the possible love interests. Aside from the parts about Julieta’s family, there really wasn’t anything new here.

Here’s what I think most. There were just too many plot lines happening, and so none of them felt all the way fleshed out, and I always felt like I was being told rather than shown. I think if the author had removed just one of the pieces (the restaurant failing, the three love interests, the writing class, the quest of finding out who Happily Ever Drafter is) then the story would’ve really clicked. But alas, I’m no editor.

This book was a 3 star read for me until the end, when Jules chose THE WRONG BOY of her three love interests. Based on her characterization and growth, she should’ve chosen Lucas, and then she just randomly chose Ryan??? I was so confused. Choosing Ryan felt hasty and unfinished, and almost like the easy way out. I was irritated enough by the lazy choice that it took me down to 2 stars unfortunately.

Thank you to Balzer + Bray and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This felt very paint by numbers for a coming of age story but I did enjoy the way Julieta framed her choices of the three romantic interests and what they might mean for her life. She presents as a perfectionist and planner all the way through which is good to see that character trait was not entirely sacrificed by the end. The identity of Happily Ever Drafter was well hinted and I did guess correctly in the second half of hints. A cute entry for YA novels.

This was a really cute, fresh take. YA romance is either a hit or miss with me and I enjoyed this one a lot. Great characters and concept.

A very cute summery YA! I enjoyed the light mystery and the sweet, subtle romance. I was also surprised by the insightful reflections on the pandemic.

DNF @ 33%. I just couldn't get into it. None of the potential interests were captivating enough for me to want to finish. Maybe one day, I'll come back and try again. But as of today, I am unfortunately just not feeling it.

I haven’t read anything by Emily Henry, but I definitely see the comparisons between this book and books by Kasie West or Jennifer E. Smith. It has a fluffy romance anchored in family life like I’ve seen in Kasie West’s books.

I loved the references to writing. Julieta is a writer and often thinks about a moment in terms of how she would write it. One of the things she wrestles with is the way that internalizing or imagining takes her out of the present and sometimes leads her to overlook what’s right in front of her.

My favorite thing about the book is the way the mystery of the identity of Happily Ever Drafter unfolds. I also loved the way the romance develops in her life. At first, I thought I knew exactly how the story would go– I’ve read enough romance novels to pick up some clues. And I was right about some elements, but I was completely blown away by others.

Julieta’s family owns a restaurant which she discovers isn’t doing all that well since the pandemic. She also lost her grandfather during the pandemic (I think) and since then, her grandmother has moved to town to be closer to the family. The relationship between Julieta and Abuela is so great. I absolutely bawled through one of the tender scenes in which Abuela opens her heart to Julieta and delivers some much-needed encouragement and wisdom.

On the whole, I had such a great time reading this book! It’s my first time reading anything by Maria E. Andreu, but I can tell it won’t be the last. I found the story really entertaining and tender. It’s a great book to start the summer with.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA rom-com! It was fun to get lost in Julieta's romantic summer mystery and try to figure out the clues regarding who Happily Ever Drafter was. But this book wasn't JUST about the potential romance, which I appreciated. There were friendships and family relationships that got explored just as thoroughly. I loved that we got to see the upside of the twists and turns that felt world-ending at the time they happened. It has been a very long time since I was a rising senior in high school --- but I really enjoyed spending time in Julieta's world and in her head. This is a great summer read, since the timeline spans the whole summer.

This is a sweet YA romcom, following our FMC,in a single POV, who hadn’t ever been interested in boys to having 3 potential suitors. I had a good time reading it, I learned A LOT about Argentinian food (because let’s be honest, I looked up every single dish mentioned in this book because it sounds amazing). My favorite character might just be the witty, matchmaking grandma (imagine that 😂) I did love the growth the main character when though in this book, and the lesson learned. I feel like that always makes a YA book a bit better in my option. Overall, a good, solid, YA romcom with nothing more than a kiss at the end, because that l’s house I like my YA romances 🤣

Julieta got accepted into a writing program for the summer that is being run by a famous author. She’s never had a boyfriend, and suddenly she has three potential suitors, each with representing a romance trope. There is her best friends brother, who she can’t stand. So that adds enemies to lovers onto him as well. Oh and forced proximity, because he got into the same exclusive writing program. That’s gonna be a fun summer, right? And then her friend, Logan, who she has known since she was itty bitty suddenly has muscles and when did he get hot? That might be a friends to lover trope there. Oh, and her witty meddling matchmaking grandma? Her neighbor just happens to be over to help do tasks around her house and watch telenovas with her whenever she goes to visit. So there’s the boy next door. But which one is the right one for her story?

I found this book really cute and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves YA romance!

Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu is a young adult novel that explores themes of identity, love, and family. The story follows the journey of Julieta, a high school student who finds herself caught between three different boys, each of whom represents a different aspect of her personality. I enjoyed how the author juggled three different romance tropes at once( the Best Friend's Brother, Childhood Friends, and Rivals to Lovers) making the story exciting and a bit of a mystery.

My favorite element of the novel was the cohesive liteary quotes and tips-for-writers sprinkled throughout the story. It was fun to hear Julieta and XX discuss books, and I love books about writing and writers so that also made the book very gripping to read. Julieta's messages with Happily Ever Drafter gave me You've Got Mail vibes, which was another compelling reference that was woven into the story!

Overall, really enjoyed this book and recommend to anyone who loves bookish Rom Com's!

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for this e-arc of audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Well that was adorable! Thank you so much to BookSparks and Balzer & Bray for the gifted copy.

This was one of my favorite YA romances I've read. It was unique, funny, thoughtful, inspiring, and emotional. It had me hooked from the beginning and I liked Julieta immediately. I just know for a fact that if I read this is middle/high school I would have LOVED IT!

Read If You Like:
-YA Romance (Younger YA - 12/13+)
-Mystery & Romance Plot
-Multiple Potential Love Interests (So well done!)
-Best Friend's Brother, Childhood Friends, Rivals to Lovers (Not really lovers since this is YA)
-Stories About Writing/Writers
-Stories About Family Dynamics, Growth, Coming of Age, Friend Relationships

Audiobook Review: I LOOOOVEDDD THE AUDIOBOOK! Elisa Meléndez did SUCH a spectacular job and her narration really added to the depth and beauty of the story. I highly recommend listening to this story if that's ab option for you.

Overall, this was wonderful and I will absolutely recommend for those who enjoy YA and to parents who have children in middle/high school.

Julieta isn't looking for her Romeo--but she is writing about love. When her summer writing teacher encourages the class to publish their work online, the last thing she's expecting is to get a notification that her rom-com has a mysterious new contributor, Happily Ever Drafter. Julieta knows that happily ever afters aren't real. (Case in point: her parents' imploding marriage.) But then again, could this be her very own meet-cute?

As things start to heat up in her fiction, Julieta can't help but notice three boys in her real life: her best friend's brother (aka her nemesis), the boy next door (well, to her abuela), and her oldest friend (who is suddenly looking . . . hot?). Could one of them be her mysterious collaborator? But even if Julieta finds her Romeo, she'll have to remember that life is full of plot twists. . . .

This book was so cute! I read through it so quickly and really loved the plot. I'll definitely be checking out more books from this author.

Maria E. Andreu's JULIETA AND THE ROMEOS is a delightful vague retelling. It has the vibes of a 90's feel-good rom-com. Lots of You've Got Mail feels. Great Argentinian representation. The novel also deals with post-pandemic life in a way that doesn't feel heavy and repulsive (though this definitely dates the story); it's realistic while still maintaining an escapist element that I think most of us want (especially with regards to the pandemic). Many restaurants struggled and closed as a result of the pandemic, and it was nice to see how this struggle directly impacted families. Julieta's collaboration with Happily Ever Drafter is adorable--as is how that story thread plays out. As much as JULIETA AND THE ROMEOS is a romance, I love that it also explores how a soulmate can also be a friend. I wish she had chosen someone else at the end, but it's still a satisfying conclusion. Lots of positive messaging throughout. I would definitely recommend this to teenagers/students to read. It's adorable.