Amor Actually, a Latinx holiday anthology with a series of short stories loosely inspired by the movie Love Actually's several story lines. The audiobook is 12 hours 11 minutes, but the stories are so quick the audiobook is easy listening. There is a variety of romance tropes, spice levels (from closed door to MMF open door 🔥). I personally loved Priscilla Oliveras’s story the best but they all had their charm and heart.

I’d recommend this one if you’re looking for stories full of Nochebuena traditions and interconnected friendships. Thank you @netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

This was a great audiobook with 7 holiday novellas that guarantee a HEA! All incredible individual love stories written by amazing Latina authors.

It was such a fun listen and I really enjoyed this holiday romance anthology. The stories are all separate but they center around a Noche Buena party and all of the characters trying to find love and bringing a date to the party. I really connected to the stories as Noche Buena is my favorite night of the year. I loved that it had so many characters that had such different backgrounds, issues going on in their lives and love stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advance listening copy from the publishers and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Amor Actually is an anthology of Latine/Afro-Latine Christmas romance short stories all inspired by the stories in the film Love, Actually. I’ve never seen the film (because I’ve heard the stories involve romanticizing cheating/infidelity) but I was still able to enjoy this book! None of the stories included cheating or “another woman” which I appreciate. In fact, two stories feature poly couples (which I assume were made poly after the original story involved cheating/love triangles) which I always love to see!
The short stories are also interconnected as they were in the movie. Several characters are related to each other or friends with each other. They are also all trying to convince their loves to come with them to the same Nochebuena party.
All of the stories were enjoyable, even if they weren’t all my favorite. I have to say, on a whole, my favorite was the first story, “Make the Yuletide Gay” by Adriana Herrera, about a pop star and her manager falling in love. The pining was top tier and the smut threw me for a loop with how hot it was. My other favorite story was the other queer and monogamous story, “All I Want for Nochebuena” by Alexis Daria, about two adult film stars falling for each other over a shoot.
I think if I had a main criticism, it would be that some of the stories felt the same as many of the stories have the characters pining for a while before finally spending a week together and finally admitting feelings and inviting the other to the Christmas party. I love pining a lot, but when about half of the stories followed this pattern, it got a little old.
I rated this book 3.5 stars! The audiobook was good quality with very good narrators. Not every story was my favorite, but I liked the collection overall, and it introduced me to some authors I now know I need to read from in the future!

Overall this was a nice collection of stories that wove together in a very clever way. Some of them were more or less subtle plays on the various storylines from Love Actually. I particularly liked how some of the stories flipped the script a bit on the originals (e.g., gender reversal in Love in Spanglish and two poly storylines.)

I at least liked all but one of the stories and loved a few of them. Generally I preferred the stories with the more mature characters. The stories were pretty steamy (at least one I would label more as erotica). It was lovely to see such a diversity of representation from across the Latine community, as well as different types of pairings.

The narration was well done overall - especially after the first couple of stories . . . after the narrators had settled in a little more.

I received this audiobook free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While was looking for some holiday reads I stumbled across Amor Actually and I was intrigued. I liked that it’s LGBTQ+ and written by Latin authors. But like any anthology it’s hard to rate because I loved some of the stories and others I didn’t care for. I also found it a bit hard to tell when a new story started. I wouldn’t know until a little into it but that could just be me, but I wish the audio had made that a bit more clear.

My two favourites were:

Make the Yuletide Gay • Adriana Herrera

After a string of broken engagements, an international Latin Pop Star finds love in her sexy and constant manager. Days before her big live holiday special, Vivi wonders if the woman of her dreams could finally be hers.

All I Want for Nochebuena • Alexis Daria

When sparks fly between adult film stars Honey and Julie, Honey must work up the courage to invite Julie to her family’s holiday party or risk losing what she really wants for Nochebuena—a chance at true love.

I just felt like these two did the stories the best. I was invested in these characters and I actually was sad when their stories needed because I wanted more. Overall it was enjoyable. I would like to give the book a shot, but I feel like I would but her some of the pronunciations that way but I think the starting of a new story would be more evident that way.

3.5/5*s

Festive and sweet. I really liked that the different arcs from Love, Actually were reimagined as relationships that weren't awful. Overall a fun read that was fast paced and engaging. I did feel occasionally that the stories spelled things out a little too clearly rather than trusting the reader to interpret; feelings and motivations were stated and explained in ways that didn't necessarily always feel realistic.

Some stories were five star worthy, most were closer to three or four for me. My favorites were All I Want for Nochebuena, the Only Yours, and Love in Spanglish.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to the audiobook.

This was like Love, Actually reimagined... and make it queer! I loved how all the stories intertwined and came together at the end at the Nochebuena celebration. Give me all the serendipitous and interconnected moments, please and thank you!

Each story offered something different (in terms of steam, writing style and characters). But I thought they all flowed well, and I appreciated the representation. I think my favourite would have to be Love in Spanglish by Zoey Castile.

Finally, I highly recommend the audiobook. I think both narrators did a terrific job!

Inspired by the movie Love Actually, Amor Actually has a romance story for everyone. Written by seven stellar Latina authors, the nine short stories build to Noche Buena in New York City. Each story has so much heart and there’s a range of spice - from a kiss under the mistletoe to much, much more. Make sure your windows are up if you’re listening to it in the car. 😉 I loved how several stories featured LGBTQIA+ couples, too. I highly recommend the audiobook version. Ramona Master and Gomez Pugh were perfect in their roles within the stories and really helped bring the story to life! I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

5 stars

If you love Love Actually you will adore this story. All the stories follow the same plot as the movie with different characters and different specifics, but it’s the HEA you want with characters you’ll love that culminate in an epic Noche Buena get together that will warm your heart and make your soul smile.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for giving me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for my ALC of Amor Actually.

Amor Actually is a holiday anthology of interconnected stories by a handful of the best Latinx romance authors! Listening to this felt like the audiobook equivalent of Love, Actually, only with better, more diverse representation and tamales. From missed connections, big decisions, second chances, and more, these nine HEAs are short yet satisfying. I'm usually a fan of novels because I like longer stories, but because of how these stories were woven together, I got the "feel" of a novel, even though the individual stories were shorter.

It's a charming anthology, perfect for cozy winter nights, crocheting and audiobooking.

This was such a cute latinx romance collection! From the description & cover I expected something light/fluffy/hallmarky but this was muuuuuch spicer than expected and so dang inclusive!! This was a lovely glance into traditions of Nochebuena (Christmas Eve)! Overall this was a joy and if it looks up your alley I think it is a perfect addition to your holiday reading plans!

This book was just delightful. If you liked the idea of Love Actually, but found some of the stories to be cringy, this book is an anecdote. Written by 7 Latina authors, these stories shared a diversity of perspectives that reflected the Latin American diaspora.

I loved the mix of Hetero, Lesbian, Bi, and Poly storylines and the different take on Love Actually's (the movie) vignettes. Just like the movie, there will be some you like more than others. Some you want more story on. For me this was a solid 4-star read until I got to "To Us, You Are Perfect • Alexis Daria & Adriana Herrera." I loved so much how they re-wrote the love triangle from love actually to a beautiful poly relationship. Looking back on the movie, doesn't it seem so obvious he loved them both?

Loved how each story led up to, and set up Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) in New York City so wonderfully. Felt like the perfect holiday book to get me in the spirit for Christmas.

I have never read an anthology before, so i was able to see if this type of storytelling is enjoyable for me. I am not sure if anthologies are for me because the stories are so short, but i am not going to knock this book for that. i was really excited to read this as it was a great introduction for me to all of these authors. also, it was holiday themed which was perfect for right now. i really enjoyed this audiobook and liked that there were different narrators for each story. the stories were okay. there were some i didnt care for and others that i liked.

This anthology of romances centered around Noche Buena will be a sure hit with romance readers, especially if they have a fondness for the film, Love Actually. Adriana Herrera continues to deliver wonderful characters and connections and it was great to sample the stories from other authors I haven't yet read.

I love this anthology. It is well written. The stories are interspersed perfectly. It is both unapologetically Latine and unapologetically Queer. They were fun and flirty and so raunchy. And there was also a really cool dynamic here we don't see a lot. So often anthologies are focused on one identity. It's great that we spotlight those but it is most of the time just a Latine anthology, just a Queer anthology. There may be one story with both but it is usually overwhelmingly one or the other. So much of this was both. So much of this was them mixing in a beautiful way. As a queer Latina this holds a really special in my heart. I feel seen in more than one identity.

3.5 Stars
Wow, didn't expect some of them to be so steamy!

Short story collections can be a hit or miss, and this one was no different. While some stories were captivating and left me wanting more, there were a few that needed a little more depth and development. A few felt rushed and left me wishing for a deeper dive into the plot. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the collection overall.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Scheuerer, Adriana Herrera, Zoey Castile, Alexis Daria, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, Mia Sosa, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Great short stories by biopic authors. I own the ebook version. The Audio is a wonderful addition. The narrators were extraordinary. LGBT nods in the book.

I can't thank NetGalley + Adriana Herrera Publishing LLC for the gifted audiobook for Amor Actually!

This. Is. My. Favorite. Holiday. Book.

I didn't know what to expect when I started this anthology — I've never read one (that I can remember), but I knew I wanted to check out some of these new-to-me authors and that I love holiday novellas. How could I not like it?

Turns out. I didn't like it — I LOVED IT.

I love that each author has their own writing style, but that they flow and play off each other and just blend BEAUTIFULLY in this book. I love the commitment to diversity in ALL of the ways, from different Latin communities and backgrounds to different types of relationships. I love the tenderness and warmth with which the heartfelt scenes were written, and I love the heat and passion that the (MANY!!!!) spicy scenes were written with.

Simply put, I am so happy that I read/listened to this book because it was just what I needed this holiday season. I'm especially glad I did audio because the narrators were so good and it FELT like a performance.

Everyone involved in this project should be so proud of themselves. I'll be recommending this to anyone who will listen.

A queer-tastic retelling and much spicer than I was expecting.

As someone who loved LOVE ACTUALLY 20 years ago, but feel it really hasn't aged well, this was a lovely treat to come across. A set of LatinX centric short stories that follows the basic outline of the original film, and improves what has been lacking regarding consent, body image, queerness, diversity, communication and toxic relationships.

Really enjoyed this one!

***Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a hell of a lot more sexy than I expected. It was interesting, but I wasn't in the exact right mood for it.