3.75/5 stars, rounded to 4!

this story was so sweet! it follows castillo torres as she works towards becoming a party planner extraordinaire, along with navigating a very tumultuous grief journey and new love on the way.

i loved the way that the story touched upon grief, it felt very palatable and accessible for a YA audience. i also adored the romance between her and javi- they were so sweet and i really enjoyed the way he helped her begin to work through her grief and stop ignoring it. i think latine culture has a huge issue with ignoring feelings, especially grief-centered ones, by working hard and “poniéndose las pilas” and watching cas leave behind that mentality was really special. watching her relationship with her sister and dad improve as well was so sweet :,)

i wasn’t super fond of all of the excessive disney references BUT i can understand that it might just have not been for me!! i did think it was a sweet unifying point for all/most of the characters in the story. overall, definitely recommend this story if you are looking for a magical story that feels like a hug!!

Reading this book felt like opening the door to the Disney vault and being wrapped in a blanket of magic, nostalgia, and love. As a huge Disney and Star Wars fan, I was so giddy over every movie and park reference. I also relished every callback to what I believe is JLo’s greatest role… Mary Fiore in The Wedding Planner. It was a brief dream of mine to be an event planner (let’s be honest… I really wanted the coveted headset), so getting to follow Castillo around on her event planning adventures was a true delight.

While this story had so much joy and laughter, there were also moments that were incredibly emotional and raw as Parra discusses parental loss and how life in the “after” looks different for everyone - no matter how long ago the loss happened, grief is not linear and healing is the journey, not the destination. Seeing Cas and Po grow and heal together left me teary and my heart so full, and I loved witnessing their bond as sisters strengthen. They complemented each other so well and it was so heartwarming seeing embrace, forgive, and dream together.

In a time where content is supreme and there is an emphasis on achieving the “perfect grid,” I was delighted to see Parra flip the script and remind all readers of the importance of living in the moment, away from the cameras, and celebrating the happily ever nows. Life is inherently messy and while we might strive for picture perfect moments, it is the imperfect, candid moments of joy and laughter that we will cling to and remember.

This was such a sweet story full of lovely reminders that we’re always healing and growing, it’s never too late to change your plans and dreams, and that even in life’s more challenging and heartbreaking moments, there is still joy and hope to be found.

The Quince Project is an endearing and heartfelt YA novel about grief and love. Castillo is determined to become an event planner. After she loses her mother it's all she feels like she has left. She throws herself into her plans to avoid the rest of her life that's falling apart. Along the way Castillo learns about her how to deal with her grief and how to find her way back. This story is full of cute Disney references too. The Quince Project does a great job at balancing the emotions of grief with a cute ya story.

Callisto Torres is obsessed with helping people have the perfect party which she believes will ultimately lead to a happily ever after. She can’t quite get over a typo that ruined her sisters quinceañera. The problem was absolutely the missing tilde in a banner and not the recent death of her mother. This family tragedy sent her father and sister into their own world of coping which are not to her liking but once she gets a internship with an Instagram part planner she well be able to set everything to rights. This was a true YA novel in content. It’s deal with grief, rights of passage and even some Disneyland. This novel will be great for its target audience. It came around from me in the rend but for most of the book I just wanted to send Callisto and her family to grief counselor. Overall an enjoyable book that felt lighthearted but still have some deeper substance behind it..

Cas feels like her family is falling apart after her mother's death: her dad goes to work and plays Star Wars video games, rarely sleeping or doing anything like parenting; her sister Po ("Mariposa") just brushes everything off; and Cas herself has a mom-shaped whole in her heart that she is desperately trying to fill with party planning. Cas is determined to land an internship with Mandy Whitmore, party planner extraordinaire, also known as a Fairy Godmother. She is sure that being mentored by Mandy will help her gain the skills she needs to get her family back on track to their own "Happily-Ever-Afters."

Cas is the event chair of her high school's Student Body Association and is an uber planner. An accident on the way to an event causes her to meet a sexy junior lifeguard named Javier and sparks fly. When they discover that they've both lost a beloved parent, they quickly bond, but will distraction keep Cas from landing the internship she needs to rescue her family's HEA?

One day Po convinces Cas to go to Disneyland, their mom's absolute favorite place on earth, even though Cas isn't sure it's a good idea. But, it's the first thing Po has invited her to do together since "after," so she goes. While they are there, they meet Paulina, a famous teen Disney Youtuber. When Paulina mistakenly assumes Cas works for Mandy Whitmore already, Po, who is crushing hard on Paulina, prevails upon Cas to let the assumption stand. Paulina hires Cas to help her plan her own quinceañera.

As you might guess, things don't always go according to plan and the miscommunication/discovering the lie trope is in full use here. Trope it is, but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the book. The main characters are fleshed out and believable (Cas, Po, Paulina, & Javier), and the side characters are entertaining and real enough to serve their purpose. The plot moves along well, and you find yourself rooting for the characters HEA as much as Cas is. There's some great Cuban-American culture that's integral to the story, and totally natural. There's also a nice exploration of grief and its effects, as well as different ways of handling it.

This is a solidly enjoyable YA novel that includes romance, yes, but is so much deeper than that. It's also a story of family and hope and healing. I definitely recommend it!

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Quince Project by Jessica Parra is such a great book. I've never read the author's debut novel, so I went into this with no expectations. What I found is a book full of sadness, love, challenges, and joy.

The characters in this book are so interesting. Most of the characters are high school students. The main character is very focused on her dream career, so much so that she doesn't pay attention to much else. Other interesting characters include a Youtube star, a single father trying to navigate life after losing his wife, and a seemingly carefree boy who is more than what he seems. I really enjoyed reading about all of their experiences in this book.

I also really liked reading about the tradition of the quinceanera. I'm not Hispanic, so have always been interested in learning about various things from that culture. Own Voices books are so special for that reason - it allows the reader to learn things about other cultures that they may not have been exposed to otherwise.

The story is very well written and flows well. I liked how it wasn't all fun and games, there was also some heartbreak and friction that brought a perfect balance. It does bring up a death that takes place before the events in the book which might trigger some, but I think that it added a needed source of tragedy for the characters to work through.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely read books by Jessica Parra again!

This YA novel about a high-school student who overplans everything and has banked her hopes for an education and future career on an internship with a social media-star event planning firm. She takes on the project of a quinceañera for a schoolmate who’s a well-known Disney influencer, lying to her and others that she’s already an intern with the famous firm. But Cas’s project doesn’t go as planned, and she’s left to wonder what’s real, what’s not, and why she feels the need to live her life according to her ever-present planner. I don’t know that the YA audience would read this as a cautionary tale, but parents definitely should. (Netgalley review; releases 5/28).

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

Summery:
The Quince Project is about Castillo Torres as she trains to be a prefect party planner. She’s aiming towards landing an internship at the prestigious party planning company of Mandy Whitmore. Castillo is obsessed with happily ever afters or as she likes to call them HEA’s. One day her and her sister Po go to Disneyland and run into famous Disney blogger Paulina, after a little white lie told by Po Castillo is now in charge of Paulina’s Very Merry Unquince.

Thoughts:
I personally was a bit confused at the very beginning of the book when we are introduced to all a bunch of characters. For a while I didn’t know the main characters name until someone finally called on her. The first few chapters are a bit slow but things do pick up. If you’re a Disney fan read this because almost every page has a Disney reference and I thought it was super cute! I really adore the dynamic of the sisters together it was nice to see such a nice bond. I really enjoyed the romance in this as well it was very sweet and adorable, I definitely felt what Castillo was feeling for her very first crush. We also get a lot of serious topics about grief and how to choose what you do after it and how everyone processes differently.

Closing Thoughts:
Overall I enjoyed this book and thought it was very cute. The dynamic all the main characters had with each other was super nice as well. The only thing I didn’t like was there was two loose ends that didn’t get answered but that’s ok. Overall 3/5 stars highly recommend if you’re a Disney fan.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Review: The Quince Project by Jessica Parra

There may not be any talking animals, but The Quince project is full of Disney princesses taking hold of their Happily Ever Nows.

Cas Torres is organized. Cas Torres has it together. Cast Torres has her, and her sister’s and dad’s, perfect HEA (happily ever after) planned out and on schedule. She is determined to take her planning skills to the next level and become a fairy godmother’s apprentice. But first, she needs to land the perfect high profile party for her portfolio. Then she does, a Disneyland YouTuber… but there’s a catch, she has to lie about having her internship already.

You know what they say about perfectly laid plans, don’t you? As Cas’s world begins to unravel, like a string in Cinderella’s frock, she learns the importance of honesty, family, and letting things get a little bit messy.

I would have read this just because Jessica Parra wrote it, and it is no secret that I love her debut novel, Rubi Ramos’s Recipe for Success. But then, she also gave me Star Wars references, vicarious Disney visits, and another beautiful coming of age novel. This book is a lot of fun as well as beautiful exploration of grief and how we can become who we are meant to be even when the people so pivotal to our life are missing.

The Wedding planner but make it for teens & she plans quinceñeras.

This is a perfect book for Disney obsessed teen! So many I mean soooo many movies & Disney characters mentioned.

Cas the main character has a goal to become a party planner and she gets a big break to plan a party for a YouTube Disney influencer. She’s planning a Star Wars themed party but she ends up liking the chambelan 🤭

This is a very YA book but only trigger I can see is grieving.
The main character & her family are grieving the loss of their mother.
Dealing with grief is hard at any age.

Big the wedding planner vibes and since I was obsessed with that movie as a kid this book hit all the right notes for me. I was also really impressed with how deftly it handled grief, really loved this book

Very slow star, I almost DNF several times. Nice little story if you can stick it out. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

The Quince Project is the best book I've read in a while it was about Grief and Self-Discovery, Second Chances, and Sisterly Bonds.

Do you remember that movie where the woman has never been married but always wanted to so instead she plans peoples wedding and/or becomes the bridesmaid or maid of honor and has a ton of different dresses and stuff.. I don't know why but this gave me that vibe. It's not a bad thing!!! I really enjoyed it. I think I am falling out of my YA era because the characters bugged me every now and again and the story lulled for a bit but it was still a good book just not for me. I think other teens will definitely love this light hearted story. A great one to read!

If you need/want a lighter read that feels magical, funny and still approaches a topic as serious a grief, you will enjoy this book. The story follows Castillo Torres, a teen in California who felt like she had to carry her family after a tremendous loss, and you meet a series of characters along the way who are truly unique and represent the diversity of the Latine community and beyond without feeling too forced.

This was a cute YA romance, and full of Star Wars and Disney references. The main character, Cas, is an overachiever, and her main goal is to get an internship at a party planning company. In order to get the internship, she needs to plan parties to gain recognition. What better way to get recognition than to plan a party for a popular instagrammer? The catch? Cas’ crush, Javi, is playing the part of the instagrammer’s faux boyfriend. Javi and Cas bond because they each are grieving the loss of a parent. Throw in some quirky side characters, and a sister who can’t get any famous saying right, and you’ve got a sweet YA rom-com.

This was a really fun YA coming of age story with tons of Disney (specifically star Wars) references! Though I do think I could have done with not as many references because it felt repetitive at times, but I also understand this a YA book and I'm not necessarily the intended audience so I think for a teenager this would be a fun, fairytale like journey, but in the real world. This book also touches on dealing with loss and grief which showed a lot of character growth within Cass and her family. Overall this was a sweet book, but a little too YA for me.

It reads like a fairytale!!!!

The Quince Project was a delight to read. It was heartfelt, sweet, and insightful. The shinning gem in this story is the relationship between the two sisters Cas and Po.

Cas Is a driven MC who loves to plan, but not everything in life can be planned as she learns. I loved her passion and her humor.

As a latine myself I could relate to so many parts of this story. I love seeing quinceañeras being represented. It's such a large celebration in our culture.

This book made me cry and smile so hard. I recommend this to anyone who loves Disneyland and Star Wars.

Thanks netgalley and Jessica Parra for an e-arc. All opinions are my own.

This was such a nice read! Unique premise with absolutely adorable characters that make you want to root for them from start to finish.

Castillo (Cas) Torres is the events chair for her SBA, but wants to take her party planning skills to the next level after a disastrous quince job for her sister. She wants to learn all there is to learn about happily ever afters from the godmother of all party planners. In order to get the internship though, Cas has to have a strong portfolio of parties and something that helps her standout in the uber competitive pool. After a misunderstanding at Disneyland, she ends up planning the unquince of a famous Disneyland vlogger. However, chaos ensues when she starts falling for the Chamberlán, her sister starts falling for the vlogger, and mishaps arise.

I loved the relationship between Cas and her sister Mariposa (Po). I really appreciated the author’s thoughtfulness for how they both navigated and coped with the challenges of losing their mother. Yet, balanced it well with their realistic sisterly dynamic, connection to their Cuban heritage, and respective love stories. I really appreciated how much growth Cas had throughout the novel - especially finding herself and reconnecting with her father. I adored the evolution of her relationship with Javi - from friendship to romantic interest. It felt so sweet and charming. My biggest complaint is that there was an overabundance of Disney/Star Wars references throughout. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of both, but it felt overwhelming and sometimes awkward/forced at times - which detracted from the overall story. Overall, I would still recommend giving it a read!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the ARC!