You had me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Synopsis:

LEADING LADIES DO NOT END UP ON TABLOID COVERS.

After a messy breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to New York to star in a new bilingual  romantic comedy television show, Jasmine figures her "Leading Lady Plan" should be easy enough to follow - until a casting shake up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suarez. 

LEADING LADIES DONT NEED A MAN TO BE HAPPY.

After he was killed off his last telenovela, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his actin chops to American audiences and ping the radar or Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he'll need to generate smoking-hot-on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had. 

LEADING LADIES DO NOT REBOUND WITH THEIR NEW COSTARS.

With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, ad kissing leads to behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton's most closely guarded secret.  

Last week, I discussed a very dark novel. After reading and processing such a dark book, I decided that I need a light rom com to read next. So, while everyone else was rushing to get "Midnight Sun" on August 4th, I rushed and grabbed this new release. I saw so many posts on INSTAGRAM before the release date that I was excited to finally get my hands on it. 

The book  hit soft spots for me on so many levels. Telenovelas are something that brings me so much joy when its brought up because I grew up in Mexican household watching every single novella with my mom, grandma and aunts. The references that were made brought me back to my childhood.

From Jasmine and Ashton's hilarious meeting to their difficult work relationship to their love story , this was definitely a story a really enjoyed being a part of. Jasmine's desire to just "be loved" is something that I think almost EVERYONE, especially every female has felt at some point in their life. 

MY RATING :

⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

I would really recommend this novel to anyone who wants to read a good rom-com. The relationships  throughout the story are really incredible.

 For example, Jasmine's Puerto Rican family in the Bronx all seem so close, especially to their grandmother. Jasmine's 2 cousins that she's the closet, Michelle and Ava, are hilarious and to be honest, it made me a little envious. All my cousins live 1200 miles away, so I never really got that closeness to them the way Jasmine is. 

Ashton's history is almost a little heartbreaking. His family is in Puerto Rico. They lived through Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island, and they choose to stay even though Ashton had the means to move them to the main lands of the US. The relationship with his father, and grandparents and his son is truly beautiful. I enjoyed getting to know them.

Now, its time for my favorite part of the week. Discussion questions. There's a reading group guide in the back of the book that is actually very helpful so I am going to answer a few of those now.

1. At the beginning, Jasmine returns to her hometown, New York City. How do you think the idea of "coming home" affects her experiences?

💥 Jasmine's needed to come home and be with her family after her very public breakup that was all over every tabloid. Being around her family is what helped her set her mind on setting new goals and being a "Leading Lady"

2. Ashton's and Jasmine's families are quite important to them. Did their family dynamics remind you of your own experiences in any way?

💥 I can't say that it really it reminds me of any of my own experiences, but I was envious.  I experienced some hardships in my teenage years, and while my immediate family wasn't very supportive, my extended family consisting of my grandma, aunts. uncles and cousins helped me out a ton I owe them a lot to this day. 

3.  Ashton and Jasmine star in the remake of a telenovela. If your life were a telenovela, what sort of high jinks would you and your friends and family get up to? What actor would you want to play you on TV?

💥  Oh man, what actor. I think either Selena Gomez or Jessica Alba. I think my telenovela with my friends and family would be a comedy. We are always playing jokes and talking mess to each other and we just like to make each other laugh and I think we could really entertain people. My friend and I have actually said before that we should be a reality show cuz goofy things are always happening to us. 

4. Jasmine and Ashton are the protagonists, but they're surrounded by a diverse cast of secondary characters. Which secondary characters stood out to you the most, and why? Who else's story would you like to see told?

💥 I really would like to see her fathers story and how he started he family business. Rags to riches stories are always my favorites.

5. Ashton experienced a traumatic event that affected his choices as a father. Did you agree with the choices he made? What would you have done differently ?

💥  This one is a hard one for me. I do agree that it was best to keep his son out of the public eye, but to keep him from his relationships is something that I don't agree with. I get it. Being a single parent is hard. I was a single parent of 2 for many years. 

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Leave me a comment below.

Until next time …… ☮

Next Book : 

Verity by Collen Hoover