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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with a Tejano and mariachi twist. I loved the Latine representation in this book, especially with the interweaving of mariachi culture and music into the storyline. I could practically hear the gritos in the background as I followed Mariana and Angelo's journey.
I recommend this for the romance readers out there looking to diversify their authors and representation in their books!
I recommend this for the romance readers out there looking to diversify their authors and representation in their books!
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*Ebook provided by the publisher through Netgalley* This was a culturally enlightening, light-hearted, and heartwarming romcom that definitely kept me hooked the whole way through. Though I don't think it's advertised as such, this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling (I mean, just look at the last names lol), but I will say that I liked this 100000% more than the real Romeo and Juliet. I adored the chemistry between Mariana and Angelo! The mariachi band situation made everything so much more fun, and I actually didn't really know what mariachi music was, so I actually ended up listening to some on Youtube. It definitely made the experience a lot more enjoyable and gave the book an almost festive atmosphere. The soft-boyness of Angelo made my heart SQQQUEEEEZEEEE and I love him SOOO much. He cares about Mariana so much that it made me uncomfortably aware of the fact that I do not have a man like Angelo in my life. Overall, I would highly recommend this romcom to any romance enthusiast, and especially those who love music!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Book 38 of 2025: West Side Love Story - Priscilla Oliveras
A West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet retelling. Mariana Capuleta loves her family dearly and will do anything to help save Casa Capuleta. Mariana and her younger sisters are determined to win the Battle of the Mariachi Bands, use the prize money to help her parents and make her family proud. Angelo Montero’s family have been embroiled in a feud with the Capuleta’s for years, including their involvement in the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. Can Mariana and Angelo overcome their family feud, will they succumb to their attraction, and who will win the prize money?
Review:
⭐️ 4/5
A very cute retelling of a classic story. I enjoyed the chemistry between Mariana and Angelo, the way they complemented each other by having very similar personalities and being able to support each other despite always being relied on as the “strong” one. The secondary characters were also endearing, I loved Nina’s story, it added extra emotion to the whole book. I loved how emotional the story was, and I found it very cute and charming overall.
Challenges:
📚Books in 2025: 38/100
📚2025 52 Book Club Challenge: 28/52
📚Prompt #34 of the 2025 52 Book Club Challenge: Direction in the Title
Book Information:
📖 Pages: 319
📖 Format: e-Book (Kindle)
📖 Type: Fiction
📖 Genre: Romance, Contemporary
📖 Series: Queens of Mariachi
Favourite Quotes:
“Blood or found, familia shouldn’t inflict harm.”
“You are strong. That doesn’t mean there aren’t times when you need to lean on someone else, though.”
West Side Story retelling. I love my musicals and West Side Story is a favorite. This is that type of a story. Two young people meet on New Years Eve and share a kiss that neither of them can forget. They part, no names exchange, and assume they will never see each other again. Until they do, and they realize that their families are in a lifelong feud.
The book seemed to me to start slow. There was much background given on the families, sometimes it felt like to much. I was in a hurry to get to the romance, to the drama, and to the families getting past the feud. I found myself skimming some paragraphs and looking for the dialogue. There was a lot of information given about the Capuleta family but not as much about the Montero family, in terms of the feud I was needing the same amount of information about both families.
West Side Love Story was easy to read, the romance was fun, the Capuleta family was amazing with their foster family being so full of love. I would recommend it to anyone who loves the West Side Story type of story. If you are not Spanish speaking there are some phrases that you will not know, but I was able to move past them and get the just of the conversation.
The book seemed to me to start slow. There was much background given on the families, sometimes it felt like to much. I was in a hurry to get to the romance, to the drama, and to the families getting past the feud. I found myself skimming some paragraphs and looking for the dialogue. There was a lot of information given about the Capuleta family but not as much about the Montero family, in terms of the feud I was needing the same amount of information about both families.
West Side Love Story was easy to read, the romance was fun, the Capuleta family was amazing with their foster family being so full of love. I would recommend it to anyone who loves the West Side Story type of story. If you are not Spanish speaking there are some phrases that you will not know, but I was able to move past them and get the just of the conversation.