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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content warnings: misogyny, grief, sexism, death of a parent (in the past), drug use, fire, abandonment, sexual assault, deportation
I wanted to love this but I just..........didn't. I think in part it's because the premise - Romeo and Juliet but they're in rival mariachi bands - just felt very YA to me, and yet this is an adult romance. And, like, it wasn't a BAD book. It's just that a lot of the tension felt very.....young? And yet the characters are very definitely in theirs 20s.
Anyway. I wanted to love this. But I didn't. I honestly can't pinpoint why it didn't work for me other than that. It just....yeah. No. Aggressively mid for me.
I wanted to love this but I just..........didn't. I think in part it's because the premise - Romeo and Juliet but they're in rival mariachi bands - just felt very YA to me, and yet this is an adult romance. And, like, it wasn't a BAD book. It's just that a lot of the tension felt very.....young? And yet the characters are very definitely in theirs 20s.
Anyway. I wanted to love this. But I didn't. I honestly can't pinpoint why it didn't work for me other than that. It just....yeah. No. Aggressively mid for me.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed the narrator Karla Serrato!
However, I wasn't a huge fan of the story. There isn't a whole lot that happens in this story thats exciting. Its kind of dry up until a few parts at the end & it made it hard to want to continue reading. I really loved Angelo's character but wasn't a huge fan of Mariana. I also felt like there were entirely too many characters & some felt unnecessary. There are characters that add to the book, but they weren't introduced well enough to be recognized, they were kind of just tossed in.
However, I wasn't a huge fan of the story. There isn't a whole lot that happens in this story thats exciting. Its kind of dry up until a few parts at the end & it made it hard to want to continue reading. I really loved Angelo's character but wasn't a huge fan of Mariana. I also felt like there were entirely too many characters & some felt unnecessary. There are characters that add to the book, but they weren't introduced well enough to be recognized, they were kind of just tossed in.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
ngl... i did not like this book *insert crying emojis* i went in excited bc it was a typical enemies-to-lovers trope & i am a SUCKER for it but i was unfortunately let down :( the focus of the book was ENTIRELY on the feud b/w the fl & ml's mariachi bands, so it took away from the romance. i only read a few chapters before i decided to skip all the way to the end to find out the drama that went down but even then, i was still disappointed... no spice either! also, there were spanish words thrown in the writing that seemed misplaced & random, AND since i am not of latin origin or hispanic, i did not understand the word nor phrases. overall, the book was underwhelming & i wish it had met my expectations :/
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So this was objectively a 3 stars for me but also personally a 2 stars for me. Let me explain, NOTHING wrong with this book. No issues, no problems, but I HATED it. I did not enjoy it one bit. Was ready to finish and just be done with it. Didn't enjoy the romance, or the focus on all the other stuff going on.
BUT I think its a cool concept, the family dynamics is an interesting idea and the characters are also interesting. For some reason it just was not for me. But I do really think other people will enjoy this because it is a good book even if I didn't like it.
BUT I think its a cool concept, the family dynamics is an interesting idea and the characters are also interesting. For some reason it just was not for me. But I do really think other people will enjoy this because it is a good book even if I didn't like it.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Idk why past me put this on my TBR because what exactly about this book screamed to past me that I would like this
Within the first 50/60 pages I was already so tired of them repeating that they’re forbidden and they’re families are feuding and how Angelo is a nice guy meanwhile he’s literally advocating for gentrification half of the book which was soooo weird. At least he eventually called out his uncle for it and stopped working for him but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Also I didn’t get the yearning and “we can’t be together”ness that you usually get from forbidden romance.
I also couldn’t buy into the whole meeting randomly one night and being obsessed with one another.
So I gave up and just read the dialogue in the book.
I liked the Spanish in the book however you do not need to translate EVERY SINGLE TIME a character speaks Spanish. It was just annoying and taking me out of the book.
Within the first 50/60 pages I was already so tired of them repeating that they’re forbidden and they’re families are feuding and how Angelo is a nice guy meanwhile he’s literally advocating for gentrification half of the book which was soooo weird. At least he eventually called out his uncle for it and stopped working for him but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
Also I didn’t get the yearning and “we can’t be together”ness that you usually get from forbidden romance.
I also couldn’t buy into the whole meeting randomly one night and being obsessed with one another.
So I gave up and just read the dialogue in the book.
I liked the Spanish in the book however you do not need to translate EVERY SINGLE TIME a character speaks Spanish. It was just annoying and taking me out of the book.