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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
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:
No
This was a really cute and fun West Side Story retelling. I really enjoyed the characters. Loved how Mariana and Angelo both took on leadership roles in their families and how they related to each other in those areas. I loved the side characters; they all added a fun vibe to the story. The romance was really sweet, but we didn’t get a whole lot of them together as a couple, which I would have preferred a bit more of. The feud between their families added some intriguing plot points and drama to the story. I’m excited to read Cat’s book next, I really enjoyed the bits of her character we got in this book.
Well I read this series backwards but honestly not sure I would have continued with it if I hadn’t started with “Kiss Me Catalina.” This one was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet via West Side Story, and that’s never been my most favorite Shakespeare story anyway. Mariana’s constant attempts to be responsible and deny her forbidden love weren’t nearly as entertaining to read as Cat’s lusty thoughts about Patricio, but I was still entertained and appreciated getting more of the back story about the Capuleta sisters.
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
I think the modern romance genre and I just don't mix. Even if this story was inspired by the classic, Romeo & Juliet (but with a Mexican twist).
I enjoyed reading how rich their culture was on each page and the interwoven (and increasing) issues of gentrification. I wanted more of that, more of how that impacted the families and the individual characters.
I just wanted more substance and less romance.
I enjoyed reading how rich their culture was on each page and the interwoven (and increasing) issues of gentrification. I wanted more of that, more of how that impacted the families and the individual characters.
I just wanted more substance and less romance.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I accidentally read the second book first and this one second. The family dynamics make a lot more sense, and the references to the Battle of the Bands now also has an added weight to the narrative it didn't before.
Mariana Capuleta is trying to "juggle glass balls" with her medical job, helping ease another sister into the family, rehearsing with the family Mariachi Los Nubes, and suddenly...keeping a secret relationship with a member of their rival Mariachi band lead by her father's arch-nemesis, Hugo Monteros.
Its a reworking of Romeo and Juliet if Juliet also had dreams of being a physician's assistant. And Romeo lived blissfully unaware of his uncle's murky real estate dealings.
Oliveras writes fairly low steam (intense action gets skipped over to the next morning) and the hero and heroine truly are trying to support each other. There is a misunderstanding that gets smoothed over quickly, but most of the tension is about them sneaking around under their families' noses as well as the foster sister causing drama.
I liked the Mariachi bits in the second book better, I think, as here its a backdrop for Mariana's stress, but in the second book it defines Cat.
Mariana Capuleta is trying to "juggle glass balls" with her medical job, helping ease another sister into the family, rehearsing with the family Mariachi Los Nubes, and suddenly...keeping a secret relationship with a member of their rival Mariachi band lead by her father's arch-nemesis, Hugo Monteros.
Its a reworking of Romeo and Juliet if Juliet also had dreams of being a physician's assistant. And Romeo lived blissfully unaware of his uncle's murky real estate dealings.
Oliveras writes fairly low steam (intense action gets skipped over to the next morning) and the hero and heroine truly are trying to support each other. There is a misunderstanding that gets smoothed over quickly, but most of the tension is about them sneaking around under their families' noses as well as the foster sister causing drama.
I liked the Mariachi bits in the second book better, I think, as here its a backdrop for Mariana's stress, but in the second book it defines Cat.
DNF at 30%. The writing style isn’t for me. A retelling of this story shouldn’t be so complicated to explain.