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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Huge thanks to Amazon, and Priscilla Oliveras for my E-ARC in exchange for the honest review.
West Side Love Story is a modern-day version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story follows the Capuletas and the Monteros. Mariana and Angelo belong to rival families but fall in love. Mariana knows just how to solve the Capuletas' financial problems. The sisters enter a competition against elite mariachi bands from all around Texas, hoping to win a monetary award to aid their foster parents with their financial issues. Mariana had unintentionally met Angelo, who was connected to her father's biggest rival and a member of the defending mariachi band champion. Hugo is Mariana's father's most potent rival, and Angelo, her crush, is in the same band and quite off due to the dads' feud. During the tournament, Mariana and Angelo resolve to keep their blossoming love hidden.
West Side Love Story is a mariachi competition surrounded by forbidden love and stolen moments. The prologue was flawless. Mariana and Angelo's romance was beautifully written and never seemed hurried. I liked how they met and how their love grew. In comparison to previous retellings, it's a slow burn! I particularly appreciated the book's finale and the lessons it can teach. Aside from being a romance, this novel was also about family bonds and culture, which was great. I enjoyed the book's wonderful interweaving of culture and language. Congratulations to the author for neatly including Spanish and translations. The book's cover is stunning, and it immediately piqued my interest. What I didn't like is sometimes, the author's characters' thoughts were a touch redundant, so there would be paragraphs expressing the same topic between two lines of discussion.
Overall, it was a fun and cute read. If you're looking for a cute Latinx love story, you'll enjoy this one!
West Side Love Story is a modern-day version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story follows the Capuletas and the Monteros. Mariana and Angelo belong to rival families but fall in love. Mariana knows just how to solve the Capuletas' financial problems. The sisters enter a competition against elite mariachi bands from all around Texas, hoping to win a monetary award to aid their foster parents with their financial issues. Mariana had unintentionally met Angelo, who was connected to her father's biggest rival and a member of the defending mariachi band champion. Hugo is Mariana's father's most potent rival, and Angelo, her crush, is in the same band and quite off due to the dads' feud. During the tournament, Mariana and Angelo resolve to keep their blossoming love hidden.
West Side Love Story is a mariachi competition surrounded by forbidden love and stolen moments. The prologue was flawless. Mariana and Angelo's romance was beautifully written and never seemed hurried. I liked how they met and how their love grew. In comparison to previous retellings, it's a slow burn! I particularly appreciated the book's finale and the lessons it can teach. Aside from being a romance, this novel was also about family bonds and culture, which was great. I enjoyed the book's wonderful interweaving of culture and language. Congratulations to the author for neatly including Spanish and translations. The book's cover is stunning, and it immediately piqued my interest. What I didn't like is sometimes, the author's characters' thoughts were a touch redundant, so there would be paragraphs expressing the same topic between two lines of discussion.
Overall, it was a fun and cute read. If you're looking for a cute Latinx love story, you'll enjoy this one!
lighthearted
tense
fast-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:
Yes
I just wanted more from this book. Better writing and more character development and plot.
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.5 stars. This is a Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story inspired book set in modern day San Antonio. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book, it just didn’t blow me away. It’s a sweet, easy read, and especially fun for Texans. I enjoyed the competing Mariachi band element and all the Spanish used, plus the other Texas references. It has some good messages, but it remains very lightweight. Low/moderate spice level. Cozy romance read for when you don’t want to read something too heavy. The KU version includes free audio, but I didn’t love the audio. I would consider reading other books by this author.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would say more like 2.5.
The story was cute but I just didn't believe their chemistry at all. Like it felt very forced. More like, for the both of them, this was like a first good option and they went for it rather than someone they found they actually enjoy. I liked that they admired each other's loyalty and ethics but it just didn't feel real to me.
Also, I find it super annoying when-in any language-when they say something in Spanish and then the other person says it in English, like no one talks like that! That's just me though.
I also didn't realize it would be a fade to black type of romance but that's more on me for not looking more into it.
I think Catalina's story will be more interesting.
The story was cute but I just didn't believe their chemistry at all. Like it felt very forced. More like, for the both of them, this was like a first good option and they went for it rather than someone they found they actually enjoy. I liked that they admired each other's loyalty and ethics but it just didn't feel real to me.
Also, I find it super annoying when-in any language-when they say something in Spanish and then the other person says it in English, like no one talks like that! That's just me though.
I also didn't realize it would be a fade to black type of romance but that's more on me for not looking more into it.
I think Catalina's story will be more interesting.
I love this book! I love the Spanglish in the book. I found myself rooting for the main couple, Mariana and Angelo! The storyline overall was very cute. I also like that it was a dual POV!
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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