YOU HAD ME AT HOLA BY ALEXIS DARIA

7/24/2021

You Had Me at Hola is one of those books that you can’t help but read in one sitting (which is exactly what I did!). Being immersed in the culture and following Jasmine and Ashton as they come to terms with their careers and love lives was so much fun.

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: August 4, 2020
Genre: Cultural & Diverse Romance. Co-workers. Actors.
Series: None (at this time).
Pages: 387 pages
Format: Paperback. Source: Purchased.

RITA® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings readers an unforgettable, hilarious rom-com set in the drama-filled world of telenovelas—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin and The Kiss Quotient.

Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers.

After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez.

Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy.

After his last telenovela character was killed off, 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 acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of 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, and kissing leads to a 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.

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𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥 (𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛)

** A Lot Like Adios releases on September 14th and follows one of Jasmine's cousins!

READ MY BOOK REVIEW

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 4 stars
𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘/𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘𝗦: Diverse/Cultural Romance | Co-Workers | Actors & Actresses

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧: You Had Me at Hola is one of those books that you can’t help but read in one sitting (which is exactly what I did!). Being immersed in the culture and following Jasmine and Ashton as they come to terms with their careers and love lives was so much fun.

✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

I’m the type of person who will buy a ton of books at once and then not read them for ages. I think it’s because I’m a serious mood reader; one minute I’ll want to read the book and the next minute I’ll be in the mood for something in an entirely different genre! For that reason, You Had Me at Hola has been sitting on my bookshelf since it’s release. Honestly, I’m terrible at reading my books on time and sometimes I want to slap myself because I’ve been missing out on such fabulous reads like this one!

What makes this book so special to me is the immersion of CULTURE. I love reading about people from all walks of life and this one especially because it centers around the Latin community. How sad it is that I don’t see this all that often in romance novels? It’s a breath of fresh air and the author does such a wonderful job at enlightening her readers about this culture that you feel like you’ve not only learned something new but that you are a part of it too. Not only that, having NEVER watched a telenovela she made me want to broaden my horizons and check one out! This added a unique flair to a genre that has been slowly becoming my least favorite. 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗘𝗡𝗝𝗢𝗬 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦!

Now onto the book… This is a romance between two co-workers that are starring in a brand-new telenovela together called Carmen in Charge. This book isn’t your typical romance though as both characters are looking to expand their careers rather than fall in love. Jasmine for example just got dumped via a tabloid magazine and honestly doesn’t need a man to be successful (GIRL POWER) and Ashton is trying to keep his family (and secrets) out of the limelight while catapulting his career into something bigger. Neither expect love but sometimes love has a way of sneaking up on you just like it did for Jasmine and Aston. Is their own love story like a the very own thing they are working on together (a telenovela)? The simple answer is YES and it’s not something you want to miss! It plays out deliciously like one!

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The cultural aspects, their own love story playing out as a telenovela, and even the secondary characters (who may or may not have future books 😉) are just wonderful! I definitely recommend this one and am looking forward to the next in the series!

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐