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A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña

5 reviews

jrae_miller's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Good buildup for a second chance romance - I had some quibbles with the self-awareness of some of the characters but overall fun to read. Gave Google translate a good workout.

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_obsessing's review against another edition

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Lost interest

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

5.0

A sequel as incredible and as intoxicating as the first! Something about Natalie Caña’s writing is so delicious. I love the characters, I love the romance, the spice, the ABUELOS, everything. I could probably gush about this book, and the Vega family, forever. It’s genuinely so much fun and so heart warming! I love it, I love it, I love it!

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aromanticreadsromance's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful slow-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

4.0

This book had A LOT going on, and it felt much longer than its 400 pages. It is raw and real, rife with depictions and descriptions of gang violence, LGBTQIA+-related hate crimes, and PTSD (please read content warnings before starting this book!). To counteract these heavier themes, Natalie Caña provides lighthearted humor with feuding and matchmaking grandfathers who cause trouble in their nursing home. This is what ultimately reunites our two main characters, Santiago "Saint" and Lola, who were high school sweethearts before Saint enlisted in the military and Lola had to run away with her mom for her safety. Now, seventeen years later, Lola is back to care for her grandfather and work with the community center (El Hogar) for unhoused LGBTQIA+ youth, a cause near and dear to her heart.

Saint is a single dad to four-year-old Rosie. He left the military to raise her after his wife died. Rosie is one of the BEST (portrayals of) children I've read in romance novels, probably because she acts her age (not younger or older). She has selective mutism, only speaking when she's with her family (i.e., not at school). Lola is Rosie's new teacher, and she doesn't try to change her or punish her for not speaking. She provides a safe space for Rosie to learn, and she doesn't take it personally when Rosie still doesn't speak to her outside of the classroom. The connection they form is so pure and wholesome. Rosie wants to be exactly like Lola, dressing like her and doing her hair like her. So cute. And when Rosie utters her first words to Lola? I had tears in my eyes. Be still my heart.

The Vegas have to be one of my favorite fictional families. This book confirms my love for meddling families, ESPECIALLY grandparents. I liked the... unconventional "friendship" (camaraderie?) that forms between Benny (Lola's abuelo) and Papo Vega. Those two are adorable in a way that only old people can be.

I LOVED the representation in this book. Not only that, but the discussions that the characters had about social justice-related topics. Every character is Latine/Latinx (with the exception of one white teacher who quit at the beginning); Lola is half Mexican and half Puerto Rican, and Saint is Puerto Rican. Lola is fat and bisexual (the author is also bisexual). There is talk about the effects of gentrification, the slow acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in some Latine/Latinx communities (because they are not a monolith), white saviorism, and fatphobia/discrimination.

A forewarning to those who do not speak Spanish: there is a lot of untranslated dialogue that isn't always easy to figure out through context clues. I can't be mad at this, because the author clearly envisions her primary audience as other Latine people. But if this is something that will bother you because of how much time it will take to type into Google Translate, then this book might not be for you. As someone who does not speak Spanish, though, I can say that I still found this book worth reading. I personally did not choose to translate the text. From knowing another romance language, I was able to piece together the gist of some dialogue, and the rest I knew I would figure out if it were consequential to the story.

I think some of the conflict, especially the conflict involving Lola's brother that leads to the third act breakup, is unnecessary and doesn't add to the storyline. I could have done without the third act breakup. I would have liked to see more intimacy (not just physical!) between Saint and Lola. The heavier themes, as well as the characters' individual personal growth, overshadowed the romance; that is to say, the romance was secondary to other subplots. There is only one short sex scene, so this book is not spicy (that's either a pro or con, depending on your tastes!). I usually read character-driven books, and this one felt mostly plot-driven. It is incredibly slow-paced, which is probably why its 400 pages felt like they dragged on. I wouldn't necessarily call it a slow burn, but it was a slow read (for me). Although this book is written in third person, it somehow felt like a first person book (I can't explain why or what that even means, but I do usually prefer first person narration). The ending perfectly set up Leo and Sofi's impending romance (all best friend's brother lovers, be prepared!), so I can't wait for book three!

I recommend this book if you love:

🎃 badass, fierce FMCs
🎃 duty-driven MMCs
🎃 single dad romance
🎃 second chance romance with (secret) high school sweethearts
🎃 "it's always/only been you"
🎃 social justice
🎃 family loyalty and shenanigans
🎃 meddling relatives
🎃 feuding grandfathers

Thank you SO much to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

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cover2covertx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

5.0

A Dish Best Served Hot, the connected standalone for A Proposal They Can't Refuse, was a really fun read and not entirely what I expected it to be. I assumed after the first book that this one would also be a little more light-hearted and witty, which it absolutely had it's moments but this story had a bit of a more serious tone, and for good reason given the topics dealt with in this story. It's not just a rom com "dramedy" spanning across families and cultures- which is definitely a HUGE part of its charm- but it also landed a bit on the side of romantic suspense.

For all of these reasons, this book is definitely a five star read for me. The book has a slow start, building on the characters and their pasts and especially fleshing out the side characters from the previous story as well; giving them even more of a backstory AND setting up the perfect scenarios for future books. :)

There's fantastic representation of diverse characters including Latinx families from different backgrounds, a bi-sexual female main character who is also plus-size, and a variety of different family dynamics (single dad, grandparents raising grandkids, etc.)

Book Tropes: slow burn, childhood friends, friends to lovers, second chance romance, forced proximity (related to business)

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