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mostlyshanti's review
3.0
This book did not surprise me at all, but it was quite fun. I loved how strong, mentally and physically, Tori was. I loved that family was part of the story. I liked the relationship between the two main characters. I like to read romance books because they make me feel less cynical, and this book did help with that...though I think I'll give the full on romance a rest for a while.
kazen's review
4.0
I picked this book up for a readathon and I am so, so glad I did. It's a perfect "me" contemporary romance - low-stress, great plot, all kinds of rep, and so much fun.
The good:
- The heroine is Puerto Rican and the author is an Afro-Latinx woman from Puerto Rico - huzzah own voices!
- The entire cast is diverse racially and in terms of physical ability, and as far as I can tell the only white character of note is the hero.
- The competence porn is on point. Tori is a wonderful trainer, Carter is a good actor, the family restaurant is doing well, the gym is well-managed, and more. People may have varying degrees of confidence and there are setbacks, but everyone rocks at what they do and supports each other.
- Tori's roommate and best friend Eva is a joy. Their relationship reminds me of one of my best friends and they always put each other first, before the men in their lives.
- Other supporting characters are fully developed and I can't wait to read their happily ever afters, too.
- Stereotypes are casually subverted and I am so here for it.
"Him"! Yes!
- Spanish is used throughout and while it's italicized it isn't translated every time, a huge plus in my book.
- Difficult or potentially problematic situations are dealt with in beautiful ways. Tori calls Carter out immediately when he says something shitty and he apologizes genuinely and on the spot. He never forces her to do anything and asks for consent every step of the way. Even throw away lines are recast. For example, there's a scene where a typical alpha-hole hero would tell the heroine that he doesn't 'take no for an answer'. Here's what Carter says instead:
All of the alpha, none of the hole. I love to see this on the page and it warmed my heart.
- While there are stressful moments they're resolved quickly. 'Oh no, a paparazzo took a picture!' is on one page and is handled deftly on the next. This kept the romance low-stress for me, and while there is angst it was well within what I can handle. It was much appreciated in a week where the real world news was beyond the pale.
- The plot is intricately crafted and well-paced, with the pieces fitting together perfectly. It's a slow burn but when they do get to the sex? ~fans herself~
The not-so-good:
- There are shades of instalust in the beginning but it's non-creepy and didn't bother me. That's it!
I can't wait to read more of Sosa's books, and am so grateful that Latinx-a-thon introduced me to her work. Yea finding a new author to love!
The good:
- The heroine is Puerto Rican and the author is an Afro-Latinx woman from Puerto Rico - huzzah own voices!
- The entire cast is diverse racially and in terms of physical ability, and as far as I can tell the only white character of note is the hero.
- The competence porn is on point. Tori is a wonderful trainer, Carter is a good actor, the family restaurant is doing well, the gym is well-managed, and more. People may have varying degrees of confidence and there are setbacks, but everyone rocks at what they do and supports each other.
- Tori's roommate and best friend Eva is a joy. Their relationship reminds me of one of my best friends and they always put each other first, before the men in their lives.
- Other supporting characters are fully developed and I can't wait to read their happily ever afters, too.
- Stereotypes are casually subverted and I am so here for it.
A flight attendant taking drink orders hovers in the vicinity. I pull down my tray table and ask him for a cup of coffee.
"Him"! Yes!
- Spanish is used throughout and while it's italicized it isn't translated every time, a huge plus in my book.
- Difficult or potentially problematic situations are dealt with in beautiful ways. Tori calls Carter out immediately when he says something shitty and he apologizes genuinely and on the spot. He never forces her to do anything and asks for consent every step of the way. Even throw away lines are recast. For example, there's a scene where a typical alpha-hole hero would tell the heroine that he doesn't 'take no for an answer'. Here's what Carter says instead:
"Yeah, I understand. You should know this, though - I will always take no for an answer, but the minute you say otherwise, you're mine, and I won't hold anything back."
All of the alpha, none of the hole. I love to see this on the page and it warmed my heart.
- While there are stressful moments they're resolved quickly. 'Oh no, a paparazzo took a picture!' is on one page and is handled deftly on the next. This kept the romance low-stress for me, and while there is angst it was well within what I can handle. It was much appreciated in a week where the real world news was beyond the pale.
- The plot is intricately crafted and well-paced, with the pieces fitting together perfectly. It's a slow burn but when they do get to the sex? ~fans herself~
The not-so-good:
- There are shades of instalust in the beginning but it's non-creepy and didn't bother me. That's it!
I can't wait to read more of Sosa's books, and am so grateful that Latinx-a-thon introduced me to her work. Yea finding a new author to love!
melonreads's review
5.0
Refreshing, sharp witty banter, two incredibly likable, engaging, fun leads, I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read anything else by this author but judging by how much I enjoyed this book, I'm definitely going to be rectifying that.
melinda's review
5.0
This book is So. Freaking. GOOD. On the one hand I’m mad that I didn’t find out about it until now because it released last fall. On the other hand I finished it and basically book 2 came out the same week…so yay! This book is seriously so cute, funny, and just what I needed to read. I can’t recommend it enough.
Right away the opening of this book had me loving it. I am not a fan of insta-love in books at all but the beginning of Acting on Impulse has Hollywood actor Carter Stone seeing Tori Alvarez on a plane and vowing to marry her. His voice was fresh and funny – especially when it’s revealed to readers that he is ‘undercover’ for a a new part so it’s not exactly great timing to meet a woman. It’s not exactly insta-love either, it’s more insta-puppy lusting.
That opening pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the book and a great romantic comedy. Which I think is incredibly hard to do well! I haven’t read many that made me smile or laugh as much as this one did. Carter is genuinely a good guy who wants to do the right thing and is kind of a cinnamon roll – which is the kind of hero I love. I’m not a fan of super alpha heroes. Been there, read that. About 857 times now. But Carter is also flawed, he lies to Tori from the beginning, knowing that he should be honest with her. I can appreciate that as this made him seem at least a little human to me. There are actually quite a few things about him which endeared him more and more as the book goes on.
And Tori! Swoon. I loved her. The more romance books I read, the more I realize that if I can’t fall in love with the heroine and want her to be my best friend then the book doesn’t work for me. Not the case here. At first I was thinking that Tori might be too perfect, and I can’t exactly get behind a too perfect heroine. Because…ugh. I’m not perfect and I don’t need perfection everywhere. Tori’s life is definitely all together – she is escaping a kind of public breakup at the beginning of the book. But she is also gorgeous, kind, and a kick-ass personal trainer.
The first half of the book takes place on vacation – which is great, I loved it. But my favorite parts of the book take place when they comes home. Because then we get to see more of who these characters truly are. And that is where they both shine. We get to see all of Tori – her family, which is both her source of pain and love. They own a restaurant and I love it so much because we get to see this amazing Puerto Rican family who has this complex family dynamic revolving around and loving food, but also the heroine being a personal trainer so obviously wanting her family to be healthy. This creates a tension that gives Tori so many more layers and depth to her and is why, for me, she is the true star of this book.
I enjoyed the secondary characters as well, which is always important to me. I thought that the author used the setting and locations very well which was interesting to me because for most boos that doesn’t play a huge part to me. But here we move from vacation to Philadelphia to Los Angeles and each plays a key role in the story.
All this to say – I loved this book. I immediately made one of my closest book friends read it, pretty much demanded it. And we’re planning on buddy reading book 2 as soon as possible. I’ve heard it’s just as cute. So I can’t wait, I’ll be watching for other books by Mia Sosa!
Right away the opening of this book had me loving it. I am not a fan of insta-love in books at all but the beginning of Acting on Impulse has Hollywood actor Carter Stone seeing Tori Alvarez on a plane and vowing to marry her. His voice was fresh and funny – especially when it’s revealed to readers that he is ‘undercover’ for a a new part so it’s not exactly great timing to meet a woman. It’s not exactly insta-love either, it’s more insta-puppy lusting.
That opening pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the book and a great romantic comedy. Which I think is incredibly hard to do well! I haven’t read many that made me smile or laugh as much as this one did. Carter is genuinely a good guy who wants to do the right thing and is kind of a cinnamon roll – which is the kind of hero I love. I’m not a fan of super alpha heroes. Been there, read that. About 857 times now. But Carter is also flawed, he lies to Tori from the beginning, knowing that he should be honest with her. I can appreciate that as this made him seem at least a little human to me. There are actually quite a few things about him which endeared him more and more as the book goes on.
And Tori! Swoon. I loved her. The more romance books I read, the more I realize that if I can’t fall in love with the heroine and want her to be my best friend then the book doesn’t work for me. Not the case here. At first I was thinking that Tori might be too perfect, and I can’t exactly get behind a too perfect heroine. Because…ugh. I’m not perfect and I don’t need perfection everywhere. Tori’s life is definitely all together – she is escaping a kind of public breakup at the beginning of the book. But she is also gorgeous, kind, and a kick-ass personal trainer.
The first half of the book takes place on vacation – which is great, I loved it. But my favorite parts of the book take place when they comes home. Because then we get to see more of who these characters truly are. And that is where they both shine. We get to see all of Tori – her family, which is both her source of pain and love. They own a restaurant and I love it so much because we get to see this amazing Puerto Rican family who has this complex family dynamic revolving around and loving food, but also the heroine being a personal trainer so obviously wanting her family to be healthy. This creates a tension that gives Tori so many more layers and depth to her and is why, for me, she is the true star of this book.
I enjoyed the secondary characters as well, which is always important to me. I thought that the author used the setting and locations very well which was interesting to me because for most boos that doesn’t play a huge part to me. But here we move from vacation to Philadelphia to Los Angeles and each plays a key role in the story.
All this to say – I loved this book. I immediately made one of my closest book friends read it, pretty much demanded it. And we’re planning on buddy reading book 2 as soon as possible. I’ve heard it’s just as cute. So I can’t wait, I’ll be watching for other books by Mia Sosa!
totallybex's review
4.0
Apparently, if you want me to read a new-to-me author all you have to say is, “It’s a slow burn, ” and I am on it! That’s what happened to me with Acting on Impulse after seeing it mentioned in a friend's Facebook post. My interest was piqued by the prospect of a slow-burning romance as well as the blurb, but the first paragraph is what pulled me in: “I’m standing in the middle of an airplane aisle…Someday I’m going to marry the woman sitting in 12D.” Of course, I had to read the rest after that bold declaration!
The woman in question is Tori, a personal trainer from Philly, and the statement is from Carter Stone, a famous-but-incognito Hollywood heartthrob. Both are flying to Aruba to escape the recent snafus that happened in their lives. What starts out as an innocent flirtation almost turns into a full-blown island romance— that is until Tori overhears who Carter truly is.
I enjoyed watching Tori and Carter deal with the realities of their differences and work through their issues with Carter's public life. I could have used a little less drama from Tori, but she's been burned by a 'public figure' before, so I understand why she would be apprehensive. Moral of the story: lies by omission never end well, and neither does running away without getting the truth.
Acting on Impulse is a fun and flirty romance that has a nice dose of angst, more steam than I was expecting, and a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. Since I liked Ms. Sosa's writing style, not to mention that I am quite curious about the couple in the next book, I'm sure that I will be reading more from her shortly.
ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
▸ Purchase: Amazon US | Paperback | Kobo | iBooks | Nook
▸ For more reviews, visit http://www.nightowlreader.com
The woman in question is Tori, a personal trainer from Philly, and the statement is from Carter Stone, a famous-but-incognito Hollywood heartthrob. Both are flying to Aruba to escape the recent snafus that happened in their lives. What starts out as an innocent flirtation almost turns into a full-blown island romance— that is until Tori overhears who Carter truly is.
I enjoyed watching Tori and Carter deal with the realities of their differences and work through their issues with Carter's public life. I could have used a little less drama from Tori, but she's been burned by a 'public figure' before, so I understand why she would be apprehensive. Moral of the story: lies by omission never end well, and neither does running away without getting the truth.
Acting on Impulse is a fun and flirty romance that has a nice dose of angst, more steam than I was expecting, and a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. Since I liked Ms. Sosa's writing style, not to mention that I am quite curious about the couple in the next book, I'm sure that I will be reading more from her shortly.
ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review.
▸ Purchase: Amazon US | Paperback | Kobo | iBooks | Nook
▸ For more reviews, visit http://www.nightowlreader.com
em_reads_books's review
3.0
Some excellent tongue in cheek, fourth wall breaking moments, and I enjoyed seeing the characters share what they learned to admire and respect about each other on top of the regular ol attraction.
asparagusisreading's review
3.0
In the beginning, I was hooked and excited for the book. I don't know if it's because I was riding off a romance and contemporary high or if the beginning was just that good. Problem is, I didn't pick this up in time and Libby took it away to give to the next people in line. By the time it came back to me, my interest had decreased. Again, not sure if it's because I wasn't interested anymore or if it was me not wanting anymore romance and contemporary reads. The more I read the book, the more disappointed I became. This is a good book, don't get me wrong. I just feel like I wasn't getting the same feelings and excitement through the rest of the book like I was at the beginning.
3.5⭐️
3.5⭐️
msliz's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Contemporary romance - quite steamy, escapist, not a lot of substance but perfect light read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
bridgett's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the first romances I've read in years and I really enjoyed it! Feels like the genre has come a long way since the late nights that I hid my closet with stacks of Harlequins and a flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping.