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voicenextdoor's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
A queer-tastic retelling and much spicer than I was expecting.
As someone who loved LOVE ACTUALLY 20 years ago, but feel it really hasn't aged well, this was a lovely treat to come across. A set of LatinX centric short stories that follows the basic outline of the original film, and improves what has been lacking regarding consent, body image, queerness, diversity, communication and toxic relationships.
Really enjoyed this one!
***Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
As someone who loved LOVE ACTUALLY 20 years ago, but feel it really hasn't aged well, this was a lovely treat to come across. A set of LatinX centric short stories that follows the basic outline of the original film, and improves what has been lacking regarding consent, body image, queerness, diversity, communication and toxic relationships.
Really enjoyed this one!
***Thank you to Dreamscape Audio for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
reading_meg's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC!
- I highly rec this for anyone else who loved watching Love, Actually, but has recently been struggling with some of the issues with many of the plots (like how weird the cue card Kiera Knightly plot is or how many fat jokes there were about the Prime Minister's love interest)
- One thing I struggled with was the pacing/spicyness-the first story is very spicy, but the next few tone it down a lot. The second half felt well balanced with the stories having less jarring pacing differences and steam levels.
- I loved the way this built upon Love, Actually, and I had so much fun trying to figure out which stories were which plots. It was so satisfying to see some of the stories improve so much because of the changes made in this version!
- I wasn't a fan of how many of the spicy scenes included the "I usually take an hour to climax but you've got me there just with one touch" trope. It's not a bad trope, but it was a bit repetitive by the end.
- There's so many characters between all the stories, and I loved so many of them. It can be tricky to get invested in a character in such a short amount of time, but there were so many that I fell in love with in just a few pages!
- I loved the way we saw Nochebuena through each story! The way each story spoke about the traditions and the food/drink that were important to each person was such a great way to really learn about the way it's celebrated!
- I highly rec this for anyone else who loved watching Love, Actually, but has recently been struggling with some of the issues with many of the plots (like how weird the cue card Kiera Knightly plot is or how many fat jokes there were about the Prime Minister's love interest)
- One thing I struggled with was the pacing/spicyness-the first story is very spicy, but the next few tone it down a lot. The second half felt well balanced with the stories having less jarring pacing differences and steam levels.
- I loved the way this built upon Love, Actually, and I had so much fun trying to figure out which stories were which plots. It was so satisfying to see some of the stories improve so much because of the changes made in this version!
- I wasn't a fan of how many of the spicy scenes included the "I usually take an hour to climax but you've got me there just with one touch" trope. It's not a bad trope, but it was a bit repetitive by the end.
- There's so many characters between all the stories, and I loved so many of them. It can be tricky to get invested in a character in such a short amount of time, but there were so many that I fell in love with in just a few pages!
- I loved the way we saw Nochebuena through each story! The way each story spoke about the traditions and the food/drink that were important to each person was such a great way to really learn about the way it's celebrated!
dianaschmidty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Mental illness, Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
procrastinatewithreading's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.75
thatski's review against another edition
On my period and simply not in the mood. Too spicy. I love the idea of it and I love the authors in this that I’ve read before. Just not the wholesome holiday vibe I’m looking for at the moment. Would like to revisit it!
sobremesa18's review against another edition
Not what I was expecting. I thought this was cute holiday romcom stories. This was super heavy erotica lol which isn't a bad thing just not what I'm in the mood for.
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5/5 stars
1-2/5 spice Spice varies between stories
I'm upset I slept on this one last year... what was I thinking?!
An anthology with a bunch of my favorite Latina authors and some new to me authors. I loved every story and how everything came together in the last story. It was so heartwarming, magical, and sexy. This is definitely a new favorite classic holiday book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed every narrator who was on this recording.
Overall, I highly recommend it for fans of holiday romances and short stories. Since the spice varies with each story, it is hard to rate as a whole. Just know there is something for everyone, zero spice to fade to black to open door with details...
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
1-2/5 spice Spice varies between stories
I'm upset I slept on this one last year... what was I thinking?!
An anthology with a bunch of my favorite Latina authors and some new to me authors. I loved every story and how everything came together in the last story. It was so heartwarming, magical, and sexy. This is definitely a new favorite classic holiday book. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed every narrator who was on this recording.
Overall, I highly recommend it for fans of holiday romances and short stories. Since the spice varies with each story, it is hard to rate as a whole. Just know there is something for everyone, zero spice to fade to black to open door with details...
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
jadetyler's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
sungmemoonstruck's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A warm, funny, sincere collection of interconnected short stories that reimagine Love, Actually with a more diverse collection of characters and love stories. I did enjoy some of the novellas more than others--Love in Spanglish by Zoey Castile and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Priscilla Oliveras were particular highlights--but that's par for the course with romance anthologies and I'd definitely still recommend this. It's a perfect holiday read to dip in and out of and the stories all feel coherent but with distinctive voices. Sometimes I can just tell when authors had a lot of fun working on a project and this one exudes fun.