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A review by whendotheykiss
Takes One to Know One by Lissette Decos
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Did I inhale this book over two days? Yes. BUT, I wanted more romance! Loved the short chapters, and the writing had an easy flow.
This reminded me of a Mariana Zapata book (in a good way) where it's single POV from the FMC's part, and it's a slow, slow burn. René is tight-lipped and definitely shows his affection for Daniela through the things he does for her. While there are some romantic moments, this story mainly focuses on Daniela's grief over her dad who passed away six years ago. The feelings she's been running from come to the surface when she spends a month in Culebra working to document René's upcoming solo Reggaeton album. She's surrounded by places her dad talked about, and said they would visit together. In the moments where René actually opens up, we're told and not shown — I just wanted more conversations between them, and more moments where René was talking about himself (there are a few) instead of Daniela learning about his true character behind the 'El Rico' façade from his stylist, mom, people he collaborated with, and his producer.
I often see questions about 'do you think these characters would make it?' and for René and Daniela? I don't see it. Their foundation is so rocky, and while her character arc is strong, the writing around his is weak, and needed more development. I've seen people describe this as a 'rom-com' and while there are some funny moments, that doesn't meet my definition of the term.
Thank you to Forever for making this Read Now on NetGalley!
- slow burn
- single POV
- Puerto Rican MCs
- closed door
-WDTK? Ch. 38
This reminded me of a Mariana Zapata book (in a good way) where it's single POV from the FMC's part, and it's a slow, slow burn. René is tight-lipped and definitely shows his affection for Daniela through the things he does for her. While there are some romantic moments, this story mainly focuses on Daniela's grief over her dad who passed away six years ago. The feelings she's been running from come to the surface when she spends a month in Culebra working to document René's upcoming solo Reggaeton album. She's surrounded by places her dad talked about, and said they would visit together. In the moments where René actually opens up, we're told and not shown — I just wanted more conversations between them, and more moments where René was talking about himself (there are a few) instead of Daniela learning about his true character behind the 'El Rico' façade from his stylist, mom, people he collaborated with, and his producer.
I often see questions about 'do you think these characters would make it?' and for René and Daniela? I don't see it. Their foundation is so rocky, and while her character arc is strong, the writing around his is weak, and needed more development. I've seen people describe this as a 'rom-com' and while there are some funny moments, that doesn't meet my definition of the term.
Thank you to Forever for making this Read Now on NetGalley!
- slow burn
- single POV
- Puerto Rican MCs
- closed door
-WDTK? Ch. 38