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A review by melinda
Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa
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!