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A review by kimberlyyyreads
Takes One to Know One by Lissette Decos
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you Forever for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!
This is a very loose review, and probably will be subject to change in the upcoming days/months.
I think the novel had strong potential, having a romance set up in the spanish music industry (Puerto Rico's industry specifically) piques your interest but was is executed well? Not really.
Rene and Dani lack immense chemistry, the romance was simply not there. You have them interact a bare couple of times and each time it feels forced. The marketing team fell short because "Enemies to Lovers" was not the vibe. It was just more one sided dislikeness.
to be honest...The reggaeton hate and "I don't dance" characteristics was not my cup of tea and that's okay. Dani grows to see reggaeton more than face value but it still wasn't enough to sway me.
As for the music artist component, For Rene "El Rico" is an alter persona that he wears. Personally, I'm not really a fan of this decision. It paints the MMC in a light that just makes you feel confused about who he really is as a person and artist. The book taking in PR and having the album be recorded in PR is supposed to bring out this authentic version of himself but it felt limited because we only see Dani's perspective. I would've loved to see this be further explored with a dual perspective for us to feel more connected with Rene but unfortunately that's not the case.
Dani is half Cuban & Half Puerto Rican. This is essential to the storyline because as she's in Puerto Rico, she's connecting to her dad's roots and is falling in love with the island. Seeing her explore her culture and also accepting the grief she's experiencing via her father is really heartwarming because of this, I think that the book fell into the wrong genre.
This book as a contemporary novel would've held better than within the romance genre because adding the romance didn't add anything.
In reading this book, you don't stick for the romance but rather the elements of self discovery and grief.
This is a very loose review, and probably will be subject to change in the upcoming days/months.
I think the novel had strong potential, having a romance set up in the spanish music industry (Puerto Rico's industry specifically) piques your interest but was is executed well? Not really.
Rene and Dani lack immense chemistry, the romance was simply not there. You have them interact a bare couple of times and each time it feels forced. The marketing team fell short because "Enemies to Lovers" was not the vibe. It was just more one sided dislikeness.
to be honest...The reggaeton hate and "I don't dance" characteristics was not my cup of tea and that's okay. Dani grows to see reggaeton more than face value but it still wasn't enough to sway me.
As for the music artist component, For Rene "El Rico" is an alter persona that he wears. Personally, I'm not really a fan of this decision. It paints the MMC in a light that just makes you feel confused about who he really is as a person and artist. The book taking in PR and having the album be recorded in PR is supposed to bring out this authentic version of himself but it felt limited because we only see Dani's perspective. I would've loved to see this be further explored with a dual perspective for us to feel more connected with Rene but unfortunately that's not the case.
Dani is half Cuban & Half Puerto Rican. This is essential to the storyline because as she's in Puerto Rico, she's connecting to her dad's roots and is falling in love with the island. Seeing her explore her culture and also accepting the grief she's experiencing via her father is really heartwarming because of this, I think that the book fell into the wrong genre.
This book as a contemporary novel would've held better than within the romance genre because adding the romance didn't add anything.
In reading this book, you don't stick for the romance but rather the elements of self discovery and grief.