A review by reading_between_the_trees
You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • 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

All I kept hearing about this book before I read it was how steamy it was, and it definitely did not disappoint on that front! I also loved the structure of this book and how it switched back and forth between the characters' lives and the telenovela. It gave the characters such a rich new dimension because you also got to get to know the characters they were studying and portraying. There was also a lot of diversity in gender identities in the side characters, and normalization of therapy, which we love! And finally, I read this class while taking a Spanish class, so I loved all of the Spanish sprinkled throughout the book, and the fact that this book brought to light the fact that not every Latinx person speaks Spanish or is fluent in it, and that doesn't make them any less Latinx!

Some things I didn't love were the lack of communication between the two main characters. There is usually a stage of romance novels where conflict arises and the main characters just can't get through to each other, but I felt like I spent a large portion of this book just being really frustrated at the characters. Also, in the beginning of the book, Jasmine has this "leading lady plan", but she didn't really follow through with it, or reckon with the fact that you can be complete and whole on your own, and also be in a healthy relationship with someone else. There was a lot of discussion about toxic dependency on relationships, but it felt like the opportunity to explore that further was missed.

I would recommend this book if you are a fan of Jane the Virgin or like other telenovelas. I would also recommend it if you're looking for a steamy romance!
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