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A review by galian84
West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras
3.0
Sadly not my favorite R&J retelling, and I love the forbidden romance trope! I really liked the premise, dueling mariachi bands with an old family feud and two people from the warring families falling in love despite the animosity between their parents & in this case, the uncle. But the execution sadly fell flat for me.
I loved the Latinx spin on this well-known tale, and reading about the culture and family dynamics by an author of that same background. I wished there wasn’t always a translation after most of the Spanish phrases…I felt like that slowed down the story a bit (I don’t mind looking up words and phrases I don’t understand). I also liked Mariana’s character a lot and could really relate to her need for putting others above herself and eventually learning to bring down her walls for Angelo. And I truly adored the tale of sisterly love between her adopted family!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Angelo. I felt like he had no real personality outside of being the perfect man with zero flaws. The generations-long family feud was resolved so quickly and too easily. The story seemed like it couldn’t decide what direction to go in - to focus on the mariachi band competition or the family dynamics, or the family feud. As a result, there was a mix of all three. I was also really confused what was going on with Angelo and his uncle and the whole financial situation with the Capuletas. Maybe I missed something crucial somewhere.
The writing was also heavyhanded and very telly many times and drew me out of the story.
But my biggest gripe was that I didn’t feel anything when I read this story. I wanted to root for Mariana and Angelo to fight for their love and push through their and their families’ differences to be together. I wanted to feel the tension between the two families. And I wanted to feel anger at the Monteros for what they did to the Capuletas. Sadly, I didn’t feel any sort of tension or a fear that they would be found out when they were together, that *I* also wanted to appreciate the stolen moments they had, and I wanted so badly to feel that.
3 stars overall - I finished the book, but it just wasn’t for me.
I loved the Latinx spin on this well-known tale, and reading about the culture and family dynamics by an author of that same background. I wished there wasn’t always a translation after most of the Spanish phrases…I felt like that slowed down the story a bit (I don’t mind looking up words and phrases I don’t understand). I also liked Mariana’s character a lot and could really relate to her need for putting others above herself and eventually learning to bring down her walls for Angelo. And I truly adored the tale of sisterly love between her adopted family!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Angelo. I felt like he had no real personality outside of being the perfect man with zero flaws. The generations-long family feud was resolved so quickly and too easily. The story seemed like it couldn’t decide what direction to go in - to focus on the mariachi band competition or the family dynamics, or the family feud. As a result, there was a mix of all three. I was also really confused what was going on with Angelo and his uncle and the whole financial situation with the Capuletas. Maybe I missed something crucial somewhere.
The writing was also heavyhanded and very telly many times and drew me out of the story.
But my biggest gripe was that I didn’t feel anything when I read this story. I wanted to root for Mariana and Angelo to fight for their love and push through their and their families’ differences to be together. I wanted to feel the tension between the two families. And I wanted to feel anger at the Monteros for what they did to the Capuletas. Sadly, I didn’t feel any sort of tension or a fear that they would be found out when they were together, that *I* also wanted to appreciate the stolen moments they had, and I wanted so badly to feel that.
3 stars overall - I finished the book, but it just wasn’t for me.