You Had Me at Hola: A Novel (Primas of Power, 1)

Let’s just say, up front, I enjoyed every minute of this novel; and if Carmen in Charge were a real tv drama, I’d be all over it!The romance is sweet, sexy and fully entertaining… I mean, it should be given the MCs are drama series stars. Jasmine is the ever unlucky in love heroine who wants someone she can love, respect and depend on. She has talent and major ambition to be a star. She also has the love and support of her fantastic cousins who call her out on her mistakes and push her to be a better person every time. I loved how she seemed flighty but yet, upon closer inspection, she’s a very passionate and determined young woman who values her family and culture above all else.Her meet-cute with Ashton, as the novel opens, is the perfect way to showcase how conflicted the hero is. He seems aloof, confident and in control. It’s all an act, however, as he is desperately worried for his career (even though he too is talented and hard-working). He needs Carmen In Charge to be his breakout role. He wants to leave the telenovela stereotypes behind. He is driven by the need to protect and provide for his young son, father and grandparents. The elder Suarez family members, instead want him to live his live and maybe even find love too.The chemistry is undeniable as these two clash and meld and discover in each other what they most need.The Latinx factor: the novel is chock full of cultural representation. With the two central characters both from Puerto Rico and both being stars in a television drama series about Latinx characters, you can hardly be surprised. Jasmine’s family is used to highlight the diversity of the Latinx community. She is Puerto Rican and Philipino while her cousins (the primas of power) are Puerto Rican – Barbadian and Puerto Rican – Italian. There is an abundance of cultural references from the margarine tub of arroz con pollo to the chancletas. Family traditions are displayed and dance and music feature as well.There are parts of dialogues in Spanish but also seamless translations included, so even if you don’t speak the language, you’ll never be lost!Finally, I want to talk about the screenplay chapters. Several of the chapters are actually told through the Carmen In Charge script. Those scenes tend to mirror an aspect of the current goings-on in the Jasmine-Ashton storyline. There are little pieces where the emotions portrayed by the screenplay characters are inseparable from the book characters. It sounds confusing but in reality the plot device works wonderfully! I absolutely loved that aspect of the novel. And well… the screenplay is pretty crazy at times… it’s all good fun!

I started listening to the audiobook version of You Had Me at Hola and was totally invested in the developing love story between telenovela star Ashton and his new leading lady, Jasmine. Then the audiobook stopped working. I had to finish the story so I ordered a physical copy of the book.There's plenty of sexual tension between Jasmine and Ashton right away which seems perfect for the actors who was to project all their chemistry onscreen. But their career plans, secret family situations and the intense media scrutiny does not bode well for the romance that is beginning to take place behind the scenes.I really fell for the characters. I enjoyed the setting of the bilingual romantic comedy television show and the interspersed chapters with scenes from the show. I loved the interactions with their families. And all the heat.So, it's very steamy and there's not much left to the imagination. I have to admit that I was glad I was reading those scenes in a physical book because audio might have been way too much.I could definitely see this onscreen. It has all the makings of a delightful romcom.

FINAL DECISION: Sweet but average romance. Didn't live up to the hype, but certainly an okay read. I enjoyed the telenovela setting, which felt fun and flirty, but the hero was a mess.THE STORY: Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is starting the most important role of her career as the star of a bilingual romantic comedy. After a messy public breakup, Jasmine is determined to lay low until she meets her co-star, Ashton Suárez. After being dumped from his most recent telenovela, Ashton worries that he is past the prime of his career and hopes that this role will give him a chance to increase his visibility in Hollywood. Both Jasmine and Ashton have a lot of gain in this performance, so creating chemistry on screen is vital. But as the two work to improve their performance, they find out that everything between them is not acting.OPINION: This story was enjoyable as a read, but quickly forgettable. It was a bit banal. I really didn't get any emotional connection between these characters. Their relationship felt cold. They had sex and acted, and then there were performative lectures about how a relationship should be. But I really didn't get much emotion or connection between these characters.My real problem was with the hero. I really felt like he was a hot mess. And it seemed like the heroine needed to get him to act more responsibly. It seemed like he had things together by the epilogue, but I needed that before.There were some fun and flirty moments. I enjoyed how parts of this book mirrored the telenovela/romantic comedy/soap opera format. The first part of the book is flirty and cute. Unfortunately, the story turned serious, and I didn't like the obvious drama that pulled the couple apart. It was too contrived and didn't work for me. Instead, the characters stayed disconnected.There was a good book here, and it was almost good. Instead, it was just okay.WORTH MENTIONING: I enjoyed how this book includes some episodes of the show which interacts in interesting ways with the "real" story.CONNECTED BOOKS: YOU HAD ME AT HOLA is the first book in the Primas of Power series.STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

Me encantó! No podía despegarme de este libro

Nach einer heftigen Trennung inklusive PR-Drama will die Seriendarstellerin Jasmine die mit ihrer Hauptrolle in einer neuen Serie verbundene Chance nutzen, um ihren Ruf reinzuwaschen. Zwar hat sie den Männern abgeschworen, aber ihr Co-Star Ashton lässt dennoch die Schmetterlinge in ihrem Bauch verrückt spielen. Doch Ashton verbirgt ein Geheimnis und will auf gar keinen Fall etwas mit dem Medientrubel um Jasmine zu tun haben ..."You had me at Hola" von Alexis Daria kommt mit einem großartigen Setting à la Netflix-Studios daher. Ich habe es sehr gemocht, den ganzen Background einer Serie mitzuverfolgen und finde, dass die Autorin da ein sehr überzeugendes Bild erschaffen hat. Besonders die Begleitung der intimeren Szenen durch eine sogenannte "intimicy coordinator" hat mir bewusst gemacht, wie fortgeschritten eine Film- oder TV-Produktion sein kann.Die Show "Carmen in Charge" bringt nicht nur Latinx Figuren in den Vordergrund, sondern kommt auch mit ein paar queeren Figuren daher. Das Cover, das von Bo Feng Lin illustriert wurde, passt dementsprechend genau wie der Titel perfekt zur Geschichte.Die Protagonist*innen Jasmine und Ashton waren glaubwürdig und sympathisch. Jasmines Entschlossenheit, an ihrem "Leading Ladies"-Plan festzuhalten, war süß, weil doch schnell klar war, dass sie Ashtons Reizen nicht lange widerstehen können würde. Ashton war attraktiv, humorvoll, der perfekte Love Interest, dessen Geheimnis mich berührt hat.Zum Ende hin wurde die Geschichte leider recht vorhersehbar, was einfach an der Ausgangslage der Figuren lag. Mediendrama, eine Geheimnis ... ihr könnt es euch vermutlich denken, was geschieht. Das hat dem Buch aber keinen Abbruch getan. Ich habe mich aufgrund des Humors und der Chemie der Figuren trotzdem gut unterhalten gefühlt und zähle die Geschichte zu einem Highlight meines Jahres.INSTAGRAM: @kim_reads_and_rambles

Bonne plongée dans le monde des tournages de telenovelas mais manque de rythme.

I loved the sound of the plot; that the characters were filming a romance while they struggled to deal with their own issues in private.Jasmine and Ashton are both likeable characters with plenty of emotional baggage. Both have been hurt before; whether it be by past relationships or traumatic events.The book is written as a dual-POV so the reader understands the issues from both sides. The book provides you with a HEA but at times you wonder how on Earth they’ll manage to untangle everything in time. I also enjoyed the irony of filming a relationship while attempting to navigate an off-screen romance. Life imitating art?I also really loved that this book is in Spanglish; it was a lovely mix of cultures. That said, the book is certainly readable even if you have no understanding of Spanish. Many of the appearances are single words, and most phrases go on to be repeated in English.A final mention should go to Daria for including gender fluid, biracial and Latinx characters. I’m seeing a lot more of it in literature now and I’m glad to be raising my children in a more inclusive world. All in all a lovely book and well worth a read

Totally worth a read