You Had Me at Hola

3.5 stars, I think, rounding up. I liked Jasmine a lot and loved her cousins (I hope they get their own books, even though I don't think anything has been announced). The little excerpts from the Carmen scripts were cute as well. I would've liked to see some more development from Ashton - even though this is alternating POV, I didn't feel that I got as much insight into his motivations/character, and I was really annoyed with him for a large part of the book because of the secret he was keeping from Jasmine (which he then had the gall to blame her for, wtf?). I wish the clear anxiety/PTSD issues were addressed more extensively than in a little aside in the epilogue. Loved the setting of this one and it's definitely a high-heat romance if that's what you're looking for, but I really thought Ashton's secret went on way too long and Jasmine seemed to basically talk herself into justifying his decision to keep that from her for however many months it takes to shoot a TV season, which was disappointing to see in a character who'd been so excellent at standing up for herself.

I enjoyed Daria's previous two books immensely, and You Had Me at Hola did not disappoint. Jasmine and Ashton are not only likable, they're flawed, which makes for a romcom where people are fallible and human in relatable ways. It's a book full of diversity that feels authentic and prescient; it unpacks the glamour of fame while also showing its dark side too. The romance was believable with a great arc throughout, complementing the TV show scripts as part of the plot line.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley.

The hero did not work for me. I didn't fully agree with the reason for his big secret or his weird thing with commitment.

However, although the central romance really really did not work for me I really liked both families. I also liked the very honest discussion of looking to men for validation and value and therapy for both the hero and the heroine.

Also normalizing that the other person doesn't “complete you”. Hope to see more of that with less exhausting heroes