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

After Jasmine, a soap opera star, goes through a very messy, very public breakup, she decides it is time to focus on her career and stop letting men dictate where her life goes. She gets hired to lead a show on a popular streaming service alongside a very handsome telenovella star, Ashton. Ashton has a secret son and a deep distrust of the media. What follows is an lovely story about these two unlikely people coming together.

I really loved this book. I thought the conversations about boundaries and expectations were very mature and helpful as a reader to see. The discussions around Latinx representation in film and tv was very enlightening and showed the diversity of the community. Jasmine is my hero, and I loved every minute we got to spend with her. Even though she was struggling with her dependency on men, I never once felt like she was weak for it. She was such a strong voice, with insightful knowledge and ways of dealing with people. Her character really made me feel like I should be standing up for myself more.

Overall, a really lovely, fun book. I'm excited to read the next one, following Jasmine's cousin, Michelle!

TW: home invasion (past), hospitalization, PTSD, stalking (mentioned, past), trauma, Sexually explicit scenes

So, this was a meh for me. I liked the scenes from the show and the plot in general was good, but it was just kind of meh, ya know? I definitely want to read more of the series (and not just because I've already purchased the next one...) so I will reserve my full opinion of the author until I've read more. A big reason this was not it for me was that the spice in this gave me both the heebs and the jeebs. They read like either someone who has never had sex or someone who has only experienced sex as a dude wrote them. It was off-putting to say the least.

Well that was an absolutely flat and boring read. Maybe it was just me but everything about this was awkward and off, especially with the “steamy” scenes. I would have rated lower but I absolutely loved the cousins and the family. They made the book better.

I really couldn't have cared less about the TV show. Reading that in-between the actual storyline itself irritated me to where I just skipped over those chapters completely.

I'm glad others were able to enjoy this one but it definitely wasn't for me.

I was not expecting this novel to be a steamy romance, looking back I should have known. The dynamic between the main characters, Aston and Jasmine, was astounding. I was gripped with every interaction. I was talking to my audiobook about certain scenes and encounters. Would highly recommend this one if you are looking for some spicy romance!