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Book Review: You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge Prompt: None
Other PS 2020 reading prompts this would satisfy: A book that’s published in 2020, A book by a WOC, A book with a pink cover
TW: Stalking, intense sexual scenes
I think I just got out of a steam room, because holy mother You Had Me at Hola was steeeeaaaamy, and I absolutely loved it! I had heard some truly incredible things about this book, but I never expected to fall in love with the characters the way that I did, but now I'm immensely sad that this doesn't seem to be the start of the series. I would have loved to follow along with Jasmine and Ashton forever.
Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, having just gone through a very public breakup with a popular musician, has decided to put all her focus into her new role as the titular lead in Streamflix's new show "Carmen in Charge." And together with her cousins, she's put together a Leading Lady Plan. Everything's going well until she (literally) runs into her brand new co-star, Ashton Suarez, and the tension immediately rises. How will she ever stick to her Leading Lady Plan when her daily job duties involve shooting steamy scenes with her secretive and extremely hot romantic lead?
This was maybe one of the best romance novels I've ever read, and is proof that folks shouldn't give romance such a bad rap. It's fun and hopeful, it's steamy and frustrating in the best way. And truly, this one is done so well. It's a romance story, yes, but it's also a story of culture and identity and family. I loved getting to see the family dynamics in Jasmine's family and in Ashton's family. It made me that much more invested in the story to get to know their families as well.
Even more, I loved the dynamics between Jasmine and Ashton, and those sex scenes were superrrr steamy - seriously. Whew! I also really loved the setting of the book and the integration of the “real life” and “Carmen In Charge.” It was so neat to read through the parallels of the two stories, though I will admit it was confusing at first I just can’t say enough how much I loved this book.
This book truly is a gem and I just wish it really was turned into its own "Streamflix" (Netflix) series.
Goodreads rating: ★★★★★
"She felt drawn to him in a way that made no sense, but that was the magic of TV - it made you feel close to people you'd never met, through familiarity and carefully crafted characters designed to make you root for them, fall in love with them, or love to hate them." - You Had Me at Hola, Alexis Daria
This book truly is a gem and I just wish it really was turned into its own "Streamflix" (Netflix) series.
Goodreads rating: ★★★★★
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