#AmReading YA

Once Upon a Quinceañera
Monica Gomez-Hira
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Jenny Han meets "Jane the Virgin" in this flashy and fun Own Voices romcom from debut author Monica Gomez-Hira.

Carmen Aguilar just wants to make her happily ever after come true. Except apparently “happily ever after” for Carmen involves being stuck in an unpaid summer internship! All she has to do is perform! In a ball gown! During the summer. In Miami.

Fine. Except that Carmen’s company is hired for her spoiled cousin Ariana’s over the top quinceañera.

And of course, her new dance partner at work is none other than Mauro Reyes, Carmen’s most deeply regrettable ex.

If Carmen is going to move into the future she wants, she needs to leave the past behind. And if she can manage dancing in the blistering heat, fending off Mauro’s texts, and stopping Ariana from ruining her own quinceañera Carmen might just get that happily ever after after all.

Scrambling to make up some credits in order to graduate, Carmen accepted an internship with Dreams Come True. Just when she thought nothing could be worse than impersonating a princess, the boy at the center of her family drama returned, AND her estranged aunt hired them to perform at her cousin's quinceañera. Would Carmen survive the summer? 

This was a great combination of drama, humor, and romance. I am a huge fan of second chances, in all forms, and here, Carmen had the chance to face some of her past mistakes and make things right. First, she had to deal with being reunited with Mauro, the boy who ruined her reputation and sort of had a hand in breaking up her family. She also had to work through the pain of what happened between her, her mother, her aunt, and her cousin in addition to daddy issues. So, though there were laughs aplenty, there was also a lot of emotional exploration. 

I want people to understand, that Carmen was dealing with a lot of hurt and disappointment. She often felt lost and alone, and I hope readers will be patient with her. This was a journey. She experienced setbacks and missteps, but also, a lot of growth. Carmen had been hampered by her past and struggling with her future, but over the course of the summer, she found clarity, peace, and lots of joy too. 

Mauro was a wonderful surprise for me. At first, I only knew what Carmen told me about him, and I was ready to give him the heave-ho. But as with most things, there was a lot more to the story and to him. It was a pleasure getting to know Mauro better and to see him reconnect with Carmen. There was this one part, where he simply reduced me to a puddle, because it was just about the sweetest thing ever. Just thinking about it has me smiling. 

Carmen's journey was not an easy one, but I rooted for her the whole way and was so proud of her progress. This book really delighted me. The romance provided swoons, the parties provided laughs, and the family provided drama. Combine that with an ending I would award 5 out of 5, and I call this a success for me. 

I Think I Love You
Auriane Desombre
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Underlined
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

A sweet and funny debut novel about falling for someone when you least expect it . . . and finding out that real life romance is better than anything on screen.

Emma is a die-hard romantic. She loves a meet-cute Netflix movie, her pet, Lady Catulet, and dreaming up the Gay Rom Com of her heart for the film festival competition she and her friends are entering. If only they’d listen to her ideas. . .

Sophia is pragmatic. She’s big into boycotts, namely 1) relationships, 2) teen boys and their BO (reason #2347683 she’s a lesbian), and 3) Emma’s nauseating ideas. Forget starry-eyed romance, Sophia knows what will win: an artistic film with a message.

Cue the drama. The movie is doomed before they even start shooting . . . until a real-life plot twist unfolds behind the camera when Emma and Sophia start seeing each other through a different lens. Suddenly their rivalry is starting to feel like an actual rom-com.

Emma was so excited to recruit her friends for the film festival. She was a die-hard romantic determined to make the gay rom-com of her heart, but the return of Sophia posed a problem. Sophia had lost all faith in love and wanted to make an angsty artsy film. After butting heads, they decided to split into two groups, but their friends had an idea they hoped would reunite them all. 

I had no clue when I picked this book up, that it was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling. Reflecting on the story, I can see it clearly now. There were the two romances, and the plotting to get enemies Sophia and Emma together. There was even a nefarious plot, which gave this light hearted tale a touch of drama, but the story was punctuated by many new and fresh elements as well. 

I had a great time running all over New York City with this crew, while also getting to see Sophia and Emma's view of each other slowly soften. I so wanted Emma to find her match, while I hoped something would dispel Sophia's negative opinions about love. These two went from throwing angst-filled grenades at each other to exchanging stolen glances and cute and witty banter. 

The book leans on the lighter side, but Desombre gave it some emotional depth. Sophia realized she was bisexual and was out to her friends, but not her parents. Her fear of revealing her sexuality to them was backed up several times in the story by her parents' actions, and it was something that weighed heavily on Emma throughout. Sophia was struggling with her parents' divorce and her mother up and moving to a new country without her. She had a lot of emotions to work though, and I felt her angst was justified to a certain degree. It was very heartwarming seeing these two work through their issues with a little help from each other. 

Overall: This story was light-hearted with a touch of drama and some really cute and sweet moments, I enjoyed watching Sophia and Emma work through their problems, make a movie, and find love.

**ARCs received in exchange for honest reviews.

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