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

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So she needs a clean state, fresh start, concentrating on her career. But it seems like it is impossible task when you have so freaking charming co-star and sharing so many intimate, hot kissing scenes with him. Yes, she starts falling fast and she needs to stop but does she really want to stop?

I grew up watching telenovelas. In a Hispanic household, they were a huge staple of weeknights in my younger days, and gathering around the TV to partake in the entertainment was just the thing to do. I remember bits and pieces of titles such as Maria La Del Barrio, Esmeralda, Pasión de Gavilanes, and La Mentira. These stories were often over the top, but also rather entertaining. To this day, I'm fond of Portuguese telenovelas—such as O Clone—even though it has been years since I've dedicated the time to watching them. But as soon as I caught a peek of the synopsis in You Had Me at Hola, I knew that reading it would be my chance to enjoy a little bit of that history.

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The gist is that the two main actors on an Americanized telenovela fall in love for real while filming for a Netflix ish streaming service. They've got insecurities, baggage, and one of them even has a secret love child.

If you’re a fan of the show Jane the Virgin, you’re gonna want to try You Had Me at Hola! There’s Latinx rep, telenovelas, actor main characters, and a ton of on- and off-screen steam. It was my first book from Alexis Daria and I really liked her writing. I loved the telenovela aspect and that we actually get to read the script (which is a dramatic second chance romance I was super into) and see how the actor characters play it out. While I did have my issues with parts of the book, I still would recommend it if you’re looking for a romance with great Latinx characters who are making their way into Hollywood. I saw so much of myself in Jasmine, in her language, her family dynamics, and the way she seeks out validation through others’ love. Jasmine is both a powerful protagonist and a vulnerable one, and I’m forever grateful to dive into her world because it made me feel less alone as a Latina. Like it was some big reveal that just happened, instead of the character just excusing themself to go to the bathroom. While I generally enjoyed these two—and the heat between them was absolutely undeniable—I will say that when things got a little rough near the end between them and secrets were revealed, what could have been solved with a calm conversation was tossed out the window and replaced with misunderstandings and misplaced blame. Granted, considering the indulgently diverting dramatics of telenovelas, it fit. And Ashton's show of trust toward Jasmine at the end came into effect smoothly because of this. But there was still a nagging little feeling that they didn't need to suffer quite as much as they did to reach that ending. I really enjoyed this book and read it within 24 hours, I loved it that much. This book has the story within a story trope, which I really love. I loved the characters, particularly Jasmine, I felt I could relate to her and how she was actively trying to achieve her goals. Ashton, the main male character, was also very developed for me, as he had so many layers and walls around him and it made him seem very real. The romance between the two was also great and I loved how it began, as it’s something you hear happen so often in the media.And the weird thing is that the narrator has a beautiful voice. When she spoke for the characters each voice was distinct and lovely. Literally everything you could hope for in a voice actor!

Personally, I found the male MC, Ashton, to be too closed off. I had a much harder time connecting to him, and I found him to be not vulnerable enough, even within his own head. I thought the romance felt a bit... strained? It didn't quite feel natural to me. In fact, I found the romance of their character that they were playing to be more organic. I also thought that the Ashton withheld too much information from the female MC, Jasmine, even when they were in a tentative relationship, for me to have much sympathy for him. If you're looking for the kind of romance that features only the two main characters and little else then this one is not for you. There are a plethora of secondary characters in this one. Between the staff of Carmen in Charge, las Primas of Power, Ashton's family in Puerto Rico, and Jasmine's Nuyorican family; there are plenty of new faces to go around. They really are what moves the story. Jasmine and Ashton are both people who are very close to their families and it's such a big thing for Latinx families to maintain that closeness. It was refreshing and endearing to see family dynamics like my own family's. I have a hunch on who might be the next heroine of the story but I'm keeping my mouth shut so y'all can find out yourselves! After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had.

This really did not work for me. I have given it 2 stars based on the rep and book cover alone but I'm leaning more towards 1 star. The story splits its time between the real lives of telenovela and soap opera stars Ashton Suárez and Jasmine Lin. Jasmine is a rising star in soap operas with a rather messy recent breakup splashed all over the tabloids. And Ashton has made acting in telenovelas his bread and butter for years, while he supports his family in Puerto Rico—which he prefers and struggles to keep very private from his public image—and tries to make his current new project alongside Jasmine successful enough that it will hopefully give him the boost he needs to get to Hollywood.

I wish we had more. I think that’s very minor complaint. I wish we had moments with Jasmine and her parents who didn’t really understand her and got to explore how she couldn’t really be herself around them. I think that arc would’ve been exciting to read about - for me, that is. Ok. Just as an example (not an actual quote!) instead of saying, "She left the room, went outside, and put on a sweater.", she would say, "She left the room (stop) went outside (stop) and put on a swea-ter." By the end of the 1st chapter, if I had had another book available, I would have deleted this thing from my phone. But on the other hand I feel that we need more romances like You Had Me at Hola, because of its diverse cast AND different topic. I often feel I’ve read it all, and there is nothing new in the romance world for me to explore.This was such an engaging electric story with some definite heat. Jasmine was such a fabulous character I just adored her. I also loved her cousins Michelle and Ava and I am really hoping that they will also get their own stories. Loved Jasmine’s big Puerto Rican family and all the culture throughout the story. Ashton came across a little awkward to me in the beginning of the book, although he did grow on me by the end. What I did like about him was how devoted to his family he was. BUT even though Ashton wasn’t my flavor of Margarita he was definitely jasmine’s and the chemistry really worked between them. I do however wish the connection between them was a little deeper, but I’m sure that will come in time. The audiobook was narrated by Seraphine Valentine Who did an excellent job. She definitely spiced up the book with her wonderful narration, especially when it came to the Spanish words. Love this romcom and I’m excited to see what is next from Alexis Daria!