You Had Me at Hola - Alexis Daris

 

One genre I became more interested in reading in 2020 was romances.  I learned a lot about the breadth of romances out there - and allowed myself to just enjoy them as I would a television show - for pure entertainment.  What I also found exciting about this genre is that there are so many authors of color representing people of color falling in love with each other and having rich lives (both financially and metaphorically) being themselves.  It's a refreshing change of pace and really fun to see so many of these authors thriving and bringing their normal into the mainstream.

I received You Had Me at Hola for my birthday from a friend who reads almost exclusively in this genre, so I knew this would be good!  Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is a soap opera star whose recent break-up is all over the tabloids.  She swears off romance and intends only to focus on her goals as a Leading Lady, as she starts the filming on her new series - opposite the wildly popular telenovela star, Ashton Suárez.  Ashton has his own reasons for wanting to stay out of the paparazzi limelight, and for keeping a few secrets from his co-stars.  But, of course, we know where this is headed!  The story is told, in part, through the script and plot of the show that Jasmine and Ashton are staring in - which I found fun and a nice break from the overall narrative.  It was fun to see the motivations and emotions of the characters on screen juxtaposed with the actors.  Definitely a fun story filled with both passion and humor.  Looking forward to reading others by this author.