To start, I haven’t read You Had me at Hola (I got the order mixed up) but I do own that book so it won’t be long before I’m reviewing that one. Anyway, this was a very cheesy romcom-esque novel featuring two incredibly good looking bisexuals. They’re both of the Latinx community from the Bronx. It’s also a second chance (kind of instalove?) love story about Gabe and Michelle who were best friends from ages 6-18, but Gabe leaves for college and doesn’t look back. He also ends up cutting off his controlling and emotionally manipulative family while he’s in college. The reason he and Michelle don’t continue their friend? He’s going to California for school, he didn’t tell her, and she finds out when they both through caution to the wind (friendship on the line) and kiss each other. It’s a good thing they both loved each other. However, neither tells the other their true feelings. This results in 13 years where Gabe and Michelle grow into their own and have no contact. Until Gave’s business partner unwittingly hires Michelle for a marketing campaign for their gym business. 

It’s all the perfect set up for a classic romcom. However, a lot of plot devices are awkward and is seems pointless just to put the characters into certain situations. I got quite a bit of secondhand embarrassment (something that can really make me uncomfortable like I fast forward through scenes in shows). I mean I’ll say the spice is pretty good (excellent safe sex practices). But the book didn’t make me feel anything outside of that. I wasn’t hearts all aglow with their romance and the only feelings I did have were anger and frustration. These feelings weren’t towards the two MCs (though I was wanting them to pull their heads out of their asses and grow up and tell each other their feelings) but towards their families. Like Michelle, I come from a half Italian family, they are loud and always making it their business to be in my business, but Michelle and Gabe’s families are even more over the top. I was getting claustrophobic from having so much of their family be all in their business and I get it’s probably a cultural things, but it was giving me anxiety. I hate it when families are like “I always knew you’d end up together”, I don’t know why, it just makes me angry. I really felt for Gabe and his relationship with his dad. Though I don’t come from immigrant parents or even immigrant grandparents, I spent most of my life trying to live up to expectations and seeking validation while trying to fight those things and live my own life. 


As a Latinx author, Daria kept the over explanation of culture and language to a minimal (something I’ve notice a lot of writers OC do). Overall, this book made me laugh and the chemistry between Gabe and Michelle was good and the spice was good. It was cheesy, spicy, and cute. 

A solid 3.75/5 for sure.