Bookaholic – Page 5 – LairOfBooks

Spoiler Free Review: Lobizona by Romina Garber

Title: Lobizona

Author: Romina Garber

Pub. Date: August 4th 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Format: eGalley

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 400 pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

“I am that leftover ace of diamonds. I don’t fit into any of the groupings around me, and the things that make me different always seem to count against me”

Lobizona tells the story of Manuela Azu aka Manu as she lives a quiet sheltered life in Miami alongside her mother. Manu has been on the run from her father’s Argentine crime family since birth. Now she hides from ICE raids in the United States by blending in as best she can. For Manu this means homeschooling from Perla, sort of an adoptive grandmother who shares a lie for literature with Manu. Perla has also shared folklore from their mother country of Argentina. One of the superstitions Manu has always felt a connection with is that of the 7th consecutive sons & daughters born in Argentina being either a wolf or witch. This story starts with Manu’s menstruation, a painful time for Manu directly correlated with the moon cycle. Manu’s mother gives her a sedative which puts her to sleep through the majority of her cycle. She remains indoors most of the time but when she does go out she wears shades to cover her unnaturally yellow as the sun eyes. Manu follows her mothers rules in order to keep from being detained & deported but she yearns for freedom and friends her age.

Manu’s entire life course is upended when her mother is detained by ICE & she finds herself on her own. Searching for answers with little to go on, she manages to stumble upon a group of teens off the side of the road. What at first seemed like just group of teens ends up looking a lot more like the Argentine Folklore passed down to her by Perla. Could Perla, the adopted grandmother have been trying to tell her something about her origins? or was it just superstitions passed down from her mother country? Could these people have answers to questions she hasn’t thought to ask? We follow Manu as she dares to uncover secrets and lay claim over her very existence.

It’s been about two weeks since I finished this book & I still remember the raw emotions it stirred up in me. During a time in the United States where we’ve seen children torn away from their families, this one hits hard! Manu left Argentina at the age of 5, on the run from her father’s crime family. Life in Miami has been spent mostly within the walls of her home building. Her very existence is deemed “illegal” in Argentina & in the U.S. and the author made sure to convey Manu’s feelings of displacement. I LOVED the magic in this world! in many ways this has all the elements of a Fantasy set within a school with even their own magical sport. There are witches being trained to use their elemental magic as well as wolves training in physical strength. There’s discussion on gender & identity, the fact that their world is stuck in rigid antiquated beliefs. Their laws make it so they cannot move beyond a binary system & therefore who they may love is also dictated by the assigned sex at birth. I felt this opened the floor for discussion and also set up the foundation for the next book. Manu is reclaiming her identity & with that comes hope for change within their world. I felt so many emotions reading this book but also hope because it feels like Manu’s journey will be one where she fights for equality.

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September 2020 TBR

Fall is absolutely in the air, it’s been a long time since I’ve braved posting a TBR here simply because the past 2 years have been mood reading heavy. Unintentionally this TBR is giving off major fall vibes & I am here LIVING for it! although I’ve found a new love for Summer, the Fall season will always be my one true love. It’s when I do the most reading, rock the cute hoodies, and drink all the seasonal drinks…I’m looking at you Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew 😉

By the time this post goes live I’ll be in the process of reading 2 or maybe 3 of these titles, one is definitely an audiobook. All of the titles listed below are eGalleys/ARCS/ALCS I am very thankful to have received & will be trying to review within this month. If I manage to make my way through these, I have a few add-ons to choose from but ummm…

Crazy Stupid Bromance (Bromance Book Club #3) by Lyssa Kay Adams-Lyssa Kay Adams can continue writing in this world & I will buy all of her books. Here we follow Noah Logan the unofficial Bromance Book Club member who is a tech savvy nerd/hacker. As with all of these books there’s a guy who is in need of better understanding the female love interest. I’m only 15% into this book & already it’s getting hard to stop reading so fast. I love that we follow the important themes discussed in the previous book with sexual harassment at the work front. The men are still hard at work shedding toxic masculinity seen first hand at the very start when we learn that Liv (previous female love interest) has entrusted all wedding arrangements to her fiancé Braden Mack. Braden has gathered his book club to make paper carnations & GAH! I LOVE these characters so friggin much!

Horrid by Katrina Leno-In the spirit of continuing to read Horror, this could not have come at a better time. Set during the Autumns season we see a girl whose father has passed away & with her mom returns to her home town. Creepy vibes in this house where there’s a “storage”room that runs out to be a little girls bedroom. Our MC also faces bullying in this town & from what I can gather, this may come down to grieving & mental illness or something actually dark & secret. I’m intrigued but will definitely be reading this with the lights on & no my Kindle back light won’t cut it 🙂

Fable (Fable #1) by Adrienne Young-Pirates are my drug of choice but give me female pirates & now I don’t know how to act. I LOVED Adrienne Young’s Sky in the Deep & jumped at the chance of reading this on Netgalley. After losing her mother to the Sea, our MC is left to be raised by her father who in turn abandons her. Left alone to fend for herself, she sets out to make her way back to her father to convince him that she is worthy of being a member of his crew. What she doesn’t know is that during the time she was away from him, he’s picked up quite the rivals in his trade business. No one is to be trusted & nothing is as it seems…

A Deadly Education (Scholomance # 1) by Naomi Novak-I am about 15% into this book & I in NO way am here to support she who shall NOT be named. However, this book really does feel like the Slytherin story I never got. This I guess in many ways is Dark Academia with a MC who to many will come across as unlikeable. I happen to LOVE this type of character, her inner monologue has me wicked chuckling smh. She has all this dark power within her & can cast some powerful spells but doing that would bring about destruction. While others are working simpler spells to make life easier, she can’t summon anything basic. In many ways she comes across as a Bitter Betty but I can’t help LOVING her!

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole-Thought this was just a thriller but early reviewers are saying this leans more towards Horror. This is the year where I’ve started to take an interest in horror so I’m here for it! I’ve already started the audiobook via Libro.fm (my referral code) & the narration is A+! set in Brooklyn we meet a MC who is in the midst of watching her neighborhood go through the changes imposed by gentrification or is it? did the neighbors really relocate to the suburbs? I hear our MC may be a bit of an unreliable character & I love me a paranoid MC! here for it!

Kingdom Of The Wicked (Kingdom Of The Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco-My! My! MY! I have yet to read a Kerri Maniscalco but this author has remained intriguing AF to me. Happy to satisfy my curiosity with this tale of twins, one Is gruesomely murdered & the other is left to find her murderer and avenge her death. Somehow, she gets thrown into meeting one of the Princes of Hell who is in charge of investigating the deaths of numerous women?!? Dark Romance?! HELL YES!

Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn– Southern Black Girl Magic? sign me up! Queer characters & secret societies within a school setting? with magical weapons? HIGH hopes! early reviews are all leaning towards this being a potential 5 star *fingers crossed*

Wayward Witch (Brooklyn Brujas #3) by Zoraida Córdova– The 3rd book in the Brooklyn Brujas trilogy & we finally get Rose Mortiz as the main POV! the littlest sister who is a rebel at heart, I’m beyond stoked! won’t go into deets cause spoilers but this is such a awesome Latinx trilogy to get into filled with magic and adventure.

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Spoiler Free Mini Reviews: Faith Takes Flight & The Voting Booth

Title: Faith Takes Flight

Author: Julie Murphy

Pub. Date: July 7th 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary/Queer

Format: Audiobook ALC

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 304 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | LIBRO.FM| AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Faith Herbert in many ways is your average teenager living in a small town dealing with friendships, crushes, volunteer work & more. It’s easy to fall in love with Faith who is a plus size teen with a well known fan blog for The Grove, a popular tv series. Faith lives with her grandmother who she loves dearly & is one part of a trio of friends who are queer and super supportive of one another. This is her senior year in High School & things get a bit complicated when The Grove starts filming in her hometown. Faith finds herself having more than one crush, Johnny is very much the boy next door who is trying to get Dakota to notice him. Dakota Ash is the star of The Grove who also has her eyes on Faith & sets out to take her out on a date.

This was a cute superhero story that had its pacing issues & felt like two different books in one. The first half doesn’t see much plot movement, it really is just small town life as Faith goes about volunteer work at the Vet clinic & dating Dakota. The second half takes off at lightning speed with all sorts of new things introduced to the plot including missing teens, pets & a criminal operation. I’m still unsure about how Faith got a handle on her superhero powers & wished that we’d gotten more on that. What I loved about Faith is that she’s not your typical slim female superhero in tights. Faith is not only plus size but she also dates both genders & explores her sexuality, questioning herself at times but never labeling herself. I felt this came across as authentic for her age when really that’s exactly what is happening, self discovery. I did have some issues with how Faith handled her friends when consumed by her love life but I’m glad things get sorted out on the page. The friend trio itself is #Nerdgoals I LOVED them to pieces, especially Ches who is a queer witch that isn’t above lighting some sage to clear the room of negative energies! LOVED!

Title: The Voting Booth

Author: Brandy Colbert

Pub. Date: July 7th 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Format: Audiobook ALC

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 304 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLE | LIBRO.FM | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author/Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review🖤

If ever there was a timely read, this is it! at its core, The Voting Booth is about voter suppression in black communities. We meet Marva Sheridan, a black teen who has a passion for politics & making sure voter rights are upheld and protected. She is an activist who knows her life has a purpose, to make a difference in the world. Duke Crenshaw is a bi-racial teen on his way to cast his vote before class & also comes from a family who take voting pretty seriously. However, they also had a son who was an activist, who is no longer with them. This is something that Duke carries with him & has created an aversion to politics. As a son of divorced parents, Duke has had to relocate a few times and because of that, voting at the school he is registered under has now become a challenge. Marva steps in to assist Duke throughout the course of one entire day, met with many obstacles but never once being deterred. At the start of their story, Marva is dating someone who she has just found out has opted to not vote at all. She’s completely thrown off & diverts her energies towards helping Duke & in turn spends the day getting to know him. I was very grateful to the author in their decision to not throw Marva into Dukes arms. Boundaries were respected leaving me with the MOST satisfying of endings.

Interwoven throughout this story there’s discussion of police brutality, interracial dating & moments where the characters themselves question their identities within the black community. There’s Duke who until this day hasn’t really wanted to focus too much on his brothers political activism. Then there’s Marva who is attending a white school & recognizes her privilege. There’s so much to unpack but one thing rings loud & clear, that’s the need to end voter suppression. The importance of casting your vote & the change that is needed within communities of color where it is made most difficult to exercise this right.

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FRIDAY READS & THANGS…

Happy Friday Book Lovers! I’m a little all over the place today but I’m stoked to get the weekend started. This weekend I’ll be flexing my newly found green thumb skills as I expand my at home window garden. I really thought this was something I sucked at smh since my past experience with plants were TERRIBLE. Whelp! (many things I thought I would suck at have turned out to be quite the opposite, never doubt yourself luvs) I have managed to keep my succulent Leo alive since the start of this year. Many will ask themselves (like my good friend Taylor @Nerdnarration), how do you kill a succulent? well it happened to me 2 years ago & I was set on never letting it happen again. Leo is now ready for siblings & my BFF IRL is bringing me a seedling from his very own garden! excited for this & have already ordered a few things for their arrival. On the bookish front, I have started a contemporary set to be released in 2 weeks & a few single issue comics. I also have plans for some outdoor activities with my tiny humans in a safe social distancing space.

The Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow #2) by Margaret Owen– I had no idea this was a duology but I’m so satisfied with how everything wrapped up! The world was further fleshed out as was the magic system & our MC’s were put through the wringer. I did NOT expect to finish it with tears in my eyes but it sure happened to be that way. I have a full review coming next week.

Wynd Issues 1 & 2 by BOOM Comics! – If you’re a fan of all things Fae then this will be one to keep an eye out for. I’m already craving more from this story & appreciate so much the plus size rep as well as there being POC characters. Wynd is a Fae Queer boy living in Pipetown where all with magic in their blood have been exiled. Wynd is in hiding, he was taken in by a family when he was just a baby left behind in a basket. The family has taken great risk in hiding him while the King has hired help to eliminate any found within his kingdom. There’s also talk of a land where those with magic live freely, can’t wait to read more!

A Man Among Ye Issues 1 & 2 by Image Comics– I love all things pirates but its the female pirate stories that have given me LIFE! this comic is based off of the real Irish Pirate Anne Bonny. We get a female MC who is very confident & just a bad a**! aboard Captain Jack’s crew. Other than Jack who may be a love interest, the crew is very sexist & anti Anne. Mutiny is definitely afoot. Now I’m not sure if she will remain on his crew or venture off based on how issue 2 left off. I am absolutely in need of issue 3 cause it seems we will be getting more female POC Pirates. I have a feeling this will be a favorite & I’m really hoping it gets a trade paperback *fingers crossed*

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

House Rules:
Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

This was about all I had read from the Goodreads Synopsis before I clicked on request on Netgalley. So far its been receiving really good reviews & I can see why. Since starting it last I found myself quickly going through the pages with no real want to put it down except for the much needed sleep. I’ve heard it’s a very sex positive read & that one of the MC’s has a profession not typically seen in books…I’m intrigued 😉

“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power tells the tale of Adora, a teenager who can transform into the heroine She-Ra and leads a group of other magical princesses in a rebellion against the evil Lord Hordak and his Horde.”

I’ve just started watching friends & can’t stop! thank goodness for slow work from home days amiright? haha! there are POC & plus size characters that I have absolutely been charmed by. These characters have quickly become faves! Final thoughts will be in my August Wrap-up.

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July 2020 Wrap-Up

This summer could’ve easily been a bust but I’m happy to report that July was possibly the BEST month I’ve had this year. After being stuck indoors for quite some time, I spent most of my personal time by some body of water. It was a blessing to be able to escape the city & experience some freedom while also reading some great books. I also rediscovered my love for all things Grease & listened to the soundtrack whenever possible…to be understood as all the time 🤷🏻‍♀️😌😂 When I wasn’t listening to Grease or reading, I went down the rabbit hole that is Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix. The thing is, this show creeps me out & I could only watch it with someone OR during the day. Otherwise I was for sure having dreams of cracking cases in my sleep & startling awake at all hours of the night. All that being said, I already have plans to watch I’ll Be Gone in the Dark on HBO MAX cause a part of me enjoys scaring myself to sleep smh…

Quality wise, I enjoyed all of the five reads I picked up in July and found some new authors I’m really excited to read more from. I’m considering making a special post dedicated to Silvia Moreno-Garcia as I make my way through her back-list. As always, the goal is to prioritize reading diverse books with an emphasis on intersectionality. This has made reading way more pleasurable and put a lot of black & Latinx authors on my radar. I have reviews posted for all of the books listed below for what I feel is the first time in a very long time.

HERE TO STAY BY ADRIANA HERRERA – ✨4.5 STARS✨ (My Review) I cannot stress this enough…Adriana Herrera is an author to keep an eye out for! we get Latinx characters who fall in love while crushing their goals and taking care of their mental health & space. There’s also an awesome friend group here that I would’ve loved to be a part of myself! for now I’ll comfort myself thinking I’m an honorary member of the Gotham Exiles Club 😉

FOREST OF SOULS BY LORI M. LEE – ✨4 STARS✨ (My Review) This story contains one of the best F/F friendships I’ve ever seen & if you’re one looking for a more adventure/platonic based Fantasy then this is a solid choice. Hella atmospheric with imagery that will give you the creeps when you enter the Dead Wood. Shamans practicing elemental magic + an ending to leave you reaching for more!

YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN BY LEAH JOHNSON – ✨5 STARS✨(My Review) I listened to the audiobook version on Libro.fm & LOVED our MC a queer black teen who comes from a poor family with a lot of love. This is a story about second chance friendships, living your truth, and being seen when you feel invisible.

MEXICAN GOTHIC BY SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA – ✨5 STARS✨(My Review) Atmospheric & haunting; this book teleported me from a sunny day on the beach IRL to the gothic vibes inside of High Place, the mansion where it all takes place. Our MC is headstrong & way ahead of her times, I truly enjoyed being led into this mystery despite my aversion to anything creepy/scary.

YOU HAD ME AT HOLA BY ALEXIS DARIA – ✨5 STARS✨ (My Review) Save the best for last? I don’t know cause Mexican Gothic really competes with You Had Me at Hola for my fave read of the month. Gahhh! an ode to telenovelas aka soap operas! it was everything I could’ve asked for & more! I wasn’t expecting mental health, PTSD, codependency & physical consent on the set while filming as themes in this book but I’m beyond grateful for this book. To take Latinx characters & portray them in a positive light as they climb the success ladder and experience heartbreak at a time where we simply just don’t have these stories…feels AMAZING!

Binge worthy they say? I was HOOKED from the very first episode but as previously mentioned, I couldn’t watch this by myself for the life of me 😂 I did watch the majority with my boyfriend who pulled up Google & further intensified my obsession with this show. We were those people who googled to see where they were with each of these cases & STILL are following the page for any updates smh. Shortly after finishing this show I found myself needing closure & so I ventured into this next show…

Although this is a very old show, in 2017 Netflix streamed one of their seasons & yes yes I did binge this right after Unsolved Mysteries. However, unlike the previous show which left me feeling hopeless (still a well put together show) this one has solved cases. Through the great strides in technology & DNA, all of these cases were solved usually within a 30 year span. This show gave me hope that the new cases in Unsolved Mysteries will be solved.

JUly WAS a month of relaxation & honestly just taking a step back from stressors which called for a change of scenery.I did do some retail therapy (BOOK HAUL)while also unhauling/donating 100+ books from my shelves. In many ways july was when i centered myself & in turn laid out some new goals in my journey. drop some luv in the comments book lovers! i hope you’re all doing well & reading some great new books! ❤

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Spoiler Free Review: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Title: You Should See Me in a Crown

Author: Leah Johnson

Pub. Date: June 2nd 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary/Queer

Format: Audiobook

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: 301 Pages

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Liz Lighty has outgrown her small town life in Indiana, a place she has never felt she has quite fit in. Liz is a queer black teen who lives with her grandparents & brother who has sickle cell disease. She is poor and unwilling to conform to fit in with the wealthy white students attending her high school. Liz also has a dream to attend the super elite Pennington College, get accepted to play in their orchestra & pave the way towards becoming a doctor. Things start looking bleak when she doesn’t get the financial aid she was counting on. The High School she attends has traditionally awarded the Prom King & Queen a scholarship & Liz focuses on making this happen for herself. Along the way she encounters micro-aggressions & straight out racist remarks from the schools resident mean girl. While Liz is dealing with competitive cattiness, homophobia, and constant reminders of how she doesn’t belong…there’s also a strong presence of those that believe she absolutely belongs & are cheering her on. We see a second chance friendship develop & Liz fall for the new girl in school who is unapologetically living her truth. The romance does not take center stage however it does play a part in Liz fighting back & not allowing anyone to dim her shine. This is a story about family & friends, realizing you are loved and supported even when you feel invisible. It’s about forgiveness & girls coming together to uplift rather than give into bullies & mean girl tactics. So much gets covered in this sweet but also very serious book I wasn’t expecting to love but easily became a book I’ll never want to forget.

Content Warning: Panic attack, anxiety, death of a parent (off page), racism, homophobia, outing, chronically ill loved one

Privilege comes to mind whenever I think of the kids Liz sat in the classroom with or when she was met with a school official who looked down upon her. She doesn’t fit the mold & doesn’t come from one of their well known/accepted wealthy families. All odds are stacked against her & yet she doesn’t let that discourage her from the end game & that’s a chance at a higher education. Something that many take for granted, she learns early on isn’t a privilege she’s been granted. I admired Liz for keeping her head in the game, focused on the stakes. This isn’t easy for Liz who suffers from anxiety disorder & also has to hide the fact that she’s a lesbian. She misses the friendship she had with her BFF Jordan & questions his motives for wanting to reconnect. There’s conflict all throughout this story based on past hurts but those were resolved on page which made for a better story in the end. I loved seeing Liz’s home life & what also serves as motivation for her. She’s deeply grateful for her grandparents & has a really solid relationship with her brother who suffers from sickle cell disease which is the same illness her late mother suffered from. I was moved by the strength in Liz who persevered against all odds & was left with hope seeing her friends rise up for her. I personally cannot wait to read more by Leah Johnson in what I’m hoping is the near future *fingers crossed*

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July 2020 Book Haul

July will forever be marked as the month of endless summer nights turned into trips to the book store. Nights curled up with a good book under the night sky was where I found my zen this year. This also means that I more than made up for my sort of book buying ban in June, let’s be real not a month goes by where I don’t one click some Kindle deal or another. July was also the month where I purchased sequels to series I’m currently reading & really enjoying. I finally dived into The Daevabad Trilogy (My review) & continued in the world of the Brown sisters with Take a Hint, Dani Brown (My review). It also marks the month that I started to request on Netgalley again after a long hiatus of about 2 years. I’ve been blessed by the book Gods with some EPIC titles I’m already reading and will be reviewing both here & on my Bookstagram. August will be a MUCH slower book buying month, if I buy any at all simply because September in the bookish world is known as being big on releases.

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Kindle Steals

I’m actually really proud of myself in not going click happy in July! these are the only 4 I downloaded for either $1.99 or $2.99 which is pretty hard to resist. I’ve heard only the best of things about all 4 titles & hope to get to them in the very near future.

CRIERS WAR (CRIERS WAR #1) | RADIANCE (WRAITH KINGS #1) | THE BLACK PRISM (LIGHTBRINGER #1) | THE WOLF OF OREN-YARO (CHRONICLES OF THE BITCH QUEEN #1)

Dipping my toes slowly into requesting on Netgalley & Edelweiss again since I still want to continue reading through my back-list books. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse was actually a wish granted on Netgalley which made my month all the better. These are 6 books I’ve been HIGHLY anticipating & will be reading throughout the next couple of weeks starting with Fable by Adrienne Young since it will be hitting shelves on September 1st! *book shimmy*

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Spoiler Free Review: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: Mexican Gothic

Author: Sylvia Moreno-Garcia

Pub. Date: June 30th 2020

Genre: Gothic Horror/Latinx/Mystery

Format: Physical

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 301 Pages

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“𝑨 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓”

𝑴𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑮𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄 is set in 1950’s Mexico, a Gothic Horror that follows our mid-twenties socialite Noemi (gave me young Evelyn Hugo vibes) who has been directed by her father to go check up on her cousin Catalina. Catalina the cousin who has always been a nurturing role model, married in haste & not much is known about her new husband. It is thought that perhaps there were financial motives driving her fiancé to seal the deal but distance has taken Catalina away from home. Now relocated to a more remote area where communication is lack, Catalina is a source of worry when her letter is received & in it she speaks of a haunted house and whispers within the walls. Noemi strikes a deal with her father, in exchange for enrollment in the University of her choosing she will travel to Catalina to secure her mental state. Noemi is a character way ahead of her times in many ways with a wide array of interests. She steers clear of getting emotionally attached to her love interests & instead feeds her unquenchable this for knowledge. Often times thought of as fickle for starting & ditching different subject matters, Noemi is a force to be reckoned with. Quick witted, fiercely independent, charming, headstrong with a dose of class that drips cool. Noemi is the type of character you’ll never forget. High Place, the big house she travels to is a place you’ll never forget. A place where Noemi will question not only the sanity of her cousin but her own as well. A place that has a lot of history, secrets & pain hidden within its walls. In many ways, High Place is a main character in this story…

Atmospheric & haunting this is a slow burn tale that will raise the hairs as you read. It is a mystery with smart writing in which Moreno-Garcia weaves in themes of eugenics, misogyny, racism, and colonization. It is character driven & has the ability to transport you out of your own surroundings. I read this on the beach and was easily transported to High Place which is the big house this story is set in. I got the same vibes I’d get whenever reading anything by Edgar Allen Poe which left me shook! I don’t ever run to pick up horror but I’d been hearing about this author for quite some time & decided it was time to see for myself. I devoured this book, engrossed & invested in every single page. Unable to put this one down I even read it while accompanied by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia’s Book Playlist on Spotify for this book. I was instantly sucked in by Noemi’s charm, seeing her work her way around the people living in the house while she tries to extract any bit of info. The creepy AF vibes you get while she wanders the halls & speaks to the residents who seem off and strange. Everything about this book was strange but in such a good way! Noemi didn’t shy away from any challenging topics & seeing her handle certain topics had me admiring her at many points throughout the story. This may be my first Moreno-Garcia book but it certainly won’t be last especially since I currently own a couple of her previous works. I’m looking forward to continue falling in love with this authors work, discovering more Latinx characters in the wide variety of genres she has written in.

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Spoiler Free Review: You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Title: You Had Me at Hola

Author: Alexis Daria

Pub. Date: August 4th 2020

Genre: Romance/Latinx

Format: eGalley

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 384 Pages

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

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Jasmine Lin has just experienced a messy public break-up & can’t seem to escape the tabloids. At the start of this story, she’s relocating back to her home city of New York because she’s been cast for the role of a bi-lingual telenovela star. As leading lady of “Carmen in Charge” Jasmine will have the chance to represent a goal driven successful Latinx woman. Jasmine is Puerto-Rican/Filipina & can admit that often times she falls in love with being in love. This has led to many break-ups in the limelight & now it’s time to refocus her attention on her career. She’s come up with a small set of rules she’s only shared with her sisters in order to stay on track & put love on the back burner. For Jasmine the only challenge she expects to meet is that of having to speak solely Spanish for the role. As a Nuyorican, Spanish is more of a second language that she picked up on the fly. With her hands full she doesn’t expect to have her recent set of self imposed rules to be challenged by her hot co-star Ashton Suárez…

Ashton Suárez born and raised on the island of Puerto-Rico is looking to finally land a break-out role that could potentially lead him to the big screen. Often times cast as the male love interest in telenovelas, he’s hit a bit of a rough patch when he was killed off much too soon in his last role. Ashton is also bi-lingual & his biggest challenge can often be his accent because it has hindered him from much bigger productions in the English language. Ashton is also goal driven but he isn’t free of baggage having PTSD after being stalked by a fan. Ashton has a rule of his own, no dating the co-star due to some very personal reasons from his past.

I don’t know about you but 2020 has led me to start keeping a list of all the small blessings that come my way. This year I’ve discovered a few Latinx authors whose writing style feels like home. Alexis Daria gave me a walk down memory lane with this book. As a kid I had no choice but to watch telenovelas with my grandmothers & I LIVED for the over the top dramatics! haha! Now, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve watched one but You Had Me at Hola took such a nuanced approach by giving it a modern day outlook. These characters receive on the set coaches to help them with boundaries & comfort levels when it comes to physical touch. There’s tons of communication, this cast & crew operates more like one big family. This is something Jasmine has NEVER experienced. Seeing all different Latinx cultures on the set & Queer love represented by the staff makes her feel at home. This is what drives her to want to help make Carmen in Charge a break-out hit. Of course she does get side-tracked when she meets Ashton who seems to be super clumsy around her. There’s instant attraction & chemistry but both believe the other not to be interested.

I enjoyed seeing the on the set/off the set interactions between our MC’s because Daria threw in snippets of the lines for Carmen in Charge. We get a whole side story about the characters they’re cast to play & it was interesting seeing Jasmine & Ashton draw parallels between their fictional characters in the telenovela. There’s also a strong presence on behalf of the supporting characters who are the families of our MC’s. We get Spanish in the text that isn’t italicized but instead flows organically & beautifully which made me feel like they could’ve been my own family. There’s talk of stereotypes placed upon the Latinx communities & how that can affect certain career paths for both men & women in the industry of entertainment. There’s also talk of how this is something they take seriously because they’re sort of trail blazers in the Latinx community who can create opportunities for others such as themselves. There’s definitely a higher bar set for people of color & with that comes a lot of responsibilty to bear. What I also appreciated was that our MC’s were self aware of certain behavior patterns they needed to work through in order to change. Therapy is mentioned in a positive light & co-dependency as a toxic trait is addressed & also worked through. Last but not least I LOVED seeing Latinx people of color falling in love, crushing their goals & bringing that passion that makes us so proud of our cultures. Alexis Daria has made a fan out of me!

P.S. for those of you who are wondering…those steamy scenes we all live for in our romance books…they broke the chart!!!! I’ll leave it at that 😉

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Spoiler Free Review: Here to Stay by Adriana Herrera

Title: Here to Stay

Author: Adriana Herrera

Pub. Date: August 25th 2020

Genre: Latinx/Romance

Format: eGalley

Publisher: Carina Press

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🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Julia Del Mar Ortiz wears her heart on her sleeve which led her to relocating from NYC to Dallas Texas with her boyfriend. She’s landed her dream job & things couldn’t be looking better until she gets dumped. Now stuck with a lofty apartment & a brand new car lease, she has to make the best of it. Running back to her family in NYC (as much as she loves them) is NOT an option! She is a Dominican/Puerto-Rican Afro-Latina running the charitable foundation for one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is an honor. The only challenge is the blue eyed dark haired Irish Italian consultant hired to take them public which could mean she’d be out of a job. The foundation helps immigrant families with after school care & activities and advocates on their behalf. For Julia this foundation means everything & protecting it from getting cut off trumps her desire for Rocco Quinn. For Rocco, Julia reminds him of home with her Queens NYC swag and give it to you straight personality. He loves everything about her from the beautiful curls to the curves on her body. He also has one thing clear in his mind, he can’t mess up this opportunity to score a promotion. He has too much personally riding on his career moves & falling for the girl who is running the foundation he may have to advise against funding is just not the wisest.

Content Warning: Alcohol abuse, verbal & emotional abuse, abusive parent

There is SO much to love about this new book by Adriana Herrera who I’ve added to my top favorite Latinx authors! Julia isn’t perfect, she ackonwledges that she can be impulsive & tends to place the needs of the men in her life before her own. This wake up call she gets in Dallas doesn’t go unchecked & she’s determined to make positive changes. I LOVED seeing Julia establish herself within her found family group who dubbed themselves the “Gotham Exiles Club”. The six of them are either from NYC or from Dominican Republic & are looking for some familiarity. They do brunches, baseball games, happy hour and really come through for one another. This is all new to Julia & Rocco who are really outside of their comfort zones but who are also eager to write their new chapters.

Rocco is driven by a need to help his younger sister & niece move from NYC away from their toxic parents. Raised by an alcoholic father & mother, Rocco has some baggage & inner demons he is handling the healthy way. I appreciated seeing a character do the work with therapy & actually apply what he’s learned in moments where he knows he’s being baited. For Julia finding her way in Dallas & living her most authentic life is what she craves. Her family is quite the opposite of Rocco’s in that they are super supportive & loving (best scenes with Papi, Mami & Abue) but that can also become a safety net if she lets it. We see two ambitious individuals strive to reach their goals while also trying to abstain from giving into temptation. The conflict of interest in the workplace only makes for some off the meter chemistry & intense flirting. In Julia we get a strongly confident & sexy woman who knows what she wants. She isn’t afraid to ask for it & that for Rocco is a true on. He’s a sweetheart & a gentleman who has a whole different side to him when alone with his love interest. This romance is HOT & vulnerable in the best of ways! can we get more of these characters though? I will be sending wishes to the Book Gods for books following Dani, Jose, Tariq, Salome, and Alba (not a part of the Gotham Exiles Club but a wonderful BFF from back home) in what I’m hoping is the near future… *fingers crossed*

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