Review of You Had Me at Hola

Even before the pandemic I’ve been reading ALL the rom coms . What did I think of this sweet and heartwarming romance between two actors? Check out my review of You Had Me at Hola!

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. To be published on August 4, 2020 by Avon Books. Thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy.

Synopsis: After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez returns to her hometown to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy. Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Taking this part will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences. With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.

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Review of You Had Me at Hola

Both Jasmine and Ashton get a big break as they’re hired to star in a new Latinx rom com for a popular streaming service. They’re playing a hate-to-love divorced couple with some unfinished romantic business. Jasmine and Ashton also each have reasons to fear the increased publicity and public scrutiny that the success of their new show might bring them. Which also gives them reason to fear the growing attraction between them…

There was SO much to love about this book. Set in New York and written by a New Yorker (yay!) it featured two leads with roots in Puerto Rico (and a bunch of other diverse Latinx characters.)

There were lots of great family relationships, from Jasmine’s cousins to Ashton’s supportive father and grandparents. The multigenerational love and support was so strong in this book and I loved it.

It was also really fun that the book focused on the relationship between the fictional characters played by Jasmine and Ashton, Carmen and Victor, whose relationship has its own trajectory.

I also loved the way book highlighted the incredible diversity of the Latinx community, both in New York and outside it. Ashton lives primarily in Puerto Rico, but Jasmine grew up in New York and feels a little judged for her less than perfect Spanish. (This worked out well, as snippets of the book are in Spanish that Jasmine has to sometimes translate. My written Spanish comprehension is about on the same level as Jasmine’s listening comprehension, so it was fun for me to try to understand as much as she did.)

Yes, the reasons this couple has to fear love (primarily hers) were a little contrived at times, but this is a rom com and sometimes the “obstacles” aren’t all that substantial. That didn’t bother me or detract from the warm, funny, positive vibe this book had – it was just what I needed!

Looking for other great rom coms like You Had Me at Hola?

I’m definitely adding this to my Rom-Com-A-Thon list of recommendations. You can check them all out here if you’re looking for more rom coms to read!