I feel like this is the romance novel I’ve been waiting for because it had so many of the elements that are a must for me in a perfect romance as well as some additional added things I didn’t even realize I was missing. It was a book centered around the world of TV, which hello isn’t that always fun? But it had a ton of depth as well and was much more than a fluffy book about two actors hooking up. Culture and family played a huge role as well and I felt like I learned quite about about their backgrounds. I wanna add that I switched between the physical and the audio and the narrator was so great and really brought the characters to life, especially with bits and pieces of it being in Spanish, she had a beautiful accent that I could’ve listened to all day.

Jasmine and Ashton’s chemistry started off a little bit on the slow burn side but when things finally heated up it was super steamy. It’s partly because Ashton was a more reserved character and he has his reasons, but Jasmine was a fierce woman who kinda overpowered him to begin with. One of my favorite aspects of their relationship was how open they both were about sex and how positive their interactions were. Consent played a big role and there was a mutual respect between the two that made me swoon. Physical relationship aside they both come from families that value their heritage and culture and I loved learning about both of their families and traditions.

The TV show they’re filming throughout the book is based on a telenovela and I loved the chapters that were scenes from Carmen in Charge. There was a lot of discussion about Latinx representation in the media and besides the juicy look behind the scenes of a TV show, I appreciated that once again, there was another layer of depth to the story. Can you tell by my rambling how much I freaking loved this one?! Seriously a must for romance fans, it’s sexy, funny, sweet, tender and had such great representation across the board.

Thanks to Avon Books for the free advance copy of this book.

Soap opera star Jasmine just had a very messy, very public breakup. She hopes her new gig as leading lady on the streaming series Carmen in Charge will help her reset her life and priorities. That is, until she meets her new costar, telenovela heartthrob Ashton Suarez, and all her planning goes out the window.

YOU HAD ME AT HOLA has it all. A heroine striving to be a "badass queen making jefa moves." A standoffish hero who is really a sweetheart. Actual conversations between the characters...when they're not...ahem. It's so good, y'all.

This book is about family, both in the sense of blood family and the larger Latinx community. Jasmine speaks often about how lucky she feels to be working on a show with largely Latinx actors and staff and how rare that is. There's also a lot of Spanish mixed into conversations with little to no translation, just as these characters might actually speak in real life.

Now, I really want books about Jasmine's cousins and books about her coworkers! Pretty safe to say I'll be reading whatever Alexis Daria writes from here on out, though!

Content warnings: stalking, home invasion.

This was an absolute DELIGHT. Jasmine and Ashton had SO. MUCH. chemistry and this book ended up being WAY steamier than I expected it to be (in the best way!!!). My only real complaint about this one is that the scenes that we got of the actual show were a bit cheesy, but the rest of the book was a 10/10 in my book and I am SO GLAD that I finally read something by Alexis Daria. I am 100% going to be working my way through her extensive backlist after how much I enjoyed this. So good!!!!

TW: stalking (in the past)

This book is full of a diverse cast, which was amazing to read (I loved that there was a character that was an intimacy coordinator, which I hope all shows and movies in real life adopt). I really enjoyed Jasmine and Ashton’s characters. Jasmine ends up on the cover of a tabloid because of a bad breakup and swears to focus only on her career and avoiding getting on a tabloid. My only issue with this is that I thought it was exaggerated or maybe drawn out a little too much, though her character is written well enough that I didn’t notice all the time. Ashton is quite the hunk and written really well too. He’s a little dramatic throughout the book, with some good reason, but also refuses to listen to reason from others, which was frustrating during the second part of the book.

Which leads me to the plot. Honestly, this book is about a new telenovela, so it made sense to me that there’s a little extra drama between the characters. Daria wrote in a several short chapters where we get a glimpse into Jasmine and Ashton acting as their characters on the telenovela that they’re filming together, which I think gave insight into the aspects of a telenovela. I’m a huge fan of Jane the Virgin, so I wasn’t really surprised some of the plot points or character decisions. The romance is kind of friends to lovers .. both Jasmine and Ashton dance around each other and their growing respect and feelings until they both give in. The romance, I thought, was a great blend of super steamy and really cute.

To make all of this happen and come together is Alexis Daria’s writing. While I thought she executed the story and the characters really well, I thought that the writing and some of the dialogue came across as a little awkward. Or something. Even though I don’t speak or understand Spanish, I liked that Daria threw in some dialogue in Spanish, particularly when it was Ashton speaking to Jasmine.

Overall, I really liked You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria and would recommend!

Yes, I agree with my fellow readers this cover is amazing. I rounded up to 4 stars, as how I did not like the male lead character towards the end - can we say Latin Woman Slap on the Face idiot.... what was up with that reaction - any ways......

Overall, this was my first time reading this author and I will say the story is cute and I did enjoy it very much. I've never read a book that has the characters be telenovela actors in it... so that was fun for me. I loved seeing two romances.... the real one, Jasmine and Ashton and the fictitious one of the telenovela.... although the telenovela story I think was better.

what works about this book: I liked that the characters were diversed and there was good chemistry between them.... YUM on that part. I'm a sucker for cute romance and this had it. Each Character has their story and baggage. Jasmine just wants a clean start..... Ashton to be a good dad to his 8 year old son. The romance is a slow burn and the book is well written and fun.

So.... will I read this author again and recommend her.... yes I will.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher HarperCollins Publisher.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I didn’t entirely know what to expect from You Had Me at Hola, but the cover is on fire, and the blurb piqued my interest, particularly the telenovela setup. And, ultimately, I really enjoyed this one.

Jasmine and Ashton are both relatable, in spite of being celebrities. I could understand Ashton wanting to keep certain aspects of his life out of the public eye, and inadvertently delaying telling Jasmine about it, in spite of them bonding outside of work. I also related to Jasmine’s humiliation at some of the headlines about her love life, and felt Daria managed to replicate how it feels in a way someone who hasn’t been through that experience could understand.

And while the occasional shifts to scenes from the show they’re filming can be a little jarring, I like how it provides insight into the show, while also providing that contrast to show where the actors’ minds are at in terms of their real life relationship while filming the scene through subtle textual cues.

I also loved the role friends and family played in this book, presenting lots of angles for potential spinoffs, whether it be further installments surrounding the telenovela world, or a plethora of family and friends.

On the whole, this is a solid book and definitely has me excited to read more from her, both in terms of backlist and future titles. If you love steamy contemporary romance, especially one focused on television drama on- and off-camera, then you’ll love this one.

.5 stars bumped up to 4 for family & friends and #OwnVoices

I bought into the push-me-pull-you of Jasmine & Ashton's attraction and thought the chapters told from the script for Carmen in Charge worked to highlight their various emotions, whether they mirrored their feelings or were incongruous. Loved the relationships shown between Jasmine, her cousins, her agent; Ashton and his family, and everybody on the set for the show, especially the casual acceptance of LGBTQ+ folks.

Sort of spoiler: Ashton having PTSD from the stalker made sense to me; Ashton's ex being able to hide a pregnancy and him being able to hide the existence of his son for 8 years? Not so much. Likewise, there was a little too much repetition about Jasmine's ex--I didn't forget from 10 pages ago that he broke up with her via tabloid only to immediately hook up with a girl who looks just like her. (hide spoiler)]

Still, a solid "really liked" for me, and I will recommend it in Readers Advisory

I’ve been hearing buzz about Alexis Daria’s You Had Me at Hola for weeks. I was very happy to see it on NetGalley and to receive a copy in exchange for an honest review. It’s wonderful, I finished it in just a few hours.

Actress Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is back in her hometown, NYC, to take the lead in a remake of an old telenovela, Carmen in Charge. She’s excited about the new roll and the career boost this could be, but her face is all over the tabloids after being publicly dumped (again) by her famous musician boyfriend. Ashton Suarez has been comfortable in Miami’s telenovela scene, but after being killed off his last show, he’s hoping the co-lead on Carmen in Charge will start his career moving forward again.

They have issues. Jasmine being in love with love has made her tabloid bait and Ashton is fanatically private. Jasmine recognizes her pattern of serial monogamy is a problem personally and professionally and vows to break the cycle on this show. She has two amazing best friends/cousins, Michelle and Ava. They are the kind of friends who tell you the truth about yourself and love you faults and all. Michelle and Ava ground Jasmine, both in her life and in the book.

As I read, I kept flashing back to some of the romances I read in the 80’s and 90’s with ridiculously good looking main characters with glamorous lives and glamorous problems. They were definitely escapist reads with fancy hotels, lots of name brands and bizarre plot twists. The main character was often a blankish slate so that the reader could insert themselves into the story. You Had Me at Hola gives us two ridiculously good looking people, who interesting characters. Their lives are not glamorous. Their problems are not glamorous. We can still escape into a world that is not our own, but we can feel the common human experiences of juggling professional ambition and family, and responding to our own past experiences.

One of the things I found intriguing about this book was the way Daria illustrated the layers of relationship between Jasmine and Ashton. They really had three relationships going at once – as people, as colleagues, and as their tv show characters. On top of that was the divide between their private selves and their public selves. It was really well done and a very good read.

Oh my god this book is SO GOOD

This is a perfect romance novel with plenty of depth to make it not too cheesy. It's also VERY steamy.

I loved that this hosted a multitude of characters with different backgrounds. There were discussions about Latinx representation, family and cultural norms, mental health, and self-worth. I also loved that this was a very steamy read but it was super sex-positive, with conversations about one another's comfort and boundaries (lube, nonpenetrative sex, etc), consent, and focus on mutual pleasure.

It's safe to say I'm a little in love with both Ashton and Jasmine.

This book got me right in the feels. It did just about everything I want in a romance novel, so I'm just going to list the specifics of what I liked best.
1) The hero is a beautiful, seemingly aloof, actually anxious and awkward family-loving cinnamon roll. I loved every scene of Ashton with his son, the way he derived comfort from his family's well-being, and how earnest his love was when he started falling for Jasmine.
2) The hero's family and select members of the heroine's family were supportive and uplifting, but also provided some much-needed levity. Also, the Primas of Power were hilarious, and I can't wait to read their books!
3) The author took care to showcase the racial diversity among Latinx people.
4) Palpable chemistry: it took them a while to give themselves over to the romance, but when they did, it was like a match was struck.

The only thing that didn't really work for me was the representation of trans people. Two characters were trans on the page: one who was present for one scene and never seen again, and one who was present throughout the book but didn't have any other personality traits. I couldn't really tell why either of their genders were mentioned at all. It is important to me to see trans people in romance, but I want to know the characters as full people, and not just tokens.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the advance copy of this book.

This is a sweet and fun and funny romcom. I always love a showbiz kind of setting, with tabloids and all of that good stuff. The main characters and side characters were great, I love a New York City setting, I love how true to life it felt with the mix of Spanish and English, it really just has a lot going for it! My one complaint is that the conflict in the book was overblown. I wanted it to be overblown in a dramatic, soapy way, like a telenovela, but instead I found myself thinking they just needed to act like adults.

“Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy.”

I will never get tired of writing some version of this: this contemporary romance book has a complex cast of characters and dives deep into real life problems. I absolutely love that it seems like the newer contemporary romance books have depth. It’s needed to hold my attention and I love reading books with characters who deal with the same problems that we all do in life. Brava.

Jasmine and Ashton are starring in a remake of a telenova reimagined for American audiences that they are hoping will bring telenovas to the attention of Hollywood. Their on-screen chemistry needs a little work, so they start spending time together off-screen. One thing leads to another and then - THE STEAM! Usually super steamy books have me clutching my pearls, but not this one– and it’s probably the steamiest I’ve read in years. Neither of them planned on catching real feelings for each other. Jasmine had recently been in the tabloids after a very public break up and Ashton doesn’t have time to focus on anything other than his family and career. So, will they? Won’t they? You’ll have to find out!

I loved how much of the Spanish language was used in the book (and without it being italicized). Fun fact: when I lived in Ft Lauderdale I was so good at speaking Spanish. Definitely not fluent, but close. I was even in the National Spanish Honors Society. It was such a staple in my life there. Once I moved to Auburn, AL for college, I decided to stop taking Spanish classes because I was 18 and ignorant and thought I knew it all and would retain everything. Turns out if you don’t use a language everyday anymore you lose it! That’s one of my bigger regrets in life and although I can still pick a lot of it up when I read it, I struggle to be able to speak it anymore.

You Had Me at Hola was just the read I was looking for! It was sweet, sexy, and fun with a side of feelings.

I was first introduced to telenovellas in high school spanish class (Destinos for the win!) and I always looked forward to those days in class. You Had Me at Hola brought back those wonderful memories. Daria wonderfully blended the telenovela in to romance between Ashton and Jasmine.

Jasmine and Ashton are trying to stay out of the media, for different reasons. Jasmine is determined to "right the ship" after a very public breakup and Ashton to protect his family. Both legitimate in their reasons and strong in their convictions. They were so cute together both on an off the set.

You Had Me at Hola is a perfect end of summer read.

4.5. This is an excellent #ownvoices romance featuring Jasmine, a Puetro-Rican/Filipina actress who is determined to focus on her "leading lady" status in a new soap opera with an all-Latinx cast. I loved Jasmine's strength; she's bolstered not only by her own sarcasm and sense of humor, but also by that of her cousins Ava and Michelle (would have loved to see even more of them, to be honest). Daria manages to outline some key social issues while also keeping Jasmine's chemistry with co-star Ashton Suarez smoldering; I love a dual POV, and in this case it really helps the readers to get to know Ashton better.

A fun contemporary romance featuring co-stars in a remake of a popular telenovela for a Netflix-type streaming company! After a messy breakup splashed across tabloids, Jasmine (Filipina & Puerto Rican-American) is determined to stay away from men and focus on her new role as the leading lady of a new show with an all-Latinx cast. Ashton (Puerto Rican) has starred as the leading man in many telenovelas, hope to break out in Hollywood, but is also intensely private and has a rule against dating his co-stars.

On their first meeting Ashton splashes coffee all over Jasmine's carefully chosen outfit, and we go from there! This was a great romance and I enjoyed the focus on behind-the-scenes production of the show and some of the scenes they are acting in. I also liked that it somewhat addresses PTSD that can come after traumatic events and shows the darker side of being in the public eye. I had mixed feelings about the conflict here with Ashton having a secret, even though it was relatively well-handled. Otherwise, this was a lot of fun and bit steamy. I received an advance copy of this book for review from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was such soapy fun as we follow Jasmine and Ashton and their journey filming an English language telenovela with an all Latinx cast in NYC. Jasmine is fresh off a hit role on an American soap opera and Ashton is a veteran telenovela actor trying for his last chance at his big break as a Hollywood leading man. There's food, family, and lots of passion.

As someone who used to watch soap operas and telenovelas when I was younger I can attest that there are Easter eggs thrown in for fans of both. We also get two stories in one as we follow along with their character's storyline while they film.

Ashton is very guarded about an incident with a fan and he does his best to keep his son hidden from the spotlight and the rest of the world. Jasmine has a problem with always needing to jumping into a new relationship because she doesn't feel like she's getting adequate attention from her family. these issues are both handled with care.

This summer romance was just what I needed to get through a hot weekend. I quickly devoured this light-hearted story over the course of two days. I can see this one being turned into a Netflix film especially with our two MCs sizzling chemistry.

You can check out more of my review here
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/07/you-had-me-at-hola-by-alexis-daria.html

The synopsis said, “for fans of Jane the Virgin” which is one of my all time favorite shows. The setting is mostly on/off camera of the show and I like all the behind the scenes tidbits of filming in the story. You get the perspective from both characters which I always like and I think it makes the story come together. And the meet-cute in this one is classic. This one had a little more steam than I anticipated, but other than that I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Alexis Daria for this Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tabloid fodder soap opera Jasmine is ready to ditch guys and implement her "Leading Lady Plan" until she meets her new leading man telenovela heart throb and part time recluse, Ashton.

Romance, self-discovery and telenovelas.

Jasmine wants to be a leading lady but all she tends to do is end up in the tabloids for all the wrong reasons. When she is given the lead role on a TV show she is determined to do whatever it takes to not mess this chance up.

Ashton had made mistakes and at 40 he knows he can't afford to make anymore if he is ever to break out of the telenovela world. All he has to do is keep his head to the ground and do his job and keep his work and private life separate.

Neither expect to fall in love and that one failure could ruin both their futures.

The pacing of the book was superb. I really enjoyed how the show and Ashton and Jasmine's romance paralleled. This is a super spicy romance, so if you prefer your love more chaste, you might want to skip this one.

A really great HEA and I can't wait to read more by this author.

Very accurate description, great telenovela vibes without going too over-the-top to the point of jumping the shark.