Gabe and Mich were best friends and neighbors, but Gabe ran away from his family (and by extension Michelle) after high school. He started his life over on the other side of the country, while Michelle got on with her life. Michelle is successful, motivated, and intentionally single, with little desire to cave to her family's marriage-minded proddings. Gabe is equally unattached, focusing on expanding his business. When chance throws Gabe back into Michelle's orbit, the two have a lot of tension to work out, and a lot of history to untangle. Michelle is still angry, and Gabe hasn't fully moved on from what made him leave.
This book bangs, just leading with that. Michelle and Gabe have crazy chemistry and seeing them try to work that out, first physically and then emotionally, really works. I'm also a sucker for a lot of the tropes in this one- it's a second chance, childhood best friends, enemies-to-lovers, and secret-FWB. This is all catnip for me. Just like You Had Me at Hola, these characters have issues that are backed up by a strong emotional core, making the conflict between them feel real and urgent. I think the family stuff (on both sides) was handled very well, without minimizing the past. I loved this book, I think it's incredible. Definitely read it if you liked YHMaH, I think it's even better.

Thank you so much to William Morrow for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a super sweet (and steamy omg) second-chance romance! I had read You Had Me At Hola earlier this year, so I was already familiar with the world of these two books (you definitely don’t have to read You Had Me At Hola to understand what’s going on in this book, though) and I was excited to read Michelle & Gabe’s story next. I think that overall, I enjoyed A Lot Like Adiós marginally better than I did You Had Me At Hola. Michelle & Gabe’s story and chemistry was really well executed and I loved how similar to You Had Me at Hola, we had these little interstitial chapters in between the actual chapters of the novel.

Unlike most second chance romances I’ve read, this story really focused on Michelle and Gabe rather than have major sub-plots or storylines. It wasn’t necessarily an action-filled plot, which was kind of a nice balance from You Had Me At Hola because we really got to understand Michelle and Gabe’s relationship better. It was a really unique experience, as a second-chance romance fan, to see them so quickly fall back into their natural groove of being best friends, even after 13 whole years. That being said, I do wish this novel had a more action-filled plot, instead of following this repetitive pattern of Michelle and Gabe sneaking around constantly being worried about their parents finding out about Gabe’s arrival and the fact that they were living together.

Speaking of, I did really like how this novel focused on the relationships both Michelle and Gabe have with their families. The fact that even though Gabe’s family was quite disapproving of his departure from New York when he turned 18, but turned out to be super supportive of him when he returned home after so many years was so sweet. As a child of immigrant parents like Gabe and Michelle, it was really great to see them have such a great support system and relationship with their parents and extended family (for the most part on Gabe’s end at least).

Also, the POC and LGBTQ+ rep, as expected with Alexis Daria, was amazing. Definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a quick, heartwarming friends-to-lovers second-chance romance!

3.5 Stars

Alexis Daria’s novel, You Had Me at Hola, was one of my favorite romances of last year. Before that, I had never read a romance with Puerto Rican leads. As a Puerto Rican myself, I can't even begin to describe how it felt to finally read about people who look like me and talk like me, fall in love. Since I loved You Had Me at Hola so much, I was ecstatic to read an ARC for the second book in the series, A Lot Like Adiós.

The book follows our previous main lead’s cousin, Michelle Amato, and her romantic journey with her former best friend, Gabriel Aguilar. We don't really know what happened between them, but when they unexpectedly have to work together after years without seeing each other, romance is sure to blossom. It’s the always great friends to enemies to lovers trope, and we are all here for it.

I really enjoy Alexis Daria’s writing style. It feels fresh and realistic, with a dash of Caribbean nostalgia. However, although I ended up liking A Lot Like Adiós, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book in the series. Mainly because friends to lovers is not necessarily my preferred trope in romance, but also because I wish it had been a more slow-burn read. Our leads get together in the first chapters of the book, and although they obviously face some obstacles that set them apart, I didn’t find myself actively rooting for them. That’s not to say the romance is not enjoyable, it is. But for some reason, it just didn’t keep me as engaged as much as You Had Me at Hola. Even so, Daria manages to craft an equally steamy book, and I mean steamy. The leads have chemistry and obviously a lot of history, which they very well carried into the bedroom.

One aspect I was not expecting but ended up loving about this book, is its emotional intelligence. There are some incredible presentations about toxic masculinity in the Latinx community and family relations, especially between fathers and sons. I commend Daria for tackling this topic and making it flow seamlessly with the romance aspect of the story. I absolutely recommend this book (and the series) to any romance lover out there. This series will always have a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to see what Daria writes next!

This honestly surprised me. I read Alexis Daria's other book You Had Me at Hola, and found it addicting to read, but the overall story did not appeal to me. I'm definitely glad I checked this out despite my opinion on You Had Me at Hola, because I ended up loving it.

This had everything I look for in a romance: sweetness, comedy, and steam. What made it five stars was it had heart. I felt the emotional pull of the characters towards one another as well as other hurtles or victories they faced.

The jump from friend to more than friend was quick but it didn't feel rushed. Everything about it was well written, including the steamy scenes. A Lot Like Adios was really well balanced in every aspect, from tone to characters.

I think there's something everyone can love in this book including: fake dating, second-chance romance, friends to lovers... Overall, a really great book and I can't wait to pick up my copy when it's released.

Super cute, fun read. Loved the characters and all the family drama. A great second-chance romance novel!

Just like with Alexis Daria’s first book, this romance was super fun, fast paced and full of humor.

I really adored the main characters Michelle and Gabe, their friendship and relationship were just really easy to read and always left you wanting more.

I liked this story line a little bit better than the first book and I really appreciated the emphasis on their careers. It was also great to have the family involved in this story and the subplot of the family drama was very realistic.

One of my favorite parts of this story were the chapters about the fan fiction the couple wrote in high school. It was great to get a glimpse into their past and the younger version of their relationship. Also J just thought it was hilarious that they wrote fan fiction together.

I kind of wish we got more of Jasmine and Ashton in this story but I know they already got their time.

If you like contemporary romance, you should definitely pick this up once it releases. This adult romance is full of life, spice and heartfelt connection with some great morals to the story.

Until next time…

A Lot Like Adiós 🏋🏾🧾

Thank you so much to @avonbooks for a gifted e-copy in exchange for my honest review! #partner

After absolutely adoringggg You Had Me At Hola, I knew I had to get my hands on the Jew romance by Alexis Daria!

This second chance romance follows the lives of Mich and Gabe, childhood best friends that secretly loved each other growing up but never got the courage to do anything about it until it was too late. Not so original of a plot, but this is made up for in the characters personalities and the perfectly overbearing family dynamics that I adore.
Now that they’re both grown up and living works apart, their lives aren’t as complete as they had dreamed they would have been.

Once again, I loved Daria’s romance world that she creates in her writing!
The steam was perfectly done 🥵, I loved that both the MCs had personal struggles to overcome, and I have alwaysss adored a second chance friends to lovers romance!

Thank you again @avonbooks!
Add this one to your shelves! It is out September 14th!

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Michelle and Gabe used to be friends, and when Gabe unexpectedly leaves town after high school, Michelle is devastated. Thirteen years later, they've both become successful in their own right, and when Gabe needs help with his gym business, they reconnect. Overall this was a decent romance but something was missing. I didn't read the first book with Michelle in it (although that's not needed), so I wasn't familiar with this author's writing style. The story just didn't grab me.

It was hard to believe that she was still so hurt by Gabe leaving after all that time. I can understand why Gabe left, but for Mich and Gabe to be best friends, it seems that Mich didn't take him seriously when he spoke to her about how much his parents were hurting him. The family issues that Gabe had were resolved far too easily, in my opinion. Gabe and Mich were both very avoidant, but in different ways. I can see why they were not going to work out.

The fan fic element was cute and is something I hadn't seen before, it was a nice addition. Overall this was a solid story, not bad, just average.

In the middle of COVID-19 isolation last year, Alexis Daria’s debut novel, You Had Me At Hola, was a shining light. The romance told the love story of two telenovela stars and introduced readers to the Rodriguez family. She continues in this same universe with A Lot Like Adiós this fall—but absolutely does not cover the same territory. Don’t buy this novel for your abuela, folks! It is very, very sexy.

I included A Lot Like Adiós in my summer preview for Book and Film Globe: https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/eight-books-to-take-you-into-fall/

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

If you’ve read, You Had Me at Hola then you won’t want to miss this one. While it is the second book in the series and can technically be read as a standalone, I think many readers will love it even more if they read it in order! I say this because there are a few crossovers from other characters that were featured in previous books (which I’m sure will also be the case in the next one!). Not only that, but this series is also extremely charming and HOT. I wasn’t expecting this one to be so… sexy but it worked for both Gabe and Michelle’s love story. These two are like dynamite and it’s no wonder why Gabe had to make certain decisions in his past so that he had a chance of the future he wanted (you’ll see what I mean when you read it).

My only complaint with this book is that it didn’t dive deeply into the issues that were talked about. It’s clear that there are family issues with Gabe and while it’s certainly touched upon, I was under the impression it would be much harder to Gabe to forgive than it was. Another thing that wasn’t discussed in depth was the characters sexuality. It’s merely talked about but its not shown much in the story. It seems it was added just to make a statement rather than adding another piece to the plot. I don’t care for it when authors do this. It makes the book seemed unfinished. Oversights are not my cup of tea!

Regardless of the small things that got on my nerves this is still a solid read and I hope the author continues the series as it’s a blast to read! This one has a lot more steam than I expected but I know romance readers are going to love it!


𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Diverse romances
• Romantic Comedies
• Authors like Abby Jimenez, Farrah Rochon, and Lyssa Kay Adams

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 rounded up)

Friends to lovers and the fake dating trope? Sign me up! I loved You Had Me at Hola, so I couldn't wait to get Michelle's story in A Lot Like Adiós, and this series by Alexis Daria is definitely going to be one of my favorites!

I truly enjoyed both Michelle and Gabe's characters and I couldn't wait to see where their journey of working together, while living together, would take them. Their relationship felt so natural and as much as I didn't want the book to end because I enjoyed it so much, I also could not wait to get to the end to see what would happen between the two of them. I loved the family aspect as well with Jasmine and Ava always being there for Michelle, no questions asked, and Gabe reconnecting with his family after years of being apart and not speaking.

One of the things I loved in You Had Me at Hola was how Daria used the TV show's script to break up the story, but also give the reader a glimpse of what was to come, and I love the way she did it in A Lot Like Adiós with the high school conversations about the fanfiction that Michelle and Gabe were writing. Now I can't wait for Ava's story!

I had super high hopes for A Lot Like Adiós after absolutely loving You Had Me at Hola last year. I initially resisted because the names are just, the cheesiest. I can’t even. But the story was actually wicked cute, and I was kind of obsessed with the fact that I had done enough Duolingo to actually pick up on some of the dialogue in Spanish? Is that stupid?

Gabe has spent his whole adult life trying to escape what his family thought of him. He’s worked his ass off to start his own gym in Santa Monica, and now, it’s expanding to New York: unfortunately, in his hometown. When his business partner can’t go, he has to fill in and fly out to tour property and meet with his childhood best friend, aka his new lead marketing staff…

Michelle has stuck closer to home, running her own freelance marketing business from her couch. When she gets a random email out of the blue from her childhood best friend, who abandoned her without a backward glance at age eighteen, she’s equal parts angry and intrigued. In the end, curiosity wins out – and she ends up working with Gabe on his gym’s expansion while the sparks fly and big questions about their past finally get some answers.

I’m not going to lie, this one just didn’t hit the same for me as You Had Me at Hola. I dragged myself through A Lot Like Adiós, unfortunately. I just didn’t love the characters the same way, and I don’t think they had the same ~sizzle~ that Jasmine and Ashton had. Gabe and Michelle’s friendship felt genuine, built on real trust and shared experiences, but their current-day relationship seems so reliant on their geographic proximity, instead of on their actual love.

I really related to Michelle…or I would have, at like, age 17. I loved her job, her passion, her cat… but both Michelle and Gabe had this really stunted version of emotions that feels more reminiscent of teenagers. There’s a lot of secrets and hiding emotions even from the people who care for them and they care about, like Michelle’s Primas of Power (her cousins/best friends). I tend to wonder if it was intentional, as both Michelle and Gabe really had their hearts broken by one another in their youth, and likely would’ve held onto that feeling. But, that said, it was so annoying. Can’t we just talk to each other like adults?! I felt Lyssa Kay Adams, screaming about how half the nonsense in this story wouldn’t have happened if two adults had had a reasonable conversation about expectations.

Further, and I really hope this doesn’t sound like a spoiler, I don’t like their “happy ending”. Ug, that is a spoiler. Sorry, I suck today. Anyways, Gabe and Michelle’s happy ending wasn’t my idea of a happy ending! I didn’t relate to the wants and needs of these characters in a way that made me feel good about the way things were left. Yes, I understand it was their ideal, but it certainly wasn’t my ideal, and that lack of relating bled into my love of this story… or lack thereof.

As you can see, I gave this read 3.5 stars, but I guess I’m not really recommending it? I’m writing this a few days after finishing it, and I guess I’m realizing even more that I just didn’t *love* it. Certainly not like I loved You Had Me at Hola. If you loved her debut, just skip over this one. I’ll keep giving Daria a try, but this one fell flat in my book.

A copy of A Lot Like Adiós was provided to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It will be released September 14, 2021.

Have an awesome week friends!

An absolute delight! If you like romances where adults deal with their problems in thoughtful, grownup ways but also they do it a lot, this is up your alley. Second chance romance between two professionals where the grand gesture at the end is that he finishes the fanfic they were writing as teenagers? Please sign me up. I also enjoyed the realism of the Latinx communities the characters inhabit as well as the complex relationships they had with their parents - sometimes your parents change for the better! Sometimes you're both holding on to stuff! Sometimes your dad learned to cook while you were away and now they drink good wine! This is all very real-life - everybody works hard for their happiness and earns it in the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I thought You Had Me At Hola was steamy... A Lot Like Adios was even steamier! This was a fun romantic romp with lots of family drama and romantic drama, too.

Michelle and Gabe are great main characters for a romance, and their chemistry was electric from the first interaction we see.

I didn't care for the fanfiction bits, which really took me out of the story – other people loved this, though, so it just wasn't for me. That kept it from being a 5-star romance for me.

The Primas of Power are back! And this time it's Michelle's (and Gabe's) story. And if you don't know who the Primas of Power are, don't worry; it started with You Had Me At Hola, but these are totally stand alone books that are 100% separate from one another. But at the core of these stories are powerful Latinx women and families living in New York

Michelle and Gabe were childhood friends. Best friends that did everything together. They lived next door to one another and their families celebrated life events with one another. Their lives were so intertwined that it said something when Gabe left and never got in touch with his family nor his best friend Michelle for THIRTEEN years!! But when Gabe's work partner unknowingly contacts Michelle for her marketing expertise, it's Gabe that has to return to New York and handle everything his partner put into motion.

Aiyaiyai! This was a hot one! Michelle and Gabe have a past so this is a childhood friends to lovers/second chance romance. And boy is it spicy! WAY more than I had anticipated. Not overtly so, but I can definitely say it's sexy and I loved Gabe and Michelle in AND out of the bedroom. :)
Michelle is comfortable with who she is and how she feels and she lets Gabe know EVERYTHING. From how she felt about Gabe when they were teenagers to how he left and never contacted her. But Gabe is in a bit of a bind. He has some unfinished business with his dad and he doesn't know how to separate his family life from any other life in New York. That's why he stayed away so long.

A Lot Like Adios is a story of two friends coming together and acknowledging their past and their current feelings for one another as well as Gabe's journey to figuring out his family and how much they truly mean to him. I loved watching these two navigate their sexual appetite and work atmosphere together and seeing snippets of their past through their fanfic writing. They definitely seemed like they were fated but let life steer them in opposite directions. Luckily for them, life had other plans and let their paths cross again. I liked the way Alexis Daria included the importance of family along with the very open sexuality conversations that were had. Even though this book seemed more spicy than Hola, it was a huge part of who Michelle and Gabe were and it helped move their journey forward.

I really enjoyed this story and all the characters. 4+ stars for the Michelle and Gabe AND their families!

A fun follow up to You Had Me at Hola, I will continue to shove Alexis Daria’s books into customers’ hands.

In this contemporary romance, Gabe and Michelle have been best friends for years. Next door neighbors, who too late realize they have feelings for each other, Gabe runs away to California to pursue owning his own gym and Michelle dives into her corporate job in the name of forgetting their cringy attempt at getting together.

Fate throws them together for a work deal as Gabe is forced to consider what it means to potentially live back home; he had loudly walked away from his family, his home, and Michelle, insisting he would never return to New York. Once back home, though, sparks fly between the pair and they both realize their powerful chemistry has not faded with time or distance.

A spicy open-door romance with the much-adored friends-to-lovers trope, this story is a gem. The sexual build up takes a bit, but once it takes off, it is excellent. The character growth for both Gabe and Michelle is wonderful; they both are excellent examples of individuals who know who they are, where they want to be, and what sort of lives they want for each other.

If you loved "You Had Me At Hola", you will love "A Lot Like Adios". You don’t need to have read the first to understand the world of "A Lot Like Adios", but that read is just as good! Daria does an excellent job of creating an atmosphere that represents the different neighborhoods and families – this book was a delight, and I would highly recommend!

“Gabe had always believed in the adage You can never go home again. But now he knew that wasn’t true. Home was whatever, wherever, and whomever he wanted it to be.”

Second-chance and childhood-best-friends-to-lovers trope fans, have I got the book for you! A Lot Like Adiós follows Gabe and Mich, two ex-best friends who, after Gabe left town at eighteen years old to escape his parents’ crushing expectations, find themselves thrown back together again when Gabe’s flourishing gym is thinking of expanding to New York. Michelle, a successful graphic designer who offers to help, is torn between holding Gabe at arm’s length after his abrupt disappearance all those years ago without a word in the meantime, or picking up right where they left off. As old feelings resurface and they’re forced into close proximity, uncertainties of the future threaten to pull them apart once more—but this time, neither wants to let go.

Let’s get right into the best part of this book and that’s of course the romance between Gabe and Mich. I’m a sucker for childhood friends reuniting and finally giving into their feelings and Daria delivered! The chemistry between Gabe and Mich is absolutely sizzling and you can tell they’ve known each other for a long time in the way they slip right back into these comfortable roles of best friends even when they’re fighting their hardest to hide their feelings. On their own, each character was so fleshed out and had their own dreams and fears that are explored beautifully but when they collided, all bets were off. From the steamy scenes (which Daria just knows how to write) to the sweet moments like a big gesture toward the end that melted my heart, this romance was really well-paced and will appeal to the drama queens in all of us—really, there’s the reason why they can’t be together that will make you sigh with heartbreak and exasperation—and will make for a great read.

Quite like in You Had Me at Hola, we get a bit of mixed media in this book and this time around, it’s a fanfic Gabe and Michelle wrote together when they were teens. Reading the back-and-forth between them as they decide what to put into the fanfiction—creating the ending they think the show deserved—added so much to their characters and showed just how much chemistry they had even before they were honest with each other about it.

Daria also has a knack for portraying family ties. On the one hand, we have Michelle who has such a strong connection with her two cousins that are powerful, hilarious, and heartfelt women and on the other, we have Gabe who has felt so pressured and caged by his family and is now forced to engage with them, which brings back painful memories but also offers him the chance to see his parents in a different light. I loved how Daria explores this divide between Gabe and his family and doesn’t sweep under the rug the amount of emotional baggage Gabe has had to deal with because of how he and his parents left things and instead really focuses on healing and open communication.

Though I can’t say a lot because of spoilers, I do want to mention that one of my favourite aspects of this story was the way Daria explores dreams and ambitions with Gabe and Mich. Both of them have very successful careers but, for one reason or another, realise that they could be and want to be doing so much more with their talent, but neither can seem to take the first step in betting on themselves. I think we so often get these storylines where people are successful and rarely do we see that even when you ostensibly have reached your dreams, there might be the realisation that it’s not exactly what you envisioned it to be and that it’s okay to take the plunge and put your money where your mouth (or brain) is.

Also, and this is very much one of these things that just make my heart happy, we have great representation. Of course, both protagonists are Puerto-Rican and the exploration of Latinx values was great, but on top of that we have Mich who’s bisexual and still trying to figure out just what that means to her and some very important moments like for example Gabe’s business partner putting his pronouns into his email sign-off. It’s representations like these that can mean so much to readers and I was immensely grateful for it.

All in all, A Lot Like Adiós is an unputdownable, sexy childhood-friends-to-lovers romance with wit and steam to boot! A perfect beach read that will have you fanning yourself for one more reason besides the hot temperatures for sure.

Alexis Daria's 'A Lot Like Adios' was a surprisingly thoughtful romance. While I enjoyed the steamy romance and old-friends-reunited trope, the real star of the novel for me was Gabe's journey of growth and understanding through his relationship with his previously estranged family. I love Daria's mission to "write stories about successful Latinx characters and their (occasionally messy) familias" and I loved this romance.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I found the male protagonist rather irritating. Gabe left his family and best friend, his next-door neighbor, Michelle, when he was 18 because he resented how his father was pushing him to join the family business instead of exploring his own interests in college. So he secretly got a college scholarship and just left. And he hasn’t communicated with his family or Michelle in nine years. This was in spite of his close friendship with Michelle and how they had just shared a passionate kiss right before he left. Then he just ghosted her. Not nice.

Now he’s a successful businessman, owning a chain of gyms in California. And he is obligated by contract to open up a new one in New York. And wouldn’t you know it, the PR specialist who would best help his new store is....Michelle. So he comes back and they resume their close friendship/sexual attraction while he hides from his family as he sneaks into Michelle’s house.

Of course, he is too troubled and blind to realize what he really wants so he and Michelle are going to have problems until he figures things out. It takes him way too long to grow up and he ends up hurting Michelle a second time.

She was great and the secondary characters were fun, but I just wanted to shake Gabe and help him wake up before he messed everything up for no good reason.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.