What promised to be a cool premise ultimately fell flat for me. There was a lot going on in the book and the flashbacks distracted from the main storyline. I enjoy character driven novels, and Ava and Rion were a little underdeveloped for me. I did enjoy the bond between Ava and her sisters. Ultimately, this just wasn't the book for me.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for access to this book.

Since the time I was given access to this arc, I've realized that I'm not the right fit for YA fantasy/magic realism. It's truly a case of "it's not the book, it's me." I tried to get into this but after about 70 pages, it's just not working for me. DNF

Flirting with Fate has such a cool premise, it definitely gave Encanto-esque vibes.

I enjoyed the magical realism and the strong sister bonds.

Ava felt under-developed due to a lack of emotions and insight into how she was feeling. I didn't feel like there was much of a connection between Ava and Rion. I was confused by the flashbacks of Ava's mother telling her a fairytale. I wonder if that will play more of a role later in the series, but they felt abrupt and odd to me.

Overall, this unfortunately just fell flat for me and I was hoping it would have come together more than it did.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story that weaved grief, magic, sisterhood and love in together so beautifully. I loved the family magic as well as the connection of the past to the present...how our decisions and fate can lead in a direction we may have never ended up in but how it can work out in the end, especially when it came to the pasts of grandparents. The sisters were so fun to read and they cracked me up, even though it was only from one of their perspectives. I also really appreciated how the grief wasn't so heavy throughout the story and when there were moments that could've been, that the characters always had a support system of some sort. This was a great read!

The concept is really interesting, and perhaps it's just a sign that I may be outgrowing YA in the contemporary genre, but I wasn't able to get excited about the story. While a lot of other reviewers seem to find the sisters endearing, I found them a bit annoying. Blaming Ava for the potential loss of their family's blessing? Makes sense...not. They didn't even want her to be driving at the time, due to the storm, and yet when she tried to make it home before her grandmother died, they're all mad. Not that she risked her life...but because her grandmother messed up and flung her blessing at the wrong person...and that's somehow Ava's fault. How? It doesn't add up. Ava was written beautifully, I loved seeing her grow, and her thought process was fun to follow. The twins were an interesting contrast to each other, and Rion was a sweetheart.

I found the romance interesting, and I wanted to be drawn in. Sadly, it felt like a small part of the story, and I kept skimming to get more. But it wasn't enough to hold my interest - the focus was more on the mystery, which I wasn't as excited about. I will say that I really enjoyed the cultural elements of the story, and as someone who knows enough Spanish to follow along, I loved that there was some authenticity in how the characters spoke with each other. Although some reviewers said this could be difficult for non-Spanish speakers, it wasn't overdone, and I think people could still follow along.

Ultimately, this was just an average read for me. Not a bad read, just not one that I felt compelled to keep reading. When I can happily put the book down to do something else, that's usually a sign. However, I think a slightly younger audience would love this, and I may still pick up a copy as a gift.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was so enjoyable and fun!! I'm eternally grateful that Achilles was not the love interest because I had an intense hate for him. I loved Ava's character and her grumpy attitude about fate. The way the family stories were entwined was so cute and this one made my heart happy.

Meteors, stars, 8:51. Collision. And the hummingbird.

Not everyone believes in fate or destiny. Some believe you have a choice and what you choose brings you the result. Ava Granados, never believed in it while everyone around her did. But during one fateful storm, her Nana was on her deathbed. So, she raced home to get her blessing and say goodbye to the woman she loved. But with one little slip, her blessing ends up with someone else. No one knew the damage of what would happen in their blessing ended up in another body, but Ava wasn’t expecting her Nana’s ghost to appear with a Saint. They gave her four weeks to get her blessing back or else her Nana won’t be able to cross over and will lose all her memories. With so much at stake she gets helps from her older sisters to get back what is rightfully hers. What she wasn’t expecting was the boy who held her blessing.

I’ll be honest I held back on reading this after the first chapter didn’t catch my attention right away, so I put it aside, but I am so glad I picked it up again. This story was better than I imagined it could have ever been! Especially since this story isn’t the usual type I read. I read it in a day and I don’t regret it! This story follows along Ava beautifully and while reading it you can feel her conflict of what she used to believe and what she is starting to. This story also shows great sister relationship, which as someone who’s a middle child I always love any type of sibling relationship in a story! We also get to follow along young, sweet love, in a few different forms. Get to see the point of view of Ava who watches how her sister and a corporate love in their lives. I would like to mention at first the fairytale that her mother tells is quite distracting and confusing but in the end it does make much more sense. It also shows why the daughters love the way they do. It shows how different people corporate the same story.

I truly do recommend this to anyone who is interested in a sweet story that focus on love, not just romantic love but mainly love of a family!

Thank you PenguinTeen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the family element to this story. I really enjoyed the magical realism elements as well. This was such a cute and light read that I read in one day it was just so cute.

3.5 ⭐️

Rushing to see her grandma, Ava bumps into a boy amidst a storm. Turns out, she didn’t quite make it to say goodbye, her grandma passes, and Ava’s blessing had gone to that boy instead. Ava and her sisters along with her grandma’s spirit work together to track down this boy, who happens to have a twin brother, to somehow take her blessing back. But, what happens when fate is what brought them together, and Ava starts liking the boy?

Sisterhood and family were the main elements of this story, mixed in with childhood folklore, a sliver of magical mystery, and an unexpected romance. I wished it was just told in 1st POV since it was Ava’s story. However, the message in the end about opening one’s heart was beautiful. The second half was definitely better than the first, when all the dots were being connected. Would make for a g

Thank you to Penguin Teen Influencers for sharing this e-arc with me!

Flirting with Fate was cute and a nice read. I didn’t feel super connected to the story or characters, but I still enjoyed reading it. The message was very sweet and I loved the family relationships.

Absolutely adorable read that dictates love from fate. A different take on a Sleeplesss in Seattle theme, to me.

Ava’s grandmother has the ability to pass on a blessing between the women of her family on her deathbed. But Ava doesn’t get it. Instead she’s caught in a flash flood storm and a fender bender with a boy, who gets the blessing instead. She has to closer to this strange boy to get it back, or else her grandmother’s ghost will not rest.

I loved the take of Mexican culture and mythology and it being turned into a grumpy-sunshine book. Love that trope! The characters were enjoyable and the story had some funny moments. The two sister Carmen and Vivianne were the absolute best side characters and the concept of family bonds played huge.

All in all, this was a wholehearted sweet book that I enjoyed reading.

Enjoyable, adorable, and lovable! This book is definitely reminiscent of Encanto, except with the sweetest romance plot added in. I loved watching Ava and Orion fall for each other, especially with all of the antics of Meda, Nana, and her sisters thrown in. The small sparks of magic in her sister's gifts bring elements of magical realism to the book, and it's lovely seeing their bond play out on the pages. The title of the book really says it all - it's full of flirting and acts of fate! It is a bit predictable, but makes up for it in the pure cuteness.

*Thank you to Razorbill and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Well, this story just made me happy. The whole concept. The prologue hooked me. Fate enticed me. The sisterly banter made me smile. And the destiny of it all just pulled at my heartstrings and resonated with me so much.

Flirting with Fate is a story about family, fate and destiny, and mystical blessings with a touch of supernatural and just a little bit of romance. When Ava is late to her Nana's ultimate passing, she misses her chance at receiving her family's cherished blessings passed down from generation to generation. In an unexpected twist of fate, which she wholeheartedly doesn't believe in, she discovers that someone else received her blessing and to set things right she must do everything she can to get it back or the worst will happen - her Nana will never find peace and her family's power of generational blessings will disappear forever.

This book, while easy and light hearted, feels so magical and transcendent, sweet and heartfelt, and beautifully penned. It will touch your heart and leave you wanting more! I could totally see this as a Disney/Pixar movie, too! Like if certain elements of Coco met Encanto, it’d be this book. It just made me smile.

READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
— sisterly love x banter
— generational blessings
— mysticism x fate ✨
— magical realism
— friendly ghosts x unfinished business 👻
— Cali setting x orange groves 🍊

Possible Content Warnings: death, fear of abandonment, the afterlife

Technically, DNF'd at 56% then skimmed the rest. This book is not at all what I was hoping for.

Flirting With Fate opens in a severe thunderstorm and Ava's Nana on her deathbed...for the 8th time. There is a note of humor mixed into Ava trying not to miss saying goodbye to her Nana, making for a rather captivating first chapter.

After that first chapter, the story starts to drag. There were large chunks I just didn't care about. I really don't feel like the story was the 'swoony' romance I was promised from the synopsis. It felt more centered around Ava and her sisters and while that's just fine for any other story, this one doesn't live up to the swoon. It felt more like a big tangled, messy scheme.

While Ava was a likeable character most of the time (I enjoyed her sense of humor), the plot was incredibly predictable and the story didn't seem to center around the "love interest" as you'd assume it would, his character fell flat for me and I wasn't invested in their relationship.

Overall, just not for me.


Thank you PenguinTeen for the e-ARC to read and honestly review.

DNF at 40%. I was really intrigued by the blurb, but sadly the story just isn’t hooking me. I love the sister relationship between Ava, Carmen, and Vivienne, but I don’t feel invested enough in the conflict and mystery to continue. The writing is good, so this could definitely be an it’s me, not you situation, but I’ve decided to put this one down for now.

I had a lot of fun while reading 'Flirting with Fate'! This story deals with the topic of grief in an unexpected way and I appreciated the light tone throughout the book.

I grew up watching Spanish soap operas and 'Flirting with Fate' definitely took me back to my childhood with its fun plot!

There are a lot of unbelievable events that happen in this book but every moment had me grinning because of the ridiculousness of the situation. I kept thinking, well of course this would happen because if it all worked out then it would be boring right? Despite the humor, 'Flirting with Fate' deals with heavy topics and I enjoyed the balance of humor and tenderness.

The Granados is a family where the women pass on magical blessings to the next generation upon their death. Ava receives the phone call no one wishes to hear and rushes into a storm so she can say a final goodbye to her grandmother. Nothing comes easy on this night. On her way there she hits a random guy’s truck while driving. This is when fate takes control of Ava’s life…maybe this guy actually isn’t so random.

I adored every character! The Granados family is the center of it all. Ava and her two sisters were so special. They share a strong bond and I loved their relationship. For anyone who has siblings of their own then they’ll find the Granados sisters relatable. Their individual stories mix well with one another and will pull at readers’ heartstrings.

When Ava finds out the truth about the night of her grandmother’s death, she goes on a fun adventure to get her blessing back. Her life twists once again with the random boy she never thought she’d see again.

There is no other word to describe Ava and Rion’s romance besides sweet. It’s very reminiscent of first love and how magical that is. I loved their interactions. Both of them help one another heal from things that they’ve never shared with other people.

I really enjoyed 'Flirting with Fate'! J. C. Cervantes told a heartfelt story in a humorous way. Readers are sure to question whether fate truly plays a role in our lives. And if it does, how does it? If you’re in the mood for something to lift your spirits then this is the perfect book for you.

3.5 stars
This was a fun story following Ava as she is sent on a mission to retrieve the blessing her grandmother gave her from the boy who intercepted it. This YA contemporary was sweet, not only focusing on the mission itself, but also the love of sisterhood and Ava’s journey to open her heart to love and vulnerability. I enjoyed it overall, but it lagged a bit for me. The book felt so long for the story, and I think things could have wrapped up a little sooner than they did. I also thought some elements (I won’t spoil which ones) were inconsistent; one character trait of Ava’s would be mentioned and implied as being a big deal, but it would only show up when it was convenient or fit the story instead of being consistent. I did really like the fate/destiny element and how it tied together at the end. I would recommend this, probably for readers on the younger side of YA, if you’re looking for an insightful and entertaining read!

Ava's grandmother has the ability to pass on blessings to her female descendants, but in order to receive their blessings, they have to be present for her death. Ava gets caught in a storm and a fender bender the night of her grandmother's death, and she thinks that's the end of it until her grandmother's ghost appears. Turns out her grandmother did send out the blessing, but it hit someone else: the boy she got into the fender bender with. To get the blessing back she must form a genuine bond with him, or her grandmother will spend the rest of eternity stuck as a ghost.

I thought this book was cute, but parts of it felt juvenile and abrupt. Rion, the love interest, doesn't feel like a fleshed-out character, just someone who acts, however, the author wants him to based on what Ava, the mc's, needs to do. His twin brother, Achilles, also goes through the most rushed character development I've ever read, but I still understood where he was coming from and why he acted the way he did earlier in the book. The two sisters, Carmen and Viviana, were definitely the best characters in this book. I loved their relationship with Ava, they really made me feel like an only child haha. The grandmother, or Nana, was also a really sweet character, and even her ghost/saint sidekick was pretty nice.

Overall, this book was a cute and quick read, not serious enough to require a huge time commitment, but grounded enough with its message.

Such an enjoyable and thought provoking YA - I loved it so much. This story will stick with me for a long time.

Trigger/Content Warnings: Death of loved ones, abandonment

Flirting with Fate was a very cute book, I loved the sister's relationship and Ava's character was very compelling, Loved all the characters and the premise, but my one complaint was the ending felt rushed and very abrupt.