Great read. Interesting main and side characters. I loved the family dynamic and the side characters were super charming. The romance was well developed, there was a bit of angst but not too much and I enjoyed the ride of these 2 figuring out their lives and coming together. Enjoyable read overall and highly recommend.

I'm pretty familiar with the story of Romeo and Juliet but have never seen West Side Story (in any of its' forms) so this was a fun way to see those stories played out in a contemporary romance retelling. I loved the idea of two rivalling mariachi families - men versus women - competing in a competition that eventually requires the two most levelled-headed members to work together to keep everyone in line and falling for each other in the process. The family bonds were strong and we got to know all of the side characters through the dynamic banter. A really fun read.

I loved West Side Love Story! A fun new spin on a familiar story. Bringing to life Hispanic culture is one of the things that Priscilla Oliveras does best!

A heart-stirring romance of star-crossed love, feuding familias, and the bonds of sisterhood by USA Today bestselling author Priscilla Oliveras.

Two familias in Texas, both alike in dignity, rivalries, and passion…

Having grown up in the nurturing household of Casa Capuleta, Mariana will do anything for familia. To solve her adoptive parents’ financial problems amid their rapidly changing San Antonio comunidad, Mariana and her younger sisters are determined to win the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. That means competing against Hugo Montero, their father’s archnemesis, and his band and escalating a decades-old feud. It also raises the stakes of Mariana’s forbidden attraction for a certain dark-eyed mariachi who sets her heart racing.

To Angelo Montero’s familia, Mariana is also strictly off-limits. But that doesn’t stop him from pursuing her. As their secret affair intensifies and the competition grows fierce, they’re swept up in a brewing storm of betrayals, rivalries, and broken ties. Against the odds, they vow to bring peace. But sacrifices must be made and consequences weighed for two star-crossed lovers to make beautiful music together.

DNF
I'm so sad to say that I couldn't get into this book particularly because this author is such a sweetheart (I really enjoy her newsletters and following her on social) and I loved Island Affair so much.
Thank you to Montlake and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

It was an enjoyable take on a Romeo and Juliet romance but with a happy ending. It’s fun to see why the families were enemies but HAL the hero and heroine so manage to fall in love. The interactions among all the characters added to the enjoyment of the book. This was a fun and emotional and entertaining. Romance.

I’ve been a big fan of Priscilla Oliveras books since discovering her books a couple of years ago. When I heard her new book was going to be a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, it made me so much more excited to read it.
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About the book: The Capuleta and Montero families have been feuding for years. Mariana Capuleta is in a mariachi band with all her sisters and as the oldest she sees herself as the care taker and would do anything for her family. Angelo Montero is in his uncle’s mariachi band and they are going against Mariana’s band for Battle of the Mariachi Bands. He notices Mariana immediately, but their love is forbidden, but he’s not going to let an old feud keep him away from the girl that has captured his attention.
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If you like forbidden love romance stories, then this is for you! I love the whole sneaking around, brooding stares, and stolen kisses. The book is also about family and the ties that binds us to them, and how at times we sacrifice our own hopes and dreams out of loyalty to those we love the most. I’m excited for the next book in the series coming out later next year!

This may be my favorite Priscilla Oliveras book so far! I loved this Romeo and Juliet retelling and really appreciated learning more about mariachi music and Latin culture.

As with all of her romance novels, Oliveras deftly weaves an engaging romance with Latin culture and phrasing that really engrossed a reader in the story. Reading this story made me want to hop on a flight to San Antonio and visit Casa Capuleta myself!

Alongside the themes of familial loss and gain, the foster system, and what it means to follow your heart, Mariana and Angelo’s story was so wonderfully written and I cannot wait to read more about the Capuleta Sisters in future books!

This is a must-read romance for your summer TBR that is sure to tug on your heartstrings! I cannot wait for the sequel to be released next year!

*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Priscilla Oliveras's books are comfort reads for all 3 of us. Reading about cultures that you relate to (we are Guatemalan) is like a warm hug! Speaking of hugs, we wouldn't mind one from dreamy Angelo, our newest book boyfriend.

West Side Love Story is brimming with forbidden love and stolen moments all wrapped up in a mariachi competition. The prologue was perfect! We were invested right away and couldn't wait for what was to come.

Loyalty and family are huge themes throughout the book and even though not all Capuleta sisters are related by blood, their bonds can't be broken. On the other side of the feud, Angelo and his sister also share a tight bond with each other and their uncle. These two families have lots in common and music isn't the only thing! Is there hope for their feud to end?

Gracias to Priscilla, her team & NetGalley for the ARC! West Side Love Story releases TODAY
Wednesday, June 1st. HAPPY PUB DAY! 🌹

What we liked:
◾️ Strong family bonds
◾️ The prologue
◾️ Their instant connection
◾️ Forbidden love trope
◾️All the Spanglish!

What we didn't like:
◾️ Wish we got more from the Battles (especially the final)
◾️ That the book didn't come with a soundtrack! 😄

I loved reading Mariana and Angelo’s story in the midst of this city that is so familiar to me. When the author mentions Mi Tierra restaurant, I can picture standing in line for pan dulce, listening to the mariachis, and enjoying the festive Mexican decor at the famous landmark. They share a special “date” at Whataburger and it turns in to a whole little inside joke with them. My hometown is where Whataburger began, so they are everywhere here and definitely our family’s favorite. 🍔
West Side Love Story is about two rival families battling it out in a mariachi contest while also dealing with other issues amongst themselves. The story also explores lots of family relationships and their unique dynamics. As a romantic, I think I would have liked to have even more peeks into the romance of Mariana and Angelo but obviously as Romeo and Juliet, there has to be some pining from a distance. Fortunately, they both are alive at the end of this version of the story.

While reading this book, I felt like I was in the middle of chisme with a friend. I enjoyed reading about Whataburger, Quinceañeras, mariachi music, San Antonio, y mas. I even stopped by Whataburger to finish reading this book. Se me antojo. I started craving it. Mariana and Angelo are perfect for each other. I understood the animosity between the Capuletas and Monteros. My abuela had beef with an schoolmate of hers and we knew all about it. Ha.
My only complaint about this book is that the chapters seemed really long. I don't know about you, but when chapters are long, I start to lose interest. That happened to me a few times. Other than that, I thought this was a cute story story. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

Gracias Priscilla Oliveras for this E-ARC.

Loveddd the following about this book:
‣ forbidden love/relationship
‣ two feuding families
‣ mariachi band competition
‣ family dynamics!
‣ siblings who have each other’s back

The best of West Side Story, and Romeo and Juliet wrote as a modern retelling. I love the Latinx characters, and the found family vibes. The story follows the long family feud between the Capuletas and Monteros, more importantly, it focuses on Mariana and Angelo. When the eldest Capuleta daughter and leader of Mariachi Las Nubes Mariana's family is suffering major financial problems at the hands of gentrification how will she save her family's home and the place that serves her Latinx communidad? Well obviously by entering her all-female mariachi band made up of her foster sisters into the annual Mariachi contest and winning the prize money. Which leads to her running into a very handsome and very off-limits Angelo Montero, from the rival mariachi band Los Reyes and the nephew of her parent's biggest rival.

I really liked the chemistry between Mariana and Angelo and I can't believe I am saying this but I felt like there wasn't enough conflict in this book. It felt like it was pretty smooth sailing and that by the end both of them had worried for no reason because Mariana's parents were very understanding as were her sisters. Angelos's uncle didnt even seem to be too heated over it.

Thank you to Priscila Oliveras and her team for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just adorable & sweet and I loved every minute of it!

Read this if you’re looking for:
🙅🏼‍♀️ forbidden love/enemies-to-lovers
🎺 dueling mariachi bands
🌹 Shakespeare retelling
✊ bit of a fight the patriarchy vibe
💋 secret kisses
🌮 foooodddd
👯‍♀️ multiple sisters (aka multiple books!!)

An exciting and refreshing take on a Latine classic, West Side Love Story combines everything I love about a rivals to lovers romance book. The mutual pining and sense of hopelessness that can lead to some pretty thoughtless decisions that make for the best drama. Mariana and Angelo delivered beautiful chemistry with just the right amount of angst. The stakes were believable and so so relatable that you were rooting for everyone involved, but especially our main couple.

The cast of side characters were so fun and I CANNOT wait for Catalina’s book. I also loved the exploration of growing up in the foster system and the sense of belonging that Casa Capuleta offered to their girls. It’s not an overly explored side of the system that we view in pop culture and I really enjoyed it.

Priscilla did it again and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!

This is such a beautiful story of family and forbidden love. Mariana and Angelo's families have been at odds for years. Mariana and her sisters live in Casa Capuleta. Angelo lives with his tio (uncle) and his sister. Both have a history with the death of their parents that bonds them. Then, they are forced to work together to keep their families in line during the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. I love how there was the forbidden love element with forced proximity at times too. I would definitely recommend picking this one up when you are looking for a wonderful love story!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy to read!

West Side Love Story is a sweet but sultry story of forbidden romance. It has an excellent setting–San Antonio– was a great change of pace from the same old, same old book setting! I wasn’t expecting the foster/ adoptive family tie-in, but it was a nice surprise and a topic I’m thrilled to see explored in fiction.

Mariana Capuleta acts totally out of character when she ends up kissing a handsome stranger to ring in the new year. When she finally realizes who she locked lips with, she’s mortified to find out it was actually her built-in archnemesis–Angelo Montero.

Their familias have been fueding for years. There’s a rich, contentious history between the two, and now a new generation is facing off in the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. For Mariana Capuleta, winning means financial security for her parents and the community they’ve worked so hard to build up, but now there’s a ton of added tension having to face Angelo so often. For Angelo’s uncle, he’ll do whatever it takes to come out ahead of the Capuletas, no matter how dirty he has to play to do it. Mariana and Angelo are desperate to both spend time together, and heal their families’ longstanding strife, before it’s too late.

You can truly feel the passion Priscilla puts into her stories. They are full of warmth, strong family bonds, and a sweet heat that builds to delightfully (slightly open door) scenes. West Side Love Story feels like it has the epic star-crossed lovers essence that makes the romance feel that much more special. Thanks so much to Montlake publishing and NetGalley for a review copy!

This West Side Story retelling follows Mariana Capuleta and Angelo Montero whose feuding families have rival mariachi bands. The pair met at a New Years party and shared an anonymous kiss at midnight months before running into each other again at a mariachi performance. The two keep their budding relationship secret to make things easier on their bands and families before the whole thing blows up in their faces.

I liked but did not love this one. It felt a lot longer than it actually was and was one I started, read 3 other books, and then forced myself to finish. There wasn’t any one thing that I could pin-point on why this book didn’t click for me. I’m fluent in Spanish so it wasn’t the Spanish language interspersed in. I love West Side Story so it wasn’t the source material. I find Priscilla’s writing style easy to read. I’m not sure why I struggled so much to get through this one. I really liked both Mariana and Angelo and found their story compelling. I also liked the side characters. Maybe I’ll revisit this book again in the future and enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thanks to Amazon, and Priscilla Oliveras for my E-ARC in exchange for the honest review.

West Side Love Story is a modern-day version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The story follows the Capuletas and the Monteros. Mariana and Angelo belong to rival families but fall in love. Mariana knows just how to solve the Capuletas' financial problems. The sisters enter a competition against elite mariachi bands from all around Texas, hoping to win a monetary award to aid their foster parents with their financial issues. Mariana had unintentionally met Angelo, who was connected to her father's biggest rival and a member of the defending mariachi band champion. Hugo is Mariana's father's most potent rival, and Angelo, her crush, is in the same band and quite off due to the dads' feud. During the tournament, Mariana and Angelo resolve to keep their blossoming love hidden.

West Side Love Story is a mariachi competition surrounded by forbidden love and stolen moments. The prologue was flawless. Mariana and Angelo's romance was beautifully written and never seemed hurried. I liked how they met and how their love grew. In comparison to previous retellings, it's a slow burn! I particularly appreciated the book's finale and the lessons it can teach. Aside from being a romance, this novel was also about family bonds and culture, which was great. I enjoyed the book's wonderful interweaving of culture and language. Congratulations to the author for neatly including Spanish and translations. The book's cover is stunning, and it immediately piqued my interest. What I didn't like is sometimes, the author's characters' thoughts were a touch redundant, so there would be paragraphs expressing the same topic between two lines of discussion.

Overall, it was a fun and cute read. If you're looking for a cute Latinx love story, you'll enjoy this one!

This book felt like a Selena Quintanilla song, it felt like home.

I adored this one so much,
Angelo and Mariana were absolutely charming and I love them both! Watching their story unfold as I turned the pages was so exciting, it just made me so happy! I also loved that this was set in San Antonio, I’ve lived there before so I pictured it all so vividly! As a Texas girl, I’m always so happy when I see a book set here! What I loved most about this book is that, yes it’s a love story but it’s also about familia. In the Latinx community, family is a big deal to us and I am super close to mine so I extra loved this part of the story.

This was just such a heartwarming book and I cannot wait for the next one!

This is the first book in the Queens of Mariachi series. This is a retelling of West Side Story which I guess I hadn't actually realized was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Which is weird because I love West Side Story and had just never made that connection. Except this retelling has a happy ending (otherwise it would be a tragedy, right?)

If you are a fan of angst, this book is for you. The forbidden romance between Mariana and Angelo (because of a long standing family feud) was really well done. I could feel the romantic connection and longing at war with the family loyalty. They are on opposite sides of a mariachi band competition with a significant cash prize. I loved this aspect of the story and learning about the history of mariachi bands and more about the Latino history in San Antonio. I"m looking forward to the next book in the series.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

West Side Love Story is a modern-day Mariachi Band inspired retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

Since this was a retelling, I didn't mind the insta-love/attraction as much as I do in books sometimes. I finished this in one sitting. I enjoyed Angelo's pursuit of Mariana despite their families not being fans of each other. I appreciated watching both of them in their caregiver roles, but especially Mariana. She was such an empathetic and caring person.

I loved the exploration into the foster care system and the nods to the original. I can't wait to see which sister gets their story next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.