If you loved West Side Story I think you're going to love all the little references throughout this book. Likewise if you're a Romeo and Juliet fan.

I loved the meet cute in this book. I loved how fate brought these two together but I also hated how a family fued kept them apart.

I loved the romance in this book. True to Oliveras' style it is mostly closed door but you definitely get a little more passion than some closed door books and she writes excellent kisses. But what I really loved in this particular book were the glimpses into mariachi culture, the importance of foster families and adoption, and the dangers of gentrification. Oliveras didn't shy away from anything.

I of course loved all the Spanish too, but if you don't speak Spanish Oliveras is one of the best Latinx authors at weaving the translations into her text.

Feuding families is not my favorite trope but I still really enjoyed this book. It definitely spends aot of time setting up back story for Mariana's huge family, but it will be worth it when we get to read Cat's story next.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Firstly a heartfelt thanks to Priscilla Oliveras and Montlake for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own

West Side Love story is the Romeo and Juliet retelling you have been waiting for. The book is about two star-crossed lovers who absolutely love their families but have to fight their feelings for each other. It’s the perfect read because it has everything you would need in a romance – a forbidden romance, an all female Mariachi Band, culture and some yummy pastries if I must say so myself. Read it yáll!

A West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet, mariachi retelling? With a badass side character named Cat? That’s what this half-Mexican girl’s dreams are made of. I was already a fan of Priscilla
Oliveras and when I saw the premise of her latest book I was immediately sold. First of all, I loved that this story was retold as a romance rather than a tragedy. I also adored the all female mariachi band and their various homages to the QUEEN of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla. When I was reading I could perfectly hear the songs I grew up listening to in my head, and now I need to find a mariachi band who will play her songs for me.

Aside from my nostalgia this was such a sweet enemies to lovers romance. I appreciated that this wasn’t your typical enemies to lovers - Mariana and Angelo never hated each other, the hate came from their families. Instead, they were instantly attracted to each other and had to figure out how to balance that attraction, their new friendship/partnership in trying to create piece among their families, and their rivalry as competitors in the mariachi competition. I thought Angelo was an amazing book boyfriend with so much patience and love. And Mariana’s love for her family was so beautiful.

Not only were there references to so many things I love and a solid enemies to lovers romance, but there were so many important topics brought up. Mariana’s family, the Capetulas, were not actually a biological family, but a group of foster sisters taken in by the Capetulas. How beautiful is that? This book also discussed gentrification and showed both sides of it so well. Finally, who can resist a group of strong women and all of the girl power this story had. I cannot wait to see Cat’s story and where that takes us!

A huge thank you to Amazon Publishing for my advance copy.

This was such a sweet book & I love how @prisoliveras uses her family as such a wealth of stories. When I read a @prisoliveras book I get fully transported in to her stories. I loved meeting the Capuletas & Monteros & can’t wait to see what happens next. Mariana was such a strong female character who just wanted to do right by her family. Angelo was the perfect Hispanic Romeo. He was respectful. Wanted to do right by Mariana’s family & his own family. Mariana had such depth to her. She watched out for her younger sisters & made sure that they were taken care of, but she was also real. She had a lot of balls being juggled & dropped them occasionally, but was always able to pick them up. This was such a good read! I highly recommend it!

Thank you @prisoliveras for allowing me to visit your newest characters! You can get your copy through @kindleunlimitedbooks or your physical copy on 6/1/22! Don’t miss out!

The story of Romeo and Juliet is a classic that has been retold many times. In this story the Capuleta family and the Montero family are pitted against each other in a battle of the bands and over land. It’s set the Latinx culture of Texas. This is one of the first Latinx books I’ve read and I liked reading about the culture. The cover of the book is absolutely beautiful and made me want to read it.

This is a bit of a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Two families with a long standing feud are pitted against each other in a Mariachi band contest.
Mariana and Angelo meet on New Year’s Eve but never tell each their last names. Only later do they realize who their families are.
The story is a bit predictable with some romantic heat.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

STATS:
OVERALL RATING - 4 / 5
CHARACTERS - 5 / 5
WRITING - 4 / 5
PLOT - 4 / 5
SPICE - 🌶️
GENRE - Contemporary Romance

"But I hope you remember, you don't have to fight every battle alone. Talk to me."
- Angelo Montero, West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras

I love retellings, Shakespeare and representation and when you put all of those together, this book is what you get. It's a modern day retelling of the classic play, Romeo and Juliet filled with deep-rooted underlying themes that have been so beautifully brought out. Priscilla creates emphasis on familial obligation, feminism, burden placed upon the eldest sibling as well as the feeling of finding a place to belong. I especially admired the female MC in this book as she's a representation of a woman we all strive to be—independent, loving and absolutely selfless. I'm so glad she has someone like Angelo to share the burden with and has someone where she can freely express her worries to.

In addition to this, the side characters deserve more recognition!! I loved Nina and Brenda's camaraderie but especially enjoyed their character development more. Nina finally finding it in herself to let go and trust was such a brave move on her part and I couldn't help but feel immense love for her.

Representation is clearly evident in this book and I loved every second of it. Representation always feels like a warm hug and I'm so glad we're getting more books like this. If you're looking for a book that features prominent topics in todays time mixed with romance then this is the book for you. It's insta-love and forbidden love all at once ;)

Thank you to Montlake, Netgalley and to the author, Priscilla Oliveras, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras is an amazing mash up of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story and the tight knit Latinx families of San Antonio. And, of course, battling mariachi bands.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mariana and Angelo are both integral parts of their feuding families and their mariachi bands. Mariana’s parents Arturo and Berta are foster parents who have taken in nine girls, all who they ask to take up an instrument when they join their family. Mariana is the oldest, and she has lots of love and a strong sense of responsibility to her parents and her sisters. Angelo’s parents died when he was in college, and he’s his younger sister’s guardian. He too feels gratitude towards his Uncle Hugo, who gave him and his sister a home. But his uncle is also stuck in the past, and he’s the driving negative force between the Capuletas and the Monteros rivalry. When their respective mariachi bands battle for prize money and a chance to perform with famous Patricio Galan, tensions quickly rise.

The longing! The pining! The sparks fly between Mariana and Angelo whenever they are in the same room. But both feel such a strong bond with their own families, it’s tough for them to get past the bitter rivalry.

Mariana is strong, and takes on responsibility for her whole family. She’s also an ER nurse who is getting ready to start PA school, and is great at taking care of everyone except herself. Angelo sees this, and he offers her the unconditional support she gives everyone else. The two mesh in all the right ways. Oliveras does a great job at showing their powerful family ties, otherwise it would feel forced that these adults would let a rivalry separate them.

Another aspect of this Latinx story that I loved was the way Spanish was interspersed throughout the story. It was still easy for this non-Spanish speaker to understand what was going on, but made the story feel more realistic.

The secondary characters were great too, especially sassy teens Nina and Brenda. I also liked mariachi superstar Patricio Galan, and can’t wait for his romance with Catalina.

West Side Love Story is a masterful combination of very different inspirations that makes for an entertaining and satisfying romance. Mariana and Angelo are nice people (sorry Angelo, it’s true) who the reader can’t help rooting for to get their HEA.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Priscilla Oliveras is a romance queen and everything she writes fills my heart with hope and happiness. West Side Love Story had everything that I love: a forbidden romance, two languages mixed seamlessly, culture, and a battle of the bands.
Do not wait to read this!!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I had high hopes for this book. I mean rival Mariachi bands in a battle of the bands style contest with romance involved? I AM IN! I loved the dynamic of an all female family mariachi band and the pushing boundaries for women. While I enjoyed the book, I also found myself looking to see how much I had left and kept wanting it to be over. I also didn't feel like this was really a West Side Story / Romeo and Juliet retelling. Sure there were enemies to lovers, and a side plot of family tiff, but I didn't really see anything past that. If anything it felt like the family tiff was one sided and the Capuleta's were just protecting themselves from the Montero's. If anything it was sugar coated so they could get a happily ever after out of it, when in reality this story doesn't have one. If you're looking for a cute Latinx love story, you'll definitely enjoy this one!

Thanks Netgalley and the author for an ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/1

This is a Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story take with a happy ever after. Feuding families, love interest with undeniable chemistry, a setting filled with color, music, dancing, food, community, it's all here. I loved this book!

Angelo and Mariana belong to families deep in a family feud. This feud is not only affecting Mariana's family, but ultimately the community around them. Angelo has relied on his uncle for a long time but is learning that maybe he shouldn't. Oliveras does a great job of making all the family dynamics come to life. There is found family, created family, the love your family but still hold them accountable when they do wrong, siblings who are there for each other, parents who are gone, and parents who are the fundamental strength and safe places for their children. All of it is here and it's so well done.

I love the chemistry between Angelo and Mariana. Who doesn't love a New Years Eve kiss with a stranger and then learning they are your rival? They can't fight their chemistry, though, and the competition they are involved in brings them together more and more. I enjoyed how they understood each other, apologized to each other, gave each other space when needed, but also fought for their budding relationship. There was good communication, even when they got it wrong, and I really liked that. I'm seeing it in more and more stories and am so happy about it. Miscommunication made sense when it happened, and it was cleared up and apologies followed. All of it felt real and not manufactured.

Side characters help bring this to life, and again everyone is family. The community center fairly vibrates with the color and sounds of life. I really wanted to be there.

Highly recommend!

CW: death of parents off page in backstory, troubled teen in foster care

This book is a retelling of Romeo and Juliette. Mariana and Angelo belong to rival families but fall in love! I loved the characters and I learned a lot about mariachi bands! I received an advance readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Mariachi Las Nubes is a group of female mariachis who want to fight the patriarchy by championing women in music. All eight members are adopted sisters in the Capuleta family. And they are facing Mariachi Los Reyes, an old boy mariachi group and returning champions, in the Battle of the Mariachi Bands. Mariana is the co-director of Las Nubes, and Angelo Montero is the lead guitarist of Los Reyes. But neither knows who the other is when they first meet, and sparks fly.

I loved how the names threw back to Romeo and Juliet just as much as to West Side Story. And I enjoyed imagining all the possible ways in which the story could be retold not as a tragedy, but as a romance. I was deeply appreciative that the characters were older than in either of the previous stories. Add in the strong feminist vibes and the intelligent discussion of gentrification, and I was thrilled.

This is the original star-crossed lovers trope. And no surprise, I prefer it as a romance. The pacing was a bit slow for me, but it grabbed my attention more as the book continued. I especially loved the Capuleta family and all of the interactions among the sisters. I can't wait to see more of them in Kiss Me, Catalina.

Thank you to Priscilla Oliveras and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I really need to stop saying yes to every publicist who emails me a widget to an ARC because that's how we get in these situations. I cannot stand West Side Story so I never should have said sure I'll read this. I've enjoyed other stories by the author so I thought I'd take the chance. Listen to your gut Stacie.

It's a cute premise. Rival mariachi bands in a competition. However, I'm sad to say I just found it to be meh. The references to the musical were cute and I liked the supporting cast but I really couldn't stand either of our main characters and found them both kind of insufferable.

It's fade to black so if you are looking for spice, it's not here. That's fine and I wasn't necessarily looking for it but I was hoping something would change my opinion from meh to oh I like this. Nope.

West Side Story is an Amazon First Read this month I think and publishes June 1. If you like West Side Story, you might just enjoy this one.

Angelo and Mariana meet and hook up at a New Years party, parting ways but never forgetting their one incredible night. Then they end up meeting again at the popular Mariachi battle of the bands competition. With the excuse of the competition, Angelo and Mariana end up spending more time together and falling for each other even more. But will their feuding families ever ever set aside their differences and let them have a real chance at love? This story is a prime example of why I love to read. It helps give insight to an unfamiliar culture, has strong moral undercurrents and at the surface is an entertaining love story. After reading this I am looking up mariachi music and other books by Priscilla Oliveras to enjoy. What a treat!

West Side Story retelling. I love my musicals and West Side Story is a favorite. This is that type of a story. Two young people meet on New Years Eve and share a kiss that neither of them can forget. They part, no names exchange, and assume they will never see each other again. Until they do, and they realize that their families are in a lifelong feud.



The book seemed to me to start slow. There was much background given on the families, sometimes it felt like to much. I was in a hurry to get to the romance, to the drama, and to the families getting past the feud. I found myself skimming some paragraphs and looking for the dialogue. There was a lot of information given about the Capuleta family but not as much about the Montero family, in terms of the feud I was needing the same amount of information about both families.



West Side Love Story was easy to read, the romance was fun, the Capuleta family was amazing with their foster family being so full of love. I would recommend it to anyone who loves the West Side Story type of story. If you are not Spanish speaking there are some phrases that you will not know, but I was able to move past them and get the just of the conversation.

I unique modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I was enthralled with this story!
Mariana Capuleta and Angelo Montero are star-crossed lovers. Their families have a decades old feud that is still leaving heartache in its wake.
Mariana and Angelo are so drawn to each other and have truly deep feelings for one another. The loyalty towards family was so powerful in this book, but it did not seem to squash their connections. Their time on the page is so complicated but charming and I just adore them both. The connection between these two is strong and so well written.
There is so much in this book that was well done. It's just slow enough to build up the tension between the characters. The author does a great job of creating chemistry and heat on the page, there is also so much pining between her love interests, which I adore. These scenes do fade to black.
We have the family connections of the Capuletas. I love how things work in their home, especially with how they adopt children in need and emersed into the family. While this story is very focused on the Capuletas I really wanted more of the Montero Family’s dynamic. I am totally charmed by the San Antonio setting and the musical prose that are used with in the mariachi scenes. The huge cast of secondary leaves truly added so much to the story and just enhanced the couples HEA. I am desperate for the other Capuleta sisters to get their HEAs.
This was a really well done re-telling and is a great step from genre fiction to romance. There is so much in this story that there is something for everyone. You should absolutely add this to your TBR.

Fans of West Side Story will adore this feminist West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet retelling about Mariana, an ER nurse and member of an all-female mariachi band, who is falling for her father’s enemy’s nephew Angelo. Angelo’s uncle and Mariana’s dad had a falling out decades ago over a woman, and their mariachi band had to split up. Flash forward to the modern-day and Mariana and Angelo are in competition for a grand prize that Mariana needs to win to prove the greatness of all-female bands and save her family’s home and shelter. This book is filled with drama-- there are so many layers you will be completely engrossed waiting to see what happens next. I found myself quite literally on the edge of my seat at several points throughout the story and I know you will too. The beginning was a bit of exposition, but once you get into the heart of the story you won’t be able to put it down! I cannot wait for the next book in the series, Kiss Me, Catalina, which comes out in November. This book is perfect for fans of forbidden love, and feminist retellings of stories-- there is no helpless Maria or Juliet in this story! Thank you to Priscilla Oliveras and her team for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was utterly enchanted by this heartwarming story. In this modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet, Mariana Capuleta and Angelo Montero are the star-crossed lovers, dealing with the ramifications of a decades-old feud, but unable to resist their deepening feelings. I loved so many things about this book! I loved Marianna and Angelo, our extremely charming and devoted couple, whose loyalty for their families are commendable. Their scenes together are complicated, but always brimming with warmth, tenderness, concern and caring. I loved that this book featured battling mariachis, especially the all-female band featuring the Capuleta sisters! I loved that the Capuleta family embraced foster children who become their daughters, and that their focus is always on each other and their community. I loved that this story takes place in San Antonio, my hometown; the author does a brilliant job of portraying the spirit of San Antonio, so that I never once doubted where I was! I love that this is the first book of a series, and I can’t wait to read more about this wonderful familia—I’ll miss spending time with them until the next book!

*Received copy for review.*
I love a good retelling. West Side Story is a wonderful musical based on Romeo and Juliet. I was relieved that this book dies not follow either story exactly.
We are introduced to the Capuletas. This family was built the hard way. The mother and father were once a part of an excellent Mariachi band. When they fell in love, they caused a rift with Papo’s best friend as he was in love Mami too. The feud has been raging since. The Capuletas have adopted 8 daughters who are determined to be the first all female Mariachi champions in San Antonio.
The Monteros, lead by the former best friend, is determined to show them that he is better because he’s successful.
On New Years Eve, a Capuleta and a Montero meet by chance and share a life changing kiss. Each is committed to their family and so they should not pursue the attraction.
I loved that this was set around families who are trapped by a stupid fight they don’t understand. They are not supposed to like one another but Mariana & Angelo are drawn to one another. The slow burn is fantastic even with the closed door on sexy times.
This book is so well written and I hope that there will be more about these families.