West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras narrates the love story of two lovers torn between their for each other, and their love for their rival families.

What I loved most about this book is the rivals to lovers content. I mean, the yearning in this book? Top notch. It's just slow enough to build up the tension, you can tell how the author thought this pacing through for her story.

Next, we have the familial relationships of the Capuletas. I love how things work in their home, especially with how they adopt children in need and make them feel accepted. This thing is gold.

Now for the parts I didn't much like, or I thought needs improving.

I mentioned the Capuleta family, because the book mainly focused on their family dynamics. If the author wishes to convey a good picture of rival families, I hope more information of the Montero family was also given.

The writing is average for me, so I don't have a problem with that. But one thing that irked while reading this book is that, whenever the lovers start talking about gentrification, the author always ends it with, "Are you sure you want to talk about this?" or something in the lines of that.

Because of that, I couldn't really feel a good support towards their relationship. I mean, well, they seemed to have figured it out in the end too, but I just wished it wasn't repititive and that we saw them having an actual healthy argument about it.

That's all. I give this book a 3 stars rating. I recieved my review copy from Amazon Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Rest assured that all thoughts here are my own, and definitely not influenced by it.

This was a culturally enlightening, light-hearted, and heartwarming romcom that definitely kept me hooked the whole way through. Though I don't think it's advertised as such, this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling (I mean, just look at the last names lol), but I will say that I liked this 100000% more than the real Romeo and Juliet. I adored the chemistry between Mariana and Angelo! The mariachi band situation made everything so much more fun, and I actually didn't really know what mariachi music was, so I actually ended up listening to some on Youtube. It definitely made the experience a lot more enjoyable and gave the book an almost festive atmosphere. The soft-boyness of Angelo made my heart SQQQUEEEEZEEEE and I love him SOOO much. He cares about Mariana so much that it made me uncomfortably aware of the fact that I do not have a man like Angelo in my life. Overall, I would highly recommend this romcom to any romance enthusiast, and especially those who love music!

Pricilla Oliveras wrote the Latinx love story I needed. She set West Side Love Story in a decidedly underserved community both in terms of wealth and recognition. Although this is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, I can promise there is a very satisfying and realistic HEA. Being born and raised in SATX I feel a special kinship to the story, the characters, and the community. In reading the story you can feel that Oliveras took great pride in shining a positive light on not only her amazing story but also the Latinx community and culture in San Antonio.

Her descriptions added beauty and personality to the city and created the perfect scene for Mariana and Angelo's love story to unfold. As rival mariachi bands in a competition against one another they were not meant to fall in love and yet the undercurrent of their chemistry was undeniable. Oliveras writes closed door romance with so much passion and heart that you don't need the door to open.

The story also covers topics of gentrification, machismo, sexism, adoption, and more that all helped elevate this story from great to amazing.

Omg this book is everything I want in a rom com. We have friends to enemies, representation and comedic values. The plot was great, the education on Latin culture was superb, the feminism was awesome and the characters were 5 stars. Will be recommending this one for a long time to come

Priscilla Oliveras always writes with warmth and heart, and WEST SIDE LOVE STORY is no exception. If you love a dreamy romance that is rooted in reality, put this book at the top of your to-be-read list. Not only will you enjoy a swoonworthy star-crossed love story, but you will also experience the world of mariachi music, the real cost of gentrification, and the true meaning of family and loyalty. Can’t wait for the next in the series!