I loved this book. Great story of a Latina that does not fit the mold but finds a way to find her voice even when everyone wants her to just stay in her lane.

This is one of those books that you HOPE with your whole heart that it is great, and it falls very short.

Somehow this manages to make a 30 year old FMC sound like she’s 16, and I say that in not a good way. I do believe that the dual POV actually hurt this book more than helped it.

Very happy on the latine representation.

I wanted to read this book solely because of the complex and unique feature in her previous book. Although that was long, there were unique aspects to that, something I hoped to find here. I could not get myself to read the ebook completely. Multiple false starts later, I decided to give it up.
I really enjoyed the start and the introduction of the lead pair individually. Once their stories overlap, there was a forced feeling to the entire thing. If this had been a book about a lady finding her footing in life without a male counterpart, I might have enjoyed this book more!
Since I did not finish the book, I will not be able to provide a more in-depth review for this.

Twice a Quinceanera by Yamile Saied Mendez
Publication date: July 26, 2022

Date read: July 27, 2022



After calling off her wedding, Nadia decides to use the opportunity - a venue already paid for, family coming in from abroad - to throw herself a double Quinceanera instead. As the first professional in her family, and someone who has put her own happiness aside her whole life, she decides that celebrating her achievements is the best possible solution. The only hiccup is that while the venue owner is out of town, her brother will be handling things - and he turns out to be Nadia’s college fling that she realizes she might still have feelings for.

I haven’t read a lot of romcom-style books in the past, but I’m trying to read more, because I do enjoy them and sometimes I just need something light. But I am finding reviewing them a bit difficult, since enjoyment of them tends to fall less on depth and plot and more on character and just how the conclusion makes you feel.

There was a lot I enjoyed about this book. The characters were wonderful. Nadia was a bit prickly, but I loved how strong she was and how the author was able to make her both a strong woman and a likable character. (As opposed to just brash and standoffish. But what I especially loved about her, and the story as a whole, was that - despite being a romcom - romantic love was not Nadia’s first priority. The whole plot of this book was Nadia finding the strength to appreciate and love herself for who she is and to show others how much she has accomplished in her life, despite being unmarried at thirty. Romance, while important to the story, came second to all that.

There are things about this book that could have used a little fine-tuning. The sentence structure was sometimes a little too simple and repetitive. Some of the plot and dialogue was a little too cheesy. And, I have to mention it, because normally I would fault a book for being too shallow and predictable, but it’s a romcom. Predictable kind of comes with the genre. (And that’s not a knock on the genre, it just is what it is.)

Overall, I enjoyed this one. It was a light, fun read and I really liked the characters. Both Nadia and Marcos are pretty cute. It’s predictable and cheesy, but quite a lot of fun. I would recommend this to anyone who is just looking for a fun read with a little romance and a lot about appreciating yourself and not giving in to the pressures of family and society.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Content warning: eating disorder (mentioned), SIDS

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This novel gave me two things that I will be forever grateful for, a new book boyfie, and an excellent idea for my 30th birthday.

I came into this book thinking I would be head-over-heels in love with it, especially after loving some of Méndez's backlist works. Sadly, it wasn't. This book had so much potential, but unfortunately, it wanted to tackle so many things at once. I wish that the author would've taken more time to develop the characters and the plot a bit more. Instead of tirando muchas vaina al sancocho sin sazonarlo bien. It tried to juggle too many things at once. So much happened in the last 50 pages that I got whiplash. I never say this, but I wish this book was longer. In doing so, the author could have more time to flesh out some plot points and developments while also discarding things that were unnecessary to the story.

Nadia should've been developed a bit better. The author constantly tells the reader that she's supposed to be some badass lawyer with insecurities for the reader to connect to her. We see all of her insecurities, which is nice. However, we're not shown much of her in lawyer mode. At the end of the story, she makes a 180. In a matter of seconds, she goes from insecure to fearless. Yes, I love that for her, but I wish it had been better developed. She should've grown into her badass era, rather than it happening with no real explanation.

I liked Marcos so much. It was wonderful to see him grow and develop throughout the book. He went from being a man with many regrets who constantly is beating himself up. To a MAN who accepts his flaws and is trying to grow from them. It was beautiful to see him get closure and become someone who doesn't run away from his problems.

Overall, I came into this wanting a fun and cute second-chance romance and came out bored and only finishing it for my man Marcos.

Also, this book read like a YA book with 30-year-olds and I don't know how I feel about that lmao...

after having worked hard up until this point in her career, i loved the idea of a double quince for nadia! and marco is such a lovable guy, i especially loved how he treated nadia’s grandmother. aside from the time they spent together organizing nadia’s party, i felt like the two of them were part of separate spheres. while nadia worked towards gaining her family’s acceptance about her treintañera and finding her own footing, marcos was more focused on his family’s business. this was a dual-pov story and because of the differences in their plots, i felt like we were getting two stories in one.

my favorite part of this novel was definitely the last half because the marcos and nadia were brought together to enjoy all the festivities. i thought marcos fell right in with the rest of the palacio family and i loved how easily he was able to feel like a part of them! like i mentioned a bit earlier, i felt like this novel focused more on nadia’s journey towards self-growth and it’s not until this point that she and marcos really get to know each other. i loved how marcos treated nadia like a princess on her special day and i would’ve loved to see their relationship grow even more!

This was another new to me author, and I'm so glad I gave them a chance. I ended up learning some things about a different culture. My favorite part was a story told to Marcus that was one of the best swoon moments I've ever read. A romance story inside of a romance story. I was about to ask if that character had a single relative. Literally my favorite part of the entire story. The entire book was enjoyable. I will be looking for more books from this author.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

I'm going to put this one in the 3.5 star range. The premise was unique and fun. The main character, Nadia, was someone that seemed very real - she had made a lot of decisions in her life to please her family, then, as she got a little older, she came to know herself better and decided that aspects of her life needed to change, which took a boldness she hadn't had the guts to exercise before. The peek into an Argentinian-American family was new for me, and I enjoyed those details a lot. I would say that the chapters should have been shorter - I like to know I can finish a chapter even if I only have a few minutes to read. Also, after giving significant attention to detail in most of the book, I was disappointed that the author did not provide much detail or exploration of the resolution - that part needed to be meatier because it felt a little rushed. It's possible, of course, that some changes were made for the finished version, so this might not reflect the currently published edition. I loved the secondary characters, and I hope the author is going to give one or more of them their own story soon. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read this e-arc (although I'm late - the publication date was in July 2022).

I appreciated all of the details the author included in this book but I had a hard time liking it. After the first half of the book, I started skimming through the pages and just read the last few pages. It was a very slow read and nothing really happened until the last couple of chapters. The story had potential to be good but it just didn’t keep my attention.

Twice A Quinceanera is listed as a contemporary romance, which I believe does a disservice to the book. Yes, Nadia develops romantic feelings for a character in the book, which is a second-chance romance. But the true focus of the story is on Nadia herself. Her journey of self-discovery will make any reader fall in love with her. The treintanera celebrates Nadia for who she is - a strong, confident, independent woman who wants to make the world a better place! I simply love this idea!

I loved Marisol Ramirez's narration. She perfectly embodied Nadia and does an excellent job narrating Nadia's and Marco’s POV. The beginning of the story, however, introduces a ton of side characters. Sometimes, I couldn’t remember who was who in the audio, so I did need to reference the electronic copy. And at times, I thought the story repeated itself with Nadia and Marco’s backstory. Maybe a bit more editing would have helped the story move to 4 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Twice a Quinceanera

Author: Yamile Saied Mendez

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Spice: 1/5

Diversity: Argentinean America with Anxiety MC, Argentinean and Argentinean American characters, Puerto Rican Argentinean characters, Puerto Rican character, Mormon character, Hispanic MC, and Hispanic characters

Recommended For...: contemporary, romance, adult novel, second chance romance

Publication Date: July 26, 2022

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Relevance: 16+ (panic attack, grief, parental death, sexual content, romance, illness, cursing, racism, religion, eating disorder and disordered eating comments, emotional abuse, cheating, teen pregnancy, infanticide, stalking)

Explanation of Above: This book shows one panic attack in it. There is some talk about grief and parental death. There is also some illness shown in the book with Alzheimer’s and Diabetes is mentioned. There is some cursing in the book and a couple of racist comments/moments. There is some romance and talk about sexual content, however there is nothing shown. The Mormon religion is mentioned. There are mentions of an eating disorder and some comments about the MC’s weight that play into her former disordered eating. There are some scenes shown with emotional abuse and some mentions of it. There are mentions of teen pregnancy and cheating. There is one mention of infanticide. Stalking is shown in the book.

Publisher: Kensington Books

Pages: 312

Synopsis: One month short of her wedding day—and her thirtieth birthday—Nadia Palacio finds herself standing up to her infuriating, cheating fiancé for the first time in . . . well, ever. But that same courage doesn’t translate to breaking the news to her Argentinian family. She’s hyperventilating before facing them when she glimpses a magazine piece about a Latina woman celebrating herself—with a second quinceañera, aka Sweet 15! And that gives Nadia a brilliant idea . . .

With a wedding venue already paid for, and family from all over the world with plane tickets, Nadia is determined to create her own happily-ever-after. Since the math adds up perfectly, she’ll celebrate her treintañera, her double quinces. As the first professional in her family, raising a glass to her achievements is the best plan she’s had in years. Until she discovers that the man in charge of the venue is none other than her college fling that became far more than a fling. And he looks even more delicious than a three-tiered cake . . .

Full of exuberant heart, Twice a Quinceañera is a pure delight for every woman who needs to be her own biggest fan—and who dreams of a second chance at first love.

Review: I absolutely loved this book! This is a great contemporary romance book mainly about a woman who just broke off her engagement to her fiancé with the wedding being about a month out. Our MC, whose birthday is the day after the former wedding date, decides to celebrate her birthday by having a party to celebrate herself and her accomplishments! While the MC faces some backlash, I’m very well surprised to see that the majority of the book focused on her determination to have this celebration. The book gives a huge positive message by putting the MC’s healing at the forefront and having the romance be on the backburner. Even the ending is more about how the MC continues to triumph post break-up and it’s a very inspiring read for all. The other MC of the book features a man who is trying to learn how to not run when things get hard and to forgive himself for past issues. The book was extremely well written, featuring a second chance romance, and the world building and character development were also well done. The book’s message is clear: love and celebrate yourself.

The only issue I had with the book is that sometimes the book branched off on topics that weren’t that pertinent to the story, like with other character’s backstories. I’m hoping that means the author intends to have more books set in this universe with the other prominent characters of this book.

Verdict: I love it! Highly recommend!

Nadia calls off her wedding due to a cheating fiancé. With everything paid for she decides to go through with a quinceañera to celebrate herself. Little does she know that the co-owner of the event venue is the man who broke her heart years ago in college.

This was a cute and entertaining book. There were laugh aloud quirky moments, as well as, moments of seriousness. I did feel as though there were parts that read more like a YA novel, but overall it was an enjoyable read. Would definitely recommend!

I want to thank NetGalley, Yamile Saied Méndez and Kensington Books, Kensington for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

🎊A fun story about Nadia learning life doesn’t end when a relationship does. She chooses to celebrate herself by using the her failed wedding plans to recreate her Quinceañera.

🎊This was a cute read. I enjoyed her journey to honor herself, her quirky family, and knowing and loving who you are. I recommend!

🎊Thanks for the free book! @Kensingtonbooks @coloredpagesblogtours

Loved this story by one of my favorite childrens authors, So exciting to see their work in a different light. The romance in this was very little but I adored the tale of a woman learning to celebrate herself, stop minimizing her achievements and no longer settling for what doesn't make her happy.

Look who's here with a long overdue review for this amazing book? Yours truly.

There's a sense of belongingness I receive whenever I read a book about a woman of color who finds her footing. Doesn't matter whether she is an Asian (like me) or not. I guess this is mainly because how authors from different ethnicities are overshadowed by the white authors and while every ethnicity have their unique cultural practices, there are few instances which become more than passing glances, especially how the MCs interact with their families and cross the multiple hurdles thrown their way, because they aren't the "standard".

Twice a Quinceañera is a book which I genuinely couldn't put down! Nadia is such a fiery, amazing, independent, and beautiful woman that it wasn't too difficult to fall in love with her. The way she always stood by what her heart told her, and how she decided to pursue her desires was truly impressive. Her passion for immigrant laws and how she fought for people to get justice was honestly inspiring.

The book is narrated with two perspectives, from Marcos and Nadia, and while both of them are on the "self-realization and improvement" journey, and they indeed have romance building between them, I still appreciated how the book focused on character development. It's truly a delight to read this book <3

Unfortunately, this book wasn't it for me. It had it's moments, but I wasn't here for it in the end.

A couple of things I did like include the second chance romance aspect, the strong female protagonist, Latinx representation.

The romance didn't play out how I thought it would. There was a happily ever after (obviously) but it wasn't in the feels for me. There were a couple of cute moments, but I was honesty bored by it. I think the focus was more on Nadia, and her moving forward with her life, but the romance was still supposed to be part of the book. And it was majorly lacking.

I also didn't appreciate all the Mormon references. I am Mormon so it was really annoying to constantly have someone not in my religion referring to my religion. There were some minor jabs and jokes made which is whatever, but I reeeeally could have done without it.

In the end, I'd hoped for so much from this book because I love FURIA with a passion, but it fell short.

Comparable title: Do You Take This Man

Twice A Quinceanera🌟🌟🌟💫 (3.5)5
@yamilesmendez
In my unpopular opinion, this book did not live up to the hype. I had high hopes but Nadia acted more like a petulant 16 year old rather than an accomplished 30 year old lawyer. It did get boring but since its a short book and I was on vacation, I finished it. I did like the Marcus' pov but still felt underwhelmed by the story.
Second chance romances have a lot of potential but sadly this one did not deliver and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. If you like this trope plus want to know more about a Qhinceanera, pick it up.

I wanted to love this one so bad but it just fell short. The premise is incredible and I was so intrigued. The beginning set up our characters and their attraction quite well but as they progressed and got reacquainted they just lacked the spark. There was obvious attraction on both sides but it just felt really forced. This had so much potential but it lacked in the romance. The third act “conflict” was so abrupt and then immediately forgotten about. It seems like every time a potential conflict arises we’re jumped to another topic and it’s forgotten. It felt like an Insta love that happened 3/4 of the way through. It was just super choppy. Had incredible potential all the way through but never fully delivered.

The treintañera was the best part. I loved every aspect of it.

Twice a Quinceañeara was a cute romcom, but I had a really difficult time "getting into it". It got to the point where I was forcing myself to open the book and read a chapter before bed. The pacing really picked up and it became less of a chore to read around the halfway point, but that is still half of the book I didn't like. I adored Nadia's family and they truly saved this title from a lower rating. Unless you are a hardcore romance fan, I wouldn't recommend reading this one.

I really liked this second chance, coming into your own romance. Nadia never had a quinceañera like her older sister. After a decade plus long romance and engagement, Nadia calls it all off shortly before the wedding. She stumbles across an article about grown up quinceañeras. The venue is already booked, so she tells her family that she wants to celebrate her double quinceañera as she is turning thirty and entering a new phase of her life. Nadia's a great character--she's strong and learning how to use her own voice. Crucial to the story is the fact that the venue is owned by a family whose son she shared a special summer with during college. Marcus works at the family business, trying to prove he can keep it in the family.