I want to start off by saying I wouldn’t consider this book romance, maybe more women’s fiction. Romance is more of a sub genre, and barely.

I did enjoy, and even love, a lot of aspects of this book. Starting off with the treintañera (double quinceañera) concept. I love the fact that Nadia wanted to regain control of her life. Find herself. She wanted to celebrate all her accomplishments and her life after a very crappy end to an engagement. There were parts where she would feel lost and alone. But it was all part of her journey and growth. I enjoyed everything about Nadia’s story.

The conversation surrounding big Latin families was also one I enjoyed. They’re overbearing, in your business and sometimes not as touchy-feely as it’s led to believe. It felt authentic.

Now here’s what I didn’t like.

This book is sold as a romance. From the blurb and the way it starts off, it gave me the vibe of a romcom. With the double POV I was expecting a second chance slow burn and slight banter. But unfortunately the romance isn’t there. Which makes me question what was the point of Marcos POV.. it felt as if I were reading two different plots. And since Marcos is barely in the book I really didn’t feel much for him.

I don’t mind books where romance is a subplot I usually get enough where I can still enjoy the romance aspect. But by the time I hit 70% Marcos and Nadia had like four interactions. Sure, HE liked her. But I had now idea how she really felt about him.

And I won’t even go into detail about how so many chapters dragged and it felt a bit boring. Some of the inner dialogue felt repetitive and unnecessarily.

Needless to say I’m a tad disappointed with this one. I appreciate the book for the narrative it provided and Nadia’s storyline. However, I was expecting much more.

2.5 stars

After loving _Furia_, I was thrilled to see that this author was releasing this new book in a new genre. My expectations were pretty high, so it pains me deeply to note that this most recent read just did not work for me.

Nadia and Marcos share perspectives, though Nadia's story is a bit more prominent (see the title and cover, for example). When the novel begins, Nadia is calling off her impending nuptials to Brandon, a creep she's been with for well over a decade. Rather than letting the venue and other financially secured items go to waste, Nadia is welcoming herself to the new trend of the double quince. She'll be celebrating herself instead of legally binding herself to a jerk, and for me, this motif is the best of the whole piece. Now, in the process of updating her arrangements, Nadia encounters Marcos. This is when readers discover that these two have a romantic past and that we are all in for a second chance romance.

Both characters possess many ingredients of successful romantic leads, but I just never found myself too connected to either or to their success as a couple. The pacing felt slow to me throughout the novel, and this made the infusion of SO MANY CHARACTERS difficult to manage. A favorite element of this author's last book is the careful and thorough character development, and perhaps because there were so many characters popping in and out - and not as much focus on either lead's personal growth - I just felt a little disconnected from HOW they were growing. Additionally, Nadia is painted as this strong woman whose self-assuredness drew Marcos to her in college (and even scared him a bit), and while it's encouraging to watch her start healing from the bad relationship, it's also frustrating to hear her kinda cliche thoughts about "all life wants from her" and "what life is about." I struggled (and am still struggling in retrospect) with how a woman coming into her own could also 'live, laugh, love!' her way through a burgeoning life philosophy.

My love for the previous book remains strong, and I'm going to be hoping for more like that (and unfortunately less like this one) from this author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of "Twice a Quinceanera" by Yamile Saied Mendez. This book is scheduled to be released on July 26th, 2022.

This novel follows Nadia, who breaks up with her boyfriend/fiance' of 13 years named Brandon, very close to the date of their wedding. While browsing through a magazine, she decides to have a double quinceanera for her herself so that everything revolving around the venue choice do not go to waste (money deposits, etc) The person who is hosting the wedding and making sure that everything goes smoothly is none other than Rocket (Marcos) whom she had a fling with many years ago.

The part that was the most relatable for me was when Nadia's mother was going on and on about how she should still marry Brandon anyways because the whole family loves him. It reminded me so much of my own parents, who said that if anything ever happened between me and my husband, they'd keep him. Uhm, thanks? LOL I also really enjoyed the grandmother with Alzheimers thinking that Nadia and Marcos were lovers, because it set up some cute scenes within the book as well.

Overall, I rated this novel a 3/5 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There's a lot to like about this second-chance romance. The characters are cute and relatable, the premise is pretty sweet (they run into each other when she cancels her wedding at his venue but keeps it to hold her 30th birthday celebration) and I liked the cultural references which add flavour to the story.

However, I didn't fall in love with either Marcos or Nadia. I liked their characters but I didn't feel invested in how things would work out between them. Part of this was the pacing - it was slow in parts and rushed through some. And I'm not sure I believe you could spend a whole summer with someone and not accidentally know their last name.

The other characters were also a little wooden for me - Nadia's parents & Kenzie in particular just didn't behave realistically.

There were some really nice moments, and I think this would appeal to readers of Rom-Coms in their late 20's or early 30's.

Twice a Quinceañera follows Nadia, who breaks up with her fiancé and partner of 10 years right before her wedding, which is also right before her 30th birthday. She decides to turn it into the quinceañera that she never had and reconnects with former flame Marcos, whose family owns the wedding venue. When I requested this book, I thought this story sounded fun and I liked that the main character was my age (29). Between requesting it and reading it, I was dumped by my serious boyfriend and the book became a little more apropos than I was expecting.

I liked Nadia and Marcos as characters and enjoyed reading about their Argentinian and Uruguayan families. The side characters were great and I liked hearing about the families reconnecting. As previously stated, this book hit at a good time for me and it made me feel better reading about second chances after ending huge relationships.

That being said, this book was a lot more about party planning than I was expecting. I wasn't super interested in those details and I felt like it made the book drag. There were also some miscommunication issues that I hated and ended up just skipping over.

Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who would like a second chance romance. Some of the details didn't hit right for me and brought my rating to 3.35 stars rounded down to three. Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

This is one of those romance books to read in a day and leave you with a warm heart.
Is a quick and beautiful story to read.
Talks about family, forgiveness, self-love, beginnings and second chances.
The romance is very cute but the best is not even that but following our protagonist on her journey discovering herself, learning to love and value herself again.
The familiar part of this book is also perfect.
I loved the book!
I recommend it a lot, I think it's a book that in the end leave you with a happy reading experience.

3.5 stars
After finding out about her cheating fiancé, Nadia Palacio cancels her wedding one month before the big day and her 30th birthday. Instead, she decides to turn her dream wedding and reception into a double quince to celebrate herself and her accomplishments. During the process she runs into an ex-boyfriend, with whom she had a very intense relationship, which sets up for a possible second chance romance.

The premise of the book initially hooked me as much of Nadia’s quest for validation and support from her family is very relatable for anyone who has had to bear the expectations inherent to an immigrant family. Since I was such a fan of Furia I had very high hopes for this book and overall it is an OK read. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the banter and interactions within Nadia's extensive family. The large reunion scenes really reminded me of my own family gatherings where everyone is clamoring to squeeze in as much time and love into a few days. There is so much culture and diversity represented amongst the family members as they are all from the larger Latinx diaspora.

However, there were times I felt the narrative skimmed over important details which ultimately rushed the latter half of the book. Although the Treintañera is meant to be a celebration of all of Nadia’s accomplishments, we don’t ever really read much about Nadia’s success other than the fact that she is a lawyer at a law firm up for promotion. I wish the book explored more of her career journey and the ways in which her success was not recognized by her family. Nadia’s characterization can also be confusing at times since she herself has been single minded in the goal of marriage without much pressure from her parents. Also her choice to repeatedly stay with her ex-fiancé despite multiple cheating sandals in the past did not fit her character nor was there any plausible reason given.

While I generally enjoy dual POV I don’t think it worked to an advantage in this book. The narrative felt disjointed and started to falter especially when comparing Marcos' POV Nadia's as it pertains to their past relationship, which felt unresolved. We were also told more than shown about Marcos' actions in the past without any further explanation for the root of his motivations, especially regarding his family,There was also a large cast of secondary characters with interesting tidbits that I wish was explored a bit more to flesh out the story. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the story was told strictly from Nadia’s POV and focused on just her journey of breaking free from her own expectations.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I’ve seen Yamile Saied Méndez’s work on shelves and online before and was vaguely interested in reading some of them (especially Furia, by far the one that got the most buzz), I had never picked up one of her books before. But my interest was piqued to see she was releasing an adult romance, Twice a Quinceañera. And while it doesn’t completely deliver, I love how Méndez explores how some common tropes, like “coming-of-age” and finding oneself, can be executed in adult fiction.
After the demise of a toxic relationship practically on the eve of her wedding, Nadia is in need of a confidence boost. After seeing a sign—practically literally—she decides that her thirtieth birthday (which coincides with her former wedding date) is the perfect time to give herself the quinceañera she never had…or treintañera.
Nadia’s desire to promote self-love to ring in her thirtieth is so beautiful, and I really wasn’t a fan of how her parents tried to impose on her, both about that and everything else, especially given they weren’t able to afford her original quinceñera. The narrative does walk the line between exploring the struggle intrinsic to Latin-American culture of trying to please your family and yourself at the same time. I appreciate how cathartically it does so.
But there was quite a lot going on, and I feel like the book really suffered for it. The ex, Brandon, is still in the picture, causing trouble. And while Marcos, an old flame who happens to work at the venue, is meant to be a co-lead and romantic interest, he lacked substance. And I didn’t feel like there was a real spark between them.
This book was a bit of a mixed bag, although there are some strong points that make it worth the read. While seasoned adult romance readers might not connect with this one, I can see it working as a gateway read for YA readers (especially Méndez’s established reader base) looking to read adult romance.

I loved the concept of this book. The fact that Nadia decide to choose herself is amazing and threw herself a part instead of a wedding is awesome.

The ex was a dick which was clear from the beginning - I loved that the book starts with that instead of having to endure the ex for too long.

Marcos is at an impasse with his family business being threatened. His mom is gone and his dad not doing well. while back in the business and helping his sister he finds the one that got away

A good story with some cute moments. I wish that they went into the uncles a little more. The pace was a little off in the middle there it slowed down a little

all in all a good book

I loved the concept of this book - a women taking a cancelled wedding to instead have a celebration for herself and her accomplishments.

Unfortunately I liked the concept more than the execution. Nadia's character depth was lacking and inconsistent. There were too many secondary characters to keep track of, and the plot seem to move clunky and poorly paced (some parts too slow, others too fast). I feel like the male pov took away from the opportunity to make this a true female empowerment book. I wanted more about Nadia and her growth, but I didn't get that. I got a bad taste from the constant referral of the double quince as an "anti-wedding" as the opposition - it doesn't make sense -why is a celebration of a woman's accomplishments the opposition of a wedding, especially when there are examples in the books of women who are married having these as personal celebrations.

I also really don't like second chance romances - and this one felt poorly laid out (mild spoiler: how do you not know the last name of someone you dated for a whole summer? and we're supposed to believe they were in a serious, moving in together level of relationship without knowing the other's name?!?!)

I loved seeing the insight into the character's Argentinian and Uruguayan heritage, and I love the concept of someone having a celebration for themselves, but this book could have been so much more.

This was waaaaaay longer than it needed to be. The chapters were far too long. I liked the premise but the story itself could have been executed better. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nadia Palacio is one month away from her wedding when she decides to break off her engagement with her cheating fiancée. The problem is her whole family from Argentina and different places in the world are on their way, so in an effort to not waste their trip or any of the expenses she made for her wedding, she decides to throw herself a Treinteañera. When she goes to meet the venue owners where the party is being held to notify them about the party change, the man she meets is Marcos, an ex-fling from college.

I love the premise of this book as a Mexican I've never heard of this before, and I thought it was fascinating, our Heroine had a lot of great moments and I really appreciated the representation of South American characters (I mean Bisa was an absolute delight I wish she would've appeared right from the first chapter of the book! I couldn't get enough of her).

My main complaint with this book is that it felt like nothing was happening for half of the book and then everything was happening at the 80% mark, it went from being a slow book to a rushed book. And it would be perfectly fine for it to be a slow burn if we would've had more romantic and tension-filled moments between the main characters. Changing the pace of this book would've done wonders for it!

I received an ARC of this book to read and review. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Thanks to Netgalley, Yamile Saied Mendez, and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book. I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed Furia by the author. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. After calling off her wedding to her cheating and manipulate fiance, Nadia decide to throw herself a double quinceanera to celebrate everything she has accomplished in her life. Marcos returns home to help his family's wedding venue from being bought out from his greedy uncles and to reconnect with his father. Marcos and Nadia had a fling in college, but reconnect to plan her party at his family's wedding venue.
This second chance love story was cute at first, but the story was overly descriptive. Some of the details and never ending list of characters bogged down the story. It was a fairly quick read which was the only reason why I pushed through. Once you hit the halfway mark, the story, especially the buildup of Marcos and Nadia's relationship, felt rushed. There are a few storylines that I feel did not get resolved. Nadia was a bit frustrating and Marcos didn't really seem to have any conflict in the story. Overall, this was a bit of a disappointing read.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I had a strong desire to read this book based on my love for Méndez's previous book, Furia. But it wasn't just that, the book also had a great premise. How wonderful to celebrate yourself, right? The book started out on a high note for me. I was very excited about Nadia's plans to turn her not-gonna-happen wedding into a quinceañera. Then I found out there was a second chance romance element. One of my favorite tropes! Unfortunately, I DNFed after 40% because it felt like the story was going nowhere. Not sure if it was the pacing, or the choices the author made, but I felt as if I was running in place with the story not moving forward much.

I adored another of the author's books, Furia, and I was thrilled to start this upcoming release!

I loved the premise of the story, and I adored the main character (Nadia) and her family.

However, the writing was not what I had expected. The pacing felt off, and there was a lot of "telling" instead of "showing." It felt clunky.

Overall, I think it could be a great story with a bit more editing!

Nadia and Marcos tell the story of their second chance romance which started in college and comes back when Nadia decides to turn her wedding into a treintañera. In some ways, though, this is as much about learning about yourself as it is about love. I liked that Nadia is of Argentinian heritage and Marco of Uruguayan, which added to what's pretty much a trope-y novel. They both have big opinionated families (perhaps a tad too much swirling at some points). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's light, it's fun, it's entertaining.

Sorry but this one just isn't doing anything for me. It's simultaneously too slow, too disjointed, too overwritten, and too packed with secondary characters dumped into the story at the same time. The MCs both feel immature to me. Based on the plot and the rep I had really hoped that I'd enjoy it but it simply isn't happening. DNF

Thank you so much Netgalley for a copy of this amazing view in exchange of my most honest and enthusiastic review because ohhh my! I loved everything about this book!

The moment I saw the cover, when Yamile first released it, I knew it was a book I NEEDED to read. I had recently just turned 30 myself, and the book sounded like everything I needed in my life. A tough break up? A chance to love oneself again? To celebrate oneself? Yes, please!

~First off, not to spoil anyone, let's get to the basics:

Romcom/drama/HEA
Second chance romance
Cute interactions
Mutual pinning
Adorable banter
Great family relationships
Amazing friendship/ found family.
Queer secondary characters.
Plenty of Latino representation. (Argentina/Uruguay/Puerto Rico and more)
Diverse cast
Discussions about toxic ex/ gaslighting/ cheating
No on-page spice (just cute touches and kisses and lots of warm fuzzy feelings)

~From here on, read knowing that there might be mild spoilers about the general plot of the story:

Yamile tells the story about Nadia, and Argentine living in the States since she was young. I loved seeing her struggle to coming to terms with who she is and who people expect her to be. I really enjoyed seeing Nadia learning about her own culture and discussing not only the good parts of it, but also the toxic bits. As an Argentinean, I can say this book felt perfect. I loved all the little bits of culture and everyday things weaved into it.

I think this is a lovely romance, but above all, it's a story about learning to love oneself. About finding gratitude in our hearts for everything we have and maybe didn't realize we had. Nadia struggles to communicate with her family, and slowly, she learns how to open up and be a little bit more true to herself, even if still hiding a few things here and there for fear of rejection. I related to this fear on a deep level, and I loved reading about it.

Marcos, the love interest, is the most lovable cinnamon roll that thinks he's the bad boy because of bad things that happened in the past. I loved to see him grow, to see him accept himself too. He was the most adorable puppy, and his sense of consent was amazing to see on the page.

The friends? The family? The adorable queer couple? The unexpected plot twist at the end? Some of my faves!

I could go on and on and on. I loves this book, and I guess this is the first time I can say I was the ideal reader for it, so I know not everyone will think as I do. For an Argentina that spent many years living abroad, who is currently 31, doesn't like reading spice on the page, and had a long-term relationship somewhat similar to Nadia's, this was perfect.

For the first time in her life, Nadia Palacio stands up to her cheating fiance. The only problem is it’s a month before their wedding and her 30th birthday. With family flying in from all over the world and the venue paid for, Nadia can not let all the money go to waste. Plus, it’s time for Nadia to be her own first love. So it’s only right she plans a treintañera, double quince! It’s time to celebrate herself and all of her accomplishments.

I absolutely loved the cover and title of this book, so requesting it was a simple decision! Overall, I felt a big connection with Nadia’s character. I loved how she wanted to celebrate herself and what she’s accomplished. It’s really important to appreciate yourself, and see there’s much more to being a woman than just getting married. She’s such an admirable character and a strong woman! I also loved the culture and strong family ties included in this book.

This story covers instances of racism, sexism in the workplace, death/loss of a parent, and dementia. Real-life issues that people deal with every day, but the author wrote about them thoughtfully and made you truly care for the characters and their families.

I’m normally a fan of dual POVs, but not in this case. Instead of enhancing the story, it felt long and somewhat disjointed. One perspective could have improved the pacing of the story. The romance didn’t work for me either in this story. I liked Marcos as a character, but it felt like the relationship he shared with Nadia was rushed. Although I did not love this story, I have to say I liked it! Mainly for the focus of celebrating your own accomplishments, which I feel like I have a hard time doing! Throw yourself a birthday, double quince, or whatever you need to show yourself some love. Loving yourself is the most important relationship you can have!

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for the ARC!