Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the two main characters and seeing them figure out what they wanted in life. I would have liked more romance though and the pacing could have been better. I loved seeing the family come together and I liked how their relationships all got better with each other as the book went on. The epilogue was so cute!

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A really fun story and an interesting book from start to finish. A month before her wedding Nadia has caught her fiancé cheating, calling off the wedding yes but she begins to realize that she will be out all of the money she put out for the hall, cake, food, and other items. Wondering what to do she comes across an article about women having a treintanera, a double Quinces which she realizes adds up to that date. A celebration of her professional accomplishments. She of course needs to explain it more than once to her family but after a while they get it.
When she arrives at the venue which is to be held, she comes to find out that the person she will be dealing with is a guy she liked in college who took off without any word, now she wants to know why? Also, he wants to start back up but she is thinking that he will take off again, plus his sister and he are in a battle over the property on which the venue sits. A very good book with good characters, and a good strong story.

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Twice A Quinceañera by Yamile Saied Méndez

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for providing a digital copy of Twice A Quinceañera in exchange of a honest review.

This one was very nice to read during summer time! It's the perfect amount of family, friendships, romance and self love. I wish we saw I little bit more of the actual Treintañera since it is the main event since the beginning.

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One month before her wedding (and her 30th birthday), Nadia Palacio returns home to her apartment to discover that her fiance Brandon is cheating on her.....again. For her, this is the last straw and she ends their engagement and kicks him out. But she has a big problem. With only 30 days left until her wedding, and family flying in from all over the world, there isn't enough time to cancel. While visiting her parents, Nadia comes across a magazine article portraying women who are having treintanearas (or double quinces). Nadia takes this opportunity to have her own treintaneara and celebrate herself and her accomplishments. When she goes to meet with the owner of the venue to propose changes to the party, she discovers it is none other than a former boyfriend Marcos. As they work together to ensure her party goes smoothly, their old chemistry resurfaces. Nadia must decide if she is willing to risk her heart again.

I adored this book. It was filled with the dynamic family relationships and the growth of Nadia as she starts to realize her own worth without a man. I love the female power. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed. The obstacle for Marcos and Nadia at the end was resolved super quickly, and I felt it could have been stretched out a bit more.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars.

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I am very conflicted about this book.
It was fairly quick to read but the pace was off and at certain points, I was a little bit bored. I think the author has something going on with the writing and readers who enjoy second-chance romance will enjoy it.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

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Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Oh man, my luck with romances are totally off right now. This was no exception... I couldn't get it to it, the pace was off and the writing felt a bit chopped. I'm sorry to say I'm disappointed.

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A story about loving yourself, staying true to yourself & kicking the assholes to the curb with a side of second chance love.
Love:
- Yamile writes her women MC so wonderfully. Full of loving theirselves and being true to themselves. I loved that Nadia realized she did love herself but she was just ignoring that love for someone else.
- MARCOS.
- Nadia’s tribe of friends, sister, and cousins
Didn’t love:
- I wanted more of the happy ending.

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Twice A Quinceañera was my first book by Yamile Saied Méndez. What attracted me to the title was that I also celebrated a Treintañera 😅 or Twice A Quinceañera as well! Slide to see me almost three years ago! Haha

While I entered this book with a great love life, it wasn’t the case for our main character, Nadia. Engaged and ready for a wedding a month away, life throws her a huge curve ball and a wedding is no longer taking place.

“Because everyone is settled at thirty, aren't they? You're an adult at thirty--fully-fledged--and everyone knows who they are. Or at least, everyone knows exactly where they are going, even if they haven't quite made it there yet.” Breaking stereotypes is hard for this Latina girl. In her attempts to continue moving forward, she decides to use this opportunity to celebrate herself. For the first time in her life, she was going to put herself first and that was what I loved the most about this book. Celebrating her double Quinceañera or Treintañera became a mission of finding her strength, solidifying her goals, and fighting for what truly matters.

This book is also about second chances at first love. No other than her first love is in charge of her venue, and finding him again is the best sign that life is giving her second chances for the best!

A fun book that motivates us, women, to be our biggest fans!

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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💃🏻BOOK REVIEW💃🏻

Twice a Quinceanera by Yamile Saied Mendez
Release Date: July 26, 2022

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

With only one month to go until her dream wedding (and her 30th birthday) Nadia Palacios finds her fiancé in a compromising position with an old fling of his. Infuriated and fed up with the last decade plus of dealing with his crap, Nadia kicks him out and calls off the wedding. As she faces her traditional Argentinian family, she sees an article that screams out to her about a woman celebrating herself in a “double quinceanera.” Enamored with the idea and with a venue that has a no refund policy, Nadia decides to throw herself the party she never got to have at 15. When she goes to talk to the owner of the venue she had booked, she is not only met with his son, but she is met with a blast from her past. She sees Rocket, the boy who (for a summer in college) had stolen her heart and set her ablaze. But in the heat of young love, Rocket freaked out and ran. Nadia never saw him again. Not until now. Now that she has broken her engagement and become the woman she wants to be. Is this a second chance at the love she always dreamed of? Or is this just a wrench in the path to the independent woman she has always wanted to be?

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Ok guys. If you want a fast paced, really gushy and sweet second chance romance, this one is the one for you. Nadia is so relatable. I feel like so often we are taught to almost give ourselves up in relationships (especially as women). But I really enjoyed Nadia’s journey and the flashes to her past as well. I loved the bonding with the women in her family (there’s one scene in particular that I really loved, especially coming from a family full of strong willed women). And lets face it, Rocket is a total dream boat. Total butterflies in the tummy through this one. Go grab it at the end of July!

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

✨Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it is published!!✨

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#bookishthings #currentlyreading #romance #romancenovels

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Sadly a DNF at 30%. I wanted so badly to love it but it wasn't holding my attention in the very beginning. I was confused by the nicknames and family dynamics.

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This was a beautiful second chance romance. I absolutely loved Yamile Saied Méndez’s story and the idea of a quinceañera’s for anyone older than 15. The concept for this book was just beautiful and I cannot stress how much I enjoyed the concept of it.

The self empowerment that Nadia goes through from breaking up with her ex-fiance and turning her wedding venue into a second quinceañera venue and quitting a job that doesn’t value the work or value she provides.

Enter Marco, the guy that Nadia had a brief fling with in university, who’s in charge of the venue for her party.

Just because some people seem to have it together doesn’t mean they always do. Marco and Nadia are perfect examples of circumstances allowing them to evolve into better versions of themselves. I also loved that Nadia’s family and Marco’s sister were so supportive of them. They didn’t see that they were supported at first, but they gradually realized that their families were there to support them.

The pacing and the outlining of memories was a bit weird, because I couldn’t always tell if it was a past memory or a present moment. But overall, that wasn’t a make or break for me.

4/5 ⭐️

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When I read this blurb I was immediately intrigued. It was an idea that I had never heard done before. And it was so refreshing to read. Nadia and Marcos met years ago, however when things seemed to get too serious Marcos ran, another twist they never gave each other their real names only nicknames. Nadia went back with her serious boyfriend now turned ex-fiancé and all was forgotten until present day.

Present day, both Nadia and Marcos are trying to find what makes them happy. They have spent their entire lives living the way they thought they would be happy. However, they each get hit with a crossroads in their lives and are forced to examine their lives.

The way Mendez writes is captivating to the reader. I love reading her writing. The way she writes the main characters is 1 thing but especially the side characters I haven't met an author that writes them the way she does. I felt like I was right there with her the same with her last novel. I will literally read anything she writes.

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I enjoyed the first few chapters but after a while I found myself loosing interest in continuing to read. DNF 1.5 stars


*******************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.****************

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I loved the idea of this, but hated the execution. The writing was disjointed and I didn't really like the fmc

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I adore Yamile and loved her books Furia and Where Are You From?, so I am really sad to say this one was... just okay. I decided to round up, but this is a 3.5 star book. I am a big sucker for second chances, Latina-leads, and romance so there was a lot I enjoyed. It wasn’t a bad book, but the pace was so bad when it came to the romance. I thought certain storylines were going to be a big deal and then they ended up being resolved in like one sentence. I feel like I still don’t know much about Nadia at all. But on the other hand we got to know Marcos way more than her. Anyways, it was a fast read and I did keep reading because I wanted to know how it was going to end, so yeah, I would still recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for a review!

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5 Stars!

I highly recommend checking out Twice a Quinceanera. The protagonist, Nadia goes through a rough time. She stands up to her cheating fiance and gives him the boot. However, she has to deal with calling off the wedding and breaking the news to her family. She gets inspiration from a magazine, to throw her own double quinceanera for her upcoming birthday. We see her go throughout the book dealing with the aftermath with support from her friends and family. I truly enjoy the story along with the characters. The book's message also wonderful as well.

My thanks to Kensington Publishing for a digital copy of this book for my review. I look forward to more of Yamile Saied Méndez's works!

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Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my copy of Twice a Quinceanera.
Nadia Palacio has waited many many years to get married to on and off high school sweetheart Brandon. But after Brandon who is truly terrible ticks off Nadia's final straw. She is left with an all-expensive paid wedding with everything paid for but no groom. She decides to turn this failed wedding celebration to a quinceanera times two. A celebration purely for herself with her whole family. Also, not everything is bad because just around the corner is Marcos her one-time college fling who is the venue's owner.
I loved the book and relationships they are felt real and natural. Especially Nadia's and Marcos' relationship I did not feel it as forceful but as a true natural progression. I read this book in practically sitting and it really connected with me as a Latina myself. One thing I absolutely loved about this book is the slight exploration of Latin culture and differentiation of it as well and how each Latin country has their own personal culture and is just not group together like in several other media.

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A lovely story about a young woman finding herself and taking a trip down memory lane! I love second chance romance books and Nadia and Marcos story was great.

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REALLY enjoyed this one. Reads like an adult coming of age story meets romance. Found myself rooting for Nadia and Marcos both separately and simultaneously. Would love a follow up book that gives even more of them together.

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This book and I weren't really getting along for tiny reasons that kept stucking up, but I wanted to give it a chance. But after she slapped her ex I DNFd this, as it was portrayed as something he deserved and she enjoyed. Of course he was really shitty, but slapping someone isn't okay just because you're not a man, it's still abusive.

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