Is this Catholic propaganda? Potentially. Did I have a blast with it? Absolutely! This book doesn't really do anything new or groundbreaking, but it is a fun little romp. The characters are funny and despite the catastrophe lurking in the background, it manages to stay pretty lighthearted.

So many YA books are heavy hitting these days that it's always fun to read a more silly story.

DNF'd @ 25%

I liked the idea of Breakup From Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal, but it just wasn't for me. The concept sounded pretty fun, but the execution of it was lacking primarily in the pacing and the characters. I don't know if these elements improved over the course of the novel, but I lost all interest in bothering with continuing on with it.

So this one started a little slow for me but I have to say I ended up loving the story line and all the characters.

Miquela has lived in this same little town with the same friends with her grandmother for as long as she can remember. Nothing new ever happens here, so now is her chance to move on after graduation and head to UCLA, even if it is the last thing her grandmother wants her to do.

Then one day Miquela's life is turned upside down by the presence of Sam, a new boy visiting the town. There is just something about Sam that makes Miquela feel different, he is changing her, or she may just be changing. Miquela is discovering "gifts" she never knew she had. The weird thing is so are her close group of friends. Then she and her friends discover something that makes her realize Sam is not who she thinks he is at all.

Wow, like I said this one was a little slow for me at the start but then it picked up and I blew thru the last half. It was quite entertaining.

Breakup from Hell by Ann Davila Cardinal is such a great book! Very creative and brilliantly written.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending me a DRC of this book. It's great to see some of my wishes, like this book, coming true. As a YA romance reader, I enjoyed reading the perspective where the audience sees the devil boyfriend from an antagonistic way since it's hardly shown in the publishing industry. That being said, I personally still love Sam but the author did a great job at having the audience hate him (I mean he is the devil's son I guess so that shines through). I also enjoyed reading the religious undertones, which the audience sees through the demons and celestial lineage, without it being too religious for those who don't want it to be. I do have to say I felt the book was very similar to TWILIGHT and maybe even VAMPIRE DIARIES since they both take place in a small town and a bad boy comes to town and changes that. I would say that was one of my critiques I have of the novel since it didn't feel original but Ann Davila Cardinal makes up in originality with the family and friend dynamics since I felt their love shine through.

I wouldn't recommend this novel if you're one for a heavy action or romance packed novel since BREAUP FROM HELL focuses more of friendships, families, and identity. If you want a lighthearted read that's intriguing, then you should read this book.

I liked it well enough, but the pacing was kind of off for me, I do get the insta love at the beginning as these are teenagers and Mica kinds of want to rebel from her strict grandma but then slows down a lot and doesn’t pick up until like 70% in when what we were all suspecting is revealed to Mica.

I will be withholding my review until the Harper Collins strike is resolved and the workers have better rights.

🔥🗡New Release🗡🔥

I’m still processing this one! Can’t get it out of my head, and not ready to start a new book because of it!

Give me a bad boy with wings and I’m all up on it…

Give me a badass Latina that wields a SWORD, and I’m going to hold it up like I just found treasure!

Powers, visions, mystery… just sooo much to devour!

I would definitely read this again! It gives so much action!

So thankful I was able to get this through NetGalley!

#breakupfromhell #anndavilacardinal #newrelease #latinx #latinxbooks #ya #yabooks #netgalley #ebook #readingreyna

Thoughts

This book is an unfortunate case of a good concept, bad execution. I loved the idea of an ensemble cast with superpowers coming together to fight a demon ex-boyfriend, but the overall product wasn't well put together. Overall, this was a disappointing start to 2023.


Pros
Casual Spanish: Code-switching is a natural part of the Latinx experience, and so it’s great to see that switch between English, Spanish, and something in between so casually included here in this book. The Latina main character uses Spanish when natural, like when talking to her Abuela, And this book doesn’t make a big deal out of that. It’s the current convention to include words spoken in foreign languages in italics, but that’s a convention that I don’t like--especially when the language employed isn't "foreign" to the main character. This book does not employ italics to include Spanish, because Spanish is just a natural part of the life of our protagonist, and I appreciate that.

No Solo: So many romances-gone-supernaturally-wrong have a “strong, independent” female lead, which ends up being to her detriment when she finds herself in danger with no friends or support group around here. That is not at all the case here. Mika has a great friend group around her, friends who are constantly concerned about her and involved in her business. They’re not overbearing. They are just friends. And I love that she’s got this great group of people who are involved in her life. It’s much more healthy that way.

Religious Main: It’s so rare to see a religious protagonist in contemporary fiction that is not meant to be, explicitly, religious fiction. Our main character here was raised Catholic, and she is still actively attending mass and Catholic school. While it remains unclear whether she herself prescribes to this belief system, it is so nice to see the representation of a religious main character and a religious family.


Cons
Too Suspicious: This book is promoted as a romance gone wrong, and so there needs to be at least a little bit of chemistry here. However, Mika was almost immediately suspicious of her love interest. That suspicion never abated, and so I found it very hard to believe that they were actually interested in each other at all. She never seemed to be fully invested in a relationship with him, so I never bought it.

Secrets: Sure, it can feel like parental figures are keeping secrets from us when we are teenagers, but I don’t think that’s generally true. And I especially don’t like books that play into that trope as though parents really are keeping secrets from their children. Maybe Abuela really does want to keep their heritage a secret from her granddaughter, but when it is actively affecting their lives, how stupid would she have to be to keep it a secret still? It made no sense to continue keeping this secret. The cat was already out of the bag. It was really hard for me to sink into the world when the little pieces weren't clicking.

Lacking Cohesion: This story really never stops to tie all the pieces together. There is a lot going on , and it doesn’t make one cohesive picture. A lot of the parts are good. I loved the ideas and concepts woven into this book! But we never really settle down. We really needed one main plot to latch onto, but instead, I just got a bunch of mysteries. They were demons and super powers, family struggles and family secrets, religious mysteries and more. Everything was very on-the-surface, and there was nothing underneath tying the worlds together. It was too much.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4/10

Fans of Tori Bovalino's The Devil Makes Three will enjoy this devilish new contemporary tale. Those who loved Adam Silvera's Infinity Son will love this new cast of superpowered teens.

there will be no review for this title until harper collins meets the union at the bargaining table in good faith.

Overall I was a let down by this. It sounded fun and different, but instead it just fell flat and I think it was mainly due to the main character. I was not a fan of the main character Mica so it was hard to root for her in any real capacity (I mean besides the devil not winning the world overall...) and I did not connect to her emotional issues. There was a love triangle in the story but it was so over the top there was no question as to what was going to happen and some things that I wanted more about were glossed over like with cliffnote versions. On the plus side there was a great female friendship and some great random one liners I had to laugh at as well as some super well done creepy moments. The book wrapped up so I believe this is a standalone. I was not a big fan but if you like battles of good versus evil, made families, angsty girls and battles then give this a try.

I would love to write a review once HarperCollins decides to come to the table and negotiate with the HC Union.

Fun, delightful, easy to read book that was both fast paced and entertaining. I received an Advanced review copy from NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am withholding reviews of HarperCollins titles due to the HarperCollins strike.

This was SUCH. A. GREAT. READ! but with the HC strike again no review until something gets resolved.

I found this to be a really fun title to pick up, it was super fast paced and entertaining. I do love a paranormal romance, so I thought this was a good concept for a YA paranormal romance.

I did want things to be developed a little more than they were, while the fast pacing was great, there were moments when it was too fast paced and things were a little too instant. That being said I did enjoy the characters overall, especially Mica, but wanted a little bit more.

Overall it was an enjoyable read that was a lot of fun and I found it super easy to read, but I would have liked a little more depth to make it even better.

Breakup From Hell by Ann Davila Cardinal, 304 pages. HarperTeen (HarperCollins Publishers), 2023. $19. lgbtqia
Language: R (183 swears, 0 “f” + Spanish swears); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Mica sees a new boy pop up three times in the same day, she takes notice. This boy, Sam, seems to really get her and she feels drawn to him in a way she never has before. Mica also starts having weird visions of fires, gains unexplainable strength, and notices that the weather has been getting warmer. The more time Mica spends with Sam, the more convinced she is that he is the source of these changes.
If you want a ridiculous and entertaining story, look no further. Cardinal throws together descendants of Satan and archangels, family secrets, and a new truck named Pegasus – readers never know what the next page will bring. Don’t let the handful of inconsistencies trip you up and just enjoy the ride.
Mica and her abuela are Puerto Rican, and most of the other characters are described as or are implied White. The mature content rating is for mentions of alcohol and underage drinking, innuendo, and mention of sex. The violence is for gun use and fantasy violence.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

However, I am currently withholding my review due to the HarperCollins strike.

This book was a campy and fun supernatural love/breakup story full of friendship, family and community. There are plenty of bad breakup stories out there, but I doubt there are many where the progeny of Satan himself threatens to bring the end of the world. Talk about pressure! Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will appreciate the humor and tongue in cheek dialogue. I will recommend this book to both female and male students who are anywhere in the reading spectrum (from the reluctant to the prolific reader). In fact, my library just ordered two copies.

It started out great, but felt very similar to Supernatural, didn’t know how or when it was going to end. Very interesting to see how everything came together. The Mica & Sam’s storyline, didn’t add up well for me. There was a lot of gaps and parts never mentioned again or left out. They left me confused. Loved the diversity of the characters and the side characters thought they added charm to the story. How it ended it seemed like it was built to be a series. Surprised there wasn’t an epilogue.
Overall, this wasn’t for me but you’re into YA supernatural with a twist w/ a La Croix taste of light romance this might be for you.