I literally read through this book in a couple of sittings because I had to stop and cry twice and just absorb what I had read. It made it rain on a 4 month reading drought.
💕
This is a romance but it's also so much more, and it really opened some hard conversations between me and my partner about our relationship, and my life, and how I perceive things now because of it and what I am working on unlearning.
💕
I will say to my Puertorican Diaspora friends thinking of reading this book, the MC is truly unlikeable and she's supposed to be, and the vibes you get from this book will definitely vary depending on how you were raised, the group of friends you had, and if you ever knew a boy who kept chasing a girl who he really should have just let go lol so heed my warning it's a love it or hate it title.
💕
This was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read for me. And if you were or are a telenovela and dramatica lover then this title for sure is more up your alley!

Right off the bat, the author did an amazing job making this book beyond relatable. Some of this might be cultural to a Latinx/Hispanic home, but to me I could understand. Also the Puerto Rican food I jumped for joy for even knowing because of my husband. He actually made pernil y arroz con gandules for dinner this weekend.
Anyways my heart definitely went out to Karina. It is most certainly heart breaking to discover when someone close to you has lied, but even moreso when the lie has molded your life for 2 decades. So many battle between the heart and mind that could've been avoided. Often times wrongs righted can happen too late.
The found family of coworkers was lovely even the busybody, Rosa.
Is there a Cookie quiz for real? Cause I definitely want to take it. I thought it was amazing how each character was represented by the different cookies that Singular had to offer. It was warm and touching.
Not ever part of the book was sad, or happy, in fact the parts that made me mad were centered around the slut shaming of Karina. However Karina never let that keep her down and I loved how she called out the double standard.
One Tough Cookie is even the toughest Cookie on the outside, it still has a soft center

This book was not for me. I appreciate the publishers and netgalley giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this book. Karina was awful. She was selfish and abrasive and judged everyone around her. That is exactly who the author wrote her to be so I can't fault the book for that, but I wish there had been a little bit more there to connect with. Although she does start to redeem herself towards the end of the book I was not invested enough in her to care.

Great exploration of taking a risk on love even if you’re worried about getting your heart broken and dealing with career uncertainties

I was really excited for this book but it just fell flat for me.

The MC is suppose to be unlikeable, which Torres succeeds with, but to the detriment of the book as a whole. She crosses the line into detestable, and I think in part, it is because the cast of characters around her. Nothing about their interactions with our MC give her any redeeming qualities, and the few we do see are seemingly made negative by how others perceive her.

The swoon factor was high in this one! I loved One Tough Cookie. The protagonist and plot won me over from the beginning. It was thoroughly enjoyable to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the concept of this book. The girl whose been hurt, and the man shows her that not everyone is terrible and there is love out there. However, unfortunately, I didn't love this one.

I couldn't find any character that I loved in this book. I was either indifferent or didn't like them at all. The friend

Karina Corté is the worst, with no problem hurting people to keep up with a path that doesn't make her happy. I love mess, but this level of mess is out of control.

Her friend group is immature and annoying - all they talk about is men, and the boyfriend, Ian, is annoying and clingy. Like she said, no, why are you still waiting? She doesn't know her mind. I don't feel sympathy for people who repeatedly put themselves in situations to be hurt when a person has been straightforward if she is lying about her feelings; that is on her, not for Ian to change her mind.

The one thing I did like about this book was the added therapy. Karina Corté was in desperate need of some help, and I am glad that she could get that change in her mindset.

I did appreciate the added talk on abortion - I didn't love that there was as much support for Katrina as I think there should have been, regardless of everyone's views.

I also didn't enjoy the slut shaming - like, why can't Katrina sleep around if she wants. And why is she blamed for the feelings of men who don't want to believe she doesn't want a relationship?

Narrator Stacy Gonzalez did a great job with all the voices and characters because there were many of them.

The MC’s entire personality is made up of complaining, judging others, and wanting to have sex which is fine if done right, and for me it wasn’t.
Not a lot really happens so I found myself getting bored.

Karina is so unlikeable but Delise Torres wrote a good book. I feel like this is contemporary woman's fiction leaning more than romance because we see Karina and her friend group grow and evolve as women, friends and professionals.
Content warnings for abortion.

Thanks for granting me access to the eARC.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Karina and Ian. Katrina works a cookie company. Ian starts to work at the cookie company. There is an instant attraction. They start dating. They are seeing each other every day. Karina has clothes over at Ian’s. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

I really, really enjoyed this debut that sees jaded about love Puerto Rican American woman, Karina trying and failing to fall for her hot co-worker as he slowly breaks down her barriers against dating in the work place and falling in love.

Full of family drama and a fun, unique setting of a Florida Cookie company, this had emotional depth and some HOT, steamy romance that left me fully satisfied!! Highly recommended and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: slut-shaming, emotionally distant parent, abortion

This book moved kind of slow for my tastes. I feel like the concept had potential but it fell kind of flat. I loved the emphasis on food and a boss babe Latina main character.

I'm so sorry to say this was not my favorite book. I don't like to leave bad reviews so I'll just say that i struggled with Karina's excessive insistence on not wanting to date a "relationship guy" and not needing or wanting anyone. As a person who's single on purpose, it didn't read authentic to me. That being said, I have a friend who loved this book and knows people like Karina in her community. It's possible this is a book that wasn't written for me and that's okay.

I really, really enjoyed this debut that sees jaded about love Puerto Rican American woman, Karina trying and failing to fall for her hot co-worker as he slowly breaks down her barriers against dating in the work place and falling in love.

Full of family drama and a fun, unique setting of a Florida Cookie company, this had emotional depth and some HOT, steamy romance that left me fully satisfied!! Highly recommended and good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: slut-shaming, emotionally distant parent, abortion

Thanks Netgalley for this arc copy of One Tough Cookie! I absolutely love Latinx Romance and when it is set in a kitchen with real recipes, I will love it even more. This was a sweet romance with real life experiences that hook you in and keep you cooking until the end. Love it!

DNF at 45 percent.
Karina was absolutely frustrating to read about. Her judgemental and "I'm superior to everyone" attitude made me dislike her immensely. And If I cannot root for the main character, I cannot finish the story. Which is such a shame, because I really wanted to like One Tough Cookie.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️( rounded down to 3⭐️)

Publication Date: July 18th 2023

Author: Delise Torrrs

Review: I went back and forth when I read this book I was going through the feels of a reading slump and I just couldn’t quite get past it. The characters were very catty and at times I like it but it just got to be so over bearing with this book. Kind of annoying in a way. She had a hard life that at times she just couldn’t quite get past overly independent isn’t always a good thing.

Thank you netgalley and Alcove Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review #NetGalley #bookstagram #kindle #kindleedition #eread

While this novel is not my go to type of read, I think it can be great for readers who enjoy unlinkable main characters. But, be warn, Karina has VERY unlikeable moments. She does not want romantic relationships, and in that she has also come to deny herself any type of good relationship including friendships. She is stubborn in her own values and ideas which can make her judgmental. She does have growth throughout the book and does become a better friend.

I didn't always love how the other women (her friends) were written. At times, the book tried to hard to make "Karina" different as if she's the only woman not obsessed with a man. When really 95% of her thoughts in this book is about a man and what her feelings mean.

She finds herself crushing on a new employee at her job and goes through A LOT of ups and downs of navigating catching feelings and maybe wanting to be in a relationship with him.

There are many parts I appreciate the inclusion of but Karina was a difficult MC to get through.

At about 1/3 of the way through, I'm recognizing that this book is just not for me, but I can recognize that it might be a just right fit for someone else. I probably should have known based on the comps to Fleabag, a show that's also never held my interest. The Latinx representation is interesting and I appreciate the perspective and have ideas on who to recommend this to.