I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a Chicago resident and a former teacher, not to mention a deeply entrenched queer socialist, this book spoke to many parts of my brain and soul. I loved the nuance of discussion, the acknowledgement of circumstance and humanity in choice, the imperfection in existence, and the value of love and happiness when the world is quite awful. Saint and Lola were stunning leads to carry the weight of this book.

My one critique is the dead naming and misgendering of a trans character. Yara’s identity pre transition is known to Lola and I felt the context of the name and her pre transition pronouns was unnecessary. It was clear from the phrase “pre transition” what Yara’s history is. While the paragraph wasn’t malicious, I did feel that it was useless and marginally harmful.

I am so excited for Leo’s book coming next. I just hope the sibling who is a cop gets his business together and leaves the profession before we get around to his book.

Lola is back in town and she is a social justice advocate fighting for an LGBTQ+ youth center and shelter. Lola’s father was the Puerto Rican Al Capone and due to safety she had to leave town and break up with her love, Saint. Saint, has felt duty bound to family, traditions and served in the military. Now, he and Lola are trying to keep their abuelos from getting kicked out of the assisted living for pranking one another. Saint is a single father to a little girl named, Rosie who gets diagnosed with select mutism.

I loved the humor, battling abuelos, tension, fierce and strong fat Bisexual FMC. I loved the tender hearted for his daughter father who is a fierce advocate for her.

I cannot speak highly enough about this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an Earc of this book!

Amazing follow up to the first novel, I was very interested on her brother story and this did not disappoint. Is fun , romantic and full of heart

Great story telling from Natalie Caña! A Proposal They Can’t Refuse was one heck of a starting point, so personally A Dish Best Served Hot (Saint and Lola’s story) didn’t hit as hard for me as Kamilah and Liam’s story did. But it still earned 4 shiny stars in my book!!

This story had completely different themes from the 1st book that still made your heart melt, gave plenty of laughs and opened your eyes to issues you normally wouldn’t think about on a daily basis.

Natalie Caña wove a beautiful 2nd chance love story encompassing the love for family, community, self-love, mental health and social awareness that not many would know how to tackle.

We still get the funny shenanigans from the Abuelos, Latine Culture rep ( Puertorrican & Mexican), some steamy scenes and lots of heartfelt moments combined with some Curvy girl rep, LGBTQ+ rep, Social Warrior moments and a pretty badass MFC! Overall, this is a must add to TBR and must read story!!!

I’m so sad I couldn’t get into this book. I really loved Natalie Caña’s debut and was so excited to read this sequel, but it never hooked me—I felt like we spent so much time on stuff outside the romantic plot (which was still important stuff!) that it couldn’t keep my interest. I may give this another go on audio to see if it’s a better experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

This is the second book in the Vega family o series by Natalie Caña. It can be read as a stand-alone but there are a few spoilers and references for the first book that may not make sense without the context. Saint is the oldest of the Vega siblings he grew up with a deep sense of duty and responsibility to his family. This mindset has been the driving factor in his decisions, even one’s that seem misguided. Lola is a very strong willed woman, she was raised in an unstable home but from the age of 7 her grandfather taught her to question things, think for herself and stand up for those who couldn’t. She an incredible social justice activist that struggles with balancing her own needs.

These two first met in high school where they secretly dated before Saint went into the military and Lola seemingly disappeared over night. When they come back together in the present there seems to be a lot of unresolved chemistry but also so many road blocks. Those same road blocks being them together, from trying to save the local youth shelter, helping saints daughter and dealing with their scheming, pranking and feuding grandpas.

I loved the proposal they can’t refuse so I was super excited to read this ARC. It’s pretty medium paced and I loved the flow of the story. I really liked the moments of going back in time to their relationship in high school but wish we would’ve gotten a little more of it. These two clearly have great chemistry and I really loved the way they challenge each other. I wish there was a bit more of their current relationship development, it felt like the story relied heavily on their history together.

This book has really amazing representation in it. The FMC is a bisexual fat Mexican/ Puerto Rican bad ass activist, she’s extremely strong willed and puts her community first. Aside from her there is lots of other queer side characters. There is also really amazing mental help representation with both saint being a veteran and his daughter struggling with anxiety and selective mutism. I really love the social justice conversations that happen in this book about how communities of color are be impacted by gentrification and how that impact is even more staggering within the LGBTQIA community. There is a clear theme of the importance of social justice work but it also highlights the importance of not sacrificing yourself to become a martyr.

Just like in the first book family and community are very important factors and there is some extremely hilarious moments with their grandpas who are feuding residents at Casa del Sol. Papo Vega is his same old mischievous meddling self. There are a lot of self reflective moments in this story, there’s lots of humor thrown in and of course family drama! It’s a pretty quick read that is written incredibly well.

Tropes
-single dad
-second chance
-close family/ community
-social justice
Representation
-bi fmc
-fat FMC
-anxiety
-ptsd
-Puerto Rican/Mexican MC
-rheumatoid arthritis
-diabetes

Lola and Saint were unlikely high school sweethearts. Conventional Saint is from a stable family, while rebellious Lola had to contend with a rough family life- with incarcerated family members and a mother who left when she was a little girl.

After graduating from high school, Lola and Saint lose contact when Lola mysteriously disappears without a word. Decades later Lola, now a dedicated activist, is back in Chicago, working for the local community center. Saint, who lost his wife in a fatal accident, is now a single dad working for his family construction business- helping turn a building that used to be a shelter for LGBTQ+ kids into expensive condos. He knows he’s on the wrong side of the gentrification issue, and quickly realizes he is on the opposite side of the struggle as his ex- Lola, but his sense of family duty overrides all else.

Reunited under the worst of circumstances, their love still burns bright. If they want to find their happily ever after, they’ll need to forgive their past mistakes and get through their seemingly insurmountable current disagreements.

Recommended for fans of books set in Chicago with Latinx characters and of contemporary romances with strong social justice and family themes.

This is the second in the Vega Family Love Stories series, and those who read the first will relish seeing some of the same characters, but this novel also works well as a stand-alone.

This is the second book in the Vega Family Love Stories, following “A Proposal They Can’t Refuse”. This book follows Santiago, the eldest brother in the Vega family. I love reading stories that build upon previous books and mentions previous characters but I was a little confused following along who was who in this one- I should have reread the first one prior to reading this one. The plot and character build up was good most of the book but I felt like the last 1/4 of the book didn’t really make sense— how the characters problems were solved was kind of boring to me.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this one! I ate up book 1 of this series and was happy to continue with book 2!

What I liked:

- all kinds of representation! Mexican and Puerto Rican, queer rep, thick girl rep, selective mutism, military ptsd, panic attacks, just to name a few!

- second chance romance / girl dad / sweetheart daughter

- meddling family, occasional Spanish dialogue and reference to cultural customs, and all the side characters

What I would’ve liked to see:

- a faster pace. Sometimes it felt too slow and my interest came and went.

- more chemistry between the two MCs. We spend so much time reading how they feel about the other (inner dialogue) but their actual interactions sometimes felt a little flat.

- a more fluid plot. There was a lot of plot but sometimes it felt like a whole lot. It felt very busy. Check trigs for sure!

So I buddy read A Proposal They Can't Refuse with book friends and was SO PUMPED to get a chance to ARC read A Dish Best Served Hot. Oh boy, am I so glad I picked this up! Rated this one at 4.5 stars 🤩🤩🤩🤩

Absolutely loved Saint and loved Rosie. Getting to see more of Saint's history (LEARNING ABOUT HIS NICKNAME 😱) was so sweet. This is a second chance romance, the main characters were high school sweethearts but got separated by life! And their reunion leaves something to be desired... We have a strong, curvy FMC and former military, strong and silent MMC. We get more meddling grandfathers, hilarity and some hard personal growth.

You can read this as a standalone but I would HIGHLY recommend reading A Proposal They Cannot Refuse first because you get to meet all the Vegas and fall in love this crazy family! I AM DROOLING FOR BOOK 3...I need Leo and Sofie to bang it out already! Natalie Cana is becoming a "must read" author for me!!

Another great book from Natalie Cana - I love how she develops her characters and love her dialogue. Plot wise I didn't enjoy this quite as much as her debut, but I would still recommend this book, and will definitely continue reading the series. I loved how the heroine cared so much about her community, and I loved how the hero interacted with and supported his daughter.

Ok, just when I thought Natalie Caña couldn't top A Proposal They Can't Refuse, we get this! Getting Saint's backstory (and especially learning how he got his nickname) was a treat and getting to know Lola was amazing. Though they date in high school, its been many years since they have seen each other and their reunion is anything but smooth. As they navigated personal change, social change, and trauma, they start to find each other again. This book could be read as a standalone but I think its definitely worth reading the first one too! Somehow this story was both funny and sweet and heartbreaking at the same time, the Vega's really know how to get themselves into some drama! I am already DYING to get the next book in the series and I don't know how I am going to wait!

Absolutely fabulous book! I loved it! Take 2 rivaling families and throw in a mix of love and tension between 2 of them and sick grandmother. It makes for the perfect romance book. I loved the first in this series, however I think I love this one even more!
I just reviewed A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña. #ADishBestServedHot #NetGalley
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A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña
This is the second book in a series, but you can definitely read it as a standalone. If you read it on its own, you'll be in the same place as the main character Lola. 😊

Things I am here for:
Lola is a fat woman who loves her body and doesn't dress to hide it 🔥
Diverse main characters: Lola is Puerto Rican and Mexican and Saint is Puerto Rican
Bisexual representation! Lola is bisexual and Saint immediately accepts her sexuality when they are in high school
Lola is an absolute badass, taking on systems and fighting the man
Saint is the absolute best single dad. Doing Rosie's hair and her edges 🥰
Saint listens to others, apologizes when he is wrong, and goes to therapy! No shame in getting help!
Rosie is the perfect addition to the story. I love her so much.
Lola chooses not to have kids. And that is OK. It's also OK for her to fall in love with Rosie and make a family.

This is the second Natalie Caña book I've read. The third act break up happens because of major character flaws with both main characters. They wrestle with these flaws and how to be a better partner. I'm not a fan of the third act breakup, but at least it's for the characters to grow instead of something ridiculous like miscommunication.

This is an arc, and I'm not supposed to quote it. Know that there are so many highlights on my copy. So many good things!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Dish Best Served Hot, by Natalie Caña
emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5

This was a really sweet second chance/single dad romance, but unfortunately the story overall was too slow for me. I wasn't as invested in the overall plot because it felt like there was too much going on. Not only was there the grandpa feud, but there was the community center/construction piece and then also the gang/violence piece. While I understand this helped our characters to be well-rounded and fully developed, I think the pacing (and plot) could use some editing and refining.

I also thought we lived too much in the main characters' heads. There was SO much thinking and explaining without them actually talking to each other. It was really frustrating to read like a page or two of internal dialogue before a character acted on something. It's clear it was the author's way of explaining their motivations, but I don't think it worked well here.

Rosie was the very sweetest and a real highlight for me. I also thought the overall way Saint and Lola found each other again was great — sometimes that chemistry never goes away! Some of the ways they kept running into each other felt a bit forced, though.

Overall, I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot more. That's not to say that I wouldn't keep reading about this family and neighborhood!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Second book in the Vega Family Love Stories series.
While Saint was away at boot camp his girlfriend Lola disappeared.
He never heard from her or knew if she was okay. Now a single dad in his mid-30s he’s shocked to find not only is Lola alive (and sexy as ever) she is the granddaughter to his grandfather’s arch nemesis and his daughter pre-school teacher. And all those feelings he had for her are still there.
I genuinely enjoyed this book. I’m really liking this series. Great story of love and acceptance.
**SPOILER**
The reason this is a four star instead of a five star book for me is because it did one of my biggest pet peeves.
The widower who never loved his late wife. Why is this a thing in romance novels? It really Icks me out and took me awhile to get back into the story after that revelation. I haven’t read a book with a widower where he actually loved his late wife. Yet I have never read a book with a widow where she didn’t love her late husband. I don’t know what’s going on here with this widowers never loved their late wife thing in romance, but I don’t like it and find it kinda lazy and gross.

“I know because since the moment I met you every version of my future has had you in it. When you were gone it nearly drove me out of my mind because I kept picturing a future with you even when it was impossible.”

-second chance, single dad, 17 years later
-just like that, Lola appears back in Saint’s life after disappearing for all that time
-Lola is the epitome of quote “fuck you, I’ll do what I want” energy. Love her fire 🔥
-the family members are hilarious with their constant bickering 🤭
-the scene with Saint doing Rosie’s hair melted my whole heart ❤️
-thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC!!

4⭐️

I loved Natalie Cana’s first book, and her sophomore novel which follows the oldest of the Vega children has even more depth, rough issues, and sweetness than the first.

Lola is the daughter of a gang/drug leader who struggles at school, especially when she comes out as bisexual. Saint is the straight laced oldest Vega sibling, who is responsible for his whole family. The two fall hard as teenagers, but when Saint leaves for boot camp, Lola escapes the enemies of her now imprisoned father to California with her mother. Now, decades later, both are back in Chicago, Saint as a single dad widower with some severe anxiety, and Lola as a social justice warrior who ends up as Saint’s daughter’s preschool teacher. The two are thrown back together because of their grandfathers’ senior care shenanigans and the sparks fly, but they both have to fix the issues that have been festering since high school.

Cana does a great job interweaving issues around the military, gentrification, lgbtq issues, policing in Black and brown neighborhoods, and ptsd into the love story where they’re given their due, but in a way that feels authentic to the larger story. I also loved the interactions between Rosie (Saint’s daughter) and Lola, it was so sweet. Overall I loved it so much and I can’t wait to read even more about this family! This comes out in October, so check out the first one in the meantime.

3.5 stars

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!!

this was a very cute book. i love second chance romances and single dad tropes 😊 the dialogue could be a little cringey at times with all the gen-z colloquialisms used by literal adults but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

overall a great story, excited to read the rest of the series!

Received this ARC via NetGalley…

Second chance romance
Single dad

I am emotionally invested in all the Vega siblings! Also love Papo and his crazy antics.

The author has a way to really feel for these characters/family. I can related to both the lead characters in their love and loyalty for their families and community. They’re both so strong, passionate and stubborn. Being so similar definitely causes a lot of friction.

I appreciated that this book covered the following themes:
Mental health - anxiety and PTSD
Gentrification
LGBTQ+