We loved discussing this book over on the blog Rich in Color. Here are some of my thoughts:

The Disney aspect was really fun for me. That’s super cool that you got to visit Disney while reading. Most of my elementary school years were spent in Orange County, so it’s a place of nostalgia for me. The last time I went to Disney was quite a while ago so the Star Wars references were actually sort of unexpected. I appreciated them though since I am also a Star Wars fan. I enjoy seeing characters or folks in real life being inspired by the things they love. It made me want to go for a visit.

I really appreciated Cas's sister Po's reworking of sayings. One that on the surface looks negative is, “If it’s broke, don’t fix it.” Sometimes we are so caught up in fixing that we don’t see the opportunities of other things around us.

I enjoyed that the main focus wasn’t on if the main characters were going to get together. He is an open book for her and I loved that for them. Their story is sweet. His openness was definitely a contrast to her secret keeping so the tension was more a matter of worrying about when everything would all fall to pieces and whether or not they had built something strong enough to withstand the impact.

This story really delves into grief. Having grief within both families was something that helped Javi and Cas bond, but it also showed that families and individuals most certainly have different ways of coping with or living with grief. Both families had times when they didn’t talk about the loved one. Javi and his mom would just veg with dramas or telenovelas which is one of my preferred methods, but they also had times when they would talk. Cas’s dad was doing the avoidance 24/7 and Cas was too in her own way.

This book is very Latina-esque, and i really liked that. It focused a lot on the family keeping their Cuban traditions.
It also focuses on grief and learning healthy ways to deal with grief.
In general, I feel like there was an emphasis on keeping family traditions alive and how life isn't about the destination but the journey.
I also really liked the Disney vibes.
I wasn't a fan of the characters all that much.
I liked how the FMC was able to find herself and allowed herself to grieve in a healthy way. However, she was a little annoying at times.
I don't like 3rd act breakups/miscommunication.
Just tell the truth from the start, lol.
If you're looking for a YA book to help deal with grief or that has a Latina vibe, this is for you!

This was a really cute story! I enjoyed it and the love story was super cute. I would read more from this author.

The romance and family dynamics in The Quince Project were the standouts for me. I struggled with the premise that Castillo was planning parties at such an extreme and didn't love the miscommunication aspect, but I still enjoyed this.

Ohh boy. The writing and plot was a big miss. I wanted so much to like this but couldn't. A very disappointing ya.

I’m loving this coming-of-age book about a girl who’s determined to give everyone else a happily ever after all while avoiding her own grief of losing her mother. Witnessing the family process through their grief was sometimes troubling. Still, it was a heartwarming journey

Thank you @randomhouse and @Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Cas is a planner. As a serial planner myself I can relate! When she takes a job planning a party for a blogger she is thrown into chaos when she comes to realize it is a publicity stunt. However, as upset as she is she soon learns that nothing in life follows a script!

This book had one of the cutest covers I’ve seen in a long time. But man, it was definitely more sad than I expected it to be. Please read the content warnings before you’re expecting a super cute, fluffy book like I was.

Ok so the characters were some of the best. I loved Castillo because she reminded me so much of me. I too have a problem with thinking that if I can control things, then I can keep other bad things from happening. (I am also a huge planner because of this lol) I also related to the fact that they were all Disnerds. I WISH I lived that close to one of the parks. My husband would be sick of me lol Anyways, did I agree with everything she did? No. But I did understand it. She was grieving and thought the only way was through. She felt like she had no one. And I completely understood that. But I was grateful that Parra showed that they weren’t just super forgiving to her. They made her work for it and I thought that was so real.

The person that she was helping tho? I did NOT like her. I felt so bad because Castillo was doing all of this to help her but I knew when things came out she was going to say something like, “you used me” when in actuality she used her too. She just told her upfront. (Now the lying was another story. I can’t help you there girly pop lmao) And I didn’t like that that was her friend. Why? Because we love a platonic boy/girl friendship. But I didn’t like it because it was too easy for him to drop her because she hurt his bestie. And like, is this going to happen every time?

This brings me to the romance. There is a REAL meet cute. I’m talking wasting stuff on the other and everything. So again, I was upset that he was like, “gotta go check on my friend” and then needed time from her. I get it but like dang, I’m upset too? I’m using my teen brain here lol but I’d be mad at him too lol This is probably why I haven’t written anything lmao BUT again, I liked that he made her work for it and didn’t just forgive her right away because she deserved that time to sweat it out.

I thought it was going to be a fun Disney romp about quinces with a fluffy romance because of its pink cover, but nope. It’s a emotional book about a girl navigating grief and finding support and love along the way. And I couldn’t be more happy to have read this!

This was such a cute coming-of-age YA story!!! Castillo “Cas” Torres is a determined high schooler. Her goal is to land an internship with a well known, local party planning franchise. She quickly finds herself stretching the truth to gain more experience and has to learn a few tough lessons along the way.

Here’s what I loved:
- The cast was fantastic. Loved the depiction of various relationships - sisters, father/daughter, young love, true friendships.
- Cuban American representation
- Adorable meet cute
- So many fun Disney references!!!
- Numerous party planning details
- Equal mix of humor and grief

I really like that these high schoolers felt age appropriate, yet also older and mature. A big part of the story focused on Cas and her family struggling to carry on with their lives and embrace joy after the death of her mom. This was so touching and came across as completely realistic, showcasing the various stages of grief. Growing up in south Texas, I’ve been to my fair share of quinceañeras. I loved the thought of challenging this cultural tradition. The narrator of the audiobook was fantastic.

This book was a charming! This book brought so many emotions forward, and I loved every bit of it. It’s fun, heartwarming and realistic and made for a delightful read.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to get into this one multiple times but just couldn't do it. There is A LOT going on in this book and I just felt exhausted reading it, both by all of the different conflicts Cas is dealing with and all of the Disney puns jammed in. (I enjoy Disney but the sheer amount just got in the way of the storytelling for me.) I am disappointed as the premise is something that would appeal to our patrons.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

This book was adorable, but sometimes I wish these kids in YA books would just be kids instead of trying to grow up too fast and be so serious. The themes were so good, and I loved all the Disneyland inclusions. This was just fun.

I wanted to like this book but I could not get into it. It had a cute idea though so it will be someone's good read.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing the chance to read and review.

The Quince Project by Jessica Patra is an emotional, complex and ultimately beautiful coming of age, dealing with the aftermath of tragedy, and a future with hope story. Ms. Patra has down a beautiful job telling this story and creating dynamic characters whom I was cheering for throughout the novel..

Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and expert planner, need help! Cas's mother recently passed away unexpectedly and Cas took it upon herself to help plan her sisters quinceañera. Since her mother's passing, all of Cas’s plans are falling apart at the seems.

A local event planner opens up a new position, however it requires more experience than Cash currently has. CAS ends up taking a job as a party planner for a quinceañera for a Disneyland blogger. Cas is thrilled with the way the plans are coming when she finds out the party is a publicity stunt. She also finds herself attracted to the chambelán.

Is this where things implode for CAS or does she stop planning and start living? Life is not but a fairytale now is it.

In The Quince Project Cuban-American Castillo Torres, a budding event planner, feels like the best way to movie forward after her mother's death is to apply for party planner Mandy Whitmore's "fairy godmother" internship, help her sister Mariposa "Po" get into college and pry her grieving father away from his video games. Needing more experience for her resume, she jumps at the chance to organize Disney YouTuber Paulina Reyes' nontraditional quinceanera. Hanging out with cute lifeguard Javier Bae-Luna, Paulina's childhood friend and chambelan, is a bonus. Unfortunately Cas is caught stretching the truth about her relationship to Mandy Whitmore and her plans go awry. Healing after the death of a loved one, sisterly love and conflict, and thwarted ambitions are explored in a sympathetic way. as Cas strives for her happily-ever-after.

Castillo Torres lost her mother to illness and her family to their ill-advised coping mechanisms. How she avoids dealing with it is by trying to make perfect events for others so that everyone can have the HEA she wishes for her own family. She has everything planned and is ready to execute it even if she has to drag her family after her, but can obsessing too much and focusing all her efforts on achieving a HEA for others be the thing that's keeping her from finding hers?

Castillo is an uptight main character (with very valid reasons for being so) so the story feels anything but relaxing for a big chunk of the book. There are reasons for why she is the way she is and the character growth in the story Parra wrote is fantastic, but the story feels way too stressful for me to enjoy it.

I'm intrigued about the fact that every single YA I've read in the last couple of years is about a teen with severe mental health issues in dire need of a competent adult and professional help. Is this how actual teens are having to live their lives? I'm not sure I enjoy reading these books anymore. As much as I applaud authors for showing that everyone goes through tough times, I read to escape reality and an anxiety-riddled teen full of trauma is not my idea of a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the read!

"The Quince Project" is a cutesy YA book with a little of everything. Grief, joy, betrayal, first love, and life lessons fill the pages of Castillo Torres' life.

After the death of her mother, Castillo Torres becomes obsessed with the art of party planning. Her life lost her "happy ever after" with the loss of her mother, so she becomes determined to provide joy and happiness to those around her. When disaster arises and her tangled webs of lies unravels, Castillo must face some hard truths about her grieving process. I think her method of diving headfirst into planning was both a detriment and helpful to her and that action will resonate with many readers.

Thank you NetGalley, Jessica Parra, and Wednesday Books for selecting me for the ARC.

Who needs a Fairy Godmother when they’ve got Castillo with her day planner and a pencil? I’m a sucker for a coming-of-age story so I was so excited to read this book!
I thought that The Quince Project was a great mix of heavier subjects and lighthearted moments. There were some really sweet and tender scenes, and others that made me LOL.
Come for the sweet YA romance and stay for the quinceañeras, Disneyland, dance lessons, ice statues, and a really lovely story arc with her family.

Well this book was a blast and a half. Fun, witty, great characters. Highly recommend. It was both light hearted and yet still dealt with some great topics.

This book was a bit out of my comfort zone and that is totally my fault for thinking I would enjoy it. I do tend to enjoy YA contemporaries about Latinx main characters so it does hurt that I was disappointed. This book did a thing I really hate in contemporaries and relied heavily on the use of Disney knowledge/love (which if I had just read the description, I would've known). It just really lowers my enjoyment of a novel when the main character bases their entire life and decisions around Disney stuff. I also HATED the miscommunication throughout the story. Things could've been solved in the first 100 pages if the main character was just honest with the people in her life, but you know... dRaMa. Overall though, I did like the romance. And while it wasn't having me giggling and kicking my feet, I was still rooting for the main character and her sister in their respective romances. I do think this author has a lot of potential and I am super interested in her previous book (I'm a sucker for Chef romances). The writing was super easy to get into and other than my issues with the plot; I had a good time.