This was a cute YA romance, and full of Star Wars and Disney references. The main character, Cas, is an overachiever, and her main goal is to get an internship at a party planning company. In order to get the internship, she needs to plan parties to gain recognition. What better way to get recognition than to plan a party for a popular instagrammer? The catch? Cas’ crush, Javi, is playing the part of the instagrammer’s faux boyfriend. Javi and Cas bond because they each are grieving the loss of a parent. Throw in some quirky side characters, and a sister who can’t get any famous saying right, and you’ve got a sweet YA rom-com.

This was a really fun YA coming of age story with tons of Disney (specifically star Wars) references! Though I do think I could have done with not as many references because it felt repetitive at times, but I also understand this a YA book and I'm not necessarily the intended audience so I think for a teenager this would be a fun, fairytale like journey, but in the real world. This book also touches on dealing with loss and grief which showed a lot of character growth within Cass and her family. Overall this was a sweet book, but a little too YA for me.

It reads like a fairytale!!!!

The Quince Project was a delight to read. It was heartfelt, sweet, and insightful. The shinning gem in this story is the relationship between the two sisters Cas and Po.

Cas Is a driven MC who loves to plan, but not everything in life can be planned as she learns. I loved her passion and her humor.

As a latine myself I could relate to so many parts of this story. I love seeing quinceañeras being represented. It's such a large celebration in our culture.

This book made me cry and smile so hard. I recommend this to anyone who loves Disneyland and Star Wars.

Thanks netgalley and Jessica Parra for an e-arc. All opinions are my own.

This was such a nice read! Unique premise with absolutely adorable characters that make you want to root for them from start to finish.

Castillo (Cas) Torres is the events chair for her SBA, but wants to take her party planning skills to the next level after a disastrous quince job for her sister. She wants to learn all there is to learn about happily ever afters from the godmother of all party planners. In order to get the internship though, Cas has to have a strong portfolio of parties and something that helps her standout in the uber competitive pool. After a misunderstanding at Disneyland, she ends up planning the unquince of a famous Disneyland vlogger. However, chaos ensues when she starts falling for the Chamberlán, her sister starts falling for the vlogger, and mishaps arise.

I loved the relationship between Cas and her sister Mariposa (Po). I really appreciated the author’s thoughtfulness for how they both navigated and coped with the challenges of losing their mother. Yet, balanced it well with their realistic sisterly dynamic, connection to their Cuban heritage, and respective love stories. I really appreciated how much growth Cas had throughout the novel - especially finding herself and reconnecting with her father. I adored the evolution of her relationship with Javi - from friendship to romantic interest. It felt so sweet and charming. My biggest complaint is that there was an overabundance of Disney/Star Wars references throughout. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of both, but it felt overwhelming and sometimes awkward/forced at times - which detracted from the overall story. Overall, I would still recommend giving it a read!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

What a sweet book! I enjoyed this! It was sweet, funny, emotional, dramatic, all of the above!! I loved it!

Being a huge Disney fan myself, I was able to connect with Castillo’s connection with all things Disney and the parks. I have a feeling that my own daughter will have some of the same connections as Castillo does. Though I hope if I was to pass they would also be able to find a way to have it bring them joy again. That being said, this is just a lovely book with a lovely message about loss and the path to trying to find peace. The path is not always an easy one and one that can be filled with potholes, but sometimes finding someone who is also going through the same journey helps. Truly this is a fun book that is great for others who might find themselves in the same position, wondering what the path forward might look like. It also does a lovely job highlighting a culture in such a way that those who are not part of it can learn a bit more of why it is so important.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was so cute and I enjoyed it so much

I liked some of the cultural aspects brought up and I think this will go over weill with the target audience, easy 3-4 stars with 5 for the right readers. I did stop after chapter 1 (4%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

The Quince Project is the story of Castillo Torres, a girl who is determined to make magic happen. Cas is a party planner who understands the need for happy endings after losing her mom. When Cas gets the chance to work with a popular Disney influencer, it could be what she needs to finally get her dream job. She soon realizes that there’s more to the quinceañera than meets the eye. Can Cas pull off an epic celebration and create a happy ending for everyone, including herself?

The Quince Project is a sweet and joyful adventure. I loved the bond between Cas and her sister Po. They were always there for each other and helped pull off magical celebrations. Jessica Parra also includes themes of grief and loss, without losing the lighthearted joy. Cas, Po, and their dad are all dealing with their loss in different ways and I enjoyed how they finally managed to reconnect. Cas loves happy endings and learns to balance that with her grief. The romance between Cas and Javi is very cute and filled with lots of great moments. I loved the Disney references! Readers who enjoy fun adventures, strong family bonds, and heartfelt emotions will love this book.

Thank you to Jessica Parra, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

This is a sweet book mixed with deep emotions. There are funny moments, heartbreaking moments, and strong character development throughout. I’d love a sequel to know what happens next!

I ended up dnfing the book about halfway through. It just wasn't enough to hold my attention. The half I did manage to make it through felt slow and boring. I couldn't connect with any of the characters.

As soon as I saw this title I KNEW I NEEDED to get the ARC for it! It brought back some fun memories of planning my own Quince.

First let me just say, as a Disney lover, I love how many Disney references were in this. I always love getting a good smile when my favorite place is mentioned. With that being said this book is definitely geared towards the YA audience and book lovers.

The story revolves around Cas and her journey planning a YouTubers quince, throw in a crush on one of the chambelans and you've got the perfect mix of teen drama. Parra's writing did a wonderful job of capturing the true beauty of Quinceañera, from the attire to the music, and all the way to family traditions.

Jessica Parra did a wonderful job writing this wholesome coming of age book! I'd recommend this to lovers of YA readers. It truly was a joy to read.

This was a cute read for me but had an extreme theme surrounding Disney - which, I am a Disney fan, but there was just an abundant amount of references through out. If you love that, then this one is for you!

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I had to DNF this one. After all the talk about her mom's death and too much Disneyland, it just wasn't keeping my interest.

Castillo Torres wants to be a part of Mandy Whitmore & Associates' internship, so she is trying to meet all of the qualifications to apply. She starts by planning her classmate, Angie Montes' quinceañera, which is a success. Then, other people start asking for her help.

I thought this book was going to be more about what goes into planning a quince, latinx traditions, etc. to introduce readers to this cultural rite of passage in a cute way, but it wasn't. Cas also seems like such a boring, serious person with all her planning.

This was interesting but it didn't hold my attention as much as I thought it would. I did love the growth that you see through Cas and Po as the story progresses and that grief is a different thing for everyone and that trying to erase it doesn't necessarily spell out getting through it. Overall, pretty predictable but a feel good story with lots of Disney magic!

3.5 ⭐️

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Quince Project is a contemporary YA book that deals with loss & grief, family, friendship, and coming of age. I would say that the romance is subplot. There is also a heavy Latinx representation (as you can already tell from the title) as well as LGBTQ.

I thought that the author addressed loss and grief very well in the book, and clearly showed how people respond to it so differently.
- Cas (FMC): tried to take back control by being an over planner.
- Po: lived her life how she wanted to.
- Dad: became almost absent in his children's life and fell into gaming,

"The space between her big cuchara and my little spoon filled with more loss and memory...not she wanted to start chipping away at our unspoken we - don't - walk - about - Mom rule?"

The characters were also well-developed. You truly understood why they thought and acted that the way they did and in the end see their growth. No matter what type of teenager you are/were, it was so easy to identify with one or more of the characters.

I understand that this book is contemporary, and it was good for the most part, but it was almost too heavy on the references (Star Wars, Disneyland, etc). It sometimes made it difficult to get through sections of the book.

Overall, I'm probably not the focus audience for this book, but I do think that it is a great read for teens who are going through the same thing as the MC.

This was entertaining and quite a diverting read. And, I have a feeling that this book will stay with me for longer than I expect it to. I enjoyed it.

It was good but....also a bit much.
Castillo is a planner, an obsessive planner that likes to take part in events both outside and for her school. Her sister thinks she's keeping herself busy to push off dealing with her grief.
The book had a lot of things going for it. It dealt with coping with loss, family bonds, friendships, honesty and even had LGBTQ representation.
But what I didn't like was that it seemed to me the author made her MC's personality a double edged sword. I actually liked hearing about her plans and dreams and themes (could have done with less Disney references dropped in though), I also liked how she tried to help her family and keep them motivated in a time when her father wasn't actually parenting and her sister was backsliding. I liked that while she crushed on Javi, she didn't make her whole life revolve around a boy and that their relationship developed naturally and slowly.
BUT, then towards the end, suddenly everything everyone liked about Castillo was a bad thing? She turned down an awesome chance just because people thought what? That she was too into her goal? It was her SISTER'S idea to lie and KEEP lying but....she turned it all on HER when the truth was revealed! Po also threw her relationship with her dad in her face but...what else is a child to do when their parent is being irresponsible? She was doing the best she could. I don't know....the way all that was handled irked me. It soured the good parts for me 🙁
Again though, overall the romance was cute and there was some character development, it was just too predictable and hate when one person has to apologize to everyone when they weren't to blame about everything lol

I thoroughly enjoyed Castillo's journey in this book! Her aspiration to land a party planning internship felt refreshingly unique, and I was captivated by her experiences orchestrating quinceañeras and school events.

In addition to navigating the intricacies of party planning, Cas grapples with the loss of her mother and her family's struggle to address their grief. Watching her reconnect with her father and foster a deeper understanding of her sister, "Po," was deeply touching. The incorporation of Cas's Cuban heritage added another layer of richness to the narrative.

The romance between Cas and the chambelán is undeniably sweet, and their initial encounter was a delightful read. What stood out to me was how their relationship evolved from mere romantic interest to genuine friendship.

The plot centers around party planning for a YouTuber, peppered with an abundance of pop culture references, particularly revolving around Disney, Disneyland, Star Wars, and Southern California. While I'm a big fan of these topics, I found that at times, the sheer volume of references felt overwhelming and occasionally disrupted the flow of the story.

I also had mixed feelings about some of Po's idiosyncrasies, such as her tendency to choose lipstick colors based on her mood and her penchant for mixing up proverbs. While Po is a compelling character, these traits occasionally came across as overly caricatured and unnecessary.

Nevertheless, despite these minor qualms, I found myself deeply engrossed in the story after the initial chapters and finished the book in just a couple of sittings. Overall, I'm grateful to Goodreads for bringing this book to my attention, and I would rate it 4 stars. As a fellow Disney enthusiast, I particularly appreciated the plethora of Disney references woven throughout the narrative!

I was hooked from page one and the mention of the ñ . Yes. That squiggly mark over the n matters! The story centers around teen sisters Cas and Po after the loss of their mother. It's told in Cas's POV. Their mother was a huge Disney fan and Disney plays a big part in the story. Cas wants to get into a party planner internship and is using her friends to get there. Mainly, organizing quinces for her friends. We see her doing that in the first chapter. Po convinces Cas to take a day and go to Disney, which is a huge deal because of all the shared memories they had there as a family with their mom. Dad, who's turned gamer, doesn't do well talking about their mother. At Disney, they bump into a famous Youtuber who Po is crushing on (cute), and communication gets mixed up and said famous Youtuber--Paulina-- believes Cas is already an intern for the famous party planner--Mandy Whitmore, and wants to hire her to organize her own party and, well, Cas doesn't correct her about the gig and you can imagine how that turns out.

It's a sweet story. There's a love interest. Shared pain and healing between the sisters. I loved how close they were. Overall, it was a nice read.