This was a cute, frenemies to lovers story! Tess and Brandon have such great chemistry. Their bickering was top tier. I loved that this was Much Ado About Nothing inspired, though I wish that the secondary were more fleshed out.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for giving me access to an e-arc of this lovely story! I read it at the perfect time, as I just started teaching my Romeo and Juliet unit with my 9th grade English classes. I appreciated all the nods to R&J, and I appreciated learning about Trinidadian culture through these characters. This will definitely be finding a home in my classroom library upon publication :)

Colorful and Fun

I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning about the Trinidadian culture and Carnival traditions. The rivalry between the bands added the right amount of drama to the storyline. This book did a great job highlighting the importance of family. Tess was snarky, but still lovable. She was passionate and loyal. I really liked her character. Brandon still managed to outshine her. He was so sweet and decent. He’s the boy that we want our daughters to choose. Their enemies to lovers journey was funny and super cute.

This was such a feel good story! I gave it 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Sarah Dass for this advanced copy to review. #WhenTheVibeIsRight #NetGalley

Ughh, I'm not even sure where to be begin, I have so many thoughts. I gave this book a three stars. I did enough the story, however, I was not sold on the enemies to lovers aspect. (I also have to accept the fact that enemies to lovers may not be for me. The enemies aspect always seems so silly and unconvincing. As was the case with this story. We have Tess who works with her family's masquerade band, Grandeur, making costumes for Carnival and Brandon who is a social media influencer working with a rival company. Now this isn't the reason that they're 'enemies' you'll have to read and find out but they do attend the same school.
This story was very slow as far as the romance is concerned. I was about halfway through and felt like I got more romance from the side character Hazel and her boyfriend. By the time the real romance happened, I was so worn down and tired from the 'enemies' bits that I wasn't really interested nor convinced of the romance. There wasn't enough angst or pining in the build up.
I loved all the characters although sometimes Tess was a bit aggravating. As a Black American, I loved learning about Trinidadian carnival especially because my brother's wife is Trinidadian, as such my niece is being raised in a dual culture household so it's always great to learn about their culture in any way.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read! The romance is super cute and the writing is super readable and very easy to grasp. I loved the Trinidadian setting - it added so much richness and atmosphere to the story. The frenemies/enemies-to-lovers trope is very cute and appropriate for a YA audience. Tess is such a great main character and the family dynamics were just delightful! I think that this will be super popular and fill the void of fluffy romance with Black leads in books.

Sarah Dass has done something special in this rendering of a classic. Even from the first page, her characters shine with vibrance and wit that makes you love them. Even more, Tess grappling with grief is handled with so much care and consideration that you cannot help but want this young lady to accomplish everything she wishes for. Her rivalry to romance with Brandon is handled well, and I found myself delighted by their chemistry.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me access to the ARC.

Now this story was just delightful! I knew next to nothing about Carnival and enjoyed getting my education from Tess and her family! A sweet love story, fascinating context, and a modern riff on A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Perfect summer reading.

One of the best YA books I’ve read in a long time. Romance is definitely a big part of it but at the heart of it is a really powerful, black coming of age story. All in all, this was a sweet story, raw, and heartfelt. .

Absolutely loved this book. I loved Tess and Brandon together and the slow burn of the relationship. I felt that the drama between the two at the beginning of the story wasn't really addressed and I wasn't sure how the two reconciled that conflict but I enjoyed watching the relationship develop. These two characters are Trini to de bone! I loved the portrayal of Carnival traditions and culture which made this rom-com really stand out!

When the Vibe Is Right by Sarah Dass is a delightful, refreshing novel. From the Shakespeare odes to the enemies-to-lovers vibe, to the dialogue and vocabulary, this book is a delight. Besides the excellent writing, Tess's personality was just so well portrayed. It was a refreshing rom-com that had a great deal of culture embedded within it. A must-read! 😊

I adored this book by Sarah Dass! Much Ado About Nothing is my all-time favorite play by Shakespeare and I devour every single retelling that I read of the original play. I went into When the Vibe Is Right, only just expecting a typical hate-to-lovers YA novel, but I was so excited to see that this book was, in fact, a Much Ado About Nothing retelling. The backdrop of this novel being set in Trinidad and Tobago was so incredible. Reading this novel made it so evident how vibrant and full of life Trini culture is, and I loved learning about the different traditions Trinidadians practice during Carnival.

The romance between Tess and Brandon was also such a great slowburn. They had great banter and chemistry, and I loved picking up on the hints at how much Brad really liked Tess. I do wish there was a little more confrontation between the two of them though, especially regarding how Brandon treated Tess in the past, because some of the comments/actions he made about her seemed really hurtful, and I was surprised that none of those were addressed when the two got together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this Black romance and I can't wait to read Sarah Dass's future classic literature retellings! I'd rate this novel 4.5 stars rounded up.

I read this book as an arc from Netgalley. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just love this book. The spirit of Carnival was in this one. We are following Tess as she is working with her uncle. They are working on costumes for their family's masquerade band, Grandeur. However, Grandeur is losing the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tess is going to work with her 'enemy', Brandon. Brandon is a social media influencer, and with his help, Tess will able to grow people's interest in Grandeur. When I tell you, I read this in one sitting. This book was just fast-paced and a page-turner for me. I just love Tess. I can not explain how I like her. Her development was so nice to see and I just wish this book was longer. This book deals with opening yourself to others and being able to trust people. I tell you if you want a quick and enjoyable read. Sarah, please tell me there are some deleted scenes with Brandon and Tess because I want more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Such an amazing book! I am so grateful to netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy

With Carnival/Mardi Gras on the horizon, this book is the perfect pick! It's about a costume business whose focus is the pageantry and vibrant color of Carnival!

It's also an enemies to lovers trope that is well delivered, and the characters are fun to follow. Brandon is definitely swoon-worthy.

But the real star of this book is the setting! Welcome to Trinidad! From the opening pages, set at school, to the beach on Divali, this book provides a trip to a destination few of us have ever been. And it is certainly worth the ride!

Tess, the novel's star, is a voice to be reckoned with. And her family is her support system - points for a strong family worth fighting for! But even strong-willed Tess proves that life (and love) isn't easy.

Brandon: "I didn't want to get your hopes up."
What hope? I didn't do hope. Hope broke hearts and obscured the reality of the situation. (130)

Tess Crawford has two loves in her life: designing costumes for the Trinidadian Carnival and her family’s masquerade band, Grandeur. However those loves are currently being threatened as her family’s band is on the verge of closing if they can’t beat their competition and Tess keeps finding herself getting distracted from designing by none other than her greatest enemy: Brandon Richards, a popular social media influencer and all around annoyance. Every since the first day they met and he commented on her clothes she has disliked him and now years later they are constantly fighting with one another. Yet she has to turn to him for help reviving her family’s band and helping them advertise and do social media work. All the while Tess is beginning to realize that maybe she might have misunderstood Brandon this entire time and that she’s been holding a bit of a grudge. This story definitely felt like a young adult pride and prejudice set during a Trinidad Carnival celebration. Tess tends to misunderstand and misinterpret things to her liking and is very very stubborn. To say she has a bit of prejudice would be putting it lightly when it comes to Brandon. Tess is desperate to fix her family’s band and to get them ready for the Carnival and make it a great turn out but with the complicated feelings for Brandon, her bad ex coming back in town and wanting to talk to her again, and other family and relationship drama, she has a lot going on for her. This is great for fans of enemies to lovers for young adults!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Unfortunately for me this book wasn’t amazing. I couldn’t really get hooked in it and personally I think the plot dragged a little. I started loving it more towards the end. Needless to say I’m completely bummed about this because I was so looking forward to it.

4.5/5 stars! Everything about this book was beautiful. The description, the setting, the characters; just stunning. I have never been to Trinidad, but the description is so vibrant and stunning that I really want to go visit. I felt like this was very developed for a YA book and could read several sequels continuing to show us more for the Trinidadian culture and these characters.

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

Read an ARC through NetGalley.
Young Adult novel centered around Carnival festival in Trinidad and family rivalries. Two frenemies begin working together to save a family business despite some setbacks and trouble. Quick easy read with humor and drama, love story ending. .

I’ve never read this author before but loved the book blurb. We meet Tess and Brandon who are enemies but of course their relationship changes. Since I’m unfamiliar with Trinadian culture. I was fascinated about carnival costumes/outfits, I loved how Tess came out of her shell and how her friend Hazel was there with her every step of the way. Yes it was a YA book and it was well written with good.p character development. Truly enjoyed it and look forward to reading other stories by this author.

I adored it. Everything about this book was absolutely perfect. I loved reading about the characters and their culture. I adored the whole carnival experience and how excited people were for it. A really underrated read.