She doesn’t want a distraction, she’s working towards her future.
Romano Tech is the country’s best environmental tech company led by Victor Romano. The kind and ambitious CEO has his heart set on expanding his mission of reversing the harmful impacts of climate change, all he needs is a signed deed to the plot of land to build the perfect environment lab. The pieces are set to fall into place but then he meets her.
Rosie Martinez is the loyal and fiercely independent owner of Hecho de Hilo—a quaint crochet shop that is the heart of her community. Beloved for her hardworking and sweet persona, she’s determined to make her dream of opening a ceramics shop a reality. Though, it seems impossible when everything begins to fall apart just as he stumbles into her life.
Victor has the means and desire to step in and help but will Rosie allow it? Or will her independence hinder her from completely reaching her dream?
Ami Bella is a contemporary romance author. Inspired by the telenovelas she grew up watching, her writing is a concoction of drama-filled plot, romance with a hint of spice, and a lovable cast of Latino characters. Her dream is to continue to highlight the diverse Latinoamerican cultures and representation with her stories.
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Ami lives a normal life with her family. She dreams to move to the city one day where she can pursue a career as an author. Besides writing, she enjoys painting her nails, rewatching Cobra Kai, and endlessly shopping online without ever buying anything. She loves spending time with her family and friends.
This book was cute! Rosie and Victor are 2 MMC’s that will have you rooting for them. They’re not only navigating their own lives but molding their futures together. They’re both sweet and loving characters that care for their families and their friends deeply.
One of my fav things about this book was how found family oriented it was for the FMC Rosie. Adding on, Rosie is Mexican, and having her care about her found family and heritage, was truly accurate to our Mexican culture.
Rosie and her sister Bianca deserve the world. And I hope nothing but the best for them!
As for Victor, he’s a hard worker and loves deeply. Which was really great to see. His relationship with Rosie was cute. I loved how he saw her and her potential and was supportive of her endeavors.
Absolutely loved the side characters, Rosie’s friends are encouraging of Rosie and their friendship circle is truly lovable.
There were some points in the book that felt too idealistic such as Victor basically kinda having connections EVERYWHERE and solving a lot of problems for Rosie. It was giving “Prince sweeps in and saves the Princess” and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it felt repetitive.
The writing and flow of the book felt very YA. The style in general and some of the written scenes. Yes, the book had some spicy scenes and discusses some serious subject but unfortunately that didn’t really change the vibe of the book, in my opinion.
I think this is overall a pretty cool debut book, I’m excited to see how Ami Bella continues the series 🤍
What I also want to say is first is that this didn't blow me away, and this is no hate to the author.
Here I go, being Miss Judgey. There was a huge disconnect for me with this book. First, I think I just didn't get a clear voice to identify with POV I was in until like a while in. What I kind of want to say is that when I was in Rosie's POV or Victor's POV it felt the same, well except every time Rosie as crying cause her sister was stabbed and she was scared she was gonna die. LOL.
There were a couple of scenes that felt repetitive, like her getting a call from her inmate that her sister got stabbed and she's crying and freaking out. A lot of the times I could see why certain things happened and it just didn't connect with me. I was bored.
I know exactly in what moment I started to feel the disconnect, it was when Rosie is telling Victor about her childhood.
I'm still trying to process all my thoughts and I might add to this review later and change the rating. But for now this book didn't blow me away. I appreciated the author for the trigger warning like the ED and incarceration but I sweat to god it pissed me off how end of the world she was with it sometimes.
Ok seriously, if you like Abby Jimenez, just do yourself a favor and get this book already. Enough said.
For those of you that want more: Rosie and Victor meet after she wins a grant from his company to help make her small crochet business more eco friendly. He is a mega rich CEO type (but not a jerk) while her business is barely keeping it together, but they fall in love over cooking each other their favorite foods (seriously, cooking as foreplay is one of my FAVORITE tropes in romance novels; the scene where they make ravioli is everything). As they become closer and learn about each other's pasts, you realize that each character is going through it, and the relationship helps them to heal their pain (This whole aspect of the story, by the way, was handled in a really nuanced way instead of acting as a trauma dump.) And of course, it all wraps up in a wonderful, sweet, well written HEA.
I loved watching their romance blossom. The whole thing just felt very organic.
Also, as a knitter and crocheter myself, I was really interested in the concept of Rosie's shop. I want to buy that yarn.
Thank you to the author for letting me act as an ARC reader. I am now anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.
Mold My Future is a beautiful romance following Rosa and Victor who meet and immediately fall in love. Victor is a CEO and Rosa is an entrepreneur with big dreams and an even bigger heart. I loved everything about this story from the Latino culture incorporated into the story to the interracial relationship to the LGBTQIA+ inclusion. This story has something for everyone.
I’m so excited for the next book to follow Luna. I had a feeling at 68% who Luna was seeing and the ending confirmed my suspicions. And I’m totally rooting for Luis and Bianca to become a thing!
Thank you to Ami Bella for allowing me the opportunity to read this beautiful story.
The plot had great potential! But the tone/writing style didn't resonate with me and felt more like YA writing with some spicy moments here and there. I didn't feel much of a personality shine through in the dual POV. There were a couple of scenes that felt repetitive. I just couldn't connect with it. I'll still probably read the next book. The side characters were interesting enough
I received this ARC for an honest review, and I can only say that overall it was a story I enjoyed.
Although there are some situations that didn't make sense and the connection between the characters isn't very deep. At least I didn't feel it that way.
I identified with Rosie and the obstacles she may have gone through, since being a Latina living in the USA I could understand something about how difficult it is to try to carry out your business and not be judged by the country you were born in.
This book was a cute and fun read, and I loved being able to read this author’s first book as an ARC reviewer. I’d like to disclaim, this review is absolutely no hate to the author! I will be reading anything she publishes because I’m thrilled to see how much she grows from here on out.🩷
There were a few points in the book that caused me to disconnect from the story as I continued reading.
The fast burn of this book was something I appreciated at first, but Rosie taking time and needing space just a day after they officially got together threw me off momentarily. While I understood Rosie’s point of view and reasoning for being upset entirely, it caught me off guard. At first, I struggled with how quickly they were moving in their relationship, but for me personally, I ended up loving it. It is sweet that they both were willing to give so much to each other and that equal emotional reciprocation is there.
I will admit that I felt there needed to be more of a distinct change between Rosie and Victor’s POVs. It didn’t feel like there was much of a shift in the dialogue or way of thinking when shifting between the two characters. The only times I felt a noticeable difference was when Rosie would go into the topics of her sister Bianca or her past. Which, at times, became a little repetitive for me. I think the story would have benefited from only one incident in the prison rather than two. As much as I think it would have been a bigger shock to Rosie to have her sister go through the second incident, I can see how both may have led her to begin reaching her breaking point.
I wish that the book had come to an end while focusing on Rosie and Victor. Disregarding the epilogue, it felt incomplete when I reached the final chapter. As much as I think the reunion with Bianca is a crucial point of the story, I would have preferred to end the book focusing solely on Rosie and Victor before leading into the epilogue. Not having that final scene between them disconnected me more, given that it was a more significant plot point that seemed rushed into the end. In my opinion, Bianca’s release from prison and reuniting with Rosie should have been a bigger, heartfelt moment that happened before the final chapter. That way, the main storyline and side plot get their moment to shine.
Mold My Future being this author’s first book makes me unbelievably excited about what's to come. I can’t wait to read Between The Lines next year and watch this author continue to grow!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
"I'm trying to find a way for people to live, but you give them a reason to live."
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This is book 1. Can be read as a standalone.
Content warning (not a complete list): strong language, mention of child abus€, explicit s3x, mention of unhealthy eating habits, racial discriminati0n, cancer, and an incarcerated character.
For more information, read the content warning in the book.
Spice rating: 3
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Mold my future is a sweet story about love, family and accomplishing your dreams. It has some angst and spicy moments, but it's a cute and cozy like read. This book tells the romance of Victor and Rosie.
Rosie owns an ethical crochet shop, Hecho de Hilo. She's a kind woman working through life's struggles as she strives to achieve her goals and dreams. I found Rosie to be endearing. I also saw her as relatable, being someone who is shy and anxious as well. Rosie might not be for everyone though. She's somewhat stubborn and takes things seriously.
It was nice reading about a rich mmc that is not an alpha, jerk, or grump. Victor is a thoughtful, kind and wealthy mmc who cares about his loved ones and the planet. He's working on a project to help fight climate change. I would have liked to known more about him. Did he have any major struggles starting his company? Did he have any notable romantic relationships? Stuff like that.
The romance of Victor and Rosie is sweet and steamy. It does have a bit of ya/na type feel, but I found it cute.
What I liked about this book: latino characters, queer characters, family relationships and eco-friendly characters. What I didn't like was what happened to the step-dad. I didn't vibe with it.
This was an ARC read. I'm grateful to the author for giving me an opportunity to ARC read this book.
Thank you so much Ami Bella for early access to this book for an honest review. I love reading new to me authors and getting in on their first book is always a treat. You never know what kind of gems you will find that way. I enjoyed Mold My Future and think it's a great debut! This book has strangers to lovers, billionaire romance, interracial couple, loads of found family, and a nice balance of swoony angst and slow burn.
Rosie and Victor have an instant chemistry when they quite literally bump into each other. She's a small business owner in a heavily Hispanic community in Chicago up for a possible grant from Romano Tech, a company focused on making the world better through focusing on green energy, and he's the owner of Romano Tech. They both swore that their work and other commitments were more important than dating and relationships but once their paths crossed, neither could get the other out of their minds. I appreciate the relationship these two developed as they navigated through their own professional and personal journeys. This story was sweet and fun and dealt with some heavy subject matter really well. Read the trigger warnings so you have a feel for what I mean.
I think the only thing that sort of felt rushed was the main conflict component that the synopsis seems to indicate is gonna be a major issue but doesn't actually get brought to light until like 80% through the book. In one aspect, it built some angst as the reader because you knew what was coming, but it felt like such a minor element to the story in terms of impact to our couple. Other than that, I loved the side characters, the sense of community and I very much look forward to the next book!
The format of this book was very weird across all my devices, on kindle it showed up sideways and on my phone it showed the headings at the bottom of the pages as well as well into the chapters. I’m not sure if it was due to what format I downloaded or due to my devices but once I got past that, I could not put this book down!!
I loved all of the characters! From Rosie to Miss Rivera, all the way to Quinn and Ari. There was not one character who I didn’t enjoy and all of them were necessary to the story. The community this book provided made me feel like I wanted to be apart of and join in all the fun.
I love the fact that they added so much of Rosie’s and Victor’s cultures and showed that everyone had a different background and all of this backgrounds are important. Again, making a community full of culture and languages and food and fun!
Rosie was only slightly annoying when she wouldn’t accept or ask for help even though she really needed it but the way everything fell together made up for it. This story was so good and I would love to read a book on every character.
I was really hoping there were going to be more books about the other character and I was so happy to see the announcement!! I will be continuing to read every book in this series!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Tropes 🩷Millionaire Romance 🩷He Falls First 🩷Latino Representation 🩷Dual POV 🩷No 3rd Act Break Up 🩷Mutual Pining 🩷Entrepreneur x CEO 🩷Insta-Love
💭My Thoughts💭 I enjoyed reading this book. I loved that Rosie was a very hard worker and that she worked for everything she has. She also has a really great friend group and community support. Everything she did was to help those around her and l liked that she didn’t want Victor’s help with some parts of her life. This book did have an insta-love situation and I thought it worked in the story. I liked Victor’s character and how he would do anything for Rosie. He realized when he had to set boundaries and actually stuck to them. I did enjoy reading all the Spanish that was in the book too. This book did make me want to learn how to crochet.
I did feel like some situations in the book were rushed and over with pretty quickly and others were left unfinished. I was left with a few questions about some characters, but maybe those will get answered in the next book!
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was a cute story, but it does touch on some tougher topics that may trigger some.
Thank you Ami Bella for the ARC for an honest review!
Mold My Future is the first book in The Fine Arts Series, and is Ami Bella's debut. It is a cozy and cute romance story with a minute amount of spice.
Overall I found this to be a very cute and wholesome story. The plot was easy to follow along with, there were very few holes in the plot, and I appreciated how the story did not follow the average Billionaire Romance structure. There is a lot of back story information needed for this story line, and we do get some of it, I just wish there had been more development, more details provided. I finished the book and still had some, what I thought were basic, questions that were not answered. Both main characters are hard working, ethical and super sweet, making them very easy to like. I admired that both main characters had found families, for different reasons and with very different dynamics to them. As with the story line, I wanted more depth and detail for the characters, a deeper dive into who they really are. In the author's bio she references telenovelas being one of her influences, and I can kind of see that with this book, however I would love to see her lean further into this aspect of her writing.
I would recommend this book to younger romance readers and cozy and meet-cute romance readers.
I pre-ordered the book as soon as I was able to and received my copy early! I knew I had to read it the moment I saw that the FL was Latina and that she had an interest in crochet! I'm also a crocheter and Latina, so I knew I would enjoy this read! This book is in dual POV, which I personally enjoy. In my opinion, there is so much representation in this book. Not only are they an interracial couple, he's Italian and she's Mexican, but there are side characters that are in the LBGTQIA+ community, who are also interracial, and maybe we'll get to see more of those characters in future books. I think the characters were well written, and the author gave us good background information to learn who each of them are. This was an easy read for me since I found myself not being able to set it down. I wouldn't say I read it in one sitting, but I really enjoyed seeing Rosie and Victor molding their relationship. They definitely had their ups and downs at the beginning of their relationship, with Rosie wanting to be an independent woman and Victor trying to swoop in and be her knight and shining armor. Besides some early tension in their relationship they were able to grow as a strong couple and I look forward to reading more about them in future books from this series, even if its only tidbits since future books will be about other couples. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Sweet debut by new author Ami Bella. Rosie Martinez, owns a crochet shop with goals of opening a ceramics shop next store. Her larger focus for the stores is to help her community. After winning a grant from Romano Tech, she meets Victor the rich CEO and they are instantly attracted to each other.
Rosie is determined to make it on her own which given her background, you really want to root for her. When Victor steps into help her, you can see how he was doing it because he cares about her, but I also understood why she wanted to stand her ground and not be dependent on him. Though secretly, I was screaming, he's rich, just take his help! :). I will say the fact that she was able to open a store at 18 with her education fund made me wonder how realistic was that even if they were in Illinois. That part was a touch unbelievable given her family background, but it's fiction so I went with it.
Some solid positives about this one: diverse friends, complex storyline with the sister, no third act breakup and some fun dates. Good pretty women moments and spice.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Rosa Martinez is crochet boutique owner, who has a great reputation among her supportive community. She runs Hecho de hilo, the crochet outlet,along with her bestfriends Luna and Summer. Her ultimate dream is to open a Ceramic Studio cum pottery class.
Victor Romano, CEO of Romano Tech, an eco friendly company , Multi millionaire , tries to restore the ecosystem with his projects.
Their world's collide when they meet at a grant and they are instantly attracted to each other. How far will they go for each other? How different are their lives? How profound is their love?
You'll get to know when you read this all fluff but slightly erotic book.
The book showcases beautifully the struggles of small (business) entrepreneurs , the hardships they face to create a brand of their own, the efforts and hardwork they invest. This book gives you butterflies and a happy feeling throughout this book. This book promotes the dream of an eco-friendly world. It beautifully narrates the Latino culture and community.
I throughly enjoyed this book and if you are a great fan of CEO tropes you'll enjoy this too.
For this to be Ami's first book I enjoyed it- It was a cute/sweet and at times heartwarming book (love that they began their connection over food and cooking/and of course other things).
I am giving this book somewhere between a 3.75/4 rating and a spice level around a 2.
If you like golden retreiver MMC, diverse characters (FMC Mexican/MMC Italian), HEA, instalove, stranger to friends to lovers, millionaire romance, he falls first, and no 3rd act breakup- then I would recommend reading Mold My Future.
Loved Rosie's character- she was a relatable character (her pride, and wanting to solve her own issues) also I wanna learn how to crochet. Victor was such a good fit for Rosie (yes he is a dreamy millionaire but he is such a golden retreiver mmc)- he was thoughtful and took care of Rosie. I loved that even though their romance was insta-lovey I appreciate watching both characters grow and work together through past traumas/pain they have experienced.
I'm excited to read more from Ami and look forward to the next book in the series!
This book is a little bit more wholesome than the last ARC I read recently. It focuses more on family and goals. Rosie is determined to open a ceramic studio and the only way she can do that is to earn/raise enough money so that she can achieve that dream. She is also determined to help her sister get out of jail. I understand from Rosie’s POV that she does not want help from Victor just because she is part of a minority group. I am like that too, not because I am part of a minority group, but because I don’t have the confidence to trust people. It takes me awhile to trust my friends and have them help me. Rosie eventually trusted Victor enough and asked him for help. I think that is a big step for Rosie compared to the first time when he helped her.
I really like how Rosie and Victor bonded over food and career. They both share their top 5 dishes and I think that is a great way to get to know each other and learn more about each other’s culture. They even share a common ground about eco-friendly businesses.
Mold My Future (The Fine Arts Series Book 1) by Ami Bella ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Mold My Future, tells the story of Rosa and Victor they meet and it was an insta love. My favorite part of this book is the incorporation of Latino culture, and the LGBTQIA+. Thai is such an enjoyable read, that to be honest would make anyone and everyone happy and giddy. Mold My Future has a little bit of everything. Definitely a must read, Mold My Future has all of our favorite tropes and I can't wait to read what's next.
TROPES: ✨ strangers to friends to lovers 💓 insta love 🎀 mutual pining ❤️🩹 no 3rd act break up 💕 he falls first 💻 entrepreneur x CEO 🇲🇽 🇮🇹 interracial romance (she’s mexican, he’s italian) 💸 millionaire romance 🇪🇨 Latino representation 🌈 queer representation 🍀 MMCs that are green flags
I did find this to be a cute read. It was cute to read about the relationship that Rosie and Victor were able to mold together. I loved the family oriented theme in the book, especially when it comes to Rosie. It was nice to read about an MMC that was sweet and kind and not have him be a jerk to the FMC for a good portion of the book.
To me this book leaned more on the YA side even though there were some spice scenes.
I do think that there were some parts in the book that were somewhat repetitive and even a bit rushed. But overall, this was a cute read and I can't wait to read the next book in the series and see learn more about the side characters.
Mold My Future is a sweet story that follows Rosie a hardworking Latina business owner trying to make her dreams come true and Victor the rich, sweet, kind guy whose company is offering Rosie a grant towards her business after she has won a contest. This story was relatable to me in how hard Rosie wanted her dreams to come true, she is stubborn, and how she depended on nobody except herself to make things happen. Victor fell for Rosie quickly, but their relationship developed perfectly, and I thought the way they cooked together was so adorable. This is a debut novel that I do recommend, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series especially with so many great side characters.
Thank you, Ami Bella, for the ARC! Congratulations on such a sweet debut! 💛
Such a sweet read… can I just say HELLO YEA TO OUT FIERCE & STRONG LATINA WOMEN !!! ok so back to the book. Love the female family friendship Relationships. Family is who u make it not who you’re born into. And out MMC was just the best golden retriever boyfriend you could ever have ! Love the representation and attention to detail describing panic and anxiety attacks. I can’t wait to read more. So amazed by this book
This debut novel is about millionaire Victor awarding Rosie and her small business.
• insta live • they cook for each other • steamy office scenes • respectful and supportive MMC • strong and caring FMC (but also she needs therapy)
The plot was pretty solid and had great potential! But the tone/writing style didn’t resonate with me and felt more like YA writing with some spicy moments here and there. I didn’t feel much of a personality shine through in the dual POV, it was largely similar.
Loved Luis’ family as support for Victor and Rosie’s girlfriends as her support. The journey of Rosie’s conflict with boundaries (being taken care of) seemed a bit choppy and sudden and more like telling than showing her “healing” moments aka character development.
I took more than a week to read this .. I usually read books within a day or two. So for me I really couldn’t connect to the tone of voice or some of the “problems” that didn’t seem like “problems” after a seemingly inexplicable change of heart.
Having said all that I’D STILL READ THE NEXT BOOK IN SERIES. Because I liked the side characters and I’m curious about what’s going on with them.
This book gave cutesy vibes, and I loved every minute of it. I loved watching the romance blossom between Rosie and Victor. I not only feel for the main characters but the side characters as well! This book felt more like YA writing with some spicy moments here and there. I think this is overall a pretty good debut book, I’m excited to see how Ami Bella continues the series.
Books that have spanish heritage or Spanish related subjects warm my heart. I loved this book. This story was so cute but yet so strong. Loved them both, Rosie and Victor are an adorable couple. Their connection and love were definitely a beautiful thing to see grow. I'm so glad both backgrounds, plus both families, help them see how they fit perfectly.
It started off light and cute. It’s like everything you ever wanted in cutesy romance book is in here. The immediate attraction of MMC and FMC was what got me all excited and kicking my feet in the air. However, it died down almost 12 chapters in. The interactions were repetitive and no exciting outcomes in those interactions. A couple chapters in, were a drag and thought that some scenes were unnecessary.
There were also scenes that did not have a smooth transition. It got lost to some parts of it, which it ended to scenes that does not make sense. Also, it did not have a nice flow to it. A sudden change of scenes almost lost me to follow through, that could have been easily missed or misunderstood. I have to reread 3 times just to make sure I did not miss anything.
The characters and the story were so hard to resonate with as a reader. I was at 46% and felt like it was not going any where. They just kept on visiting each other from home to work, vice versa. It was a scatter of events and had a struggle to keep up with it. There were so many in unnecessary scenes just to make the story longer. It’s the author’s first book and needs a little work, willing to give her a second chance.
This story was sweet and heartwarming, I cried and laughed. It's full of strength, heartbreak, spirit, growth, a lot of representation, green flags, diversity, and just amazing. I can't wait for book 2!
As an ARC reader of this book I can 100% say that this is worth the read. It’s funny, romantic, and emotional. I loved watching the relationship develop in what seemed like real time since the book was at a reasonable place. Plus, who doesn’t love a good craft store romance (#crochetgirlie)
I’ll be honest, this is not my usual type of book. However, I did find that story and character were engaging. I was happy with the ending and would not mind reading the author again in the future. Thank you for sharing your story!
Mold My Future was a great read. I enjoyed Rosie and Victor’s story and can’t wait for the rest of the series. I will definitely be reading them when they come out!