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More Like Enemigas
One wedding, two rivals and a whole lot of secrets…
As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Isabella Valdes knows three things for her late father’s restaurant is thriving she owns lots of designer things both of those statements are absolute lies to make her mother happy
Isabella would do anything to keep her father’s legacy alive, including attending her estranged cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza. Because once Sofia’s wealthy fiancé tastes the recipes Isa prepares from her father’s cherished journal, he’s sure to invest.
To Isa’s annoyance, she’ll be sharing a cabin with Valentina, the former friend turned rival who ruined her quinceañera. But Val is offering an unexpected deal—she’ll help Isa unravel an old family secret found in her father’s journal in return for help sabotaging the wedding and winning the heart of the bride.
Saying yes is a bad idea. Isa’s perfectionism meets its match in Val’s carefree demeanor, but as they work together, the usually responsible Isa can’t seem to say no to Val’s shenanigans. There’s no hiding from Val, no ignoring this complicated but undeniable connection that’s changing Isa’s beliefs about love, loyalty and just how much she owes to her family—and to herself…
As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Isabella Valdes knows three things for her late father’s restaurant is thriving she owns lots of designer things both of those statements are absolute lies to make her mother happy
Isabella would do anything to keep her father’s legacy alive, including attending her estranged cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza. Because once Sofia’s wealthy fiancé tastes the recipes Isa prepares from her father’s cherished journal, he’s sure to invest.
To Isa’s annoyance, she’ll be sharing a cabin with Valentina, the former friend turned rival who ruined her quinceañera. But Val is offering an unexpected deal—she’ll help Isa unravel an old family secret found in her father’s journal in return for help sabotaging the wedding and winning the heart of the bride.
Saying yes is a bad idea. Isa’s perfectionism meets its match in Val’s carefree demeanor, but as they work together, the usually responsible Isa can’t seem to say no to Val’s shenanigans. There’s no hiding from Val, no ignoring this complicated but undeniable connection that’s changing Isa’s beliefs about love, loyalty and just how much she owes to her family—and to herself…
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
2.5 ⭐️
Well, this didn't work for me. Where do I start? This was less a romance and more a family drama in a telenovela style—which sounded interesting, but I just couldn't care less. Although I did enjoy parts of it, I don't think it was very interesting or original, and there are several other things that didn't work for me. But, first of:
More Like Enemigas by Stephanie Hope follows Isabella Valdes, who is struggling to keep her dead father’s Cuban restaurant afloat while pretending everything is fine for her family’s sake. Hoping to secure an investment, she attends her cousin’s very over-the-top weeklong wedding, only to end up sharing a cabin with Valentina—her childhood friend turned longtime rival.
Here is my first problem already: I don't know why they hate each other. There was an incident at the quinceañera where Val ruined Isa's dress, but it's not really ever brought up again.
I thought the characters were acting very childish while being in their twenties, which is part of my second problem: Val offers to help Isa uncover a hidden family secret. In exchange, Isa needs to help sabotaging the wedding. Why? Val is in love with the Sofia, the bride. WHY? This is so goddamn stupid. Please, don't ruin a marriage because you can't handle your feelings.
Third, I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters. At all. Valentina loves someone else but pretty much flirts with Isabella from the beginning. And then they're suddelny in love. How did Val's feelings switch so fast. You wanted to RUIN A WEDDING FOR A WOMAN JUST TO KISS ANOTHER TWO PAGES LATER. It all just happened way too quickly.
Okay, the actually family secrets surrounding Isa's father weren't that bad. I just didn't care. But that's a me-problem. It was nothing I've never read or seen before. The big plottwist was cool I guess, but I hoped for more.
Overall, this was a quick sapphic read with lots of family drama and some enjoyable parts, but it didn’t land for me. I think this book will work for a lot of other people, but I'm not one of them.
This book comes out on April 7th, 2026.
Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well, this didn't work for me. Where do I start? This was less a romance and more a family drama in a telenovela style—which sounded interesting, but I just couldn't care less. Although I did enjoy parts of it, I don't think it was very interesting or original, and there are several other things that didn't work for me. But, first of:
More Like Enemigas by Stephanie Hope follows Isabella Valdes, who is struggling to keep her dead father’s Cuban restaurant afloat while pretending everything is fine for her family’s sake. Hoping to secure an investment, she attends her cousin’s very over-the-top weeklong wedding, only to end up sharing a cabin with Valentina—her childhood friend turned longtime rival.
Here is my first problem already: I don't know why they hate each other. There was an incident at the quinceañera where Val ruined Isa's dress, but it's not really ever brought up again.
I thought the characters were acting very childish while being in their twenties, which is part of my second problem: Val offers to help Isa uncover a hidden family secret. In exchange, Isa needs to help sabotaging the wedding. Why? Val is in love with the Sofia, the bride. WHY? This is so goddamn stupid. Please, don't ruin a marriage because you can't handle your feelings.
Third, I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters. At all. Valentina loves someone else but pretty much flirts with Isabella from the beginning. And then they're suddelny in love. How did Val's feelings switch so fast. You wanted to RUIN A WEDDING FOR A WOMAN JUST TO KISS ANOTHER TWO PAGES LATER. It all just happened way too quickly.
Okay, the actually family secrets surrounding Isa's father weren't that bad. I just didn't care. But that's a me-problem. It was nothing I've never read or seen before. The big plottwist was cool I guess, but I hoped for more.
Overall, this was a quick sapphic read with lots of family drama and some enjoyable parts, but it didn’t land for me. I think this book will work for a lot of other people, but I'm not one of them.
This book comes out on April 7th, 2026.
Thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Stephanie Hope, Harlequin, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4 / 5 ⭐
This was SO cute! Such a cozy, comforting, lighthearted read.
Isabella was such a relatable character. Girl is just trying to get by, trying to fit in.. And ever since losing her dad, things have been tough. I really felt for her.
She was truly willing to do anything to keep her dad's restaurant, his legacy, afloat. So, naturally, she goes against her mom's orders, attends a wedding and sees family she hasn't seen in years.. and ends up uncovering a huge family secret along the way. (AND BOY THAT SECRET WAS A BIG ONE OMG.)
The rom-com / telenovela aspect was addictive. I was so excited to see Valentina and Isabella progress from dislike to like to lovers. I do feel that their relationship progression was a bit rushed especially towards the very end? But aside from that, I loved them so much!
If you like sweet, lighthearted sapphic reads, More Like Enemigas is definitely one you should check out!
♡ pre-read ♡
I'm literally drowning in ARCs rn, but I am SO excited to start this one! A sapphic, telenovela-esque romcom? Yes pleaseeee!!
4 / 5 ⭐
This was SO cute! Such a cozy, comforting, lighthearted read.
Isabella was such a relatable character. Girl is just trying to get by, trying to fit in.. And ever since losing her dad, things have been tough. I really felt for her.
She was truly willing to do anything to keep her dad's restaurant, his legacy, afloat. So, naturally, she goes against her mom's orders, attends a wedding and sees family she hasn't seen in years.. and ends up uncovering a huge family secret along the way. (AND BOY THAT SECRET WAS A BIG ONE OMG.)
The rom-com / telenovela aspect was addictive. I was so excited to see Valentina and Isabella progress from dislike to like to lovers. I do feel that their relationship progression was a bit rushed especially towards the very end? But aside from that, I loved them so much!
If you like sweet, lighthearted sapphic reads, More Like Enemigas is definitely one you should check out!
♡ pre-read ♡
I'm literally drowning in ARCs rn, but I am SO excited to start this one! A sapphic, telenovela-esque romcom? Yes pleaseeee!!
October 29, 2025
Holy telenovelas!
Okay, let me start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this. It truly was such a good read. I was entertained the entire time.
The bochinche: family drama and family secrets.
It was wholesome in a latine family kind of way.
I really enjoyed Isa’s character. Loved Valentina, wish I could have gotten in her head ONCE. The shenanigans were so much fun.
This was my first book by this author and you know what? Yo quiero más. Honestamente, el mundo necesita más libros escritos por latine, con personajes latine.
The cover is gorgeous.
My only complaints: two characters should have 100% been dragged, it was deserved. And I felt like Val and Isa needed more fleshing out as a couple, I felt the tension and chemistry, but I wasn’t entirely convinced they were into each other for real.
This aside, I had a good time and I recommend it.
Okay, let me start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this. It truly was such a good read. I was entertained the entire time.
The bochinche: family drama and family secrets.
It was wholesome in a latine family kind of way.
I really enjoyed Isa’s character. Loved Valentina, wish I could have gotten in her head ONCE. The shenanigans were so much fun.
This was my first book by this author and you know what? Yo quiero más. Honestamente, el mundo necesita más libros escritos por latine, con personajes latine.
The cover is gorgeous.
My only complaints: two characters should have 100% been dragged, it was deserved. And I felt like Val and Isa needed more fleshing out as a couple, I felt the tension and chemistry, but I wasn’t entirely convinced they were into each other for real.
This aside, I had a good time and I recommend it.
Want to Read
March 24, 2026💐💛 More Like Enemigas 💛💐
📖 Bookish Thoughts
I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.
💕 What to Expect
• Sapphic romance
• Childhood rivals
• Wedding week
• Family drama
• Forced proximity
• Cuban family restaurant
_ _ _ _
🎧 Audio Score: 5 ⭐
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo (Aida Reluzco)
📅 Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
📖 Bookish Thoughts
I’ll be sharing my full review closer to publication date.
💕 What to Expect
• Sapphic romance
• Childhood rivals
• Wedding week
• Family drama
• Forced proximity
• Cuban family restaurant
_ _ _ _
🎧 Audio Score: 5 ⭐
🎙️ Narration Style: Solo (Aida Reluzco)
📅 Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Thank you to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
April 14, 2026
Okay so the author was probably trying to go for the messy telenovela vibe in this and to an extent they succeeded, except that telenovelas usually span 26-50 episodes, and since this is a totally different medium the actual romance was set aside in favour of the drama. To me, Isa and Val's chemistry and relationship wasn't fleshed out properly and going into this expecting a romance made for a quite disappointing read. I won't lie though, the drama was tewwww good
Did Not Finish
April 16, 2026I decided for my sanity not to finish this. If my reading this month had been going better I could have had more patience and given it more grace, but alas i cannot. The reason the two women haven’t spoken in 10 years was so juvenile and ridiculous, which is understandable considering they were 15 but to hold that grudge FOR TEN YEARS is just silly to me. The writing being overly dramatic and repetitive didn’t help. Cherry on top was the scheme that brought them together. As soon as they agreed on it I threw the towel. It read for enjoyment, not annoyance. And I was annoyed.
December 29, 2025
4/5
First of all, thanks to netgalley and Harlequin for this eARC!
This was a very cosy read. Romance is always such a nice read during the holidays, and this one fit right in.
Isa is a young cuban girl trying to keep her restaurant afloat without any ability of communication due to losing her father and an abstent-present mom. She goes to a wedding trying to save her restaurant, and everything unfolds from there. There’s mystery, there’s romance, there’s miscommunication and there’s wholesome interactions.
I also loved how there’s a non-binary character *and* there’s no homophobia on the plot. Sometimes you need a romance book that is simply romance and grief.
If you like romance, this one is for you!
First of all, thanks to netgalley and Harlequin for this eARC!
This was a very cosy read. Romance is always such a nice read during the holidays, and this one fit right in.
Isa is a young cuban girl trying to keep her restaurant afloat without any ability of communication due to losing her father and an abstent-present mom. She goes to a wedding trying to save her restaurant, and everything unfolds from there. There’s mystery, there’s romance, there’s miscommunication and there’s wholesome interactions.
I also loved how there’s a non-binary character *and* there’s no homophobia on the plot. Sometimes you need a romance book that is simply romance and grief.
If you like romance, this one is for you!
June 18, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ (solid!!) What a ride!! 🏕️🫂✨ I can see this being turned into a superb 2020’s 💘 Latina Romance 💘 by Jenny Lorenzo 🎥🎞️.
I loved all the characters (even the unlikable one was written well, imo), all the twist and turns, the camp feeling. The found family storyline was excellently delivered and the ending was tied in a beautiful bow in the end 🎀
#ValentinaGoals: “at first glance: smug, bordering on arrogant, and full of way too much confidence. At second glance: witty, silly, caring, and everything I’ve been looking for”
0.5 ⭐️ less because the food and atmosphere (aka vibes) were a tad overexplained, it sounded like how AI would write 🫢
I loved all the characters (even the unlikable one was written well, imo), all the twist and turns, the camp feeling. The found family storyline was excellently delivered and the ending was tied in a beautiful bow in the end 🎀
#ValentinaGoals: “at first glance: smug, bordering on arrogant, and full of way too much confidence. At second glance: witty, silly, caring, and everything I’ve been looking for”
0.5 ⭐️ less because the food and atmosphere (aka vibes) were a tad overexplained, it sounded like how AI would write 🫢
April 23, 2026
3.5 Rounded up.
First, stunning cover. Like I am obsessed.
Others have said it better, but if you don't like telenovas (or similar vibes), this wont be the book for you. Luckily for me, I was in a high drama mood so it just worked! It's fun and off the wall and just a really wild good time.
First, stunning cover. Like I am obsessed.
Others have said it better, but if you don't like telenovas (or similar vibes), this wont be the book for you. Luckily for me, I was in a high drama mood so it just worked! It's fun and off the wall and just a really wild good time.
June 11, 2026
okay so i shouldve know this book was going to be rough from the cornball title. but alas, i decided to give it a try cause it was about a queer cuban woman running her father’s cuban restaurant and how could i NOT read about that?
the one thing i liked: the talk about cuban dishes cause i got reminiscently hungry.
besides that, it was rough cause why was every single character unbearable and unrealistic? when the main chatacter and her love interest (who had bo chemistry btw) started giving speeches at their friend’s wedding about their OWN issues and horrible things they did to the bride, i had to literally zone out the rest of the book cause it was so bad. the vibes were simply not there for me i fear.
the one thing i liked: the talk about cuban dishes cause i got reminiscently hungry.
besides that, it was rough cause why was every single character unbearable and unrealistic? when the main chatacter and her love interest (who had bo chemistry btw) started giving speeches at their friend’s wedding about their OWN issues and horrible things they did to the bride, i had to literally zone out the rest of the book cause it was so bad. the vibes were simply not there for me i fear.
Read
May 6, 2026DNF @ 37%
Unfortunately, I was just not vibing with this one.
Unfortunately, I was just not vibing with this one.
April 1, 2026
3,5 ⭐️
November 15, 2025
This was such a cute and easy to follow read. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the pacing was just right. I also loved the characters in the story. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💖 Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
💖 Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
I absolutely adored this!! I love the writing style - this is my first book from this author but I'm definitely a fan, I loved the characterizations, and I loved the chemistry between the two leads. This is a really sweet romance while still touching on really complicated and sensitive family dynamics. Also I'm just a sucker for enemies to lovers.
I absolutely adored this!! I love the writing style - this is my first book from this author but I'm definitely a fan, I loved the characterizations, and I loved the chemistry between the two leads. This is a really sweet romance while still touching on really complicated and sensitive family dynamics. Also I'm just a sucker for enemies to lovers.
April 13, 2026
I really thought this would resonate with me more.
However, I felt like so much of it felt a bit unrealistic and dramatic for the sake of drama.
The way so many of these characters have problematic ways of dealing with their feelings and do not communicate in a way that’s healthy is also frustrating after a while. It’s like we’re meant to support people standing up for themselves, when really, they’re just name-calling and being just as much of a bully as the first person. I don’t want to root for people who think they’re morally above other people—and act surprised when they offend other people—while they’re doing the same exact thing!
The conflicts end up feeling a bit convoluted, and then get resolved so easily at the end. I wish there had been maybe a few less problems so that they could be fleshed out more.
Especially the whole dress breaking debacle! The quince incident that incites this years-long estrangement doesn’t feel deep enough, and makes it more difficult for me to really buy into why the family would keep such a big secret from the girls for so long. They are close for so long, how did it not come out before this? Why is that night this big of a deal? I would’ve loved to hear more about that and get some more emotional depth out of it.
I think, overall, I felt like it had a lot of really fun elements, but they ended up feeling a bit too messy for me to really enjoy.
Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC!
However, I felt like so much of it felt a bit unrealistic and dramatic for the sake of drama.
The way so many of these characters have problematic ways of dealing with their feelings and do not communicate in a way that’s healthy is also frustrating after a while. It’s like we’re meant to support people standing up for themselves, when really, they’re just name-calling and being just as much of a bully as the first person. I don’t want to root for people who think they’re morally above other people—and act surprised when they offend other people—while they’re doing the same exact thing!
The conflicts end up feeling a bit convoluted, and then get resolved so easily at the end. I wish there had been maybe a few less problems so that they could be fleshed out more.
Especially the whole dress breaking debacle! The quince incident that incites this years-long estrangement doesn’t feel deep enough, and makes it more difficult for me to really buy into why the family would keep such a big secret from the girls for so long. They are close for so long, how did it not come out before this? Why is that night this big of a deal? I would’ve loved to hear more about that and get some more emotional depth out of it.
I think, overall, I felt like it had a lot of really fun elements, but they ended up feeling a bit too messy for me to really enjoy.
Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC!
April 10, 2026
ARC review
Sapphic romance
Former friends to rivals to lovers
Family dramas
Wedding weekend
Forced proximity
Just one bed (+ cot on the floor)
This was more a story of family drama than it was a romance. Which is fine, because the family drama is really the more engaging aspect of the story. Parts of it meandered - there would be reveals that happened too quickly and were never addressed in the moment, surrounded by pages of pettiness and immaturity. And that was my biggest issue. Most of the characters are just so completely unlikable. The two FMCs are shockingly immature for women in their 20’s. Isa was petulant, arrogant, abrasive, full of anger and completely incapable of standing up for herself. She was too concerned with presenting a facade to do any real work to accomplish her goals. And Val - stealing someone’s wedding rings to stop their wedding? Seriously? Isa’s mother is completely despicable, more of a caricature of a real character than a flawed human being.
The writing as fine, and the pacing pretty quick. There’s a huge cast of side characters but Sofia and Rosita are the only ones who offered Ang brightness and humanity to the narrative.
Thanks so much to Harlequin for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
Sapphic romance
Former friends to rivals to lovers
Family dramas
Wedding weekend
Forced proximity
Just one bed (+ cot on the floor)
This was more a story of family drama than it was a romance. Which is fine, because the family drama is really the more engaging aspect of the story. Parts of it meandered - there would be reveals that happened too quickly and were never addressed in the moment, surrounded by pages of pettiness and immaturity. And that was my biggest issue. Most of the characters are just so completely unlikable. The two FMCs are shockingly immature for women in their 20’s. Isa was petulant, arrogant, abrasive, full of anger and completely incapable of standing up for herself. She was too concerned with presenting a facade to do any real work to accomplish her goals. And Val - stealing someone’s wedding rings to stop their wedding? Seriously? Isa’s mother is completely despicable, more of a caricature of a real character than a flawed human being.
The writing as fine, and the pacing pretty quick. There’s a huge cast of side characters but Sofia and Rosita are the only ones who offered Ang brightness and humanity to the narrative.
Thanks so much to Harlequin for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
May 21, 2026
Oh My God I had a blast with this one.
Isabella is just a girl trying to get by (respect) she is obsessed with work and keeping her late father’s restaurat open after his death but they are months behind in rent and she’s keeping it a secret from her mom and and the employees.
So she goes to the week long weeding of her cousin she hasn’t spoken to in 10 years since their mothers had a fight at theit joint quinceañera, she’s hoping yo get an investment from her cousins fiancee and discover a family secret her father left clues of in his journal.
When she gets there she gets thrown into a cabin with her enemy, the girl who ripped her dress at the quinceañera Valentina and soon enough romance starts to bloom. Yes I say soon enough cause the romance happens so fast, even if at the same time I feel like it wasn’t a main part of the story but it was supposed to be.
I liked the telenovela style of the story and all the drama, trying to uncover the secret and the Parent trap references but I feel like the romace was a bit lacking. I loved the family connections that formed.
Other than that the book was so much fun and I really liked Isabella and her growth, it was so cozy and a good summer read.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy of the world book !!
Isabella is just a girl trying to get by (respect) she is obsessed with work and keeping her late father’s restaurat open after his death but they are months behind in rent and she’s keeping it a secret from her mom and and the employees.
So she goes to the week long weeding of her cousin she hasn’t spoken to in 10 years since their mothers had a fight at theit joint quinceañera, she’s hoping yo get an investment from her cousins fiancee and discover a family secret her father left clues of in his journal.
When she gets there she gets thrown into a cabin with her enemy, the girl who ripped her dress at the quinceañera Valentina and soon enough romance starts to bloom. Yes I say soon enough cause the romance happens so fast, even if at the same time I feel like it wasn’t a main part of the story but it was supposed to be.
I liked the telenovela style of the story and all the drama, trying to uncover the secret and the Parent trap references but I feel like the romace was a bit lacking. I loved the family connections that formed.
Other than that the book was so much fun and I really liked Isabella and her growth, it was so cozy and a good summer read.
Thanks to the publisher for giving me a copy of the world book !!
April 8, 2026
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
isabella. sofia and val had been childhood friends until the parents fell out and isabella never saw her friend and cousin for over 10 year
but sofia is getting married and she has invited and its at a place that isabella has always wanted to experience and also the fact that isabellas restaurant is about to fold and sofia fiancee might invest is also on her mind.... could she pull off the deal of a lifetime and keep running her restaurant without the family knowing... the family she hasnt seen for over 10 years
there is alot of history between the family and she wants to know why..... but nobody is talking
and then there is val.... the one that ruined her dress all those years ago.... and someone who isabella has avoided for years....
can she pull off this deal and get to keep her restaurant and also mend fences with the family and what was behind them not speaking for years....
its an interesting read and when the mystery is solved it explains a lot
isabella. sofia and val had been childhood friends until the parents fell out and isabella never saw her friend and cousin for over 10 year
but sofia is getting married and she has invited and its at a place that isabella has always wanted to experience and also the fact that isabellas restaurant is about to fold and sofia fiancee might invest is also on her mind.... could she pull off the deal of a lifetime and keep running her restaurant without the family knowing... the family she hasnt seen for over 10 years
there is alot of history between the family and she wants to know why..... but nobody is talking
and then there is val.... the one that ruined her dress all those years ago.... and someone who isabella has avoided for years....
can she pull off this deal and get to keep her restaurant and also mend fences with the family and what was behind them not speaking for years....
its an interesting read and when the mystery is solved it explains a lot
June 19, 2026
2.75 stars ⭐️
I have so many mixed feelings about this book.
First off the family SUCKS! Whole family I don’t care who came around who didn’t they were annoying me the whole time and it didn’t really feel like they “accepted” her by the end. I don’t know, to act that way the whole time and then haha nevermind we love you mija! No. And of course the mom but that’s a sentiment dually shared between all.
Second the romance? Is WEIRD. The whole thing revolves around one being in love with someone and sabotaging the wedding but haha just kidding I’ve fallen in love with you along the way it’s always been you growing up? what? And also this whole story takes place in a week I just did not like the progression at all.
I did enjoy the mystery and figuring out the journal and how it moved the plot along in a realistic way and yes brought the main characters together etc but I wish that had been the main point with a b plot romance. It felt like the story couldn’t decide what it wanted to be - telenovela, mystery, romance
I have so many mixed feelings about this book.
First off the family SUCKS! Whole family I don’t care who came around who didn’t they were annoying me the whole time and it didn’t really feel like they “accepted” her by the end. I don’t know, to act that way the whole time and then haha nevermind we love you mija! No. And of course the mom but that’s a sentiment dually shared between all.
Second the romance? Is WEIRD. The whole thing revolves around one being in love with someone and sabotaging the wedding but haha just kidding I’ve fallen in love with you along the way it’s always been you growing up? what? And also this whole story takes place in a week I just did not like the progression at all.
I did enjoy the mystery and figuring out the journal and how it moved the plot along in a realistic way and yes brought the main characters together etc but I wish that had been the main point with a b plot romance. It felt like the story couldn’t decide what it wanted to be - telenovela, mystery, romance
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2026
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
This book is a jumble of plot threads that never quite manage to tie themselves into a bow and, at the end, I was left dissatisfied and confused with what exactly happened. To be fair to the book, much of it is solid. It’s a reasonable attempt at a romcom with family chaos and mildly amusing hijinx. The problem is all of these threads that never get resolved, or that just sort of trail off to the side.
The romance is the best part of this book. The writing is good, but the lack of cohesion in the plot elements and the overly convenient moments in the ending don’t work for me.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
This book is a jumble of plot threads that never quite manage to tie themselves into a bow and, at the end, I was left dissatisfied and confused with what exactly happened. To be fair to the book, much of it is solid. It’s a reasonable attempt at a romcom with family chaos and mildly amusing hijinx. The problem is all of these threads that never get resolved, or that just sort of trail off to the side.
The romance is the best part of this book. The writing is good, but the lack of cohesion in the plot elements and the overly convenient moments in the ending don’t work for me.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
June 14, 2026
Unfortunately, this was a mixed bag for me. I really wanted to love this because of the premise — sapphic romance with a telenovela spin! — but the romance fell a little flat and there were too many plot points. I liked the nods to The Parent Trap and the various settings, but the novel took a while to get to the action and then once it ended, it tried to tie everything in a nice little bow but didn’t feel convincing.
April 14, 2026
Telenovela
From the first chapter I was hooked to get all the juicy details on Isa family and talk about messy 😬. I also did love how the author made this story have a glimpse of the movie Parent Trap but make it messier 🤣.
From the first chapter I was hooked to get all the juicy details on Isa family and talk about messy 😬. I also did love how the author made this story have a glimpse of the movie Parent Trap but make it messier 🤣.
June 17, 2026
Overall, I wasn't really invested in the romance. It felt rushed and undeveloped, like they were just pushed together for the sake of it being a romance novel. Frankly, I was much more interested in the family dynamics and unlearning toxic mindsets taught by our cultures sometimes.
July 19, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to Libro.FM for the ALC.
This book was MESSY. Equally as frustrating as it was captivating. I was here 100% for the family dynamics and relationships. Did I want the main LIs to get together? No. Not even slightly. But everything outside of the romance kept me locked in.
The narrator, Aida Reluzco, did a fantastic job 🥰
Thank you to Libro.FM for the ALC.
This book was MESSY. Equally as frustrating as it was captivating. I was here 100% for the family dynamics and relationships. Did I want the main LIs to get together? No. Not even slightly. But everything outside of the romance kept me locked in.
The narrator, Aida Reluzco, did a fantastic job 🥰
December 5, 2025
First off thank you Netgalley and Harlequin books for the ARC!!
I really struggled with this. It’s an extremely good possibility that I am in a reading slump as of right now, but I figured out the whole point of this book very very quickly. I struggled to keep up with things as far as the backstory goes there was so much inner monologue and not enough dialogue between the characters that I failed to become connected.
WARNING!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!
OK, you’ve officially been warned because now I’m gonna really dive into what bothered me the most first off. It wasn’t the fact that she had crappy family and friends such as Muriah who was all about trying to push her in Valentina together and Sophia, who was one happy to push her in Valentina together, even though she clearly did not like Valentina. Second of all Valentina extremely immature write out the gate. I don’t care if they’re in the late 20s and she’s a professional chef extremely immature not a good time second of all CI rolls up to this wedding for her best friend by the way, and she is admitting out loud that she wants to ruin the wedding because she is in love with the bride and has been so she sets out to destroy the wedding intentionally losing the wedding rings. And then for a few days later to develop feelings and fall in love with Isabella. Yeah not at all. Be believable. They hardly ever had any real time to actually develop a relationship so I did not feel connected to that romance whatsoever even though they were pushed in every trope you could think of one bed force proximity and it means lovers that’s type of situation and they still didn’t have that relationship.
Now let’s go with what is actually really bothering me. Isabella’s father was made out to be this incredible guy who was such a great dad and had built the restaurant up for her mother and all of these things only to find out that her dad is actually quite the piece of crap. Who originally was in love with Rosita who is Sophia’s mom and well Rosita is pregnant with Sophia. He decides to go sleep with Mariposa. No I’m not by any means an expert in these types of things, but I’m pretty sure that is a cheater Rosita and Mari we’re best friends and Mari still slept with Roberto and got pregnant with Isabella. That is not a great guy in my opinion.
So now at the end of the book, we’ve got Sophia and Isabella, who are half sisters and takes less than a few hours for Sophia to forgive Isabella for attempting to ruin the wedding. I will say that Isabella finally standing up to her mother, was probably one of the better points of this movie because Mariposa was a horrible person.
Now onto some more editorial errors that bothered me quite a bit. Faye is a friend of Isabella‘s and helps at the restaurant, and I do believe that they are non-binary since a majority of the book. The author refers to them with the they/them pronouns. However, there are a few different instances where they are miss gendered so I think it would be prudent of the editorial staff to make sure that is corrected. There were also several other grammatical and punctuation errors that would be easy to fix.
Overall, this had a really great concept and I would’ve really enjoyed it more if it wasn’t just all over the place and the relationships were able to develop appropriately.
I really struggled with this. It’s an extremely good possibility that I am in a reading slump as of right now, but I figured out the whole point of this book very very quickly. I struggled to keep up with things as far as the backstory goes there was so much inner monologue and not enough dialogue between the characters that I failed to become connected.
WARNING!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!
OK, you’ve officially been warned because now I’m gonna really dive into what bothered me the most first off. It wasn’t the fact that she had crappy family and friends such as Muriah who was all about trying to push her in Valentina together and Sophia, who was one happy to push her in Valentina together, even though she clearly did not like Valentina. Second of all Valentina extremely immature write out the gate. I don’t care if they’re in the late 20s and she’s a professional chef extremely immature not a good time second of all CI rolls up to this wedding for her best friend by the way, and she is admitting out loud that she wants to ruin the wedding because she is in love with the bride and has been so she sets out to destroy the wedding intentionally losing the wedding rings. And then for a few days later to develop feelings and fall in love with Isabella. Yeah not at all. Be believable. They hardly ever had any real time to actually develop a relationship so I did not feel connected to that romance whatsoever even though they were pushed in every trope you could think of one bed force proximity and it means lovers that’s type of situation and they still didn’t have that relationship.
Now let’s go with what is actually really bothering me. Isabella’s father was made out to be this incredible guy who was such a great dad and had built the restaurant up for her mother and all of these things only to find out that her dad is actually quite the piece of crap. Who originally was in love with Rosita who is Sophia’s mom and well Rosita is pregnant with Sophia. He decides to go sleep with Mariposa. No I’m not by any means an expert in these types of things, but I’m pretty sure that is a cheater Rosita and Mari we’re best friends and Mari still slept with Roberto and got pregnant with Isabella. That is not a great guy in my opinion.
So now at the end of the book, we’ve got Sophia and Isabella, who are half sisters and takes less than a few hours for Sophia to forgive Isabella for attempting to ruin the wedding. I will say that Isabella finally standing up to her mother, was probably one of the better points of this movie because Mariposa was a horrible person.
Now onto some more editorial errors that bothered me quite a bit. Faye is a friend of Isabella‘s and helps at the restaurant, and I do believe that they are non-binary since a majority of the book. The author refers to them with the they/them pronouns. However, there are a few different instances where they are miss gendered so I think it would be prudent of the editorial staff to make sure that is corrected. There were also several other grammatical and punctuation errors that would be easy to fix.
Overall, this had a really great concept and I would’ve really enjoyed it more if it wasn’t just all over the place and the relationships were able to develop appropriately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2026
More Like Enemigas was such a messy family drama in the best way. What starts as a mission to save the family business quickly turns into something much bigger as the main character uncovers life-changing family secrets. I started piecing some of the twists together, but they still had me surprised.
What stood out to me the most, though, was her journey of self-discovery. Watching her grow and find herself ended up being the biggest reveal of all.
As someone born and raised in the Berkshires, I also loved seeing the setting come to life throughout the story. It made the book feel even more special.
If you enjoy messy family dynamics, shocking secrets, strong character growth, and stories centered around self-discovery, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(rounded down from 2.25)
The premise here sounded really fun, and there is a lot of potential, but the final product feels a bit unfocused to me and underdeveloped in some aspects as a result of trying to do too many things.
You have all the ingredients for a good enemies-to-lovers, telenovella-style family drama, and learning to let go of grief and workaholism in favour of life and love. Isabella (Isa) is dealing with a failing restaurant that was her deceased dad's passion project, a mom who is distant but likes the finer things in life, an estranged family, a dismal dating life, and workaholism to deal with her own grief and loneliness. She's a solid main character for a romance novel, and we just know she's going to learn the meaning of life and love, learn to let go of the restaurant and embrace her father's wishes for her to live a fulfilled life and also somehow find love and whimsy again. The ingredients are all there (a little food-based pun for you, folks).
Isa is lured into a week-long summer camp wedding for her estranged cousin Sofia. Annoyingly, Valentina, Isa's childhood best friend turned enemy, but also Sofia's maid of honour and best friend, is sharing a cabin with her for this week. Once again, the ingredients are all there: the soft looks, the attraction, one of them is a slob, the other is a control freak, and somehow they will fall in love and learn to bring out the best in each other. Again, promising and sounds like a good time with lots of hijinks and falling into mud and surprising yourself and others by bonding with them.
Unfortunately, the execution is where things start to fall apart because there are simply too many things squeezed in, which include, but are not limited to:
* Classism because Isa and her family are poor and trying to hide it with fake designer bags and clothes, while the estranged part of the family is all very well off, and Sofia is marrying into even more wealth.
* A Quinceañera dress incident that is never really addressed properly and ties in subtly to the classism. Why did Val do this, and why did she think it was no big deal despite being besties with Isa and so obviously having some idea that her family can't afford big, expensive dresses that often?
* Isa's very uptight and controlling personality is a result of her anxiety, which just goes away once we change settings. Val being a slob and wasteful with her expensive clothes and accessories, also just fades away without being addressed.
* Val has been in love with Sofia but is flirting with Isa all the time and somehow gets over it really easily, despite having a plan to actively sabotage her bestie's wedding.
* The central mystery of the recipe book and why not one single adult in this family ever told the kids this very obvious secret, despite there being no stakes to revealing it anymore. All this "my dad always loved giving me puzzles" nonsense to avoid one honest conversation with your kid, dad?
* Val's casual ex is somehow embittered to the point of being an active asshole to Isa in front of their shared family, and nobody calls her out on how rude it is to keep insinuating that someone can't afford designer clothes or that they bought their clothes (gasp) from somewhere that is not a designer brand?
* The romance between Isa and Val seems really superficial. Val is a rich girl who is successful and in love with her bestie, but somehow, Isa and Val squeeze in true love in five days. I'm not sold on this because it doesn't feel like they have a deeper connection than just attraction.
* It's fairly obvious what the secret is going to be, and I'm surprised there isn't any actual angst about it because in a real-life situation, would that build up some insane resentment on all sides.
* General family drama and trying to keep who's who and how everyone is related straight.
Without spoiling things, there is a lot going on here, and most of it gets a relatively shallower treatment than it would in a Literary Fiction book because this is a romance book, and that is normally fine. However, as I mentioned, I don't find the romance particularly deep or compelling either, and it feels a bit like a superficial attraction. Childhood best friends to lovers normally come with a lot of depth of feeling because you know this person deeply. Enemies to lovers creates some fun friction and reluctant cessation of hostilities for a mutual goal. When all is said and done, we have almost no good feelings frontloaded due to childhood closeness and the tension is one-sided and almost immediately discarded because Val constantly flirts with Isa and seems to know there is an attraction there, which removes any compelling reason I had for them to not just have a fling and leave it at that. Unfortunately, I did not find any deeper romance compelling here and so the romance aspect fell a bit flat for me.
While this was a fun time as a bit of a romcom with the usual elements (falling into mud together, flirty kitchen adventures, saucy banter), they only work if we feel the main characters have a deeper connection and especially on the one week timeline of the book's events, the depth of the relationship really needs to be nailed down (heh), which is it is not here, at least in my opinion.
Overall: a fun read and a cute little Parent Trap reference subplot but there is ultimately too much happening and the lack of focus makes it all feel shallow.
The premise here sounded really fun, and there is a lot of potential, but the final product feels a bit unfocused to me and underdeveloped in some aspects as a result of trying to do too many things.
You have all the ingredients for a good enemies-to-lovers, telenovella-style family drama, and learning to let go of grief and workaholism in favour of life and love. Isabella (Isa) is dealing with a failing restaurant that was her deceased dad's passion project, a mom who is distant but likes the finer things in life, an estranged family, a dismal dating life, and workaholism to deal with her own grief and loneliness. She's a solid main character for a romance novel, and we just know she's going to learn the meaning of life and love, learn to let go of the restaurant and embrace her father's wishes for her to live a fulfilled life and also somehow find love and whimsy again. The ingredients are all there (a little food-based pun for you, folks).
Isa is lured into a week-long summer camp wedding for her estranged cousin Sofia. Annoyingly, Valentina, Isa's childhood best friend turned enemy, but also Sofia's maid of honour and best friend, is sharing a cabin with her for this week. Once again, the ingredients are all there: the soft looks, the attraction, one of them is a slob, the other is a control freak, and somehow they will fall in love and learn to bring out the best in each other. Again, promising and sounds like a good time with lots of hijinks and falling into mud and surprising yourself and others by bonding with them.
Unfortunately, the execution is where things start to fall apart because there are simply too many things squeezed in, which include, but are not limited to:
* Classism because Isa and her family are poor and trying to hide it with fake designer bags and clothes, while the estranged part of the family is all very well off, and Sofia is marrying into even more wealth.
* A Quinceañera dress incident that is never really addressed properly and ties in subtly to the classism. Why did Val do this, and why did she think it was no big deal despite being besties with Isa and so obviously having some idea that her family can't afford big, expensive dresses that often?
* Isa's very uptight and controlling personality is a result of her anxiety, which just goes away once we change settings. Val being a slob and wasteful with her expensive clothes and accessories, also just fades away without being addressed.
* Val has been in love with Sofia but is flirting with Isa all the time and somehow gets over it really easily, despite having a plan to actively sabotage her bestie's wedding.
* The central mystery of the recipe book and why not one single adult in this family ever told the kids this very obvious secret, despite there being no stakes to revealing it anymore. All this "my dad always loved giving me puzzles" nonsense to avoid one honest conversation with your kid, dad?
* Val's casual ex is somehow embittered to the point of being an active asshole to Isa in front of their shared family, and nobody calls her out on how rude it is to keep insinuating that someone can't afford designer clothes or that they bought their clothes (gasp) from somewhere that is not a designer brand?
* The romance between Isa and Val seems really superficial. Val is a rich girl who is successful and in love with her bestie, but somehow, Isa and Val squeeze in true love in five days. I'm not sold on this because it doesn't feel like they have a deeper connection than just attraction.
* It's fairly obvious what the secret is going to be, and I'm surprised there isn't any actual angst about it because in a real-life situation, would that build up some insane resentment on all sides.
* General family drama and trying to keep who's who and how everyone is related straight.
Without spoiling things, there is a lot going on here, and most of it gets a relatively shallower treatment than it would in a Literary Fiction book because this is a romance book, and that is normally fine. However, as I mentioned, I don't find the romance particularly deep or compelling either, and it feels a bit like a superficial attraction. Childhood best friends to lovers normally come with a lot of depth of feeling because you know this person deeply. Enemies to lovers creates some fun friction and reluctant cessation of hostilities for a mutual goal. When all is said and done, we have almost no good feelings frontloaded due to childhood closeness and the tension is one-sided and almost immediately discarded because Val constantly flirts with Isa and seems to know there is an attraction there, which removes any compelling reason I had for them to not just have a fling and leave it at that. Unfortunately, I did not find any deeper romance compelling here and so the romance aspect fell a bit flat for me.
While this was a fun time as a bit of a romcom with the usual elements (falling into mud together, flirty kitchen adventures, saucy banter), they only work if we feel the main characters have a deeper connection and especially on the one week timeline of the book's events, the depth of the relationship really needs to be nailed down (heh), which is it is not here, at least in my opinion.
Overall: a fun read and a cute little Parent Trap reference subplot but there is ultimately too much happening and the lack of focus makes it all feel shallow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Maybe you two should finally stop bickering and…" Rosita raises her eyebrows suggestively. "You know, get together."
Absolutely nothing is going right for Isabella Valdes. She's broke, her family restaurant is struggling, and she's dancing on eggshells trying to keep everyone from finding out.
But that's not a big deal. Of course not. It doesn't matter that they're three months behind on rent and not even close to turning a profit. Because she's going to attend her estranged cousin Sofia's wedding and win over Sofia's investor fiancé to secure the future of La Mariposa.
Sure, she might have to stretch the truth a little bit, but white lies never hurt anybody… Right?
What matters is that she keep the restaurant afloat, even if it means pulling herself into the current. So that's exactly what she's going to do.
More Like Enemigas is an earnest, low-heat rom-com that follows Isabella Valdes as she solves a family mystery, tries to save her dad's restaurant, lives out her childhood dream of going to summer camp, and falls in love. Not necessarily in that order (both sequentially and of importance).
In a broad stroke, More Like Enemigas is about three things: food, family, and finding yourself. For Isabella, all three might as well be synonymous.
Ever since her dad died a few years ago, Isabella's been running his dream restaurant in his steed. She lives and breathes La Mariposa. Literally, she has zero life outside of the restaurant, too focused on making sure her dad's dream doesn't die with her. It's not just about the restaurant, it's about what it represents.
La Mariposa is supposed to be her legacy, his legacy, and she can't let it go down without a fight.
And oh man does she fight.
She's willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means defying her mother and reconnecting with the side of the family she hasn't seen since her quinceañera, when something big went down between her mom and Sofia's mom, Rosita. Big enough that her mom cut them off and refused to interact with them for a decade, despite how close Isabella and Sofia were as kids.
It's not easy, but Isabella isn't about easy.
If that weren't hard enough, she also has to share a cabin and a kitchen with none other than Valentina Garcia—successful chef, Sofia's best friend, and the girl who ruined her dress and left her in tears at her quinceañera. It doesn't help that she's painfully beautiful and disarmingly charming.
Together, they conspire to sabotage the wedding and uncover the secrets left in Isabella's father's journal. All the while trying not to fall for each other.
Plot-wise, it's fun! It's easy to rip through and enjoy. The premise is unique, but grounded and the characters are flawed in that oh-so-human way that makes them fun to root for.
I liked seeing Isabella's insecurities and her (bad) coping mechanisms, her rocky relationship with her mother, the ghost of grief and love from her father, the ever-present connection she has with Sofia and Val despite years apart, and everything in between. Even if she was so dense and in-her-head sometimes that I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The development of her relationship with Val is quick but fluid, based on their shared history. Val is such a charming love interest, but sometimes I was like… man Isabella is fumbling so bad it's hard to watch.
All in all, More Like Enemigas is a good beach read. It's essentially what you expect out of a rom-com with a mystery b-plot that's interesting, albeit a little predictable. It's a solid 3 stars for me because things got pretty heavy-handed towards the end and I just didn't find myself enjoying the last act of the book nearly as much as the start. But if you're craving something light, sweet, and low-stakes, you can't go wrong with More Like Enemigas.
"Maybe you two should finally stop bickering and…" Rosita raises her eyebrows suggestively. "You know, get together."
Absolutely nothing is going right for Isabella Valdes. She's broke, her family restaurant is struggling, and she's dancing on eggshells trying to keep everyone from finding out.
But that's not a big deal. Of course not. It doesn't matter that they're three months behind on rent and not even close to turning a profit. Because she's going to attend her estranged cousin Sofia's wedding and win over Sofia's investor fiancé to secure the future of La Mariposa.
Sure, she might have to stretch the truth a little bit, but white lies never hurt anybody… Right?
What matters is that she keep the restaurant afloat, even if it means pulling herself into the current. So that's exactly what she's going to do.
More Like Enemigas is an earnest, low-heat rom-com that follows Isabella Valdes as she solves a family mystery, tries to save her dad's restaurant, lives out her childhood dream of going to summer camp, and falls in love. Not necessarily in that order (both sequentially and of importance).
In a broad stroke, More Like Enemigas is about three things: food, family, and finding yourself. For Isabella, all three might as well be synonymous.
Ever since her dad died a few years ago, Isabella's been running his dream restaurant in his steed. She lives and breathes La Mariposa. Literally, she has zero life outside of the restaurant, too focused on making sure her dad's dream doesn't die with her. It's not just about the restaurant, it's about what it represents.
La Mariposa is supposed to be her legacy, his legacy, and she can't let it go down without a fight.
And oh man does she fight.
She's willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means defying her mother and reconnecting with the side of the family she hasn't seen since her quinceañera, when something big went down between her mom and Sofia's mom, Rosita. Big enough that her mom cut them off and refused to interact with them for a decade, despite how close Isabella and Sofia were as kids.
It's not easy, but Isabella isn't about easy.
If that weren't hard enough, she also has to share a cabin and a kitchen with none other than Valentina Garcia—successful chef, Sofia's best friend, and the girl who ruined her dress and left her in tears at her quinceañera. It doesn't help that she's painfully beautiful and disarmingly charming.
Together, they conspire to sabotage the wedding and uncover the secrets left in Isabella's father's journal. All the while trying not to fall for each other.
Plot-wise, it's fun! It's easy to rip through and enjoy. The premise is unique, but grounded and the characters are flawed in that oh-so-human way that makes them fun to root for.
I liked seeing Isabella's insecurities and her (bad) coping mechanisms, her rocky relationship with her mother, the ghost of grief and love from her father, the ever-present connection she has with Sofia and Val despite years apart, and everything in between. Even if she was so dense and in-her-head sometimes that I wanted to shake some sense into her.
The development of her relationship with Val is quick but fluid, based on their shared history. Val is such a charming love interest, but sometimes I was like… man Isabella is fumbling so bad it's hard to watch.
All in all, More Like Enemigas is a good beach read. It's essentially what you expect out of a rom-com with a mystery b-plot that's interesting, albeit a little predictable. It's a solid 3 stars for me because things got pretty heavy-handed towards the end and I just didn't find myself enjoying the last act of the book nearly as much as the start. But if you're craving something light, sweet, and low-stakes, you can't go wrong with More Like Enemigas.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Adores for an ARC of this wonderful book!
I had a lot of fun with this one - it promises hijinks and hijinks abound as Isabella, a restaurant owner, and Valentina, a talented chef (and Isa's childhood best friend) fall in love over the course of a week at their mutual friend's wedding. There are complicated family secrets, mixed emotions, and a lot of fun to be had throughout the course of this story. The wedding is set at a picturesque summer camp where the girls (except Isabella) went every summer as children.
Surprisingly, for a romcom, this is largely a story about grief: Isa lost her father to an illness a few years before the story starts, and she's never reckoned with the emotions of it. She steals her father's journal from her mother and spends much of the story poring over it, trying to discover the big family secret that almost tore their family apart fifteen years prior. By her side is Maria, her beloved cousin, and Valentina: the beautiful former best friend she had a falling out with fifteen years ago. Isa battles her grief and her intense desire to make her late father and still-living but largely narcissistic mother proud.
She and Valentina dance around each other as the aforementioned hijinks about: rafting in the river, paddleboarding, stealing the rings, trying to sabotage the wedding, trying to save the wedding, and so much more. All the while, Isa discovers that there is room in her life not just for her late father's restaurant, but for love, too. And together, they solve the mystery that has plagued them for years, that nearly tore apart their extended family at Isabella's quinceanera all those years ago.
As this was an ARC, I didn't hold it against it that there were a couple of structural issues with the story, or that I spotted the occasional rogue typo or mistake. It was still a fantastic read, and Isabella's journey from insecure daughter to proud restauranter is so fun to experience. There is a lot of emotion, a lot of drama - truly, this is an incredible soap opera in book form - but also a lot of love. The ending is absolute perfection, not only because it gave me as a reader exactly what I wanted, but also because it largely felt earned: Isa truly goes through the wringer to get her happy ending. There are so many characters to love, and even better, there's a few characters that are easy to hate, too. However, Stephanie Hope, the author, ensured that there were no flat villains. Everyone is three dimensional, with clear motivations.
I really enjoyed this book, as I have all the books from this imprint I've had the pleasure of reading. They follow the three-act structure of a romcom perfectly, and More Like Enemigas does it with a lot of flair. I will be looking out for more books by this author.
I had a lot of fun with this one - it promises hijinks and hijinks abound as Isabella, a restaurant owner, and Valentina, a talented chef (and Isa's childhood best friend) fall in love over the course of a week at their mutual friend's wedding. There are complicated family secrets, mixed emotions, and a lot of fun to be had throughout the course of this story. The wedding is set at a picturesque summer camp where the girls (except Isabella) went every summer as children.
Surprisingly, for a romcom, this is largely a story about grief: Isa lost her father to an illness a few years before the story starts, and she's never reckoned with the emotions of it. She steals her father's journal from her mother and spends much of the story poring over it, trying to discover the big family secret that almost tore their family apart fifteen years prior. By her side is Maria, her beloved cousin, and Valentina: the beautiful former best friend she had a falling out with fifteen years ago. Isa battles her grief and her intense desire to make her late father and still-living but largely narcissistic mother proud.
She and Valentina dance around each other as the aforementioned hijinks about: rafting in the river, paddleboarding, stealing the rings, trying to sabotage the wedding, trying to save the wedding, and so much more. All the while, Isa discovers that there is room in her life not just for her late father's restaurant, but for love, too. And together, they solve the mystery that has plagued them for years, that nearly tore apart their extended family at Isabella's quinceanera all those years ago.
As this was an ARC, I didn't hold it against it that there were a couple of structural issues with the story, or that I spotted the occasional rogue typo or mistake. It was still a fantastic read, and Isabella's journey from insecure daughter to proud restauranter is so fun to experience. There is a lot of emotion, a lot of drama - truly, this is an incredible soap opera in book form - but also a lot of love. The ending is absolute perfection, not only because it gave me as a reader exactly what I wanted, but also because it largely felt earned: Isa truly goes through the wringer to get her happy ending. There are so many characters to love, and even better, there's a few characters that are easy to hate, too. However, Stephanie Hope, the author, ensured that there were no flat villains. Everyone is three dimensional, with clear motivations.
I really enjoyed this book, as I have all the books from this imprint I've had the pleasure of reading. They follow the three-act structure of a romcom perfectly, and More Like Enemigas does it with a lot of flair. I will be looking out for more books by this author.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
More like Enemigas. 3.5 rounded up
The family dysfunction in this book made me feel like my family drama was normal. lol I've never seen a family with so many convoluted secrets in all of my days. It was like an extremely interesting train wreck that I just could not look away from.
I really liked our main female character, Isabella. I felt like she was very conflicted and flawed, but ultimately at her core just wanted to do the right thing by everybody except for herself. I understood all the decisions she made and the reasons that she made them, even though the entire time I was rooting for her eventual honest moment.
The side characters in this book really shined. There was some characters in this book that I was rooting for their ultimate demise. If a couple of these characters had fallen in the lake and never emerged, I would've been totally OK with that. But you were supposed to hate these characters so I feel like the author did an excellent job giving them that dislikable agency that made you want to read more. So that hopefully they got there just desserts.
This book absolutely made me so hungry though lol all of the amazing and traditional Cuban foods discussed was such a fun aspect of this book. The conversational Spanish was also really well utilized and context clues gave you everything you needed to know. Just in case you happen to read this and are not Spanish speaking.
There were a few things that did not work for me in this novel. Although they are personal tastes and might not affect other readers, so take it with a grain of salt. I felt like the extravagant show of wealth throughout this book was extremely excessive. I felt like it got a little too much into the description and into the dropping of brand names. It did take me out of the book just a little bit and did lower that relatability aspect for me. Another feeling point for me in this book was the overall character of Valentina. I felt like she was very wishy-washy in her love interests and motivations. She was in love enough with one character to sabotage an extremely important role, but she was able to let go of it so easily after just one day. I just don't know that that made much sense to me. I think the book would've done well without the sabotage plot in general.
In general, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy listen and I felt like the narrator did an absolutely excellent job of bringing relatability and interest to the characters. I love the tone and the pronunciation of all of the Spanish. I absolutely think the narrator was a shining star for this. I would absolutely be interested in reading more from this author and from the narrator too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted copy of this book.
The family dysfunction in this book made me feel like my family drama was normal. lol I've never seen a family with so many convoluted secrets in all of my days. It was like an extremely interesting train wreck that I just could not look away from.
I really liked our main female character, Isabella. I felt like she was very conflicted and flawed, but ultimately at her core just wanted to do the right thing by everybody except for herself. I understood all the decisions she made and the reasons that she made them, even though the entire time I was rooting for her eventual honest moment.
The side characters in this book really shined. There was some characters in this book that I was rooting for their ultimate demise. If a couple of these characters had fallen in the lake and never emerged, I would've been totally OK with that. But you were supposed to hate these characters so I feel like the author did an excellent job giving them that dislikable agency that made you want to read more. So that hopefully they got there just desserts.
This book absolutely made me so hungry though lol all of the amazing and traditional Cuban foods discussed was such a fun aspect of this book. The conversational Spanish was also really well utilized and context clues gave you everything you needed to know. Just in case you happen to read this and are not Spanish speaking.
There were a few things that did not work for me in this novel. Although they are personal tastes and might not affect other readers, so take it with a grain of salt. I felt like the extravagant show of wealth throughout this book was extremely excessive. I felt like it got a little too much into the description and into the dropping of brand names. It did take me out of the book just a little bit and did lower that relatability aspect for me. Another feeling point for me in this book was the overall character of Valentina. I felt like she was very wishy-washy in her love interests and motivations. She was in love enough with one character to sabotage an extremely important role, but she was able to let go of it so easily after just one day. I just don't know that that made much sense to me. I think the book would've done well without the sabotage plot in general.
In general, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy listen and I felt like the narrator did an absolutely excellent job of bringing relatability and interest to the characters. I love the tone and the pronunciation of all of the Spanish. I absolutely think the narrator was a shining star for this. I would absolutely be interested in reading more from this author and from the narrator too.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted copy of this book.
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