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.