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Honey Blonde Chica
Evie Gomez is one chill chica.
She and her best friend, Raquel, hang with the Flojos, a kick-back crew named for their designer flip-flops. And their habit of doing absolutely nothing.
But the return of long-lost amiga mejor Dee Dee wrecks Evie and Raquel's Flojo flow. A few years in Mexico City have transformed their shy, skinny, brunette Dee Dee into a Sangro nightmare. Dee Dee has reinvented herself as "Dela," complete with tight designer threads, freaky blue contacts, and that signature blond hair.
When Raquel wants precisely nada to do with the new Dela, Evie finds herself caught between two very different friends. At heart, is Evie a Cali-casual Flojo chick, or a sexy Sangro diva?
How's a chica to choose?
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2006
3 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Michele Serros
11 books44 followersNamed by Newsweek as "A Woman to Watch for in the New Century," Michele Serros is the author of Chicana Falsa and other stories of death, identity and Oxnard, How to be a Chicana Role Model, Honey Blonde Chica, and ¡Scandalosa!
A former staff writer for "The George Lopez Show," Serros has written for the Los Angeles Times, Ms. Magazine, Marie Claire, CosmoGirl, and The Washington Post and contributes satirical commentaries regularly for National Public Radio. An award-winning spoken word artist, she has read her poems to stadium crowds as a national touring "Road Poet" for Lollapalooza, recorded "Selected Stories from Chicana Falsa" for Mercury Records, and was selected by the Poetry Society of America to place her poetry on MTA buses throughout Los Angeles County.
Serros attended Ventura College before moving to Venice, Calif. and enrolling at Santa Monica College. She transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles where she graduated with a degree in Chicana/o Studies cum laude in 1996. "With the so many years I spent in college," Ms. Serros has been known to joke, "I should have three Ph.Ds by now."
via http://www.miralamichele.com/
A former staff writer for "The George Lopez Show," Serros has written for the Los Angeles Times, Ms. Magazine, Marie Claire, CosmoGirl, and The Washington Post and contributes satirical commentaries regularly for National Public Radio. An award-winning spoken word artist, she has read her poems to stadium crowds as a national touring "Road Poet" for Lollapalooza, recorded "Selected Stories from Chicana Falsa" for Mercury Records, and was selected by the Poetry Society of America to place her poetry on MTA buses throughout Los Angeles County.
Serros attended Ventura College before moving to Venice, Calif. and enrolling at Santa Monica College. She transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles where she graduated with a degree in Chicana/o Studies cum laude in 1996. "With the so many years I spent in college," Ms. Serros has been known to joke, "I should have three Ph.Ds by now."
via http://www.miralamichele.com/
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May 18, 2020
One big problem with most YA written for/about/by BIPoC seems that publishers insist these books be heavily issue-oriented. They're all about "the struggle", whether that be poverty, crime, drugs, pregnancy or race. Not to say these subjects aren't important, but not EVERY young person of colour can or should be reduced to those circumstances. We're diverse. I get tired of mentioning to authors and readers that there ARE Black skater guys, Asian hip-hop girls, Latina Morrisey fans, Black Lolita girls, Muslim J-rock fans and the list goes on. Not every YA reader wants to be regaled with yet another 'Afterschool Special' type story. Seriously, where's the Black version of The Mortal Instruments, or the Asian version of Gossip Girl?
The late Michele Serros made that exact point when talking about Honey Blonde Chica. There's not a barrio nor a drive-by to be found in this book. Instead, Serros wrote about an enclave of wealthy Latinos living in a suburb of Santa Barbara. These Latinos are business owners, educators, company presidents. Their children attend expensive private schools and drive around in Beemers. They're not our media-fueled image of what we think Latinos are. In fact, our kick-back Cali girl heroine Evie, her family has a Latina maid. And this isn't make-believe.
But Honey Blonde Chica isn't about that. It's not an issue-laden story. It's about friendship, finding where one belongs. It's got the age-old conflict between high school cliques, the "cool" kids versus everyone else. And, it's about surfing. Seriously, how cool is that? I wish I'd read Evie Gomez's story before that stereotype-laden fail Perfect Chemistry. What makes this book even better is that Evie's problems are typically teenage problems. Parents who don't always get it, the cute guy friend you secretly crush on, the occasional rift between best friends, and discovering who one really wants to be. Add to that Evie's best friend Dee Dee (now called Dela) who's moved back from Mexico City with a new look and newer attitude which no longer meshes with Evie's more tomboy California surfer chick cool.
I loved the Spanish dialogue interspersed throughout (which is actual SPANISH, not the result of one session of Rosetta Stone). What made it funnier in a lot of ways was Evie seemed to speak more Spanglish rather than Spanish, which a lot of us in California find ourselves doing these days. And Evie's ring tone is a Morrisey song, which is very interesting since the singer has a very large Latino fanbase whom he has performed numerous shows for.
Honey Blonde Chica is an important novel in the YA genre, as light and breezy as it is. It showcases the glorious intra-diversity of BIPoC communities in a way most of the media fails to. Evie and her Flojos are just like the laid-back kids every school has.
RIP Michele Serros.
The late Michele Serros made that exact point when talking about Honey Blonde Chica. There's not a barrio nor a drive-by to be found in this book. Instead, Serros wrote about an enclave of wealthy Latinos living in a suburb of Santa Barbara. These Latinos are business owners, educators, company presidents. Their children attend expensive private schools and drive around in Beemers. They're not our media-fueled image of what we think Latinos are. In fact, our kick-back Cali girl heroine Evie, her family has a Latina maid. And this isn't make-believe.
But Honey Blonde Chica isn't about that. It's not an issue-laden story. It's about friendship, finding where one belongs. It's got the age-old conflict between high school cliques, the "cool" kids versus everyone else. And, it's about surfing. Seriously, how cool is that? I wish I'd read Evie Gomez's story before that stereotype-laden fail Perfect Chemistry. What makes this book even better is that Evie's problems are typically teenage problems. Parents who don't always get it, the cute guy friend you secretly crush on, the occasional rift between best friends, and discovering who one really wants to be. Add to that Evie's best friend Dee Dee (now called Dela) who's moved back from Mexico City with a new look and newer attitude which no longer meshes with Evie's more tomboy California surfer chick cool.
I loved the Spanish dialogue interspersed throughout (which is actual SPANISH, not the result of one session of Rosetta Stone). What made it funnier in a lot of ways was Evie seemed to speak more Spanglish rather than Spanish, which a lot of us in California find ourselves doing these days. And Evie's ring tone is a Morrisey song, which is very interesting since the singer has a very large Latino fanbase whom he has performed numerous shows for.
Honey Blonde Chica is an important novel in the YA genre, as light and breezy as it is. It showcases the glorious intra-diversity of BIPoC communities in a way most of the media fails to. Evie and her Flojos are just like the laid-back kids every school has.
RIP Michele Serros.
August 23, 2010
This book was one of the best books I have ever read.Its a really good book,you should read it. It has a lot of drama.I wish people made more books like the Honey Blondie Chica.
February 18, 2011
Evie is not a particularly endearing main character. All the members of the Flojos are well off and Evie takes many things for granted. She has a housekeeper Lindsay that she treats semi-decently, she's not mean to her, but Evie doesn't try to help ease Lindsay's workload either. Evie can also be rather clueless, bringing up memories that may be painful for the other person or just not particularly enjoyable which makes for some awkward moments (and then you wonder how she can be so clueless). At the same time, these flaws made Evie an authentic main character and while I didn't close the book wanting to be her friend, I did like that the story portrayed is a more unusual one, life for wealthy Mexican-Americans. Evie has to deal with the usual friendship and guy drama, the only difference is that in this book Spanglish is thrown around and the food sounds a lot yummier. I do wish the writing had been more original, there are pop cultures references which are dated and the whole story is told in a matter-of-fact way that seems to be just plodding along. Not much happens, like many lighter contemporary YA novels all the problems could have been avoided if there was more communication and trust. But where's the fun in that? I do wish that the 'mean girl' had been more than a caricature, there has to be more to Alejandra than just being stuck up. All the secondary characters fell flat, Evie complains about her older sister, Sabrina, who is in college, but it's never really clear why Evie is so unwilling to talk to her.
I did appreciate that this book features a diverse cast and that the main clique at Evie's wealthy high school, the Sangros, are Mexican. The girls last names all end in -A, they are the ah-migas (Fabiola, Natalia, Xiomara and their leader, Alejandra) they are all from the DF (Distrito Federal which is Mexico City) and very proud of that fact. The Sangros are known for their blonde highlights and snobbish attitude. The Sangros look down on Mexican-Americans and that is a source of contention between Evie and the Sangros, even Evie's old friend Dee Dee seems to think that Mexicans born in Mexico are better than Mexicans born in America. It's an unique conflict and portrayed well. I also appreciated the Spanglish throughout the book. Sometimes Evie talks to the reader to explain what a word like sangrona means (i.e. slang and/or curse words) but for the most part, Evie and her friends sprinkle Spanish into their English and even combine the words (i.e. pinche beyachee). Honey-Blonde Chica is also about whether or not you should try and salvage a friendship after many years apart. Evie and Dee Dee seem so different and Raquel doesn't even want to talk to Dee Dee, but Evie remembers the days when they were the best of friends and she yearns to go back to those days. The author portrays it as such that I wasn't always sure if they could make up, they all do/say some pretty silly/even cruel things.
Honey Blonde Chica is a diverting read that doesn't take itself too seriously but could use more developed main characters. There's a cute factor but I was disappointed with the secondary covers, I thought the guy Evie had a crush on was just ok and the mean girl, Alejandra is ridiculously over-the-top. However, I did think that Evie's crush progression was realistic, she starts questioning every little thing he says/does and tries not to anxiously await his calls and texts. Been there, get that. I do love the idea of the Sangros though and I wonder if the book is accurate in showing some of the drama between Mexicans and Mexican Americans (Neither Evie nor Raquel speak fluent Spanish but all the Sangros do) or if the drama's been heightened. I also really liked how class isn't so much an issue in this book, all the main characters are wealthy which makes it harder to tolerate how spoiled they can be but it's also a great equalizer when it comes to friendship woes and not feeling Mexican enough. While Evie is proud to be Mexican American (her father made his wealthy running pan de dulce shops which will make you quite hungry), her story is a universal one because we all have to face friends drifting apart and figuring out whether or not we should fight to hold on to that friendship. What's more Evie doesn't just need to prove that she can be both laidback (Flojo) and represent her culture (como un Sangro), wear blonde highlights (Sangro) with designer flip flops (Flojo).
I did appreciate that this book features a diverse cast and that the main clique at Evie's wealthy high school, the Sangros, are Mexican. The girls last names all end in -A, they are the ah-migas (Fabiola, Natalia, Xiomara and their leader, Alejandra) they are all from the DF (Distrito Federal which is Mexico City) and very proud of that fact. The Sangros are known for their blonde highlights and snobbish attitude. The Sangros look down on Mexican-Americans and that is a source of contention between Evie and the Sangros, even Evie's old friend Dee Dee seems to think that Mexicans born in Mexico are better than Mexicans born in America. It's an unique conflict and portrayed well. I also appreciated the Spanglish throughout the book. Sometimes Evie talks to the reader to explain what a word like sangrona means (i.e. slang and/or curse words) but for the most part, Evie and her friends sprinkle Spanish into their English and even combine the words (i.e. pinche beyachee). Honey-Blonde Chica is also about whether or not you should try and salvage a friendship after many years apart. Evie and Dee Dee seem so different and Raquel doesn't even want to talk to Dee Dee, but Evie remembers the days when they were the best of friends and she yearns to go back to those days. The author portrays it as such that I wasn't always sure if they could make up, they all do/say some pretty silly/even cruel things.
Honey Blonde Chica is a diverting read that doesn't take itself too seriously but could use more developed main characters. There's a cute factor but I was disappointed with the secondary covers, I thought the guy Evie had a crush on was just ok and the mean girl, Alejandra is ridiculously over-the-top. However, I did think that Evie's crush progression was realistic, she starts questioning every little thing he says/does and tries not to anxiously await his calls and texts. Been there, get that. I do love the idea of the Sangros though and I wonder if the book is accurate in showing some of the drama between Mexicans and Mexican Americans (Neither Evie nor Raquel speak fluent Spanish but all the Sangros do) or if the drama's been heightened. I also really liked how class isn't so much an issue in this book, all the main characters are wealthy which makes it harder to tolerate how spoiled they can be but it's also a great equalizer when it comes to friendship woes and not feeling Mexican enough. While Evie is proud to be Mexican American (her father made his wealthy running pan de dulce shops which will make you quite hungry), her story is a universal one because we all have to face friends drifting apart and figuring out whether or not we should fight to hold on to that friendship. What's more Evie doesn't just need to prove that she can be both laidback (Flojo) and represent her culture (como un Sangro), wear blonde highlights (Sangro) with designer flip flops (Flojo).
November 26, 2012
Honey Blonde Chica
Evie is the protagonist of this book, she and her BFF, Raquel, hangs with the Flojos, a cool group named for their designer flip-flops, and their habits of being a bunch of lazy bums. But, a return of an old friend of Evies, named Dee Dee, has wrecked her and Racuel’s Flojo flow. After a few years at Mexico city, it has transformed Dee Dee from a shy, thin, brunette Dee Dee into a tight designing thread wearing, blue contacts, and blonde hair chick by the name of Dela.
One Saturday morning, Evie woke up with two things on her mind, the first was her best friend, Racuel Diaz, who went totally bonkers after spending two weeks with no phones, no friend and perhaps maybe no life. The second thing was how light her head felt when she lifted it, she had noticed that her hair has been cut. She left her bed and went to find a mirror, and her hair was chopped up, all in a haphazard fashion, with uneven streaks that’s in the color blue.
When Dee Dee first came to Evies home, she started to hang out with her, and for some reason, Racuel hasn’t been answering any of Evies phone calls or text messages. Evie started hanging out with her more often, she even went to Villanueva with her and thought that it was a good campus.
Eventually, there was a battle between the Flojo’s and the Sangro’s, Evie tried really hard remembering on how it started. Racuel had heard that Alejandra was with Jose at a Sangro party just about a month before she started hanging out with him. When she asked Jose if it was true, he denied everything about it, claiming that it was a false rumor. Then later Jose told Racuel that Alejandra was hot to him, giving him some dirty looks, lean toward him in class, and nibbling on her pencil while staring at Jose’s zipper of his pants.
Long after that Evie was at a photo booth with Jose and Alejandra, they were going to make silly faces for the first picture, but Jose didn’t make a face. The next one was that they were going to make a pretend kiss on the cheek, but the moment that they were done taking pictures, Jose came in closer to Evie and moved in for a kiss. When he gave her a kiss, he stuck her tongue into her mouth, and as he did that, he moved his hand up closer to her chest so he could touch it. Evie pushed him away, and ran away, hopefully somewhere that’s not anywhere near Jose.
After a while, Evie went into the Villanueva gym with Dee Dee and was shocked of how the decorations for their dance looked. It was a marvelous site for them to see, there was art and creativity everywhere they see. A few days after the dance, Evie went on send text messages to her friend, and then went to the beach at Sea Street. She hasn’t been there for a few months, but to her it felt like years, in California, a few months away from the beach? That’s a lifetime. She was surfing through the Pacific Ocean with her friend cheering her on and she paddle as hard as she can, her friends shouted “Go, Gomez!” to her, and she heard it, and paddle as fast as she can. Eventually at 6:30 A.M. she felt so alive and decided to never be a lazy bum ever again.
Evie is the protagonist of this book, she and her BFF, Raquel, hangs with the Flojos, a cool group named for their designer flip-flops, and their habits of being a bunch of lazy bums. But, a return of an old friend of Evies, named Dee Dee, has wrecked her and Racuel’s Flojo flow. After a few years at Mexico city, it has transformed Dee Dee from a shy, thin, brunette Dee Dee into a tight designing thread wearing, blue contacts, and blonde hair chick by the name of Dela.
One Saturday morning, Evie woke up with two things on her mind, the first was her best friend, Racuel Diaz, who went totally bonkers after spending two weeks with no phones, no friend and perhaps maybe no life. The second thing was how light her head felt when she lifted it, she had noticed that her hair has been cut. She left her bed and went to find a mirror, and her hair was chopped up, all in a haphazard fashion, with uneven streaks that’s in the color blue.
When Dee Dee first came to Evies home, she started to hang out with her, and for some reason, Racuel hasn’t been answering any of Evies phone calls or text messages. Evie started hanging out with her more often, she even went to Villanueva with her and thought that it was a good campus.
Eventually, there was a battle between the Flojo’s and the Sangro’s, Evie tried really hard remembering on how it started. Racuel had heard that Alejandra was with Jose at a Sangro party just about a month before she started hanging out with him. When she asked Jose if it was true, he denied everything about it, claiming that it was a false rumor. Then later Jose told Racuel that Alejandra was hot to him, giving him some dirty looks, lean toward him in class, and nibbling on her pencil while staring at Jose’s zipper of his pants.
Long after that Evie was at a photo booth with Jose and Alejandra, they were going to make silly faces for the first picture, but Jose didn’t make a face. The next one was that they were going to make a pretend kiss on the cheek, but the moment that they were done taking pictures, Jose came in closer to Evie and moved in for a kiss. When he gave her a kiss, he stuck her tongue into her mouth, and as he did that, he moved his hand up closer to her chest so he could touch it. Evie pushed him away, and ran away, hopefully somewhere that’s not anywhere near Jose.
After a while, Evie went into the Villanueva gym with Dee Dee and was shocked of how the decorations for their dance looked. It was a marvelous site for them to see, there was art and creativity everywhere they see. A few days after the dance, Evie went on send text messages to her friend, and then went to the beach at Sea Street. She hasn’t been there for a few months, but to her it felt like years, in California, a few months away from the beach? That’s a lifetime. She was surfing through the Pacific Ocean with her friend cheering her on and she paddle as hard as she can, her friends shouted “Go, Gomez!” to her, and she heard it, and paddle as fast as she can. Eventually at 6:30 A.M. she felt so alive and decided to never be a lazy bum ever again.
November 25, 2012
Evie is the protagonist of this book, she and her BFF, Raquel, hangs with the Flojos, a cool group named for their designer flip-flops, and their habits of being a bunch of lazy bums. But, a return of an old friend of Evies, named Dee Dee, has wrecked her and Racuel’s Flojo flow. After a few years at Mexico city, it has transformed Dee Dee from a shy, thin, brunette Dee Dee into a tight designing thread wearing, blue contacts, and blonde hair chick by the name of Dela.
One Saturday morning, Evie woke up with two things on her mind, the first was her best friend, Racuel Diaz, who went totally bonkers after spending two weeks with no phones, no friend and perhaps maybe no life. The second thing was how light her head felt when she lifted it, she had noticed that her hair has been cut. She left her bed and went to find a mirror, and her hair was chopped up, all in a haphazard fashion, with uneven streaks that’s in the color blue.
When Dee Dee first came to Evies home, she started to hang out with her, and for some reason, Racuel hasn’t been answering any of Evies phone calls or text messages. Evie started hanging out with her more often, she even went to Villanueva with her and thought that it was a good campus.
Eventually, there was a battle between the Flojo’s and the Sangro’s, Evie tried really hard remembering on how it started. Racuel had heard that Alejandra was with Jose at a Sangro party just about a month before she started hanging out with him. When she asked Jose if it was true, he denied everything about it, claiming that it was a false rumor. Then later Jose told Racuel that Alejandra was hot to him, giving him some dirty looks, lean toward him in class, and nibbling on her pencil while staring at Jose’s zipper of his pants.
Long after that Evie was at a photo booth with Jose and Alejandra, they were going to make silly faces for the first picture, but Jose didn’t make a face. The next one was that they were going to make a pretend kiss on the cheek, but the moment that they were done taking pictures, Jose came in closer to Evie and moved in for a kiss. When he gave her a kiss, he stuck her tongue into her mouth, and as he did that, he moved his hand up closer to her chest so he could touch it. Evie pushed him away, and ran away, hopefully somewhere that’s not anywhere near Jose.
After a while, Evie went into the Villanueva gym with Dee Dee and was shocked of how the decorations for their dance looked. It was a marvelous site for them to see, there was art and creativity everywhere they see. A few days after the dance, Evie went on send text messages to her friend, and then went to the beach at Sea Street. She hasn’t been there for a few months, but to her it felt like years, in California, a few months away from the beach? That’s a lifetime. She was surfing through the Pacific Ocean with her friend cheering her on and she paddle as hard as she can, her friends shouted “Go, Gomez!” to her, and she heard it, and paddle as fast as she can. Eventually at 6:30 A.M. she felt so alive and decided to never be a lazy bum ever again.
One Saturday morning, Evie woke up with two things on her mind, the first was her best friend, Racuel Diaz, who went totally bonkers after spending two weeks with no phones, no friend and perhaps maybe no life. The second thing was how light her head felt when she lifted it, she had noticed that her hair has been cut. She left her bed and went to find a mirror, and her hair was chopped up, all in a haphazard fashion, with uneven streaks that’s in the color blue.
When Dee Dee first came to Evies home, she started to hang out with her, and for some reason, Racuel hasn’t been answering any of Evies phone calls or text messages. Evie started hanging out with her more often, she even went to Villanueva with her and thought that it was a good campus.
Eventually, there was a battle between the Flojo’s and the Sangro’s, Evie tried really hard remembering on how it started. Racuel had heard that Alejandra was with Jose at a Sangro party just about a month before she started hanging out with him. When she asked Jose if it was true, he denied everything about it, claiming that it was a false rumor. Then later Jose told Racuel that Alejandra was hot to him, giving him some dirty looks, lean toward him in class, and nibbling on her pencil while staring at Jose’s zipper of his pants.
Long after that Evie was at a photo booth with Jose and Alejandra, they were going to make silly faces for the first picture, but Jose didn’t make a face. The next one was that they were going to make a pretend kiss on the cheek, but the moment that they were done taking pictures, Jose came in closer to Evie and moved in for a kiss. When he gave her a kiss, he stuck her tongue into her mouth, and as he did that, he moved his hand up closer to her chest so he could touch it. Evie pushed him away, and ran away, hopefully somewhere that’s not anywhere near Jose.
After a while, Evie went into the Villanueva gym with Dee Dee and was shocked of how the decorations for their dance looked. It was a marvelous site for them to see, there was art and creativity everywhere they see. A few days after the dance, Evie went on send text messages to her friend, and then went to the beach at Sea Street. She hasn’t been there for a few months, but to her it felt like years, in California, a few months away from the beach? That’s a lifetime. She was surfing through the Pacific Ocean with her friend cheering her on and she paddle as hard as she can, her friends shouted “Go, Gomez!” to her, and she heard it, and paddle as fast as she can. Eventually at 6:30 A.M. she felt so alive and decided to never be a lazy bum ever again.
October 4, 2011
Honey Blonde chica is a story about a Mexican-American girl whose life revolves around partying and staying chill. Evie the main character lives in California with her mom and dad. Her family has money sticking out of their pockets. Her dad is hard-working as well as her sister and the rest of her family. Unlike the rest of her family Evie avoids work, but after her long-lost friend Dee Dee returns her life makes a drastic change. The Sangros who she once hated are now the ones she considers her friends while the Flojos, who she once was friends with, are now her enemies. Once Evie finds out that Raquel, her ex-best friend, has her boyfriend cheating on her she becomes furious and wants to do something about it. She makes up her mind to decide to tell here, but how could two social groups who do not at all get along talk to each other? She has trouble deciding to what’s right or face peer pressure.
I enjoyed reading this book, for it connects to many of the issues teens face today like making friends, and most importantly finding your identity. I felt I could really connect to the main character because she always wants to have fun, but her parents can sometimes really make it impossible for her to do so. I’ve also faced this and like Evie have done things just to upset them.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read comedies as well as anyone who likes to read about how having money can really mess with who you are trying to be. Lastly, I’d recommend this to anyone who has read Sarah Dessen’s books because they are similar; they both talk about problems while growing up. Over all I think this book was okay and I enjoyed reading it.
I enjoyed reading this book, for it connects to many of the issues teens face today like making friends, and most importantly finding your identity. I felt I could really connect to the main character because she always wants to have fun, but her parents can sometimes really make it impossible for her to do so. I’ve also faced this and like Evie have done things just to upset them.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read comedies as well as anyone who likes to read about how having money can really mess with who you are trying to be. Lastly, I’d recommend this to anyone who has read Sarah Dessen’s books because they are similar; they both talk about problems while growing up. Over all I think this book was okay and I enjoyed reading it.
January 22, 2016
Okay, let me start this off by saying that I had to read this book for a class in school and it's really not the type of book I read.
I'm just going to list the reasons I don't particularly like this book.
-The main character is clueless, self-centered, and immature. I didn't like her at all.
-There is a very slow moving plot.
-There are so many instances where the main characters use Spanish and don't say what it means. This is unfortunate because I don't speak Spanish, lol. Oh, well.
Truth-be-told there ARE a few small segments that are okay, I will give it that, but there isn't nearly enough to make me actually like the book.
Overall, I think I could've enjoyed this book had I understood the Spanish-speaking segments, but I honestly don't know. Considering I didn't know what it was saying.
I'm just going to list the reasons I don't particularly like this book.
-The main character is clueless, self-centered, and immature. I didn't like her at all.
-There is a very slow moving plot.
-There are so many instances where the main characters use Spanish and don't say what it means. This is unfortunate because I don't speak Spanish, lol. Oh, well.
Truth-be-told there ARE a few small segments that are okay, I will give it that, but there isn't nearly enough to make me actually like the book.
Overall, I think I could've enjoyed this book had I understood the Spanish-speaking segments, but I honestly don't know. Considering I didn't know what it was saying.
April 7, 2015
The late Michele Serros was a unique talent, a poet, writer of short stories, and author of young adult novels. Honey Blonde Chica is a sweet story of fifteen-year-old Evie who is learning to become her own person. But first she has to stop allowing her friends to push her around, and she has to appreciate her unique gifts. The story is charming and funny, and Evie's character is well defined. I appreciate that there are no stereotyped Latinos in this book.
My only complaint is that the story begins in a disjointed fashion, and I wasn't sure where it was going. And...the teen jargon...well, I could have done without it, but it's what I should expect if I'm going to read young adult books, right?
My only complaint is that the story begins in a disjointed fashion, and I wasn't sure where it was going. And...the teen jargon...well, I could have done without it, but it's what I should expect if I'm going to read young adult books, right?
April 23, 2008
I learned from this book is that friendship should always be treasured. Not always good friends come in your life that are going to cherish you, love you, give you good advice and don't back stab you. Now in days people don't really have good friends they always end up hurting them in some kind of way mostly emontionally. This book really makes Evie the main charater realize that her best friend from childhoood is going to be their for her even though she changed her style she is still the same loving her best friend.
April 18, 2010
Very lightweight, but fun. I imagine the author wanted to give affluent, relatively carefree Latina girls a place in YA lit. By the end of the book, I'd gotten a good sense of Evie as a person and enjoyed this look into her lifestyle, but the characters' materialism had seriously started to wear on me.
The language has a good rhythm to it; sometimes the humor is forced or uninspired, but I also found myself laughing out loud at times. The Spanish is a plus.
The language has a good rhythm to it; sometimes the humor is forced or uninspired, but I also found myself laughing out loud at times. The Spanish is a plus.
February 1, 2011
This book is about a girl named evelina who likes to be called evie and she hangs out with her crew the flojos means lazy but they call themselves that because of there flipflops. she trys to find her image when a old friend comes back from mexico and she gets torn between her best friend and her old freind who is not really nice
i think it was okay but not really my type of book so u guys can read it and find out if you like or not./
i think it was okay but not really my type of book so u guys can read it and find out if you like or not./
February 18, 2011
I think this book is okay. Not great, not bad, just the in between stage that makes you indecisive on whether or not you want to continue reading the series. At times Evie annoyed me, she was easily persuaded to do things with the Sangros (who she's supposed to hate), Dee Dee, and Raquel. In the end though I came to like Evie more and more. I also liked her relationship with Alex. He's sweet, kind, considerate and really seems to care about Evie.
May 16, 2008
I wish this book was around during my adolescence. It's nice to see a Latina that is not the maid, jumping over the border, or in a gang. It was a cute story and I loved how the author showed a different side to Latino cliques in high school. It was adorable and I will be reading the next in the series. There is a 15 year-old Latina inside of me asking me to read it. :-)
March 5, 2010
This is the "American Born Confused" book for Mexican Americans. It was a light book about Evie who is trying to find herself even though she doesn't realize it. Although she is a bit dumb about her friends and family, I didn't find it annoying. This could have been because I wasn't as concerned about her being able to solve her problems.
January 30, 2015
On the one hand, does a YA novel need to have the narrator grow and learn and become a significantly better person? On the other hand, why am I reading this if not? Lots more swearing and drinking than I am comfortable with. I could have watched any number of teenage drama/reality programs and got the same cultural edification.
March 8, 2016
Good YA book especially for high schoolers not generallly interested in reading. Great book for young Latinas! There is harsh language in English and Spanish which is why I would recommend to no younger than high school. It is however language they most likely hear daily at school.
The editing, I am assuming to Kindle version, is horrific! So many errors. Someone should definitely fix this!
The editing, I am assuming to Kindle version, is horrific! So many errors. Someone should definitely fix this!
December 8, 2007
I loved this book. I am a ltina and its interesting to read about another latina but not in a stereotypical character. My mother's friend wrote this book and i haven't read the second book, Scandalosa!, but if it's anything like this book i recommend it as well.
August 23, 2009
Life from the perspective of Mexican Americans in a Southern Californian private school (without uniforms). Highlights: flip-flops, surfing, Mexico D.F., boyfriends, ADA's (Amiga del Alma/Soul Sister), etc.
March 5, 2015
A Hispanic-American Gossip Girl. Evie Gomez, while trying to form her own identity, must decide if she wants to be a fun-loving, high-heeled, blonde-streaked Sangro, or a laid-back surfer chick Flojo, which are two very different worlds.
October 1, 2010
GREATEST book I will always Remember!
I would this read this book all my life if i had to!
OFMG!! What Can I say about this book it Real Life setting No Fakes Just a Real Deal. Michele did a great job making this book!!
I would this read this book all my life if i had to!
OFMG!! What Can I say about this book it Real Life setting No Fakes Just a Real Deal. Michele did a great job making this book!!
April 17, 2015
This was such a great summer read , I couldn't put it down ! I would definitely recommend this to any teenage girl . Michele Serros does an amazing job at capturing all the aspects of a teenage girls life .
October 29, 2007
Quick light airplane read. First non Michele book by Michele Serros.
October 12, 2008
Dumbest book I've ever read. I can't believe I read it all. I'm only giving it 2 stars and not 1 because I thought the cover was cute.
November 3, 2008
i LEARNd tHAt iS REALLy hARd iN PiCkiN yOR CREW OR yOR FRiENdSHiP.! BUt yOUR'LL FiNd WhO yOR tRUE FRiENdSz ARE At thE ENd.!!
February 3, 2009
nothin jst an original book but its ok
Read
August 20, 2010honey blonde chica is about a girl that has a problem with being blonde and cute and hot.
January 7, 2011
I think this book is boring. I don't like this book because it wasn't intersting to me. I feel you should try to read this book because you might feel different about the book.
August 2, 2013
Not bad, just not great.
June 27, 2015
Not bad, just not great.
September 2, 2020
I bought this book back in 2006 and I remember really loving it. So when I visited the family home recently I decided to give it a reread and see how much I liked it now.
It's not amazing, but I can definitely see why it appealed to me then. It's about Evie trying to navigate between her two best friends who no longer like each other after one moves back to California from Mexico. Meanwhile, she's also trying to determine how she feels about this one guy and she wants to learn to surf. Totally relatable to my 16yo self. The three friends were born in California to Mexican parents who've done well for themselves (no struggling immigrant narrative here), but Dee Dee and her father moved to Mexico after her mother died.
Adult me thinks there could definitely have been more paring down of the book, but there's also some pleasant nostalgia rereading it. This time around I decided to look up the author, Michele Serros who, as a Latina writer, wrote a lot about her own experiences, (she also worked briefly as a writer for the sitcom George Lopez and yes, I was a huge fan of the show) and I was devastated to learn that she died from cancer five years ago.
While Dee Dee's mother's death isn't part of the book, she's described as having "got sick, like, really sick and died", and I'd always assumed it was from cancer, so even though I'm five years late, it's a little disconcerting to find out about Michele's passing this way.
It's not amazing, but I can definitely see why it appealed to me then. It's about Evie trying to navigate between her two best friends who no longer like each other after one moves back to California from Mexico. Meanwhile, she's also trying to determine how she feels about this one guy and she wants to learn to surf. Totally relatable to my 16yo self. The three friends were born in California to Mexican parents who've done well for themselves (no struggling immigrant narrative here), but Dee Dee and her father moved to Mexico after her mother died.
Adult me thinks there could definitely have been more paring down of the book, but there's also some pleasant nostalgia rereading it. This time around I decided to look up the author, Michele Serros who, as a Latina writer, wrote a lot about her own experiences, (she also worked briefly as a writer for the sitcom George Lopez and yes, I was a huge fan of the show) and I was devastated to learn that she died from cancer five years ago.
While Dee Dee's mother's death isn't part of the book, she's described as having "got sick, like, really sick and died", and I'd always assumed it was from cancer, so even though I'm five years late, it's a little disconcerting to find out about Michele's passing this way.
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