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Tapas and Tears
Jaime never wanted to go to Spain in the first place. But when she's forced on to the school exchange trip with Concepcion Inmaculada she knows il will be OK. After all, someone named after the Virgin Mary must be kind, sweet and gentle...Right? What happened in Spain, stays in Spain - until it chases you back to England...
264 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2010
4 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 15, 2023
This book was very entertaining and hard to put down. Although the start was a bit boring it made up with a cute ending!!
October 5, 2025
This was a light hearted and entertaining story that I read in pretty much 1 sitting. Not particularly memorable, but it kept me interested, and was far from boring!
August 23, 2024
I love stories like this one that center around friendship. I definitely think that we don't have enough of them in general.
This book also featured a trope a really like: enemies-to frenemies-to friends. I love seeing character arcs like this in media.
I also love misunderstood characters with a tragic background. Confession time: I secretly kind of like the "I can fix him" trope. I'm very ashamed of this, but it can't be helped. This book featured a sort of version of that trope, only platonic, so obviously I liked it.
This definitely wasn't a perfect novel by any means, though. And I think I might have enjoyed it more when I was closer in age to the main characters. But overall it was a really enjoyable, fast read.
This book also featured a trope a really like: enemies-to frenemies-to friends. I love seeing character arcs like this in media.
I also love misunderstood characters with a tragic background. Confession time: I secretly kind of like the "I can fix him" trope. I'm very ashamed of this, but it can't be helped. This book featured a sort of version of that trope, only platonic, so obviously I liked it.
This definitely wasn't a perfect novel by any means, though. And I think I might have enjoyed it more when I was closer in age to the main characters. But overall it was a really enjoyable, fast read.
March 17, 2018
Cute. Jaime's off to Spain for two weeks, against her better judgement...only to find that, contrary to her (unfounded) expectation of a sweet, terribly shy homestay 'sister', her host sister is an angry, venomous brat who spews vitriol in every direction.
Concha felt pretty over the top to me, but I appreciated Jaime's growth over the course of the book...and that what limited romance there was didn't end in the stereotypical YA happily-ever-after, which (especially given the age of the characters!) pleased me. I rather doubt that I'll feel a need to reread this at any point, but it was cute and fluffy and half of it took place in Spain, and how can I argue with that?
Concha felt pretty over the top to me, but I appreciated Jaime's growth over the course of the book...and that what limited romance there was didn't end in the stereotypical YA happily-ever-after, which (especially given the age of the characters!) pleased me. I rather doubt that I'll feel a need to reread this at any point, but it was cute and fluffy and half of it took place in Spain, and how can I argue with that?
October 23, 2018
Honestly, it has been a long while since I read the book but I remember loving it a lot. I think this was the book that opened the door to many other books by the author. I most definitely would re-read it to get a different 'adult' perspective of the book. But knowing myself, I think I would love it regardless.
February 6, 2022
Nostalgia read before moving onto a new home.
Great for young teens trying to understand other people's points of view. I think as a teen it might be good, but as a 25 year old, I hated the characters and the stupid choices they made.
But fun and fast to read. Was interesting to see where it was going to go.
Great for young teens trying to understand other people's points of view. I think as a teen it might be good, but as a 25 year old, I hated the characters and the stupid choices they made.
But fun and fast to read. Was interesting to see where it was going to go.
November 21, 2021
Young adult book that doesn't seem to be good for young adults. Or maybe I'm just old now.
July 27, 2011
This isn’t a book which I would have normally picked for myself. This is a case where I would have judged it by its cover and because it looks quite young, I think I would have bypassed it, had I seen it in a shop. However, I was determined to give it a go. You never know when you might be nicely surprised.
Poor Jaime. I did feel sorry for the girl. After not really wanting to go on an exchange trip in the first place, she then gets stuck with the girl from hell and someone who she cant even really talk to. If that wasn’t bad enough, Jaime doesn’t get to spend too much time with her own friends so is quite isolated with Concha, her father and grandmother. If that had been me in her situation, I would have been ringing my mum and demanding a flight back home immediately. I really don’t think that I could have stuck it out for more than a couple of days. Jaime does start off really shy and with a lot of self confidence issues so it was nice to see her progress throughout the book and change quite a lot. Spain did a lot of good things for her character and really brought her out of her shell.
I really don’t think I was supposed to but I LOVED Concha. Ok so she was completely insane and a bit of a head case but that’s what I really liked about her. Not being afraid to speak her mind or go for exactly what she wants are two really good traits to have I think and although she didn’t always go about things the right way, Concha at least knew who she was. The things that Concha did in both Spain and England were a little out there but her antics made for some really funny scenes and gave the book a whole different feel at times. Without her, the book would have been extremely dull and I don’t think I would have liked it at all.
The things that the girls get up to over the course of the book are what really made it for me. When in Spain, Concha does her best to annoy and embarrass Jaime at every chance she gets and I loved seeing the different things that she would come up with or ‘accidentally’ forget to tell her or do. Then, when Concha comes over to England, Jaime has the opportunity to get her own back for all of the bad things she had to put up with and although this didn’t exactly go the way I thought, it was still entertaining. The secondary characters, both English and Spanish, also help to make the book funnier and for the plot to have a lot more going on.
I didn’t completely love this book but it was still quite an entertaining read. That being said, it will appeal to a lot of teenage girls who are looking for something light-hearted and fun to read and considering the length, it is quite a quick and easy one at the same time.
Poor Jaime. I did feel sorry for the girl. After not really wanting to go on an exchange trip in the first place, she then gets stuck with the girl from hell and someone who she cant even really talk to. If that wasn’t bad enough, Jaime doesn’t get to spend too much time with her own friends so is quite isolated with Concha, her father and grandmother. If that had been me in her situation, I would have been ringing my mum and demanding a flight back home immediately. I really don’t think that I could have stuck it out for more than a couple of days. Jaime does start off really shy and with a lot of self confidence issues so it was nice to see her progress throughout the book and change quite a lot. Spain did a lot of good things for her character and really brought her out of her shell.
I really don’t think I was supposed to but I LOVED Concha. Ok so she was completely insane and a bit of a head case but that’s what I really liked about her. Not being afraid to speak her mind or go for exactly what she wants are two really good traits to have I think and although she didn’t always go about things the right way, Concha at least knew who she was. The things that Concha did in both Spain and England were a little out there but her antics made for some really funny scenes and gave the book a whole different feel at times. Without her, the book would have been extremely dull and I don’t think I would have liked it at all.
The things that the girls get up to over the course of the book are what really made it for me. When in Spain, Concha does her best to annoy and embarrass Jaime at every chance she gets and I loved seeing the different things that she would come up with or ‘accidentally’ forget to tell her or do. Then, when Concha comes over to England, Jaime has the opportunity to get her own back for all of the bad things she had to put up with and although this didn’t exactly go the way I thought, it was still entertaining. The secondary characters, both English and Spanish, also help to make the book funnier and for the plot to have a lot more going on.
I didn’t completely love this book but it was still quite an entertaining read. That being said, it will appeal to a lot of teenage girls who are looking for something light-hearted and fun to read and considering the length, it is quite a quick and easy one at the same time.
June 9, 2011
Jaime didn't want to go on a student exchange program to Spain because she is shy. But she does end up going and gets matched up with a terror of a girl: Concha. No one likes Concha; she is mean and makes no effort to make friends. They both like the same boy but he seems to favor Jamie, so her and Concha get in a fight. Jaime leaves Spain not expecting Concha to do her exchange to Jaime's house in Britain. Concha changes her mind and comes stalking into Jaime's house a couple days late. When in Spain, Jaime gets along with Concha's family better than Concha does, but back at her home, Jaime is stressed and starts acting up because she thinks that her mother is having an affair. Concha gets along better in Jaime's household than she does. We find out that Concha's mother left her when she was little and that is why she is so angry all the time. The girls become good friends as they find out that the boy they liked was just playing both of them.
This author is good at portraying the teenage mind and making her characters both likeable and relateable. This girl is shy, then becomes more outgoing but now has to struggle to still be a nice person.
I enjoyed this as a light, quick read, and think that it is fun for teenage girls.
This author is good at portraying the teenage mind and making her characters both likeable and relateable. This girl is shy, then becomes more outgoing but now has to struggle to still be a nice person.
I enjoyed this as a light, quick read, and think that it is fun for teenage girls.
January 26, 2014
This is a really light hearted book, I read this in one sitting when I was travelling on the train. I enjoyed this book a lot, and out of the ones I have read by the same author it is the most fun and enjoyable because all of the characters have something about them and there are lots of parts that made me laugh. My favourite scenes were basically all of Abuela's scenes because she was such a wonderfully thought-out character.
I gave this book 3 stars, because I thought it was a really enjoyable, quick read but there wasn't enough development for me to enjoy it enough to give it more stars.
I gave this book 3 stars, because I thought it was a really enjoyable, quick read but there wasn't enough development for me to enjoy it enough to give it more stars.
December 9, 2012
Let me see.. It's been a while since I read this.
Good book - from a 15 yr old's perspective. A book about travelling to new countries, taking a leap of faith and going on an exchange student trip. It shows that... life for a teenager is full and everything at once. You believe everyone, you have high expectations that moments don't seem to match. But it's life. Ummm.. Can't actually remember much about about the book, but it's a good book - not outstanding.
Good book - from a 15 yr old's perspective. A book about travelling to new countries, taking a leap of faith and going on an exchange student trip. It shows that... life for a teenager is full and everything at once. You believe everyone, you have high expectations that moments don't seem to match. But it's life. Ummm.. Can't actually remember much about about the book, but it's a good book - not outstanding.
April 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this contemporary(?) teen novel- another awesome book by Chris Higgins (FYI I've only read one other!). The plot has some unexpected twists so I was relieved to find that tapas and tears is not a predictable book and it does actually keep you hooked until you finish.
June 21, 2012
It was okay.
June 28, 2012
Such a light hearted and funny book. Really enjoyed it
October 26, 2014
This used to be one of my favourite books.
I think I read it when I was 12 or so.
I really recomend it to young teens it's a great book.
I think I read it when I was 12 or so.
I really recomend it to young teens it's a great book.
June 27, 2015
Nice plot and very satisfiying.
September 6, 2015
Would have loved this book when I was 10-12, but sadly I might have outgrown these types of stories. It did get me more excited for my Spain trip next year. And the food. The food!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews