Review by Booklist Review
Nadia kicks out her cheating longtime lover-turned-fiancé one month before their wedding day. With her thirtieth birthday coming up and the fact that she stands to lose the money for her wedding venue, she decides to have a second quinceañera after reading about this trend in a magazine. In short, Nadia decides to use the venue to celebrate herself. What she doesn't expect is to find her boyfriend from college, the man she never forgot, running the facility. Marcos never wanted to manage the family wedding-venue business, but when his sister is on vacation, he finds he wants to prevent his ailing father from selling it to his uncles. He then becomes fascinated with Nadia all over again, remembering how much she meant to him when they dated before. This second-chance romance is a warm, romantic story made all the more compelling by the focus on Nadia and Marcos learning what they truly want for their lives. The details about what a second quinceañera is all about add to the vivid romance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
YA author Méndez (Furia) makes her adult debut with a heartwarming romance centered on personal growth. Lawyer Nadia Palacio finally grows the spine to break up with her cheating fiancé a month before what would have been their wedding day. Though she's anxious about breaking the news to her family--and losing all her deposits--Nadia is inspired by an article about a Latina woman who never had a quinceañera but decided that it wasn't too late to celebrate herself with a party later in life. So Nadia decides to repurpose her wedding resources and throw herself her own treintañera, as a way to celebrate herself and her accomplishments as a single 30-year-old. But Nadia is thrown for a loop when she discovers that the venue's owner is the handsome Marcos Hawkins, her onetime college fling. The pair immediately lust for each other once more, but their relationship is put on the back burner as they separately work through issues from the past. Luckily, Méndez offsets the lack of heat between the couple with warmhearted support from a colorful supporting cast of family and friends as Nadia moves toward self-acceptance. It's a fun, empowering romp. Agent: Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
After breaking off a five-year engagement, a young woman embarks on a quest for self-love by throwing herself a Double Quinceañera for her 30th birthday. Exactly one month before her wedding, Nadia Palacio decides to finally end things with her cheating fiance, Brandon Lewis. Much to the dismay of her opinionated parents, not only is Nadia's wedding cancelled, but she is holding her very own "treintañera" in its place. After emigrating from Argentina to Utah at age 12, Nadia worked hard to achieve perfection for her family, acing her way through college and law school. She even had the trophy high school sweetheart, but after more than 13 years of ignoring Brandon's red flags, Nadia realized that while she was always chasing success, she never once stopped to celebrate her victories. The only time Nadia ever came close to living spontaneously was during one uninhibited summer fling in college with a young commitment-phobe named Rocket. Befitting her newfound bravery, Nadia decides to commemorate her accomplishments with a party at Utah's Enchanting Orchards, where she meets the venue's temporary host: Marcos Hawkins, aka Rocket. Marcos is filling in for his ailing father, and despite his tendency to run away when the going gets tough, he is adamant about saving the orchard from his greedy uncles, who want to sell it. As Marcos and Nadia work together to plan her big day, they are flooded with strong feelings from their past…but how can Marcos act on them when Nadia is trying to find herself? Méndez's debut adult novel is a love letter to people starting from scratch and an ode to those searching to find their one true love. The Utah setting is effervescent and romantic--"The sky was quickly turning dark purple, and far from the city lights, the first stars were glittering like crystals"--providing a perfect backdrop for a fresh story of family, friendship, and renewed love. An enchanting novel overflowing with self-love and second chances. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
