Connie Bailey

Low angst is the primary element of both the love story and the success story. That's fine - I knew it ahead of time, so I read this as a break from more challenging books. I liked all the characters and the low arcs most faced. I really loved the joking around the friends do. That said, some aspects come off as unreal. I just ignored that, since I was reading for the relationships.

I had two problems with it. First, and right off the bat, the author "head-hops" - that is when we get thoughts and feelings from multiple people in the same scene. Generally, either you choose omniscient, in which you get anyone's point of view as serves the story, or you choose limited, in which usually there is one but often two and sometimes a small cast, as with this novel. This is the latter - but for the reader, head-hopping within the same scene is distancing. We are less sure what to expect. By the end I'd gotten used to it, but I wouldn't ever do it to readers.

And, I did have some problem with the overstating of actions and feelings, particularly during sex scenes. (It was unnecessary to detail all the places a tongue touches inside the other's mouth. Who pays attention to that? They're young and this is new, not erotica.) I skimmed some pages because it was not what I wanted for these kids, you know?

If you're looking for a sweet story with Hispanic/Latino characters, you may enjoy this one.… (mer)