National Bestseller
“I could not get enough of Jasmine and Ashton! I adored Jasmine–her ambition, her confidence, her attacks of self-doubt, and especially her hilarious, snarky, and loving cousins. She and Ashton have such a steamy, swoony, love story that I didn’t want the book to end!”–Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author
RITA® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings … author
RITA® Award Winning author Alexis Daria brings readers an unforgettable, hilarious rom-com set in the drama-filled world of telenovelas—perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin and The Kiss Quotient.
Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers.
After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez.
Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy.
After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had.
Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars.
With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.
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Ashton was not my favorite hero, he was just a little bit too inflexible for my taste, but Jasmine is definitely one of my favorite heroines and I loved her journey in this book. The lighter tone was definitely what I needed the past couple weeks. I’m hopeful there will be more books in this world as some of the supporting characters really stood out. A must read diverse romance.
Fun romance with a story-within-a-story sure to appeal to fans of “Jane the Virgin”. Jasmine is a rising Latinx actor whose personal life keeps threatening to derail her career. She flees LA for her home of NYC and a shot at a breakthrough role in a telenovela style series for streaming services. What she doesn’t count on his her co-star Ashton (srsly), an established telenovela star in Latin America, hoping to cross-over to English speaking audiences (like Rogelio on JtV).
Jasmine has been burned by her exes and the tabloids, Ashton has a secret that consumes his life, but the sparks fly between the leading lady and leading man despite their best efforts to keep it all business.
It was a delightful read and an enjoyable “own voices” read, perfect for the end of summer.
You Had me at Hola by: Alexis Daria, Narrated by Seraphine Valentine
Jasmine Lin Rodriguez is an ambitious actress with a big heart and a huge family. After finding out her boyfriend broke up with her via tabloid, Jasmine, with the aid of her best cousins, came up with a Leading Lady Plan. Number one, a leading lady doesn’t end up on a tabloid cover. Two, she doesn’t fall for her costar. You know what they say about the best laid plans. When her new costar turns out to be none other that telenovela hunk, Ashton Suarez it makes it difficult for Jasmine to keep to her plan.
Ashton Suarez’s telenovela character was killed off. He fears his career as a leading man may be over. “Carmen in Charge” is his last chance to get a Hollywood career. In New York he is a fish out of water and floundering. He was known and respected in Florida’s telenovela world but here no one realizes that his aloofness merely hides insecurities.
Jasmine’s beautiful spirit and open personality brings Ashton out of his shell. Practicing their lines in private leads to a behind-the-scenes romance. But everything is threatened when they end up on the cover of another tabloid.
This was a fresh, fun story filled with a variety of ethnicities, mostly Latino. I enjoyed this story so much. It was one of the best romance stories I’ve read in a long time. Strong female characters, sexy men and an abundance of supporting characters that brought the world to life. This book needs to be a movie. I’d pay to see it.
5 Estrellas!!!
I can’t even begin to express my giddiness while reading this book. It spoke to me on so many levels. I just LOVED it.
Jasmine has received an amazing opportunity as a lead in new show on a popular streaming service. This comes on the heels of a messy break-up for her and it’s a welcome distraction.
Ashton has been successful in his own right through his multiple leading rolls in telenovelas. Seeking to branch out into Hollywood, Carmen in Charge, is just the roll to do so.
As the pair start working together, the physical chemistry was undeniable, but it was refreshing to see how they had to work to earn that closeness they needed to make their acting better.
You can tell the author really put effort into this and did her research, which I appreciated.
I loved all the Latin culture references and how seamlessly it just fit into the story. Nothing was forced; it just came naturally.
I related to Jasmine so much when expressed her nervousness about not being fluent in Spanish. It’s always been an insecurity of mine as a half Mexican-American that I too, am not fluent. But I’ve been working on it all this year. (Thanks Quarantine )
I also identified with her being mixed and how that affected her upbringing. It’s so refreshing to see someone like yourself reflected in the books you read.
I loved her family and how everyone was in everyone’s business. It made for some hilarious moments. PLEASE, we need her cousins stories up next! I adored them both!
Ashton and Jasmine had the sweetest connection and their dialogue flowed so well. There were some secrets, as with any good telenovela, but I think it was handled in a way that fit the story. Did it make want to pull my hair out? Yes. But like I said, it was resolved in manner that was genuine to the story.
I loved this story, it swept me away on a romantic journey that was rich with culture, love and heartwarming feels. Definitely recommended!
You Had Me At Hola plays wonderfully with not only romance tropes, but telenovela tropes, and is a love letter to both. I enjoyed seeing the inside world of acting–of the work that goes into it, and what the actors have to do to coreograph (what must be incredibly awkward) intimate scenes. It would be hard not to love the loving, but complicated families and the angst tempered with humor. If you’re looking for a fun contemporary, this is a great book to pick up.
This book was such a delight. It dealt with issues of family, and belonging, dreams, and ambitions, and finding love where you least expect it, right when you need it most. I loved it, and this new-to-me author’s words.
Jasmine Lin Rodriguez needs a break. After her breakup with a rock star is splashed all over the tabloids, she needs to get away from LA for a while. Luckily, the new show she’s about to star in is filming in NYC, her hometown. All her family is there, including her 2 best friends and cousins, her primas of power, and she could really use them right now. Plus the production has a full Latinx team of cast and crew and she’s very excited to see what the show can be. Then, she finds out about a last minute casting change for her love interest, and the replacement is none other than her grandmother’s very favorite telenovela star, Ashton Suárez.
Ashton really needs this gig to be his big break. When he got killed off of his last show, he was scared about what might happen to his career. Then, the last minute offer for this role pops up, and he just knows this could finally be his big ticket to Hollywood. But, he and his costar need to have awesome chemistry, and make America fall in love with them, which might be hard after he spills coffee all over her the second after they meet. Plus, he’s hiding big secrets that he doesn’t want anyone to know about, so he avoids the press at all costs, even though it often means distancing himself from the rest of the cast and crew.
Ashton and Jasmine had so much great chemistry, but he kept holding a piece of himself back, and because of that, they weren’t connecting on screen as well as they could be. But, once they actually started to get to know each other, it made all the difference in the world. Ash isn’t great with opening up to people at all, but especially not new people. Jasmine wears her heart on her sleeve, and has hardly ever met a hot guy she hasn’t severely crushed on. She trusts, and falls for men, too easily and gets her heart bruised each time. Ashton can’t trust anyone with his secrets, and takes his family’s financial burdens solely on himself. They both really had to work hard to get past preconceived notions about each other, and find a way to be happy together. Meanwhile their characters are having a second chance romance at the same time, which was like a story within the story.
The side characters here on the cast and crew of the show were fun, and both Jasmine’s and Ash’s families were so great. I adored Jasmine’s relationship with her primas of power, and how they were always there for each other: with support, with hard truths, and with alcohol. What more could you ask for from your friends?? Especially when they’re also family.
I loved the whole background of Jasmine and Ashton’s characters, coming from both telenovelas and American soaps. As a long time watcher of General Hospital myself, I loved a little peek behind the curtain of the industry. It made the story that much more fun for me, and sucked me in right away. It was such a smart thing too, to have the show plots become a part of the book in the way they were.
I highly recommend this fantastic story of not knowing what in the world you’re looking for, and finding it anyway. This book was sweet, and funny, and steamy, and it definitely won’t be my last from this author!
Rated 3.5 Stars
You Had Me At Hola was an awesome read. It’s cute, sexy and sweet. I liked that it was a romance within a romance and watching how both of those played out throughout the book. I enjoyed it but certain events took away from my overall enjoyment of it. However if the heroine ‘s cousins get their stories told I’d totally read it.
Copy provided by publisher through Edelweiss
I finished You Had Me at Hola and just thought “This book is delightful.” Everything from Jasmine and her family to the show, Carmen in Charge, and the attraction between Jasmine and Ashton was perfect. There was the perfect combination of sweet, steamy, and funny moments in this book. Beneath everything ran the importance of support and family for both Jasmine and Ashton. I even enjoyed the scenes from Carmen in Charge (cut away are not usually my thing) because they fit so perfectly into the story.
Jasmine has just been publicly dumped and has moved her career from LA back home to New York to star in a new show, Carmen in Charge. Which, by the way, I would totally watch if it was a really show. She has a plan to take her career to the next level and laid out a plan for how a Leading Lady should act. Which promptly is brought into question when she meets her new costar, Ashton. Ashton is also looking to upgrade his career with Carmen in Charge. However, the immediate attraction with the leading lady and the publicity following her threatens his carefully constructed world. Ashton has real and legitimate reasons behind his actions, even when they have the potential to interrupt his budding relationship with Jasmine.
I found myself loving basically every aspect of this book. The side characters, from Jasmine’s gal pal cousins to her critical parents and siblings and her supportive grandparents, to the cast members of Carmen in Charge, as well as Ashton’s colorful family, are all well-written and add beautifully to the story. The attraction between Ashton and Jasmine, especially once they decide to give in and act on it, is steamy and yet at times sweet. This may have been the first Alexis Daria book I’ve read but it definitely won’t be the last!
*Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Hola Indeed!
My love of soap operas began when I was little and watched them with grandma while my mom went to pick up my sister from school; my grandma called it our time. My tenth grade Spanish teacher Señora Barrientos assigned us telenovelas to watch to improve our listening skills, and I was hooked on the story lines! So when I saw that You Had Me at Hola features not only a soap opera start but also a telenovela star I was sold!
Jasmine and Ashton both hope that starring in a Latinx centered rom-com for the biggest streaming service will boost their careers. They also both hate the media attention that comes with being in television. And they both have rules about sleeping with costars, but rules are meant to be broken!
There is so much that I loved about this book, from the dual love stories of Carmen and Victor on camera and Jasmine and Ashton off camera to my FAVORITE trope being done perfectly to the beautiful exploration of family! I also adored the normalization of bilingualism (writers of Latinx characters shouldn’t have to translate every Spanish word or phrase used), trans acceptance, and the use of personal lubricant during intimate scenes.
It was also so refreshing to see character at work and working!!! So often they have these really cool jobs that they are always just heading off to, leaving, or taking a break from.
I desperately hope we get more of the Carmen in Charge family and/or the Primas of Power!
I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.
Alexis Daria writes an amazing romcom that immerses her readers into the glamorous telenovela world, and the sizzling hot chemistry on and off screen between Ashton Suarez and Jasmine Lin Rodriguez, the two LatinX stars of a brand new telenovela CARMEN IN CHARGE.
Jasmine who identifies as a Nuyorican, part Puerto Rican from New York, and whose grandmother is from the Philippines, is casted as the leading lady by ScreenFlix, the number one streaming service in the country. Ashton, whose character was just killed off in another telenovela, was added last minute, and he has much to prove to make sure his career isn’t dead. He is older and wants to realize his Hollywood dreams.
I found Daria’s writing fun, sexy and sizzling hot! I love both Jasmine and Ashton’s chemistry and their backstories. I enjoyed the creativity of getting two stories, one on screen with Carmen and Victor, and off screen with Jasmine and Ashton. It was swoon worthy and I just loved binging on this.
I also had the opportunity to listen to this as an audiobook and was beautifully narrated by #seraphinevalentine Thank you to @librofm and @harperaudio
I adored You Had Me at Hola! It has everything I look for in a romance book. It’s #OwnVoices Latinx romance set in the world of soap operas and telenovelas. Ashton is a telenovela star with a stalled career, and Jasmine is a soap opera actress who is more famous for her bad break-ups, than her roles. They both have a chance of propelling their careers by working together on a new streaming TV show, Carmen In Charge. They are attracted to each other, but having a romance on the set is complicated, not to mention Ashton is averse to media attention, and Jasmine’s love life is a magnet for tabloids.
You Had Me at Hola has a fun premise, fascinating and diverse characters, swoons, and humor. I even enjoyed the romance between Carmen and Victor, the main characters in the show, played by Jasmine and Ashton! It’s like you get two love stories in one book! You Had Me at Hola is probably my favorite romance of the summer. I cannot recommend it enough!e
Sweet romance, fun cover, I think this is a great summer read. I’ve been a fan of the author’s since I read her Dance Off series. One of the things I loved about that series was its setting at a TV dance competition. In her new novel, Alexis turns her sights to a Latinx TV streaming drama being filmed with Latinx stars, Jasmine from an American soap opera background, Ashton from a telenovela background. Their experiences as actors are similar, and their career goals are similar, with both of them hoping that their roles on this new drama will take their careers to a higher level, and expose them to new fans. The setting and characters were refreshingly different from the usual romance and I was fascinated by the glimpses into the filming of the drama. However, there were some big differences in their outlooks, with Jasmine being almost too open in her personal life and too willing to take chances for love, while Ashton was completely closed off due to a previous bad incident with a stalker and to the big secret he was keeping.
In addition to the main story, there was a story within a story going on as some chapters were written from the viewpoints of the fictional characters, Carmen and Victor, that Jasmine and Ashton were playing. I was more invested in the actual romance rather than the fictional one, but there was an interesting dynamic in that IRL, Jasmine and Ashton spent very little time together initially due to Ashton’s guarded nature, but at the same time, their characters were spending lots of screen time together so in a way, they were getting to know each other through their fictional characters’ story arcs. Initially, I felt like their real life romance came out of the blue, with no buildup, but then I realized that this was very much in keeping with what happens on a TV or movie set, and is one reason why so many actors end up having flings with their co-stars. I thought the author did a good job of portraying this dynamic. Overall, really liked this romance and I’ll be looking forward to her next one. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved this book! I loved the telenovela vibes I got from it. There are quite a lot of Spanish phrases and words in this book, and I really enjoyed that, as well. I feel like I learned something after reading this book, because I started picking up on words, and what they were before having to Google it.
I enjoyed the characters in his book, too. I’ve noticed in a lot of romance stories that I tend to have some issues with one or more of the characters, but I didn’t really feel that way with this book.
Jasmine is a badass heroine. I like how she has the same kinds of issues that most people, especially women tend to have. She searches for validation from romantic partners, and I feel like this is very relatable, so it’s easy to connect with her character. Jasmine is also, so caring. She wears her heart on her sleeve and gives so much of herself to other people. It’s so rare to see people like this portrayed throughout the entirety of a book because most people have some kind of walls built up to protect themselves, and it’s refreshing to see.
Ashton is on the opposite of the spectrum when it comes to opening up and trusting people. He is so guarded with his feelings and his life. He has reasons for justifying this, but he seems a bit extreme at times. I liked seeing him open up little by little throughout the book, as he becomes friends with Jasmine and the cast. I did get annoyed with him close to the end because he puts his walls back up, and I felt like he was being unreasonable, but the conflict quickly resolves itself.
Jasmine’s cousins, Michelle and Ava, are also, shining stars in this book. They are the voices of reason when Jasmine doesn’t make the best decisions, or when she lets her emotions take over a little too much. I love the bond between the three of them.
There are some steamy scenes in this book, so heads up, if that’s something you’re not really into.
This book is a very cute romance with great Latinx representation from a Latinx author!
I just finished You Had Me At Hola and what I’m left feeling is the importance of culture, your roots and the strength and love of your family. At the heart of You Had Me At Hola is a love story between two co-stars, Ashton and Jasmine that is intertwined with their respective cultures and background.
Jasmine Lin needs a break from the LA scene. She’s in the tabloids (not for a good reason) and wants to get away from working on soap operas. Ashton Suarez has been working on telenovas and is eager to try his hand at something new. When both of them are cast as the main stars – Carmen and Victor – in a new show on a paid service called Carmen In Charge, they both jump at the opportunity.
I really enjoyed learning about the diverse backgrounds of both Jasmine and Ashton. They each had their own challenges that were equally important to both of them. Jasmine faced the challenge of not knowing Spanish as fluently even when she was starring in a mainly Latinx show. Ashton had his own difficulties because English is his second language and he wasn’t used to the new environment/set.
I will admit that the relationship between Ashton and Jasmine didn’t immediately have me rooting for them as a couple. Ashton was a bit cold towards Jasmine, but as I kept reading I understood his motives. But once these two did decide to take their relationship to the next level – the steamy scenes were so damn hot!
Some of my favorite scenes were the chapters that were dedicated to Carmen In Charge. I loved the way Alexis Daria transformed the book so seamlessly into the show and I found myself really enjoying those scenes between Carmen and Victor.
I really enjoyed You Had Me At Hola! If you’re looking for a sweet and sexy romance that is interwoven with family dynamics then pick up this book when it releases August 4th!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher/GoodReads win.
Alexis created two incredibly compelling characters that you can’t help but want to end up happily ever after. The story is culturally rich, the experiences feel so authentic, and I savored every last page.
YAAAAAAS!
As a Latina (Puerto Rican) woman myself, I instantly gravitate towards this and I’m so happy to get my grubby little hands on it. It was a cute, fun read and even though the instant love vibes made me cringe more than I liked to admit, I actually enjoyed this. The plot, the storyline, the unfolding drama that didn’t seem to stop with the constant misunderstandings, our leading actors and their sizzling romance made this an instant page turner plus the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The only cons I would point out was the instant love (for obviously reasons) and the flow of the story. The POV between the lead characters and the TV characters didn’t transition as smoothly as it should have with the constant back and forth. Despite that, I had a decent reading experience with Alexis Daria’s latest release.