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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I LOVED this book. Was everything I wanted in an romantic comedy.
Jasmine has just been cast as the title character on a new bilingual telenovela for a streaming service, but she’s still getting over a very public breakup with a famous musician. But will her handsome new costar, Ashton, ease her sorrows?
This book had a super fun, original backgrop, centering around the lives of Lantinx soap stars. While the actual romance was fairly mainstream, everything else that went into the book was so fresh! It’s great to see more representation in fiction. I really feel in love with the characters (ALL of them… we’re getting a book on each of Jasmine cousins, right??), and could FEEL the chemistry between out two leads. And we can’t fail to mention that Daria really knows how to bring the heat! It’s ~hot~ without being forced, and feels like it belongs in the story. This was a quick read (took me–a very fast reader–3.5 hours) and the plot is light, so it’s a breeze, but that was just what I wanted! If you’re looking for a fun, entertaining, and sexy rom-com, definitely pick this one up.
Could definitely see this as a movie, too!
Sexy, sweet, funny–a fantastic romantic comedy. Alexis Daria has written a fast paced, heart warming story that I will definitely be reading again. 5 stars!
Really enjoyed this read! The author either works on a film set or did some stellar research to know what Telenovela actors go through. I was right there with the main characters through the complete process, though the balance was perfect between scene setting and relationships.
I adored the concept, Spanish throughout, and characters.
Highly recommended for readers who love characters who need to get over their own flaws to find their HEA, single dad romance, dramatic characters, and diverse casts.
Laugh out loud funny and heart-meltingly genuine, You Had Me at Hola delivers a couple you can’t help but root for and a happily ever after to believe in.
This was my first Alexis Daria romance, but won’t be my last! Well-rounded characters with great chemistry and a high steam factor, so if that’s your jam, you’ll love this one. Looking forward to picking up A Lot Like Adios next.
This is an adorable romance between two Co stars! I absolutely love abuela!!
As a lover of telenovelas and Spanish streaming shows (Gran Hotel, High Seas, and Cable Girls), I found a lot of joy in this book! I listened on audio and loved the narration. It was a bit of a fun rom-com but laced with some feel-good emotions. Like with most romances, I knew what to expect getting into it but it didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ride! The love scenes were a bit steamier than my liking but still well done. I loved Jasmine, Ashton, and the whole string of secondary characters. Loved the writing style, setting, pace, and story. I’ll definitely read another book by this author.
I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t work for me. However, it had a super cute cover!
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/rz-txQnN3_M
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/book-review-you-had-me-at-hola-by-alexis-daria/
I’m the type of person who will buy a ton of books at once and then not read them for ages. I think it’s because I’m a serious mood reader; one minute I’ll want to read the book and the next minute I’ll be in the mood for something in an entirely different genre! For that reason, You Had Me at Hola has been sitting on my bookshelf since it’s release. Honestly, I’m terrible at reading my books on time and sometimes I want to slap myself because I’ve been missing out on such fabulous reads like this one!
What makes this book so special to me is the immersion of CULTURE. I love reading about people from all walks of life and this one especially because it centers around the Latin community. How sad it is that I don’t see this all that often in romance novels? It’s a breath of fresh air and the author does such a wonderful job at enlightening her readers about this culture that you feel like you’ve not only learned something new but that you are a part of it too. Not only that, having NEVER watched a telenovela she made me want to broaden my horizons and check one out! This added a unique flair to a genre that has been slowly becoming my least favorite. ‘ !
Now onto the book… This is a romance between two co-workers that are starring in a brand-new telenovela together called Carmen in Charge. This book isn’t your typical romance though as both characters are looking to expand their careers rather than fall in love. Jasmine for example just got dumped via a tabloid magazine and honestly doesn’t need a man to be successful (GIRL POWER) and Ashton is trying to keep his family (and secrets) out of the limelight while catapulting his career into something bigger. Neither expect love but sometimes love has a way of sneaking up on you just like it did for Jasmine and Aston. Is their own love story like a the very own thing they are working on together (a telenovela)? The simple answer is YES and it’s not something you want to miss! It plays out deliciously like one!
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The cultural aspects, their own love story playing out as a telenovela, and even the secondary characters (who may or may not have future books ) are just wonderful! I definitely recommend this one and am looking forward to the next in the series!
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This book was soooooo sexy! A page turner! I loved enjoyed it from beginning to end! Can’t wait for part 2!
This story is surely going to become a classic—mark my words. Ashton, Jasmine and the world of télénovellas had me laughing, daydreaming, and swooning hard core.
I loved the dual plot line with the Novella and the real life of the characters. The relationship between the main characters was more realistic than most romance novels.
First and foremost, this book was STEAMY. There you’ve been forewarned. Second, this book really impressed me. I feel like it is what would we consider modern romance. The amount of inclusion and consent that was shown in this book was great. Third, I really appreciated that all of the main and secondary characters were POC. Overall, the story was well-written and not quite as cliche as your stereotypical romance novels. I would definitely recommend it.
I loved this story!
I loved the characters, all of them. I loved the culture that went into these characters it was like I knew them. I loved that it takes place in New York and actually shows what it’s like to live in one of the biggest melting pots in the world.
Jas and Ashton made me swoon right off the first few pages. I enjoyed that we did get a glimpse into the show they were filming too. I thought it was a nice touch.
This a cute–perfect summer read!
I loved the way this book wove together the characters’ fictional characters into the plot. It was a story within a story! So creative. So well done. What a delicious treat of a book.
Delightful mixture of the television series filming/script with the actors’ developing relations. Maybe one of the penetrative episodes was gratuitous. Loved the power of the cousins. Not a flattering view of tabloids and paparazzi.
I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend this book! I did get a little confused from when they were going from the movie script to real life. I still gave it 5 star!!!
I so enjoyed this book! It’s been taking me a really long time to read lately and I loved that this book roped me back in every time I picked it up. I loved the world Alexis Daria created, loved Jasmine and Ashton and watching them come together. This book was such a fun read!
4.5
This was a swoon-worthy and steamy read. I loved Ashton and Jasmine’s relationship and Yadi is just so adorable. Jasmine’s cousins are just goals. This was an extremely amazing read and I think I need to read more books from the Latinx community. If you’re a fan of telenovelas and soap operas I guarantee you’ll love this book. I also loved how diverse the telenovela crew was. This author is now on my radar so I’ll definitely read more of her books.
PS: I listened to the audiobook and it was so well narrated so I’d highly suggest it.
Well that was an absolutely flat and boring read. Maybe it was just me but everything about this was awkward and off, especially with the “steamy” scenes. I would have rated lower but I absolutely loved the cousins and the family. They made the book better.
I really couldn’t have cared less about the TV show. Reading that in-between the actual storyline itself irritated me to where I just skipped over those chapters completely.
I’m glad others were able to enjoy this one but it definitely wasn’t for me.