Love this book. I will read more. It was rich in character and great. Will read more. Great author and her books are wonderful

This is the second standalone in a series but can be read without reading the first. However for me I actually think reading the first book confused me for this one! For some reason I had pictured Patricio as being an older heartthrob artist in the first book, and here he is depicted much younger. I have loved Priscilla Oliveras’ other books, but this one just didn’t have the same feel for some reason. There seemed to be something missing between Catalina and Patricio that I just couldn’t put my finger on - perhaps it is being he is keeping a secret from her, I’m not sure. The pacing also didn’t seem quite right, and the book seemed a bit rushed. I liked Catalina, with her strong personality with a vulnerable side. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was entertaining and super exciting read for me, despite it being a little slow in the beginning. I quite liked the MCs as they were so fun! And, the romance and character development was definitely solid too.

I received an arc of this book (thank you NetGalley!) for an honest and true review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Let me just say I appreciate the Latin representation and culture that is portrayed in this book, we need more ♥️

This one had me a bit confused. It was a cute romance and the characters were well developed, but for some reason the story just fell flat for me. The slow-burn romance was great and Catalina and Patricos chemistry was immediate, they were adorable. However I felt like I didn’t get much pay off for how long it took for them to get there. I wouldn’t liked to see more I guess is my only complaint.
The cover is adorable and this was a quick and easy read when you just want to relax and be stuck in your feels.

SWOOOOOOOOON this book! The perfect amount of spice, sexiness, authenticity and fun. The main characters in this book were so incredible but every single secondary character was as well.

Classic Priscilla Oliveras with the cute and funny story, great side characters, and wonderful chemistry between the main characters. I’m not totally sure what was lacking but I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend giving it a read!

Thank you so much to Montlake for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really love so many aspects of this series! Reading about the sister dynamics, the characters balancing family vs. duty vs. love, and young women dominate the mariachi world was really enjoyable. The themes and characters in this book are both so compelling. I think overall, I enjoyed the romance in West Side Love Story more, but I still adore both Mariana and Catalina as characters. Their unwavering loyalty to protect their sisters and family as eldest daughters was really relatable, and I'm sure many other eldest daughters in immigrant families will say the same. The pacing of this novel, with the majority of the story taking place on tour, left me a little confused about the storyline, but I still enjoyed Patricio and Cat's dynamic. I'm curious to know if this series has any more upcoming books following the Capuleta sisters, and I'm excited to read the rest of Priscilla Oliveras' works now!

** Received review copy.**
I loved the first book in this series. I could not wait to see how Cat and Patricio would rub along together.
It is definitely a slow burn with two really prickly characters. One is living in the shadow of a father and the other was abandoned by a father. One tends to bury everything, and the other is loud and has a temper that tends toward volcanic.
Typically, I prefer books that are open door. I like to see all the aspects of the relationship. However, the burn between these two was delicious. I did not feel slighted by not getting the open door.
Cat is audacious and uses it to cover up her difficulty in trusting people. Men, specifically. Her familia is central to her life and she has no intention of getting involved with a man who's in the mariachi world. They cannot be trusted. She is not afraid to stand up for herself but sometimes she jumps to conclusions.
Patricio has been walking a fine line between being famous and not overshadowing his famous father. He pulls back and now he has writers' block. He wants Cat to shake things up and try to bring his muse back out into the light.
I loved how they slowly begin to warm to n=one another and how they have difficult conversations about their attraction and how it might impact their collaboration.
There were a couple of situations that were worked out fairly quickly. For me, they were glossed over a bit.
I am loving this series because I am learning about another piece of music that I know little about.

Kiss Me, Catalina has an incredible premise, especially for this Latina reader: an enemies-to-lovers, famous/non-famous, Shakespeare-based love story between a Latino superstar (Patricio) and an up-and-coming Latina singer-songwriter (Cat). I feel as if Priscilla Oliveras somehow went into my brain and discovered what romance I'd most like to read and then created it.

Not only did I love the premise, I adored the chemistry between Patricio and Cat. Right away, there's a huge spark, and I wanted to them to get together. Of course, the tension between them was also incredibly enjoyable.

The only thing that keeps Kiss Me, Catalina from being a five-star read for me is Olivera's (or her editor's) tendency to underline and over-explain her points. It feels as if she doesn't trust the reader to understand her characters' backgrounds or the subtle ways they reveal themselves through their body language or phrases -- everything needs to be pointed out again, just in case the reader misses it. As a Latina, this was doubly frustrating because I felt like the book kept explaining things I understood, and while I have read so many books that were not written with my culture in mind, it was disappointing to encounter this in a book written by a Latinx author.

That said, this qualms absolutely do not keep Kiss Me, Catalina from being an incredibly enjoyable romcom. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for a free advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

TLDR : A very entertaining read that sucked me in. I ended up listening to hours of music while reading this book –mariachi classics which led to bachata, salsa and even tango. New favorites were discovered. New playlists were created. Incidentally, some Spanish was learned. Here’s my point : this is not just a novel but it’s an experience. And I recommend it.

“I messed up. But I’ll do everything and anything to make it up to you. Te quiero, Catalina Capuleta. Bésame. Bésame mucho.”

Catalina Capuleta gets the chance of a lifetime when she joins superstar heartthrob and fellow mariachi Patricio Galán on his concert tour. While Patricio may be a charming and handsome distraction, Catalina’s determined to keep her head in the game and use this opportunity to launch her career.

“Look, I know that all of this” —she motioned from her head down to her torso— “is hard to resist. And you—” She huffed out a breath as she jabbed an open palm at him. “Bueno, we both know you’ve perfected that swoony Latin-lover charm your fans adore. But it is wasted on me. Are we clear?”

I think the author did an amazing job with her characters. Catalina and Patricio were the best part of this book. She showed their hopes and desires, Catalina’s temper and need to prove herself (and her point), Particio’s loneliness and yearning for something more. I identified with some of these feelings which made them all the more compelling.

A couple warnings : While this book can be read as a standalone, considering it’s the second book in a series, I would suggest starting with West Side Love Story (the first book) to get better context. Also, this book is semi-closed-door : there are explicit scenes leading up to the main event which is closed-door.

***

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishing team for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Personal rating: 3.5/5

Catalina is a rising star with a life-changing opportunity in her hands; joining Patricio Galan in his 7-weeks concert tour with his mariachi band. Patricio is literal asshole and arrogant, as he should like most superstar, hence when they hit the road together, things exploded. Figuratively and literally.

But after weeks in, they mellowed. Her being less headstrong, and him becoming more human than a jerk. However, reality kicks in; will the romance still alive after it ends? Would it be the best for 2 hot-headed artist to be together? Can they beat the odds?

I'm not a romance reader. I picked up some here and there but this caught me off guard. It's a closed door romance so minimal extreme scene that's too much for underage kids, and it portrays strong woman cruising her careers against all odds. Do you know it was extremely hard for women to join in mariachi band? Until 2010s, it was men dominated field, and these years statistic hasn't improved much.

Big thanks to Ms Oliveras and NetGalley for the ARC! I'm brushing up my spanish as soon as I get this so I wouldn't lost anything in context.

Kiss Me, Catalina was a cute, atmospheric read set in the world of mariachi. I loved the super unique setting and learning about all the culture that surrounds mariachi bands and performers. I didn't read the first book in this series, so I felt a little lost at times, but this was still a sweet, fun read.

There's a lot of things I really enjoyed about this book. One, the cover is amazing. There is also a great core family at the center of this book. I loved their relationship and how they pushed each other to be their best. I loved learning about mariachi music and tradition. I also appreciated the incorporation of Spanish into their dialogue. I've only taken high school Spanish but through context clues, I was usually able to figure out what was said. Finally, I liked the slow moving nature of the romance and how they got to know each other before jumping into a relationship.

Speaking of the characters... Cat had several positive qualities: her ambitious, talented personality, the way she fought for women in a male dominated field, her dedication to her craft and family; but at times she veered into extreme arrogance and had poor communication skills. Patricio started out super cocky but ended up really growing on me. He had an endearing, supportive personality and really personified the sexy, superstar mariachi performer. I liked them together. The break-up/make-up scene didn't add a ton to the book for me, but that's really my only quibble about their relationship.

This was a solid 3.5 star book for me. It was a cute, fast read that is perfect for anyone in the mood for an escape.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an easy, predictable and sweet enemies to lovers read. There were aspects of this book that were done extremely well, such as the hispanic representation and slow burn romance that keeps you rooting for the lead couple. I was able to foresee the way the story would unfold, hence it didn’t have that gripping spell on me. Highly recommend this for a simple and cute afternoon read.

Obsessed with this series and the cover and the story. This book is steeped in Mexican culture, which is so lovely to see. I have loved everything this author has put out that I've read, so I was excited to read this as an ARC.

A lovely summer read with likeable characters and a wonderful story arc I had a lovely weekend reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the novel.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.. This book omg i cant type how much i loved this book yall need to read this one especially if you love romance with a strong woman lead? Sign me up! I loved cat so so much! and her love interest was also a strong lead as well and i loved the music aspect of it and also im not huge on romance novels because i feel like sometimes they are forced so quick however the author of this novel made everything perfect wasnt forced alot of different things happened and it was just so good. Both people dealt with family trauma and such and they helped eachother through it at times. I loved the women empowerment in this book so so much! This book had everything you need.. Betrayal at times, romance, drama. EVERYTHING. This book was seriously so good.

The book follows two mariachi music artists, Catalina and Patricio, on Patricio’s tour where Catalina is the support act. Their attraction is immediate alongside their fiery ability to challenge and inspire one another with equal passion for their music. The relationship between Catalina and Patricio was full of chemistry and sexual tension from the get go. The relationship is a slow burn with certain things initially holding back the progression of the relationship, with Catalina’s determination to not let any feelings for or relationship with Patricio get in the way of her music career and goal to support her family. The slow burn nature of their relationship allows you to see the relationship fully develop and form as their feelings become hard to ignore. They are able to be their true, authentic selves with each other, especially in sharing their love and passion for music, showing their connection from day one. This book was a fun and enjoyable read as you become fully invested in the characters and their story.

Quick Summary: Sweet & spicy

My Review: Kiss Me, Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras was my jam!

What made this story so fantastic was the chemistry between C and P. Every time they interacted, it was intense. They struck sparks off each other. From their first meeting to their last, they shared very strong emotions. Because they had certain rules in place, they did not want to go to the next level, but it was easy to see how difficult it was for them to abide by those rules. Their slow burn, high intensity romance was sweet & spicy and totally worth reading.

What I Loved about This Book:

- C impressed me with her strength, with her determination & with her drive. She knew what she wanted from jump, and she wasn't afraid to go after it.

- P was a really good guy. Despite having grown up in the spotlight, he came across as humble. He genuinely seemed to want what was best for C and others.

- Although their pasts were negative, they connected through it in a monumental way.

- A cared about both C and P. He was a lovely father figure.

- The C family was beautiful in heart and in spirit. How they came together, how they supported each other, how they interacted, and how they protected one another was noteworthy.

- G was spicy himself. He had the audacity to say the quiet part out loud.

- The use of Spanish and English throughout the story made it more authentic and believable.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

After reading West Side Love Story I knew I needed more Mariachi romances in my life. When I discovered the second book in this series was available I knew I had to immediately read it.

Kiss Me, Catalina follows Catalina Capuleta and Patricio Galán (a.k.a. El Prinicpe) a famous Mariachi artist. Both Catalina and Patricio are talented musicians and after Catalina is offered an opportunity to work with Patricio in writing songs for his next albums she feels as though her dreams and hard work are finally yielding results. As they tour and spend time together Catalina and Patricio find a lot more then they originally planned.

I loved this slow burn romance. I absolutely loved the female empowerment displayed and demanded by Catalina (especially as it pertains to the Latine/x community). I love Patricio’s gallantry and respect.he was a flirt and a bit cocky but not in a unlikable way. Their relationship was so sweet and you can’t help but root for them individually but also as a unit. I loved this book and the Mexican representation. I cannot wait to read more books following the Capuleta sisters and these swoon worthy men.

This was a quick, easy and cute read that I couldn't put down. It was well written with a gripping storyline and characetrs that I took to my heart especially Cat and Patricio. For some reason I had all the songs from Disneys Coco in my head whilst reading this and I loved it even more. I would highly recommend this book, I love the cover too.