yvo_about_books's review against another edition
2.25
Finished reading: July 17th 2023
“She was tired of being strong. She just didn't know how not to show this fake face anymore.”
I confess that I was a tad worried to add Twice A Quinceañera after seeing it had quite a low rating on Goodreads, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt... I did very much enjoy my time with one of her other stories Furia after all, and I do love a focus on Latin American culture. Also, who knew just how difficult it would be to find an author with my initials (YM) for the POPSUGAR challenge?! Anyhow, I went in with lowered expectations just in case, but sadly I do understand why Twice A Quinceañera doesn't have a higher rating now. The premise itself is without doubt very promising, and I still love the idea behind this story with the main character using the planned wedding to host her own double quinceañera and celebrate herself instead. I also can't deny that I loved the incorporation of Latin American culture as well as some Spanish phrases. BUT. I don't think the execution in general worked for me. The story uses a dual POV structure, switching between Nadia and Marcos (although Nadia seems the main focus). That's not a bad thing, but somehow I found it quite hard to connect to especially Nadia, and her behavior was beyond frustrating at points. There was also an overload of secondary characters, some only mentioned briefly only to fade into the background, and this really distracted from the plot. Sure, I get that the author wanted to portray the inner workings of a typical big Latin American family gathering, but still... I was also very displeased with the romance itself. It just all felt too much like a combination of insta-love and the worst pining ever; neither character giving in to their (very obvious) feelings. And then I'm not even talking about the 'twist' near the end that made me want to throw my kindle against the wall and run away screaming. Honestly, if I hadn't made it almost to the end by then, I would have stopped reading there and then. There is just something about the plot, behavior and characters that is rather bland despite their Latin flavor, and some of the changes in behavior were also quite abrupt and not credible at all. Sadly, Twice A Quinceañera ended up living to that rating after all... I should have known.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Dementia, Cursing, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Racism, Grief, and Body shaming
Moderate: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Cursing, and Car accident
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