Che-Michelle Tales

Book Review

Book: Twice The Quinceanera

Author: Yamile Saied Mendez

Published: July 26th, 2022

Wine Choice:  Elisa Saugivigon Blanc

Stand Alone, Series, or Other: Stand Alone

Type of book: Novel

Genre: Rom-Com; Fiction

How long did it take me to read this book:   5 days

Overall rating: Wonderful, Citrusy, and Empowering

By the time you read this review, it will either be the end of January or Sometime in February.{ Well, it’s March, life, man life}. I hope to write this up and edit it to have it up before January 31st.  If you have read other posts, I am on a mission to read books I have in my Kindle or Google Books before I buy any new books.  I failed; I purchased a book on Google books 😵‍💫 no judgment. I brought Twice a Quincernara last year, the book cover grabbed me, and I was like am I getting  Runaway Bride or Finding myself vibe. 

The book focuses on Nadia Palacio and opens with a boss move. I  do not want to spoil this book, but Nadia’s action is a stance that leads to a mission of self-discovery by standing up. As the book unfolds, Nadia is faced with all the -isms.  If you don’t know what the -isms are, you are in luck; they are as follows:

-Racism

-Ageism

-Sexism

-Classism

 I am pretty sure I missed three other isms that women and minorities in America face.  First, the author does a fantastic job showing the nuances and the genuine feelings of how the main character and family deal with the institutional discrimination they face while turning lemons into lemonade or apples into Apple pie.  

I love the main plot and subplot and found that the author still focused on the main story without losing the main character’s growth. I understand that this book is described as a second-chance romance. Still, I was more invested and felt the author focused on Nadia Charachter’s development with her friends, family, and herself more than the romance aspect. The romance of the book flowed naturally and didn’t feel forced. 

Overall  I loved this book; on Sunday, I read most of the book with a lovely South African Sauvignon Blanc,” Elisa.”   It was perfect for highlighting the moments of her friends and family loving on Nadia, but it also fueled me up when I cussed out the people being awful to Nadia.  I cussed out a few McKenzie  ( I started hating her, but she grew on me   in the last chapter, but during the book,  I cussed her out for Nadia.) Unfortunately, I missed a chance to drink an Argentina wine or even my favorite, Chardonnay  Embrazen, which features Celia Cruz. This was a lovely book; the author handles  Racism, Discrimantina, and the importance of having a community with finesse and charm that I appreciated.  

I give this book  Full Book Club Status.  For me, it was a 10 out of 10.  I hope to read more of Yamile Saied Mendez’s works in the future. 

I tried my best not to spoil any aspect of the book. So read it, return to the comments, and tell me if you like it. 

Until Next time,

Che Michelle