e-Audio, 10:08:50
Narrated by: Aida Reluzco
Release Date: April 7, 2026
Published by: Harlequin Audio
Read from: April 15-16, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Death of a parent, Grief, Sexual Assault, Toxic Relationship, Emotional Abuse
For Readers of: 2SLGBTQ+, Adult, Audio, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Foodie Favorites, Sparkly Covers, Own Voices, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Cuban), Realistic Fiction, RomanceOne wedding, two rivals and a whole lot of secrets…
As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Isabella Valdes knows three things for her late father’s restaurant is thriving she owns lots of designer things both of those statements are absolute lies to make her mother happy
Isabella would do anything to keep her father’s legacy alive, including attending her estranged cousin’s weeklong wedding extravaganza. Because once Sofia’s wealthy fiancé tastes the recipes Isa prepares from her father’s cherished journal, he’s sure to invest.
To Isa’s annoyance, she’ll be sharing a cabin with Valentina, the former friend turned rival who ruined her quinceañera. But Val is offering an unexpected deal—she’ll help Isa unravel an old family secret found in her father’s journal in return for help sabotaging the wedding and winning the heart of the bride.
Saying yes is a bad idea. Isa’s perfectionism meets its match in Val’s carefree demeanor, but as they work together, the usually responsible Isa can’t seem to say no to Val’s shenanigans. There’s no hiding from Val, no ignoring this complicated but undeniable connection that’s changing Isa’s beliefs about love, loyalty and just how much she owes to her family—and to herself…
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was MESS-SAY! My notes for this are legit all over the place. I was happy in some ways because Isa did some bad ass things that she should have done a long time ago, but I was also mad because some of this was ridiculous lol
Ok so the entire time I was reading this I think my eyebrows were near my hair line. I kept saying wtf like every 5 words lmao Weddings are like the perfect breeding ground for mess and drama. So of course, but even still, I was still shocked when I saw the type of mess we were looking at. And I mean from both sides. This was a hot mess and I couldn’t look away. But the plot was twisting and there were some times I had to rewind and be like “I’M SORRY?!” LOL I hope if y’all pick this one up y’all like this as much as me.
The different relationships are what I had trouble with. The one with her mother was worse than strained. I was mad that she let it go on that long. And then there was the one with her cousin. They stopped talking over 10 years because of WHAT? No one thought to ask anyone anything? And then there was the romance…. I just couldn’t get with that one at first either. *SPOILER* Just knowing what she was there to do made me realized that she wouldn’t be the number one. Like ever. And I didn’t like that.*END SPOILER*
The romance was a little weird in the end tho. They didn’t really have any chemistry. I was basing everything off what she was originally there to do. And as it turns out, she let some things go to the very end. That didn’t make me love her. And then finding out more about her cousin’s other person was just weird af because they hadn’t done anything lol It was But when they finally got it together things were better. I liked the end speech, but it wasn’t exactly I’d take them back worthy? I think I just liked it beacuse it was messy. That last dinner took the cake. I had to slow down the audio and stop working for a bit because I had to re-listen to what happened LMAO
As a fictional foodie I was glad to see this had a chef and a restaurant owner. And the fact that they were working for this wedding, while also being in the wedding was astounding. Idk how she did it, but she was a beast in that sense. I was hella impressed. Granted she had a team and Idk how many people they had in that wedding, but to do that is already a crazy feat in itself, and I was impressed lol
There is so much more I want to talk about! Her mom, the relationships with her family members (the ones that liked her and those that didn’t), her dad, and so much more. BUTTTTT I don’t want to spoil any more than I might already have. This was a book that best reads as a surprise, so I don’t want to say more. I hope you pick this up to see what they surprises are!
Overall, I give this
