Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira

Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~10 hours. Read by Monica Gomez-Hira. HarperTeen/ HarperAudio, March, 2021. 9780063061415. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira. The only thing standing between Carmen Aguilar and her high school diploma is an internship. She didn't complete it during senior year due to the harassment she suffered from her project supervisor. The only internship she could find on such short notice was as a party princess. The last thing she wants to do is dress up as Belle and sing "Beauty and the Beast" for a bunch of five-year-olds, but that's what she needs to do. Her situation goes from bad to worse when she learns that her "Beast" partner is none other than Mauro, an ex who also had something to do with her estrangement from her cousin and the cancelling of her own quinceañera three years earlier.

Carmen is a wisecracking firecracker who doesn't suffer fools gladly. Yet, there is still chemistry between her and Mauro. The family dynamics are dramatic and sometimes hilarious. There is definitely a soap opera feel to all the angst. There's also foul language, underage drinking and other risky behavior in the story. Mature eighth grade readers who enjoy romance and know or want to learn about quinceañeras will be entertained. 

The lively narration kept things interesting.

No comments:

Post a Comment