Alexis Daria

The national bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola returns with a seductive second-chance romance about a commitment-phobic Latina and her childhood best friend who has finally returned home. Hi Mich. It's Gabe. After burning out in her corporate marketing career, Michelle Amato has built a thriving freelance business as a graphic designer. So what if her love life is nonexistent? She's perfectly fine being the black sheep of her marriage-obsessed Puerto Rican-Italian family. Besides, the only guy who ever made her want happily-ever-after disappeared thirteen years ago. It's been a long time. Gabriel Aguilar left the Bronx at eighteen to escape his parents' demanding expectations, but it also meant saying goodbye to Michelle, his best friend and longtime crush. Now, he's the successful co-owner of LA's hottest celebrity gym, with an investor who insists on opening a New York City location. It's the last place in the world Gabe wants to go, but when Michelle is unexpectedly brought on board to spearhead the new branding campaign, everything Gabe's been running from catches up with him. I've missed you. Michelle is torn between holding Gabe at arm's length or picking up right where they left off--in her bed. As old feelings resurface while they work to make the new gym location a reality, their reunion takes a sexy turn. Facing mounting pressure from their families--who think they're dating--and growing uncertainty about their futures, can they resolve their past mistakes, or is it only a matter of time before Gabe says adios again?

A Novel

A Lot Like Adiós

Bria

I like “You Had Me at Hola” better, but I love the fanfiction aspect.

Ji Hye Lee

Looked forward to this book for a while, but it didn't impress me. I couldn't get into the story and characters as much as I wanted to.

Ashley

First of all, the cover. THE COVER. LOOK AT THE COVER! It's so beautiful. I don't care what anybody says, the cover is an absolute work of art.

Second, the plot. I don't know about y'all but I loved it. It's like a second chance at love with a lot of character development. Living for it.

Third, the steam. Spicy. Hot. Steamy. Like omg, I did not expect it to be so picante but damn I'm not complaining at all. 

Finally, go read this book. Don't doubt it, it's totally worth it.

Jantien 

Ahhhhh yes, another feelgood novel by Alexis Daria! I live for the latinx culture she writes about and she always makes me feel good about my knowledge of the Spanish language. Such cute characters!

sydney

Avery Baumel

Would’ve liked it if it wasn’t closed-door to the power of 500 and I was only reading it for the cute bits LOL

Carlee Edwards 

DNF- wow this is the first book in a long time that I actually couldn’t finish. I couldn’t stand the main character and the writing was not for me. I read this authors first book and now I’m second guessing myself- did I actually enjoy it as much as I thought I did? 

The whole story line was so forced.. within the first few chapters the characters are already together without any good lead up or chemistry. I love a book with good 🌶 scenes.. but that is not what this book had. It was so awkward..

At times the book felt extremely political like the author was trying to include everything and it was a bit much for 1 novel. 

100% do not recommend this book.

lauren carla

um lol… this book was such a disappointment. i LOVED the first book so much, and this sequel didn’t even come close to meeting its predecessor. I really didn’t like gabriel… at all. he was a dumbass the entire novel omfg, and michelle could literally do so much better 💀. I also didn’t care about the fanfic chapters… or the plot in general. and honestly, I just kept waiting for the book to finish 😭. the only highlight for me was michelle, but she wasn’t enough to save the book for me sorry.

Chelsea White

I mean, my bi ass was hooked when both Michelle and Gabe came out as bi. That alone made the book for me. Overall it was cute, but relied heavily on lack of communication as a source of tension which is my big rom-com meh. Their chemistry was palpable, and I loved reading how closely their fanfic mirrored themselves in their teens and their adult lives. I had big questions about Ernesto and why/how he changed so drastically from what Gabe remembered him as, but then again, it had been 10 years. There were little details like that that I found myself curious about, so it was a little unsatisfying when the book ended without answering them.
Overall a cute read!

Leonie

Can we get more characters who write fanfic as a hobby, please?

Kath Lau

Michelle and Gabe were childhood bestriends until Gabe suddenly left NY, his family, and his bestfriend to start his own life. Thirteen years later, Gabe is now a co-owner of a successful gym in LA and planning on opening a second gym in NY. To help him out with the marketing, they need to hire someone. And that someone turns out be Michelle who is now a freelance graphic designer.

I loved this book so much more than You Had Me at Hola. Michelle and Gabe are both wonderful characters. Also, they're both queer! Michelle is amazing and brilliant especially when it comes to her job. Gabe is so charismatic. They have great chemistry and their banter was enjoyable to read. I also liked the chapters of the fanfiction they're writing during their teenage years. Aside from the delightful cast of characters, this book has great family dynamic too. I recommend if you're looking for a light second chance romance novel.

Check out my other reviews here.


  Disclaimer: Thanks to LibroFM for my ALC. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

"Alexis Daria's A Lot Like Adiós is a charming, sexy spitfire of a novel! Between Mich and Gabe's crackling dialogue and their palpable yearning, I fell hard and fast for this book, racing through its pages until I finally closed it with an overflowing heart and a deep happy sigh. Romance readers, this is your new favorite book!" --Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation The national bestselling author of You Had Me at Hola returns with a seductive second-chance romance about a commitment-phobic Latina and her childhood best friend who has finally returned home. Hi Mich. It’s Gabe. After burning out in her corporate marketing career, Michelle Amato has built a thriving freelance business as a graphic designer. So what if her love life is nonexistent? She’s perfectly fine being the black sheep of her marriage-obsessed Puerto Rican-Italian family. Besides, the only guy who ever made her want happily-ever-after disappeared thirteen years ago. It’s been a long time. Gabriel Aguilar left the Bronx at eighteen to escape his parents’ demanding expectations, but it also meant saying goodbye to Michelle, his best friend and longtime crush. Now, he’s the successful co-owner of LA’s hottest celebrity gym, with an investor who insists on opening a New York City location. It’s the last place Gabe wants to go, but when Michelle is unexpectedly brought on board to spearhead the new marketing campaign, everything Gabe’s been running from catches up with him. I’ve missed you. Michelle is torn between holding Gabe at arm’s length or picking up right where they left off—in her bed. As they work on the campaign, old feelings resurface, and their reunion takes a sexy turn. Facing mounting pressure from their families—who think they’re dating—and growing uncertainty about their futures, can they resolve their past mistakes, or is it only a matter of time before Gabe says adiós again?

Michelle and Gabe were childhood bestriends until Gabe suddenly left NY, his family, and his bestfriend to start his own life. Thirteen years later, Gabe is now a co-owner of a successful gym in LA and planning on opening a second gym in NY. To help him out with the marketing, they need to hire someone. And that someone turns out be Michelle who is now a freelance graphic designer.

I loved this book so much more than You Had Me at Hola. Michelle and Gabe are both wonderful characters. Also, they’re both queer! Michelle is amazing and brilliant especially when it comes to her job. Gabe is so charismatic. They have great chemistry and their banter was enjoyable to read. I also liked the chapters of the fanfiction they’re writing during their teenage years. Aside from the delightful cast of characters, this book has great family dynamic too. I recommend if you’re looking for a light second chance romance novel.

Salam Kabbani

This book was light and fun and tackled great family dynamics. I love Daria's deep focus on Hispanic heritage and family traditions. 

I like how she had bisexual representation and discussed the acceptance of that in different cultures. 

The book was a great second chance romance about Gabe and Michelle, two best friends that became estranged when Gabe decided to leave his entire life in NYC and head to LA for college. 

I really enjoyed how the book followed the two characters and we watched them evolve and learn things about themselves and each other. The romantic parts were definitely steamy and tastefully written :) I also loved that Michelle had a cat, because I'm also a cat mama! 

I really liked how the author delved into their families as well and how all of the dynamics gradually changed for the better. I liked the heavy emphasis on work life balance and not running away from problems by burying yourself in work. 

The story follows a dual timeline, one of the present and one of their teenage years when they were writing their own Star Wars inspired novel. At first I didn't understand what the purpose of that was, but then it all made sense at the end, and I really enjoyed it. 

The book was slightly lacking in depth for me; however, I really enjoyed it and thought it was well written.

Nash

Ay Dios mío, mi corazoncito! 

Let me tell you que si me gustó mucho “You had me at hola”, “A lot like adiós” me robó el corazón. I need to do this in Spanglish sólo porque si. How can I not?

Michelle y Gabe tienen historia. They were childhood best friends hace una vez. They were locos for each other and being típicos adolescentes, never said anything. They haven’t seen each other in 9 años, desde que Gabe se fue de New York and abandoned his family and friends to pursue his dreams. Ser parte de una familia hispana is not easy my friends. Some of us have expectativas que cumplir or negotiate with our family. That was the case for Gabe. His family would not see things his way y el los resentía por eso. No le importó dejar behind the girl he loved just to get away from his familia. 


Now things have made it possible for them to work together. They are both successful at what they do y juntos serían imparables. Cuando Gabe se contacta with Michelle, she just can’t believe it’s him. To her own surprise she accepts his deal but she has unas cuantas cláusulas que negociar. In order for them to work together, el tiene que quedarse con ella nada mas y nada menos que en New York. The place he swore he would never go back to. El acepta. Las cosas entre ellos están sensitive. Neither knows how far the can test each other. Gabe is afraid to see his family and Michelle is afraid of loving him una vez más. They both have problems they need to work on. They need to forgive each other y hacer las paces. They just weren’t counting en lo candente que las cosas were going to get… 



Canten conmigo:
 “Quisiera poder olvidarme de ti 
Con otra sacarte por siempre de mí 
Decirte a la cara que no me haces falta para poder vivir …”🎶

Also on the playlist: “Antes que pase más, tiempo contigo amor, tengo que decir que eres el amor de mi vida…” 🎶 

#IfYouKnowYouKnow

Kathryn

❝ She wanted to see him. To spend time with him. To find out if there was anything left to salvage . . . With a lump in her throat, she wrote in tiny, reluctant letters, “Friendship 2.O”❞

Although this book is rich with culture and has amazing representation, the concept itself was a bit hard for me to rationalize. The set up of how they ended up working/getting together threw me off more than I’d like. I really don’t know why, it’s possible it’s just a me thing!

At times the main relationship felt instalove-y but truly this is a friends-to-lovers romance novel, with a message about the importance of family and facing your problems.

Overall, this is a cute and light read! (And all hail Michelle 😏🥰) 

3/5⭐️

Ananya

i'm super disappointed because i really liked the first book and second chance romance is a trope that i love deeply. while it wasn't a bad story, the writing felt a little off (to me) and the story lacked something but i can't quite put my finger on it. overall it was an okay read for me.

b.andherbooks

I typically do not enjoy fitness career characters, but Daria did an excellent job making Gabe focused on health and form, with shape/looks being secondary, so this ultimately worked great for me.

This one was a bit of a slower start (in me knowing if I would love it), but eventually Gabe and Mich won me over. Have to say I appreciated the horniess in this book SO MUCH, and the intersection of family and the pain and joy family can bring was deftly balanced with the romance.

The big conflict between whether or not Gabe would move to NYC or not, with Mich not currently having a physical job location was also ultimately wrapped up well, even if for a little bit I was like why are you two so allergic to trying some long distance. Reading about Gabe's struggles with meeting the expectations of his father but also realizing his own expectations were what was holding him back was a nice journey to see.

Loved the casual diversity of the story, including a character with they/them pronouns, and Gabe's niece who is trans. Both Gabe and Mich are bisexual.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for the ARC - full review to come from Library Journal.

Lisa 

Sorry folks but I'm throwing in the towel! Gorgeous cover but clunky writing, two characters who were 'enemies' after having a friendship break-up 13 years ago and quickly reuniting to become friends with benefits just didn't work for me! The plot was also super boring and I did not care about our hero's reason as to why he never spoke to his family for so long.

Sarah Williams

Going in, I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this one as much as I did YOU HAD ME AT HOLA. I’m not usually that keen on second chance or friends-to-lovers, but I loved HOLA so much that I knew I needed to pick this one up as soon as it came out. To be fair, I was right: I didn’t enjoy A LOT LIKE ADIÓS as much as YOU HAD ME AT HOLA—I loved it even more. ⁣
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I had to force myself to savor this one because I wasn’t ready for it to be over so quickly. If I’d let myself, I would’ve finished it in one sitting. Daria’s writing is so easy to read and get lost in, and her characters are human and relatable with the added bonus that they’re also super attractive and swoon-worthy. ⁣
⁣
I tend to avoid second chance and friends-to-lovers because of the emotional baggage that often comes with those tropes (as y’all know, I’m basically a professional crybaby), but that was never an issue in ADIÓS. It never felt overwhelming and it always felt very realistic and necessary to the emotional growth of the characters and progression of the story. ⁣
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A LOT LIKE ADIÓS is an engaging, swoon-worthy, and satisfying read with some of the best steam I’ve read in a long time.

A Lot Like Adiós A Novel

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