4/5 stars

This book is out tomorrow and you NEED to get it!

Honestly, I have loved Adriana Herrera’s writing from the very first book I read (American Dreamer- Nesto and Jude have my <3) and have not found a book I haven’t liked yet. Having said that, I went into this book with trepidation because while Workplace Romance is one of my favourite tropes, Friends to Enemies to Lovers is definitely not. It is so so easy to have a minor thing cause the fallout and when an easily corrected misunderstanding is the entirety of the conflict, it drives me absolutely nuts.

But, Herrera has pulled an absolute genius move with the storytelling device here. Esmeralda is the illegitimate heir of the CEO of Sambrano Studios, and upon his death, inherits a big part of his company, with just a week to prove that she deserves it. The only catch? Her main competitor is her father’s second-hand man and her ex-boyfriend who betrayed her and broke her heart.

Situating the story in a television studio producing telenovelas and pulling from the inherent drama and flair of the genre, is so smart because some of the more outrageous plot points seem tame in comparison! Herrera always writes such wonderful stories about found families and representation and acceptance of all sorts of stories. Her American Dreamer series did a great job of showcasing the diversity in the Latinx experience and this book takes it further.

I love that at the heart of the story, Esmeralda and Rodrigo have to figure out how to get over their past hurts and learn to be together again as the newer, changed versions of themselves. And I am so happy that the resolution wasn’t her capitulating and letting him win. They both were such strong, individual characters and giving them the space to exist freely as people of their own, in addition to the love story, was wonderful.

I’m really excited for Adriana Herrera to keep going with this series! It is the stuff my drama-loving heart craves the most!

**I received an ARC from the author**