“As long as you’re joking, that means you probably don’t hate me that much anymore.”
“I don’t think I could hate you if I wanted to.”
Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Deals with discrimination against race and weight, and living as an immigrant. Contains explicit sexual content.
“First Impressions of You” follows Luiza Bento, an aspiring actress working in a theme park on a temporary work visa, and Winter Davis, a child star that’ll be working in said theme parks next big theater production. Here’s the thing: Winter doesn’t even want to be there, and least of all with an inexperienced actress that just works in a theme park—and oh, does Luiza overhears that.
I mean, this book had me at “Pride and Prejudice retelling”, but what really made me stay was Luiza’s wit and stubbornness and Winter’s, well, everything.
Told through Luiza’s point of view, we get a glimpse at what it is like to start paving your way through the acting scene in LA, with none other than a well-established child star that doesn’t seem to be too keen on newcomers as a costar.
Sometimes in romance novels I don’t seem to understand where connections and chemistry come from, but oh was this not the case in “First Impressions of You.” Through this debut novel, we feel the tension building and that slow burn giving out slowly as the characters let go of their past frustrations and let themselves feel. I am absolutely in love with this super unique retelling, I will literally never shut up about it.
Are you a sucker for enemies to lovers and hold a little love for “Pride and Prejudice”? Well, this book is literally for you.
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ARC provided by the author, Gabriela Graciosa Guedes, in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: August 25, 2023
“You’re the sunshine I’ll always want in my winter.”
andrea's galley 