BEN AND BEATRIZ
Author: Katalina Gamarra
ISBN: 9781525899959
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Publisher: Graydon House Books
Author: Katalina Gamarra
ISBN: 9781525899959
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Publisher: Graydon House Books
BLURB
There’s nothing like falling for your worst enemy.
Beatriz Herrera is a fierce woman who will take you down with her quick wit and keen intellect. And after the results of the 2016 election worked hard to erase her identity as a queer biracial woman, she’d be right to. Especially if you come for her sweet BFF cousin, Hero. Beatriz would do anything for her, a loyalty that lands Beatriz precisely where she doesn’t want to be: spending a week at the ridiculous Cape Cod mansion of stupid-hot playboy Ben Montgomery. The same Ben Montgomery she definitely shouldn’t have hooked up with that one time… The things we do for family.
White and wealthy, Ben talks the talk and walks the walk of privilege, but deep down, he’s wrestling with the politics and expectations of a conservative family he can’t relate to. Though Beatriz’s caustic tongue drives him wild in the very best way, he's the last person she'd want, because she has zero interest in compromising her identity. But as her and Ben’s assumptions begin to unravel and their hookups turn into something real, they start wondering if it’s still possible to hold space for one another and the inescapable love that unites them.
This retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is both razor-sharp and swoon-worthy: the perfect love story for our time.
There’s nothing like falling for your worst enemy.
Beatriz Herrera is a fierce woman who will take you down with her quick wit and keen intellect. And after the results of the 2016 election worked hard to erase her identity as a queer biracial woman, she’d be right to. Especially if you come for her sweet BFF cousin, Hero. Beatriz would do anything for her, a loyalty that lands Beatriz precisely where she doesn’t want to be: spending a week at the ridiculous Cape Cod mansion of stupid-hot playboy Ben Montgomery. The same Ben Montgomery she definitely shouldn’t have hooked up with that one time… The things we do for family.
White and wealthy, Ben talks the talk and walks the walk of privilege, but deep down, he’s wrestling with the politics and expectations of a conservative family he can’t relate to. Though Beatriz’s caustic tongue drives him wild in the very best way, he's the last person she'd want, because she has zero interest in compromising her identity. But as her and Ben’s assumptions begin to unravel and their hookups turn into something real, they start wondering if it’s still possible to hold space for one another and the inescapable love that unites them.
This retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is both razor-sharp and swoon-worthy: the perfect love story for our time.
Buy Links:
Bookshop.org
Harlequin
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Books-A-Million
Powell’s
Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @AccioLeoBloom
Instagram: @katalina.gamarra
Goodreads
Bookshop.org
Harlequin
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Books-A-Million
Powell’s
Social Links:
Author Website
Twitter: @AccioLeoBloom
Instagram: @katalina.gamarra
Goodreads
Author Bio:
Katalina Gamarra earned a BA in English from Drew University, where she received accolades for both creative writing and academic prowess, as well as an award in Shakespeare Study. Before becoming an author, she worked in bookselling and literary scouting. She lives in Boston with her husband, cat, and dog.
Katalina Gamarra earned a BA in English from Drew University, where she received accolades for both creative writing and academic prowess, as well as an award in Shakespeare Study. Before becoming an author, she worked in bookselling and literary scouting. She lives in Boston with her husband, cat, and dog.
MY REVIEW
Beatriz knows better than to fall into bed AGAIN with the guy she hates, Ben. But when on a getaway with her cousin Hero, Hero's boyfriend Claudio, who's Ben's friend/roommate, close proximity and all that, things happen. Now she's happier than she's ever been. But, like I said, she knew better, and Ben turns out to be exactly who Beatriz knew he was - a rich, entitled white guy whose parents voted for Trump. Yep, he's one of THOSE guys. And she's decidedly NOT. She's everything Ben's not - queer, biracial, and with a sassy mouth and strong backbone. Perhaps this pair of opposites can really make things work, IF Ben can be the guy Beatriz has had glimpses of, and not the guy he seems to be.
OK, there's a lot going on here. A lot tropes and themes - queer representation, POC representation, politics, family, both the good and bad kind, and in some parts I was really entertained. I really like how well fleshed out Beatriz's character is, how smart and fiercely protective she is of her cousin Hero. I also really like Hero, also smart and fiercely protective of her cousin. And Uncle Leo is awesome!
Now the bad - the politics portion of this was kind of hard to get back into, as it was a time in this country I hated, gave me a lot of anxiety as a POC myself, and reminded me of just how much Trump fucked this country up, which I did not like being reminded of. And then there's Ben and Claudio. Ben is definitely the kind of guy, the kind of character, I dislike, with his rich background and entitlement, and his obsessive focus on sex and not of what's going on around him. I do think he got better near the end, so he isn't the worst part of this story. Claudio on the other hand, is the worst, well he and Ben's brother and parents. Claudio is a stock villain, not as fleshed out as Beatriz and Hero, and I really felt like his purpose was just as a way to give Beatriz and Ben the requisite breakup. He's highly unpleasant to read, and felt like just another white guy with no redeeming qualities. The bad is pretty bad here, and far worse than the good, so I guess 3 stars is all I can fairly rate this one.
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