Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira is a debut novel that follows a young girl’s struggles to understand the importance of family and forgiveness. Taking place in the summer heat of Miami Florida, we are introduced to a young woman named Carmen Aguliar who struggles with her reputation, relationships, and deciding the next steps for her future.
Image from HarperCollins website.
Carmen wants one thing and that is to finish her summer internship with Dreams Comes True, a party planning business that produces happily ever afters, to earn her high school diploma. Three months and then she is free and her family can stop labeling her as a cautionary tale. But what she wasn’t prepared for was the return of her former freshman hook up, Mauro Reyes, and her spoiled cousin, Ariana, the destroyer of her quince, whose quinceañera she has to plan. Carmen seemingly has no escape from the two people she dislikes the most, but it is only three months, and she can do anything for three months.
Carmen does everything she can to make the summer as tolerable as possible. She goes to quinceañera practice, where she watches her crush Alex fall for her cousin and is dance partners with Mauro. Summer is not turning out to be the dream come true she hopes it would be; it becomes increasingly strenuous as she battles with her growing feelings for Mauro and struggles to forgive him and her family. Carmen carries her hurt and insecurities close to her like a shield, which makes navigating her life difficult and lonely at times.
Once Upon a Quinceañera reminds readers that the longer we hold on to our hurt, the harder it is to make and maintain relationships we desire — even if those relationships aren’t perfect and require some work. When people hurt us, how do we continue to live a life that allows us to be authentic and vulnerable, even when it’s hard? Gomez-Hira does a wonderful job of describing how relationships, both familial and romantic, can be extremely difficult to manage, especially for younger adults who are learning who they are.
What stood out to me was the clear message of accepting that people are going to let you down and are not perfect, but loving them despite that can create stronger relationships. This story is a powerful reminder of working through our anger and to allow yourself time to grieve the disappointments people give us, but to continue to love. This is a wonderful book about love, family, and learning how to deal with emotions to better oneself.
Tereza Lopez (she/her) is a recent graduate from Clark University with a double major in English and history. She will be attending Clark University again in the fall for a master's in communications. When she is not studying, you can find her obsessively reading or taking care of her new kitten.
