Ariel and Eric sing romance ballads together in “Kiss the Girl”

Zoraida Cordova has done it again! If there is one author, I can trust to tell a compelling story with a grand romance and feature latino/a characters- it’s Zoraida Cordova! Cordova has written many books ranging from middle grade to adult, but her most popular novel, The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina, is clever and beautiful!

Kiss the Girl is a fantastic musician contemporary romance and a Little Mermaid retelling too! This novel is full of lots of funny moments, easter eggs, and great characters, it’s a great treat for romance lovers. Also, Kiss the Girl is part of a fairytale retelling series titled-Meant To Be which features great authors such as Jasmine Guillory, Julie Murphy, and Christine Lauren.

Summary:

Ariel Del Mar is a famous popstar, performing since she was a kid with her sisters in a band called the Siren Seven, she can’t wait to begin a new career that’s lowkey and far from the limelight. But Ariel’s father and manager has other plans for her and a has signed her up for a new solo career immediately following the last concert on the Siren Seven tour. Ariel’s had enough and a night before she’s to appear on a morning talk show to announce her next move- she sneaks out to go to a rock concert. Ariel manages to charm lead singer, Eric Reyes, who convinces her join him and his band on their first tour and with help from her sister, Ariel disappears,

Being on the road gives Ariel a new perspective. Not only does the time away give her the chance to live independently for once in her life but she also uncovers the truth about her father’s successful music career, and she finds herself falling for Eric. But can Ariel trust Eric with the truth? And will he forgive her even if she’s lied to him?

Thoughts:

Let me start this review by saying I love a good fairy tale retelling, especially when they do not strictly follow the original fairytale. Kiss the Girl is guilty of this in the best way possible. Not only does Cordova modernize the tale, but she also adds a new villainous twist!

The original fairytale of The Little Mermaid is rather tragic, and Ariel does not receive a happy ending or life above the sea. Disney’s retelling changed the vibe and gave it a happy ending and cute animal sidekicks. So there’s a lot of room to expand and retell this story.

I do not want to give away who the real antagonist in this novel is, but I will reveal that the characters Ursula and Vanessa are present and have been split into two! Which one would think couldn’t possibly work, but Cordova makes it so. Also, the character of Ursula is so fiercely protective I admired her.

Okay onto the juicy stuff. Our leading man, Eric Reyes, is a bit of a ladies’ man, and ironically his bandmates/roommates are all women, but he keeps their relationship as nothing more than friends. But because Eric gets around, his bandmates forbid him from sleeping with Ariel while they’re on tour. I loved Eric’s relationship with his roommates. Cordova could have made one of the bandmates an ex, and it would have fit perfectly for his character and added an extra layer of drama. But she didn’t, and I appreciate it! Oh, and I’m sure many of us recall that Eric has a dog named Max-well in this novel, Max is one of Eric’s bandmates, and she has loveable energy.

But like a lot of adaptations of The Little Mermaid, Eric is rather charming and loveable, and he is no different here. Although I did note he has a strained relationship with his parents which I have not seen in other retellings.

In Contrast Ariel’s isn’t so obsessed with Eric as other versions. Rather, Ariel’s drive to see the “real world” stems from wanting to escape the sheltered bubble she’s lived in her whole life. Ariel’s father has had control of her image, finances, and her career, her whole life, and she’s had enough. Although Ariel and Eric are equally infatuated with each other, I do like that Ariel’s sets off on this journey for herself rather than at a chance at love.

Also notable about this retelling is we see much more of Ariel’s relationship with her sisters. Although it’s brief, there are enough scenes in this novel for me to tell that they all care and look out for each other, and it’s this close sisterhood that makes the ending of this novel that much sweeter!

I also want to briefly mention that although Ariel does not have animal sidekicks like many Disney’s princesses, she is accompanied on tour by her stuffed fish flounder. Which I thought was cute. I love when romcoms make an effort to include the heroine and her comfort plushie.

The romance in this novel is cute, the plot is also really fun, and the humor is perfect. I did notice that this novel took an interesting approach with the music. Because our romantic leads are both latinos, I felt that Cordova drew inspiration from present and past Latin icons when she crafted this story. I don’t know if this was intentional, but I got major Selena y los Dinos vibes while reading. Especially reading about Ariel’s parents. Eric also gave me Sebastian Yatra vibes, which I do hope was the inspiration for his character. Also, the fact that Sebastian and Eric are from the same town in Colombian-kind of suspicious. I wish I could pinpoint which Latin pop star Ariel reminded me of but there was not one in particular that came to mind while reading, however if anyone has any theories, please feel free to share.

Oh almost forgot to mention, this novel does not have graphic sexual content. The one sex scene is fade to black and while some spice would have been great I enjoyed this story regardless.

I am always up for a good rock/singer romance, so if my amazing readers have recommendations for some great romance ones, let me know! Kiss the Girl is part of a series of modern fairytale retellings titled Meant to Be, all written by different authors. I may read the others when I am in my next fairytale mood, but if you’re looking for some modern retellings consider checking out this series.

Thank you for reading my blog and Living in Libros with me for a moment until next time lovely readers,

Gabriella

Content Warnings:

Toxic Relationship, emotional abuse, death of a parent, car accident, stuck in an elevator

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