Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. At times, I felt like I had to skim through it. I wish we could've seen more of the relationship that would ultimately be the HEA.

This was a lovely read , I enjoyed the fact that Jazmine is a writer in a traditional print media and as everything is going digital, she needs to make decisions that will affect her whole life and I couldn’t wait to see what Jazmine would decide. I was going to love this because it contained my favourite tropes friends-enemies-lovers, love triangle (well there are 2 interests) forced proximity and second chances , what is not to love.

What is even better is this isn’t just a romance, not a romcom, it’s about self-love and self-discovery, about the consequences decisions have, I think it’s much deeper than I initially thought as I went I just expecting a light and summery read, but I’m happy to say I got so much more. I loved that Jazmine struggles with anxiety and self-esteem, it made her so much more relatable to me, I’m so used to characters who have everything sorted, so it’s nice to watch her grow and overcome. (Something I’m still learning)

I thought this was well written, great pacing , you don’t want to put it down and brilliant characters, all three dimensional and so many are so likeable, I loved Jasmine’s family, they were just so wonderful, funny, loving, you would so want them in your corner. I also loved the fact we get more diverse characters and different cultures represented. This is my first read by Valerie Tejeda, but I am so glad I decided to read this, as I’ll be reading more of her work from now on. Fantastic read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Qotd: "No. That's not the Jazmine Prado way. You don't settle. That's not the girl I knew. That's not the girl I'm in love with." (Leo, Good on Paper)

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BOOK REVIEW 🌼

BOOK FEATURED:
~ Good on Paper by Valerie Tejeda

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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

This book was absolutely sweet. Leo and Jaz have been romantically involved since the start of their lives together, and this was a little cringe. But as they grew over the years, Jaz knew exactly what she wanted and she grabbed that. But their marriage pact always came in between. Fast forward to her relationship with Hudson, Hudson was a magnificent guy for her but only Good on Paper. When she met Leo after all these years at her wedding, she started to sense that everything was wrong. Something about destiny always brought Leo in her life at the correct time and that was what Jaz needed ❤️. Leo and Jaz's story is absolutely special along with their family and career 😊.

The QOTD I chose has a very special meaning. ❤️ It depicts the love Leo has for Jaz and the way they understand each other 😊.

This is such a fun and quick beach read! Not sure I loved the characters, but overall I really liked the book. Pack on your next trip beach or pool side.

This is book is a perfect summer read. I loved getting to know jasmine and Leo and their friendship, the highs and lows and the fallouts. I did most of the time want to bang their heads together for some of the stupid stuff that they said and also did, I think that made me love this book more. 
 
Within the book it also looks into how traditional journalism is evolving to online blogs, social media and also into vlogging as well, which in real life is a shame as there is nothing better sometimes to pick up an actual physical copy of a magazine.  
 
I love that there is a focus on following your dreams, but also staying true to yourself at the same time. It’s such an important life lesson which I want to pass on to my own daughters

Good on Paper is the perfect romance book which includes friends-enemies-lovers, tarot and astrology, forced proximity, two, yes TWO, amazing love interests, second chances, self love and discovery and just beautiful writing *squeals in excitement*.

The perfect book for summer! Trust me.

Jazmine is the sweetest, strongest and most relatable main character I’ve ever come across. A boss b*tch who knows (eventually) what she wants, we love her. She’s so passionate about her writing and about what and who she loves that I just can’t help but fall to my knees and worship her! (Jaz, I wanna be you when I grow up) and I love that she has a big close knit family that are just so excited when they’re all together because that is exactly what my family is like. It’s so nice to see proud diverse happy families finally represented in books! Not all parents need to killed off in order to further develop the character guys!! Take note.

I also love that Valerie wrote Jazmine as a 28 year old who still doesn’t have her life in order or know exactly what she wants! Because let’s face it none of us do and in a majority of the books I read the main characters are either in their early 20s or know exactly what they’re doing/want to do OR BOTH!! I mean it’s totally not relatable… to me anyways.

I’m loving romance books at the moment, especially when it includes astrology and tarot AND articles about very real, very relatable topics woven in between the chapters! It was fast-paced, spicy (Leo, I love you), drama drama drama and the love story between not only Jaz and Hudson but Jaz and Leo was so beautiful. AND the way Jazmine chose herself in the end?!?! UGH I LOVED IT. *chefs kiss*

READ THIS BOOKS!

I hated this book from the beginning and it did not get any better. Jaz and Leo were both iimmature diots and their romance made no sense. She turned him down when they were 18 because she thought that they were too young and she wanted to focus on college and getting her career started. So they made a pact that if they were both single by 28, then they could get married.
And then she was upset with him for having an on again, off again girlfriend and having sex with said girlfriend after she turned him down. He also claimed that he would never cheat on his girlfriend but was flirting with Jaz at the beginning of the book. I also just didn't like the writing and the dialogue felt really awkward.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in echinacea for an honest review.

Wow what a corker! Take this with you when you’re laying on a sun lounger with the sea in front of you. A perfect summer read

Thanks to Headline publishing, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a sweet story about two best friends who make a pact to get married by 28. Leo Couture has always loved Jazmine Prado but she doesn't want to throw her career opportunities away just to be with her best friend/love of her life. The timing never seems right ... until it is.

While the storyline is a bit formulaic, this is a nicely written story with a string romantic element. It wraps up well in the end. That being said, I didn't really connect with Jazmine who I found was a bit of a shallow character.

This is a solid 3 for me, but I think younger adults would enjoy it more.

Jazmine and Leo make a pact to marry one another if they are both single, by the time they turn twenty-eight. But the pact is over when the two have a falling out and don't speak again.

So, seven years later, when Jazmine is getting married to Hudson Taylor, an up-and-coming social media star, and the only way to save her career is to have her wedding day filmed, for a TV show, surely nothing will go wrong when the videographer is her old childhood friend turned enemy, Leo.

This is a very easy read, told through the main character of Jazmine. I was slightly scared of this narrative as you genuinely love every character and didn't want a narrative that could tip the reader to dislike a character, but Tejeda gives us a resolution that everyone comes out on top, and you don't see coming.

I actually flew through this book and liked the extra snippets of the main character's written articles. This novel also follows the main character as she battles with anxiety and lack of self-confidence, in which we see her overcome these things and grow, focusing on self-love and personal strength. I found a lot of this novel inspiring as I could easily relate to a lot of it..

Such a great novel by Tejeda and I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was a quick and breezy summer read, perfect for a beach vacay!

I like this story, but would say to be aware going in that this is more of a women‘s fiction/chick lit type of novel than a romance, so a bit less like the swoony rom com that I though it would be.

I really loved Jazmine as a protagonist and her journey of self-discovery, and the setting of a luxurious wedding in Mexico was absolutely dreamy. I feel like it would be even better read while you‘re on a beach yourself.

Jazmine‘s family was one of the best things about this book and I loved how the author wove in lots of cultural references and really made Jazmine and the other Prados come vividly alive.

I wasn‘t sure what to make of both Hudson and Leo, the two love interests. In the interest of not spoiling the plot, I will not tell you who she ends up with (or even if she does end up with anyone), but I did feel both of their parts in the story a bit lacking. I guess that is also mainly due to the fact that I though this would be more of a romance going in, so maybe this will not bother you if you read this as a chick lit novel.

I did love Valerie Tejeda‘s writing style and will be on the lookout for whatever she writes next!

(Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Tejeda and Headline Eternal for providing me with an eARC for this book in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions in this review are my own.)

I got 28% through this book before I finally DNFed it. I honestly believe some people will really love this book but it’s just not for me.
It’s very slow starting and honestly I don’t find the MC that likeable. She just complains a lot. Although I do appreciate she has a lot of anxiety, but her complaints and her worries about her work take over everything. Even in her mind when she is proposed to, instead of just celebrating in the moment.
And I have yet to start the part where the actual main love interest and happily ever after person comes into it. I don’t particularly want to read about a relationship that I know won’t be the HEA.
There is a lot of telling rather than showing as well.
Just not my cup of tea.
I still believe there are people out there who would love this book but I am unfortunately not one of them.

Perfect beach read and I literally read the whole thing in one day while on the beach in the OBX :)
Jazmine finds herself being laid off from her work at a style magazine as they are moving towards digital content. Her boyfriend has a huge social media presence, so when he proposes, the magazine offers them a chance to have their wedding paid for as long as it’s all covered. Jazmine is not thrilled with the idea, but her fiancé Hudson is all in. When they land at their destination, the videographer turns out to be her estranged childhood best friend and first love, Leo. As the wedding day draws closer, Jasmine has to decide what she wants for her life before it’s too late because as Leo’s mom tells her, “Life’s too short to not be happy.”
Thanks to Headline Eternal and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed Good on Paper, the debut novel from Valerie Tejeda. This is not you’re standard rom com and yet I enjoyed it all the more because of that.

Good On Paper is a story about love, and yes there is romantic love, but it also goes far beyond that. There is the love of one’s family, the love formed between best friends, love for your heritage and culture, love lost and found once again, and perhaps most importantly it is a reminder to always love ourselves.

Good On Paper is the story of Jazmine, a journalist who is facing a potential lay off as her magazine reveals they’re pivoting to video content. Determined not to let her career slip through her fingers she agrees to be a part of the magazines first web series Our Big Day, which will chronicle her wedding to her internet famous new fiancé Hudson. What she didn’t account for was Leo, her former best friend, and first love, being her wedding’s videographer.

One of the things that makes this book unusual is that for the most part Jazmine is with the man who doesn’t end up being her HEA (I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to reveal this). Also perhaps more unusual is that he is a thoroughly great guy, handsome, adventurous, kind and loving. We’re not seeing two polar opposite men being pitted against one another here, they’re both good men. As the title suggests, Hudson is good on paper in all the right ways, and yet Jazmine is forced to examine if he, and the life he hopes for them to lead together, is everything she wants?

All of the characters, except for Jack, are inherently likeable. They’re written with depth and heart and I loved all the different relationships being showcased. Particularly special was that between Jazmine and her cousin Gal, who was her main support and confidante. I also very much appreciated all the cultures and heritages that were celebrated through the characters. I especially loved Leo’s mum’s reminder of the importance of staying true to who you are and all that means. Though her appearance in the novel was brief it leaves a lasting impact.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read and one I’d gladly recommend.

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I went in thinking it was going to be one way and when it wasn't fitting into that mold I was getting really aggravated and wanted to DNF. However, because I'm not a quitter (really I need to get over this) I kept reading and now that I've finished I can objectively look at what the issues were for me and yet also still appreciate what the book as it is.
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes, but with some warnings.
1. This is less of a romance and more of a contemporary fiction with a subplot of a romance. I feel like if we're going to market this as a romance two things needed to change. She either needed to end up with Hudson OR we didn't need to spend a whole book following her with Hudson and started the book after they had parted ways.
2. The beginning is a little choppy and will eventually mean more to the story but you may find it hard to get through. Once you get through it the story feels more fluid.

*3.5

I enjoyed this but I just think the character development could have been written better. She clearly did not want to marry Hudson so I don't know why it took her so long to say no. It also bothered me that she couldn't figure out what she did wrong in her relationship with Leo.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you Netgally & Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story heavily revolves around social media and wedding planning. Jazmine is a jolly character with anxiety issues to goes any length to save her job. Her choices could be relatable at times.

I'd like to say this is a friends-to-lovers, second chance romance but for majority(70%) part of the book, Jaz is with someone else & their is no chemistry whatsoever with Leo.
The romance felt a bit off for me, considering it was almost a love triangle.

Jazmine has always been determined to follow her dreams, now 7 years later an award winning writer her job is on the line, its her 28th birthday and her boyfriend Hudson has just proposed marriage. She's willing to put her life on the line to save her career by agreeing to partake in webseries showcasing their wedding and the days leading up to it.
Plot twist!!!! Her best friend is part of the video crew and the last time they saw each other things definitely didn't end well.

This was such a lovely book, it was slow at the beginning but definitely picked up quickly. Getting to know Jaz's family their heritage and diversity was refreshing. Doing what is right for can be better than doing what is right for others.

Thank you to Valerie Tejeda, Headline Eternal and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Headline Eternal for sending me a digital copy to review via Netgalley.

I chose to apply for this mainly because it said that it was a light beach read. Which I personally disagree with.
I found it thrilling and entertaining to read but through most of it I felt super tense and maybe a bit stressed. The main character Jazmine Prado is stressed constantly, almost nothing in her life seems to be relaxed. The author did a really good job letting us in into Jazmine's life and really letting us feel what she feels. I loved also how a lot of the descriptions of the scenery were very vibrant and beautiful. For a beach read I would've loved a bit more of those and maybe a bit less stress. I mean the character really comes out well and it fit the narrative well, it just doesn't fit the promise made in the advertisement.
So all in all I did like it but it was not a relaxing beach novel to me.

My recipe if you'd like to pick this up and go to the beach with it:
Start the book on the flight to the beach and save the last 2-3 chapters for the beach, that's where I think it gets beach worthy.
Or if you're not going to the beach, then just read it at home, but be warned it might make you dream of going to the beach ;).

(OK small spoiler alert below:
One thing that really bothered me: in the opening chapter the characters have a couple of drinks (cocktails / Longdrinks), like 3-5, go home by cab and then the guy is called to pick someone up... He then leaves by car... Why is it never a concern that he probably had too many drinks to drive?
I mean I guess the author wanted to fit a narrative here but O.o why did she fit in the cab drive in before, like the characters were thoughtful about a save return, just to have him drive after? I just, don't really think that's 100% realistic, but I'm just ranting at, details here :D)

Note on the Star rating difference I made between here and goodreads: for my personal bookshelf this was an OK read, the kind of book I'd pick up once every now and then, not what I'd read often. But I did enjoy it so for a rating to the author and the publisher I'd like to say well done and add a star ;).

When journalist Jazmine Prado finds herself facing the loss of work, she agrees to take part in her magazine's first web series, Our Big Day, which will chronicle her Cancún wedding to her internet-famous fiancé, Hudson Taylor. Yet whilst Jaz is getting ready to marry Hudson, she finds herself wondering what she really wants for her life, and if it involves, the show's videographer, Leonardo Couture. Leo is her former best friend and first love who she hasn't seen, or spoken to, for seven years.

This was a light read with plenty of great characters. I enjoyed how Leo and Jaz, went from friends to enemies to lovers, and I loved seeing this romance blossom amid the craziness of social media. An entertaining book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.