I actually was surprised how much fun this was, and how well done. It was so absorbing I read it in bed until I was done, missing hours of sleep! A thought I had as I finally closed it was: delicious and nutritious!" Even though it was character-driven, there was plenty of plot. Personally, I was so interested in the characters I didn't need the murder part to keep me turning pages. I just really enjoyed this 'year in the life' of these strong & vital women as they explored issues of friendship, love, integrity, and identity. And of course, as a gringo, I had fun reading what the Latinas think of us and what they do & say amongst themselves. Thank you Giveaway for this ARC!" ( )

The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina by Mike Padilla is about four friends and their troubles with love and what not. One of their friends, Marta, owns the cantina where they like to unwind after a hard day.

I was really expecting to enjoy the book. I loved the cover and the setting (the San Bernadino Valley) but NONE of the characters came across as believable, even remotely. Theres a lot of scheming, and spying and attempts at boyfriend stealing. There's also a lot of drinking.

But in the hundred pages I managed to slog through, nothing of any significance happened. ( )

The back cover of The Girls of the Revolutionary Cantina says that Julia's friends involve her in a risky scheme, but that plot doesn't get underway until the book is more than halfway done. The first half is filled with simplistic sentences of "and then she did this" and plenty of name-brand references (I almost thought I was reading a YA from Alloy). It seemed like M. Padilla decided to write a west coast version of Sex and the City (the TV show, not the book), but it's not very appealing. I was bored by the time I got to the plot development of Diego's dead wife.

This was an interesting book. I wasn't sure I was going to like it when I recieved it, but it turns out that I enjoyed it.

Friendships, betrayal and forgiveness. Latina friends climbing the success ladder and dealing with ups and downs of relationships between each other and others. I found the characters very similar to some of the latina friends that I grew up around. Struggling with cultures and expectations of parents along with being perceived by others. I think the author did a good job of showing the hesitation and insecurites that were hidden in one character (driven obsessively with success) and the more apparently cautious young woman (Julia) navigating through business and personal life.

One of the characters (the dancer) at first seemed a little stereotypical to me, but then I started remembering some of my mother's friends and realized that she was just like at least three of my mother's friends. All the women my mother knew (including my mom) were practically obsessed with dancing (very fun, salsa dancing - the latin beat can't be compared to anything else), loved parties and get togethers, and some were just as glittery and showy as Concepcion.

It was a good read with believable dialog. ( )