Book Review: "Ramón and Julieta" by Alana Quintana Albertson

After reading this fun, steamy, romantic retelling of Romeo and Juliet (without the tragic part), I’ve decided that there should be a sub-genre of books called “Books Not to Be Read on an Empty Stomach.” I have read so many to put in that classification, and this book had my stomach growling late at night!!

Ramón Montez is the dutiful son of the scion of a fast-food empire. He’s always been willing to help his father, and the company has set its sights on a Taco King in Barrio Logan, the center of the Chicano movement in San Diego in the 1970s. The neighborhood has resisted until now.

One night, at a Day of the Dead party, Ramón, dressed up as a mariachi, hooks up with a beautiful woman. It turns out this woman—with whom he has intense chemistry—is none other than celebrity chef Julieta Campos, whose struggling taqueria now has Ramón as its landlord.

But to make matters worse, the Montez and Campos families have decades of bad blood between them, all because Ramón’s father once stole Julieta’s mother’s taco recipe and destroyed her career.

Can they truly ignore the passion between them, however? Do they choose family loyalty over true love? I so enjoyed this look into this culture, to the gentrification battle being fought in Barrio Logan, and the characters in this book. And how can you resist a book which is, at its heart, about love and tacos?

Many thanks to BookSparks and Berkley for inviting me on the tour for Ramón and Julieta and providing me a complimentary copy of the book as part of #WRC2022!