Single Chicas by Sandra C. Lopez - Book Blast - FREE Book!!! - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Sandra C. López and her new book, “Single Chicas”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Sandra and to increase your chances of winning!

This eBook is FREE during the book tour!!!  See below for more details.

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Single Chicas

by Sandra C. López

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GENRE: Chick Lit, Short Stories

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BLURB:

Single Chicas is a collection of stories about modern Latinas being in, out, and around the zany hurdles of relationships. One woman receives strange calls from a lonely soul, another seeks advice on how to love herself, and another wakes up in a parallel universe to a man she's never met. These chicas will make painstaking effort to survive the complexities with humor and grace. Once again, López dazzles audiences with her brilliantly candid craft. Smart, witty, and funny, these stories will explore the true endurance of singlehood.

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EXCERPT TWO:

Dear Single Chicas,

Hey, hey, love your site! I was wondering if you could help me. I have a boyfriend I'm crazy about, but he has a tendency to call me at work. It's getting annoying. Any advice?

Sincerely, Looney Cell

"Ah, a typical relationship conundrum," Simone said with a mouthful of pizza.

"Yeah, a typical headache," Georgia added.

"So what do we say?" Chrissy asked.

"Try this," Simone said, waiting for Chrissy to start typing.

Dear Looney Cell,

Your boyfriend needs to realize that, when you are at work, you are NOT his girlfriend. You need to give him specific hours, just like in any other job. Lay down the line with him. Point out that each time he calls you at your job, it keeps you from doing the work—work you're getting paid to do and work that in no way, shape, or form involves him. Besides, it may get you in trouble with your boss, if it hasn't already. Instead tell him to send you a simple text, but be careful not to overload your phone memory. Thanks for the shout out!

Single Chicas

The next email read:

Dear Single Chicas,

What's up! Problem: I'm engaged and I'm totally freaking out about it. Would I be a fool to ask if we could postpone the big day until I'm less freaked?

Yours truly, Runaway Bride

Reply:

Dear Runaway Bride,

Absolutely not! Don't do anything you don't feel ready for. Be honest about it. If nobody can understand that, then you would save yourself the headache and the hassle, not to mention the time and money, for that whole shindig. If it wasn't meant to be, then so be it. If, however, you have a guy that is willing to wait, then, by all means, let him wait. Wait, wait, wait until you are sure you can make it down that aisle without breaking out in hives. Just make sure you bring your running shoes on the big day....just in case. ;)

Sincerely, Single Chicas

The next email read:

Hey, Single Chicas,

I saw this one episode of "I Love Lucy" where Lucy suggests a vacation from marriage. What are your thoughts? Yay or Nay?

Sincerely, TV Addict

Dear TV Addict,

Yay! A vacation from marriage allows for the re-discovery of one's individuality―the "I" before the "we." There is such a thing as spending "too much" time together. Lucy said it best in that episode: "I'm sick at the sight of your face." Take a vacation to avoid this sickness.

Sincerely, Single Chicas

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book is a collection of interesting, intriguing, humorous, and engaging short stories!

This book focuses on relationships, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-realization, and learning to stand up for yourself as a proud, single Latina woman regardless of what your culture and family expect of you.

This book is filled with enticing, crafty, witty, passionate, playful passages and of course overflowing with whimsical, sarcastic tidbits that will have you laughing out loud!

As a single, Latina woman I was so excited to read this book and revel in a sisterhood of strong, fierce, sassy Mexican American women dealing with dating, relationships, and family expectations in today’s modern world.

I enjoyed reading this book as it is comprised of thirteen short stories which remind me of one of those “Chicken Soup for the Souls,” kind of books.

I liked that this book could easily be read with the option of reading a few stories and then coming back and picking up right where you left off at any time as each story is unique and does not overlap.

However, I really enjoyed reading this book as it was a fun, quick, easy read that I finished in just one sitting!!

There were many stories that had me laughing out loud!!

My favorite stories in this book were, “The Lesbian Theory,” “My Big Fat Fake Marriage,” and “The Ball Drop.”

My least favorite stories in this book were, “My Brother’s Funeral,” and “The Night Caller.”

I felt the story, “One Fine Day,” was quite intriguing, but ended so awkwardly and with no real conclusion.  This could have been a favorite if there had been a stronger, fulfilling ending.

I liked the Spanish slang lines thrown into the stories.  It gave the book more authenticity without being overly confusing to readers who don’t speak Spanish.

I also enjoyed all the modern pop culture references and the funny Neve Campbell Scream scene in the “Night Caller,” story.

Two of my favorite quotes in book are:

From “The Distraction,” Story:

“Lately it just seems that men are primping a lot more than women.  Smooth skin, gelled hair, plucked eyebrows.  Were they waxing their bikini areas too?” (Lopez 164). – LOL!!!

From the “Virgin Mary,” Story:

“As far back as I can remember, cousins of all shapes and sizes littered the neighborhood.  We would often gather on the street, running free and wild, screaming and laughing ‘til the days end.” (Lopez 134). – This is the Latina culture that I know – hundreds of cousins always around and running amok.

This book is easy to connect and relate to!  There’s sure to be at least one story that any reader – Latina or not – can personally relate to!

I liked the overall message of this book and the empowering of women references.

My only dig is that I felt many of these stories lacked the Hispanic heritage references that were promised in the blurb.  I expected stories about how single Latina women deal with the Hispanic culture and their family’s expectations.  For example, there wasn’t a story about how Hispanic women often get approached and hit on by men trying to speak Spanish to them.  As if it’s romantic as they butcher the language and only know like five words.  I feel offended when people just assume I must speak Spanish, because I'm Latina.  Or how when a Latina woman takes a guy home to meet the family there’s a huge fiesta with hundreds of cousins there (this part is somewhat mentioned in “My Big Fat Fake Marriage,” but not in extensive detail).  And how her brothers and cousins take the guy aside and threaten to hurt him if he hurts you.  And how that can affect the relationship when your family is constantly around and in your “business.”  Or when a Latina woman goes to meet the guys family – especially if they are Caucasian – how they comment, “Wow, she’s so exotic looking!” and ask, “How long I’ve been working as a maid?” even though I’m not one!  Or my favorite, “You must know Jose, our gardener – he’s from Mexico too!”  As if I know every random Mexican person because we have the same skin color – please!  This can really take a toll on a relationship when your partner’s family is disrespectful or ignorant about your culture.  Also, I was surprised that church wasn’t mentioned in any of the stories.  Many Latinas are devout Catholics and attend Mass every Sunday.  This can be a huge relationship struggle if the partner isn’t religious.

I just felt that there seemed to be some strong heritage details missing from the hurdles and struggles of relationships that Latina women face.  I’m hoping some of these details show up in book two!

This book is Book One in the Single Chicas Book Series.  It can be read as a standalone.

All in all, there were just a few hang-ups for me, but overall, I still enjoyed reading this book and would still recommend it!  I think all chick lit, short stories, and romance readers will like this book too!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R1TPSLD6SY9VK6

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AUTHOR BIO:

Sandra C. López is a writer, artist, blogger, and book reviewer. She is one of today's funny and influential authors in YA and chick lit. Her first novel, Esperanza, was published in March 2008 WHILE she was still in college. Her most recent and bestselling book is Single Chicas, a collection of humorous short stories about zany chicas. She is currently working on the next installment of the Single Chicas series called Holiday Chicas. Release date coming soon! When not writing her stories, Sandra supports the art and literary communities with freelance work and book promotion. For more info, see below:

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CONNECT WITH SANDRA:

Website:

http://www.sandra-lopez.com

Blog:

http://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com

Mailing List:

https://mailchi.mp/330f14ec8d40/free-short-read

Email:

http://www.sandra-lopez.com/pages/contact%20page.html

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/SandraLopezAuthorArtist

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ArtistSandraL

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/single-chicas-by-sandra-c-lopez

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1656820.Sandra_C_Lopez

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31548141-single-chicas

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2Z7TY6R

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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:

**Single Chicas is FREE on eBook during the book tour!!!**

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/2T5zNT3

Amazon Paperback:

https://amzn.to/2Z5CA2n

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/single-chicas-sandra-lopez/1124415443

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Sandra will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.