Customer Reviews

Adios to My Old Life

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When she sneaks out to enter a 'Next Latin Star' show, Alegria (Ali) Montero figures it's just a chance to be seen. But when she's selected as a finalist, the Catholic schoolgirl has to confront her old-fashioned father and persuade him that her dreams, while not his, deserve a chance. Ali lives for music and for performance. And she's completely in her element while she's on the stage. Of course, as soon as she's off the stage, she just might be hurling out her guts--she is, after all, a virgin schoolgirl competing with some of the hottest talent in the Latin world. Unfortunately for her, the one other contestant from Miami, sultry Fabiana, will do anything in her power to sabotage Ali and keep her from reaching her dreams. Only one of the finalists will make it all the way to the recording contract, the guaranteed single, the final stardom.

Old-fashioned Latin American sponsors insist that Ali have a chaperone since she's under 18, unlike all of the other finalists who get to live in a mansion and enjoy the finest of Miami, but Ali doesn't mind too much since her chaperone is a woman who's had the hots for her father for a long time and who is close to Ali's best friend. She's also not a very strict chaperone and Ali finds she can spend a bit of time with a cute college intern production assistant. But when the pressure is really on, will he be there for Ali--and will Ali be able to cope with the fact that she really is saying adios to her entire old life?

Author Caridad Ferrer spins a charming tale of coming of age and young love. With Ferrer's Cuban heritage and bilingual upbringing, the Latin American aspects of the story ring true. The musical elements, too, are completely convincing. I found myself laughing and hoping along with Ali for the right result as she sang her heart out for the crouds, the judges, and for her father. The fan site set up by 14-year-old boys was a laugh, and the overwhelming fan moment scary.

ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE was the surprise winner of Romance Writers of America's top award (the RITA) for best single title romance even though it had been initially entered in the young adult category (because there weren't enough entrants in that category, it was closed and ADIOS was shifted into the adult category). Facing very stiff competition, ADIOS pulled out a deserved win.

Read this book.

It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, if you're not a fan of Enrique or Shakira, if you're not even an MTV watcher. You'll fall in love with this. Ally is the most liveliest, most likable character I've read in a long time.

This is definitely one of the best music themed books I've read. Ferrer's ability to translate music into the written word is magical.

I'd give this book ten stars if the option was available!

Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer takes readers into the world of Oye Mi Canto, a televised singing competition, as seen through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Ali. This otherwise reserved high school student wows the judges with her voice and her guitar playing. After she is chosen to be one of the finalists on the program, her life changes in a million ways. All the while, she tries to remain true to herself, her family, and her music.

Think Latin American Idol, but instead of relying upon pop culture and backstage gossip, the story focuses on Ali's life, her relationship with her father, and her love of music. Ali tries to balance her culture and her future, respecting her father's traditional values while enjoying her life as a modern-day teen in Florida.

Caridad Ferrer's teen fiction debut makes for a compelling story and is composed of many elements. It will strike a chord with teens who can relate to any of those elements: Ali's passion for music, the loss of her mother, her bilingual family, and her attempts to make her dreams come true.

If you're a fan of American Idol, like I am, you're going to love this book. If you don't like American Idol, that's okay, too, because you're still going to love this book! ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE, the debut young adult novel of author Caridad Ferrer, stars seventeen-year-old Ali Montero, a Latino teen who is determined to be a finalist on the reality music show Oye Mi Canto.

Ali is a typical teen with a major difference--she has real musical talent. When she's singing and playing her guitar, she can forget about the usual family problems, the crazy friends, the insane school life. When she's inside her own head with only the music, Ali is transformed beyond a normal teenager into a star. The wonderful thing about Ali, though, is that she refuses to let stardom, or even normal trends, change the type of young woman that she is. There's no Jennifer Lopez or Shakira skimpy outfits or butt-shaking in her routines; there's no Ricky Martin or Marc Anthony wannabe groupies worming their way into her life.

With fresh and witty dialogue and a heroine that is truly easy to relate to, ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE is a glimpse into what it means to live your dreams. While Ali lives the life of having her daily highs and lows shown on national television, she's smart enough to know that her music--and not fame and fortune--is what's important.

Kudos to Ms. Ferrer for a winning debut novel. This is the perfect story for everyone, whether male or female, young or old, American Idol fan or not.

What a treat! Caridad Ferrer's debut young adult novel "Adios to My Old Life" is a must read for people of all ages who love books as well as music. It has everything starting with a lovable heroine in Ali Montero, a young woman who pursues her artistic dreams but refuses to sell her soul and having a happy (but plausible) ending. Although the story is set in the world of a reality TV show competition for Latino musical artists, Ali's journey deals with issues we all face from the experience of first love to the attempt to individuate from our parents. These elements make the story cozy even as the heroine -- a Cuban American teen who can rock -- is unique. Kudos, Caridad!

While I generally tend to miss the YA category, I found myself loving this one. In her debut, Ferrer hits all the high notes; it's fast-paced, the dialogue has a clear authentic ring to it, and the author has her own distinctive voice.

Just as clear is the fact that Ferrer understands and shares her narrator's passion: music, from the musician's perspective. That passion and understanding can be close to impossible to get down on paper; it's a bone-deep instinct, with no halfway point.

In Ali, Ferrer has nailed the musician's vibe, writing about it with skill and joy. I'm looking forward to more from her, and would love to see her try her hand at adult fiction, as well.

Having read and adored When the Stars Go Blue: A Novel by the same author, I thought I'd check out her award-winning first novel. I have to say, while I enjoyed Adios to My Old LIfe, I didn't love it the way I loved Stars, The story has a more simple trajectory than Stars, and the character development was not nearly as multi-layered, and it feels definitely more solidly geared toward the YA audience, whereas Stars definitely had universal appeal. However, I still recommend this one for folks who love music and have enjoyed Ferrer's other novels.

I adore Ferrer's writing style--she writes younger voices who are fresh and funny and feel very real. The dialog between Ali, the main character, and Jaime, her show intern love interest, is absolutely delightful. In fact, I really wished for more. The story of Ali's experience on the show is the center of the story, but every scene between these two characters were so charming and fun that I wanted more. Same goes for several of the secondary characters--Sosi, Guille and Tonio especially--whose scenes were clever and endearing. At the end, I felt like yelling at the publisher, "Give Ferrer 50 more pages--I want more of these guys!"

An enjoyable and fast read.

(A note for Kindle readers: the formatting on this title is a bit wonky, it's left justified and has a few odd breaks like you often see in books that are a few years old. This didn't bother me as much as in some books I've purchased for my Kindle, but if you're very bothered by formatting, I thought you'd like a heads up.)

Full review can be found on my blog: http://mrsvsreviews.blogspot.com/2009/02/adios-to-my-old-life.html

I was quickly hooked on Alegría (Ali) Montero's adventures on a Latin equivalent of American Idol, Oye Mi Canto. With her prized possession, a Bernabé guitar that her dad gave her in lieu of a quinceanera, at her side she is ready to take on the challenges of the show.

There is so much to love about Ali's character. She demonstrates time and again that she is very strong, much stronger than she probably realized at the onset of the book.

Since Ali is just 17 instead of living in the huge house with all the other contestants she goes home each night and her dad's best friend escorts her while at the show. Being able to go home ends up being a blessing to escape some of the reality show drama - although she can't quite get away from it all. The ending was not at all what I expected, but it was a perfect and very satisfying.

Ali is a 17-year-old musician. She lives with her widowed father, who's slightly overprotective. With the aid of her best friend Sosi, she sneaks out of the house to audition for Oye Mi Canto, a Latin version of American Idol.

When she wins the audition, her life is turned upside-down. She has to deal with her father's reaction to her deception and the conflict between what he wants for her and what she wants for herself, but that's just the beginning. Despite the fact that as the only underage contestant on the show, she has a chaperone (her father's best friend, Elaine), Ali is plunged into an adult world full of competition, backstabbing, and betrayal. Balancing it out is success, a better understanding between Ali and her father, first love, and above all, the music.

The best thing about Adiós to My Old Life is how real the characters are. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to turn on the TV and see an episode of Oye Mi Canto, or to browse through the CDs at the store and find ones by Ali Montero or Guillermo, or Fabiana--though I wouldn't buy Fabiana's, and might hide it so nobody else could either, the witch. Whoops. See what I mean? Real.

Other people have done much better jobs at dissecting this book--I'll just say that Adiós to My Old Life made me laugh, cry, cheer, scream, and fill up my Your Music queue.

ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE
CARIDAD FERRER

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Alegria "Ali" Montero is a strong seventeen year old who knows exactly what she wants in life - to seriously pursue her music, just not in the same way her music professor father did. While he loves teaching, Ali wants to be on stage, performing her music, her way. She just needs him to see that. Auditioning for the hot new reality show, Oye Mi Canto, that's looking for the next Latin Superstar might just be the way to accomplish that. But when Ali unexpectedly makes the show, she's thrown into a world she couldn't have even imagined, let alone dreamt of being a part of.

Dealing with being the only underage contestant on the show and her father's reluctance for her to compete to having to put up with the resident wicked witch in pop star wannabe in Fabriana, make Ali's journey from audition to finale a must read.

I loved this book! Ali is a wonderful character, who does what she has to in order to make her dreams a reality. Several interesting plot twists had me gasping out loud. This book will have you staying up past curfew to keep the pages turning.

Ms. Ferrer's debut is a wonderfully written entertaining read.

Reviewed by Lisa
YA_Director
Enchanting Review