[2] The novel is a contemporary romance, set in Washington, D.C.[3] It follows the trope of enemies to lovers.

Incorporating them into the romance makes you see the way two people who have promised happily ever after will still interact with each other as part of a larger group.

In Brazilian and Puerto Rican culture, family and tradition are a ‘thing’, whether people screw up or not.

[3][5] Publishers Weekly noted that the book's "soap opera premise" was "fantastically fun"[5] In Kirkus, reviewer Kate Voorsanger Ryan warned that the book is "so funny you might not be able to read it in public without making snorting noises".

[1] Publishers Weekly noted that the book is more than just a romp; the heroine "is masterfully nuanced, depicting her experiences as a woman of color, her struggle to balance her parents’ expectations with her own happiness, and the double bind of being accused of being overly stoic when she controls her feelings and overly emotional when she expresses them.