The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina

by Mike Padilla

Inspired by their good-natured rivalry, career-oriented best friends Julia Juarez and Ime Benevides have never let anything come between them. Then enters Julia's new coworker, Ilario, who pulls both women's heartstrings, disrupts their friendship, and brings Julia's career to the brink of disaster.

Looking for support, Julia turns to her other friends: Concepción, a party-obsessed dance instructor; Nina, a timid but shrewd seamstress who's not too taken with her fiancé; and Marta, owner of the Revolutionary Cantina, who is preoccupied with the details of a Hollywood murder case. When they involve Julia in a risky scheme, she must choose between her loyalty to her friends and a chance to live the life she's worked so hard to achieve.

Boasting irreverent, edgy humor and a clear sense of Southern Californian culture, this hilarious, insightful debut novel by award-winning author M. Padilla brilliantly captures the comforts and dangers of friendship.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

356 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2010

About the author

Mike Padilla/M. Padilla is the author of the comic novel THE GIRLS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY CANTINA and the award-winning short story collection HARD LANGUAGE.

HUFFINGTON POST INTERVIEW: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-co...

Reviews

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think Sex and the City, Latina style. (Minus the Dior tee shirt/fancy skirt combos) Instead of four NYC gals tho, this novel has 5 LA chicks. Julia is a pretty work oriented, play it safe kind of gal. Her best friend is Ime. Julia has spent her whole life doting on Ime. Because Ime helped her out at a rough time in Julia's life, she feels she owes her something. Ime is VERY career oriented, risky, and takes what she wants when she wants it, to heck with everyone else, even Julia when it comes down to it. Concepcion is a little "out there." She is the one with the flashy clothes, obsessed with Hollwood, and a dance instructor with a knack for finding trouble. Marta is an older lady, the "mother" of the group who owns the Cantina and still smokes pot. Nina is a little strange and she is trying to decide if she wants to marry or become a lesbian.

All these women have their problems. Some of their problems are men. When Julia accidentally invites (Concepcion's doing, actually) her sexy co worker and newest crush to the girls' Cinco De Mayo party, Ime steals him away. What follows is tension at work for Julia and tension between Julia and Ime. Just how far is Julia going to let Ime go? Meanwhile, Ime is having jealousy issues with Ilario's (the man she stole) ex girlfriend. Nina is having some serious wedding doubts and Concepcion has gotten them all into trouble by aiding and abetting a celebrity and possible killer on the run from the police.

Are they all going to jail? Can Ime and Julia repair the ever growing rift between them? How is this all going to affect Julia's job prospects? When the you know what hits the fan, Julia is going to discover who her real friends are... if she has any at all. Seems a lot of people only look out for themselves and her friends may be those types.

It has been a fun tale, an entertaining peace of chic lit, but I am not blown away. I enjoyed it, but it won't stay with me now that I have turned the last page so it doesn't quite hit the 5 star mark, but I do recommend it for fun, easy reading.

I won this on goodreads firstreads. :)

[C Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. I do not agree with other reviewers at all regarding the book having too many subplots. Not at all. The book is character driven at the beginning; our heroine Julia has foibles like everyone we know, and she is kind and compassionate – someone you’d like to know and won’t soon forget. The pace is good and builds nicely, pulling the reader into the story. We do not initially know what is driving some of the characters – providing some satisfying tension in the story. But these small mysteries are resolved not by strange plot twists, but by revelations that ring true and further ground the novel and friendships. Forays into slightly more outlandish plot twists are nicely kept off to the side, adding humor and flavor, but not uprooting the story and characters into farce. I feel the main story is not just about Julia’s relationships with her friends and her man - although those bits are good and the bones of the book – but about the way Julia sees herself and grows. And yes, while there is some selfishness among characters, there is generosity and compassion and good times – and maybe even some some growing up. There is some soul behind the going-ons in this book.

[Mark Coggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a fun beach read, THE GIRLS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY CANTINA is a well-crafted novel with a soul. Given the set-up—a group of women struggling to maintain friendships while coping with tensions engendered from relationships and career aspirations—it’s tempting to characterize the book as a Latina SEX IN THE CITY, but GIRLS cuts closer to the bone. Julia, the protagonist of the book, has much more at stake than Carrie Bradshaw. Bad choices—or bad fortune—for her mean a return to the sort of life she had when she was growing up in the Valley, the daughter of an laid-off auto plant worker. Padilla avoids pretension, however, blending sex, humor, and labyrinth-like twists to deliver a story that entertains while saying something thoughtful about the modern Latina experience in Southern California.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always skeptical of chic lit written by men, but this one was pretty good. I liked the character of Julia and how cultural elements were infused naturally into the story. Some of the 'drama' in the friendships (this friendship is over- yes it is, no it's not), and the story line regarding the movie star turned possible murderer was somehow over the top and underdeveloped at the same time. Despite this, the strength of Julia's character kept me interested and invested. I would recommend this book.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girls from the Revolutionary Cantina by Mike Padilla is an easy, relaxing read book.
I appreciated the author's view on friendship, even though the friendships in this book are not very strong but quite superficial, it points out that sometimes friendships are like this, and relationships can shape us, can direct us and even distract us, but people grow and evolve and some friendships are going away in the process.
Another interesting topic in the book is the community of Mexican immigrants. The generation of these Mexican-American friends that were educated and raised in California didn't care too much to hold on their language or traditions, they work hard to belong to American culture, to fit in, to be succesful, to build up a better life than their parents could.
There are also few love stories in the book that are taking a change over the pages.
Overall a nice easy book!

[Sandra R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

80%

[Brenda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish.

[L V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Elsie Contreras-Gonzalez
Member of Livin' la vida Latina
http://livinlavidalatina.blogspot.com

Review: When first starting to read The Girls at the Revolutionary Cantina, I expected a common cliché of women enjoying the camaraderie of friendship over drinks. However, once the plot thickened, I became attached to the characters and their different personalities. The Girls at the Revolutionary Cantina filled me with laughter, delight, and surprise.

The novel revolves around Julia Juarez, a sales representative for a security firm, who faces an unruly challenge when her best friend Ime begins dating her boss, Ilario. Once this happened, I anticipated a "love-triangle" romance, but the author, Padilla, certainly changed that expectation. Tension builds within the friendship as the story unfolds. Julia learns just what type of best friend Ime turns out to be.

Julia begins to admit her own feelings for Ilario while spending time with the other girls at the Revolutionary Cantina. The other three ladies - Marta, the bar owner; Concepcion, a fun-loving dance instructor; and Nina, the quiet seamstress. Each woman has her distinctive features which adds depth, humor, and insight about living as a Latina in the San Fernando Valley. Their lives are engaging, and their involvement in the murder scandal with Latino actor, Diego Ramirez, adds a bit of suspense to the novel.

The novel is a true test of friendship for each character because they all face challenges regarding choices. Themes of ambition, loyalty, friendship, and culture frequently surface throughout this book. My expectations were met by a twist of irony. I truly expected a "friends forever, no matter what" type of ending, but this debut novel features a much different conclusion. It is remarkable because Julia ultimately discovers her independence.

Honestly, I felt sad and thankful once I finished the book, because I will miss the characters, but glad I got to "know" them.

[Darcy Odden · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina: A Novel" centers on young sales representative Julia Juarez and her circle of friends. Julia is enamored by a new coworker, handsome Ilario, but when he comes to a party given by Julia's friend Concepcion, Ilario ends up with Ime, Julia's best friend. This new dynamic causes problems for Julia not only at the office, but also in her relationship with Ime.

With Ime busy with Ilario and Concepcion and Marta, owner of the Revolutionary Cantina, busy trying to conceal a movie star, the one person Julia can count on is Nina – a real surprise since Nina, a seamstress, had previously been so quiet Julia hardly noticed her.

Julia is a character I could relate to, a pretty straight shooter who wants to do the right thing and be a good friend. Her friends are a different story, though. Concepcion and Marta are blinded by the interest of a movie star who's in trouble with the law himself. Ime only cares for herself and how she can get ahead. At first Ilario acts the same way, but he does come around thanks to Julia.

Author M. Padilla sprinkles in some Spanish words and a few vulgarities. I found myself predicting what would happen next in the story and was correct most of the time. Overall it was a fun, fast read.

[Blow Pop · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about as good as I was expecting. It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible. It was good.

The thing that really bothered me was what seemed like at first unnecessary girl on girl hate. Then upon reading further the hate turning out to be because one of the girls is a lesbian and doesn't know how to handle her feelings towards another girl she's attracted to without it turning into hate made me really uneasy. Uneasy because I know the feeling and still sometimes deal with it but mostly don't. But also the fact that it was written by a white guy really makes me kind of pissed off and uncomfortable.

I don't like the fact that Mike Padilla's author biography says that this is a comic book. Because, while yes there were a few comic type moments, it didn't feel like a comic book(comic in this meaning as humourous). While I want to like this book more, had I known from the get go that this was by a white male, I probably would have never checked it out from the library.

Overall, the book kind of leaves me with a feeling of unease and the girl on girl hate leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. Mostly because I DESPISE that trope.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

This light read follows a group of Latina women and their pursuit of jobs, men and overall happiness.

The Pros: The Spanish dialogue. It's peppered with words that most of us know and I found it endearing and funny.

The character Marta: Marta is divorced, chubby, and she talks dirty. One of my favorite lines in the book was her perspective on movies and how deaths by cancer in them were good. I have a great visual on her face, body and personality.

The Cons: The ending. We saw much of this from the very beginning. I know click flicks and chick lit is predictable in parts but you know...

The other characters: Who has friends like these? Weird, horrible friends. In my dating days, once a friend had so much as kissed a guy he was off-limits.

The verdict: An easy read with a different voice for fans of Sex and the City who will settle for less sizzle and spark in the imitation version. Don't pay more than $3 for this unless you're in an airport.

[Djrmel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was one tough editor short of three stars. Someone needed to tell Padilla when he'd strayed too far from his main plot to the sub plots; someone needed to ask him if the actions of Julia (the main character and the POV of the whole story) in the subplots were consistent with the main plot. In my opinion, they weren't, at that made those subplots stick out all the more. One reads like it was added for slapstick effect, and both subplots have a "look! this book is topical!" feeling more than something anything. An earlier review of this book said it had a "Sex and the City" feeling to it, and I'd agree. Not only in the character's relationships, but also that it's episodic. You can almost see the credits rolling at the end of the chapters. The principle story, between Julian, her BFF, her job, and the guy that is involved with all three, is a good contemporary romance, and the setting is really well done. It's just those darn subplots that belong in another book.

[Gricel · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I did not think I would connect with Padilla’s Girls. Julia seemed a little too self-deprecating for me, and Ime and Concepcion too superficial. Nina and Marta were interesting, but they seemed like minor characters by comparison. I was wrong. I soon became absorbed in the plot and started to connect with Julia and her desire to prove herself as an independent career woman in a society that had little regard for girls from the barrio.

Girls has all the challenges, romance, and drama of a Spanish soap, but it’s also a story about finding one’s self and realizing that you can become the person you want to be and still hold on to who you are at heart. It’s an empowering tale. There is no perfect, tie-a-ribbon-around-it happy ending, but it is all the better for its honesty.

Read my complete review at things she read

[Annie Fyfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was very fun and the stories developed quickly which made it a quick read as well. I thought it would remind me of “The Dirty Girls Club” which it did, but moved at a faster pace closer to an Emily Giffin novel. I loved the little insight you got into each girl’s life and how they got where they were and how much they helped each other and looked out for one another. I would probably classify this book as chick lit, but I’m a sucker for those. I’d definitely recommend this book to someone who enjoys a fun and somewhat girly read!

[Catherine Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this character-driven story of a group of Latina friends living in the Valley. It was funny and engaging, and I wanted to keep reading to see what the characters would do next. I can see why it's being characterized at a Latina Sex and the City, to me it felt deeper than that. I do like and read a lot of chick lit, but I think this will stick with me longer than the usual fluffy fun book.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting; I just had to keep finding out what happens next! Friendship, infatuation, romance (sometimes a little complicated) Southern California...I think I want to move from the rainy Northwest and find some friends like Julia's. Padilla has created a smart, funny, well paced drama you are sure to enjoy.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. Good for the beach or lazy summer day. Padilla manages to keep the plot busy with multiple conflicts (romantic, career, criminal) but almost too busy at times. Would have almost preferred more development over all the conflict, but was enjoyable none the less.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on first reads. It was a fun book, and felt fairly light despite all the drama. It read like a "reality show", there was a bit too much going on to truly invest yourself, but still worth reading if you're in the right non-serious mood.

[Cindi (Utah Mom’s Life) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this from FirstReads. I ended up finishing it because, well, it was just sitting there. It redeemed itself a little by being slightly entertaining. It's a summer beach read, at best. The characters live a pretty selfish existence. I wasn't impressed and wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know.

[Scott Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

"For what I thought would be just a breezy summer read, "The Girls..." has been engaging; even a page-turner. With vivid characters in believable and relatable situations, I was actually sorry to see this one end."

[Marjanne]

This story was ok, but not as good as it could have been. The main character was easy to understand, but she really had some crazy friends. There was some unnecessary vulgarity, generally from the character of Marta. I'm not sure if I would read another book by this author.

[McArthur Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beach read alert! Awesome, entertaining read about Julia Juarez -- a modern working woman on the way up the ladder...until her boss and her best friend hook up. Zany friends, workplace drama, and love triangles...what's not to like?!?

[Lisa]

Another freebie!! Keep them coming!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy cow, this book was so much more than I anticipated. I figured it would be poor-to-middling chick lit, but it was lovely. Complex characters struggling with real issues. Definitely recommended!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...

[Karineh]

i just cant seem to put this book down. sigh

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was like reading the latina version of valley of the dolls...except it was alcohol, not pills! light read.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for chica lit written by a man

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a certified valley girl like me, you will love this book immensely!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light read, didn't always fully understand the motivations of the characters. Still entertaining.