Houston, We Have a Problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda

Title: Houston, We Have a Problema
Author: Gwendolyn Zepeda
Age Group: Older Teens
# of Pages: 392
My Rating: 4/5

What kind of person are you? Can you make up your mind on the spot when it comes to deciding what to do for a big problem? Or are you very indecisive, unable to choose between more than one option?

Meet Jessica Luna. She is your average 26 years old Mexican woman living in the US working for an insurance company and have been dating the sexy painter, Guillermo, for months now. Wait, is she? Every time they meet, it would just be hot sex and once they are done, he doesn't get in touch with her for days. Whenever things get rickety, he would do something that would make her fall madly back into his strong arms. Absolutely frustrated, Jessica is unsure what their relationship really is. Then there is her career. She is encouraged to get promoted with her job but at the same time, she wonders if this is what she really wants. Throw in some family tensions and there are more than enough problems for her to balance out!

No idea what to do, Jessica seek her answers from the fortuneteller Madame Hortensia. Believing in signs from the great beyond, will her life run smoothly in the future?

Houston, We Have a Problema is your basic chick lit novel. Jessica runs into a lot of difficulties because she has no idea how to deal with situations when they become complicated. She decides to go out with the vice-president of a big company since Guillermo never stated that they were "official" with their on-and-off romantic affair. She tries to understand herself and judges people by who they are. Jessica's character develops greatly when she realizes many things that she was oblivious to in the past.

As a person, I can relate very much to the main character. Like her, I am the most indecisive person you would ever meet. If you don't tell me what to choose between two items I like equally, I will stand there for two hours just to decide. (Most of the time I just give up and don't bother choosing either.) Seeing what Jessica's lifestyle is like makes me question a lot about my future also. I like it when I can relate to characters because that way it is easier to enjoy the story. I find it quite funny how she dishes over her money for the "charm" products that Madame Hortensia sell to her, thinking that they are magical.

In the beginning, I thought the story was a bit slow. Eventually it picks up after a few chapters and had a steady flow of plot from there. I'm sure I would get bored watching it if it became a movie but as a book, it is not so bad. I'm sure this novel can be enjoyed by many female readers and there are many lessons to be learned throughout.

Review copy provided by Hachette Book Group.