Single Chicas

Perfection is a Barbie doll, and, unless you're looking for a guy with a fake smile, a hard head, and no genitalia, then you're better off NOT being perfect―Single Chicas

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.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Sandra Lopez shares a collection of short stories about being female and single in her book, Single Chicas. The collection covers various topics that relate to being single, some weird and some funny. But they all cast being single in a positive light, promoting self gratification through travel, career, and hobbies. 

There isn't one main character that weaves throughout the collection. Each story has it's own leading lady who takes the reins with each main topic whether it's trying to keep a sibling from getting married or hiring a fake husband for the holidays. Lopez seems to write the women with an even balance of flaws and positive attributes. Though with short stories, sometimes it's hard to connect with the characters as they aren't growing much over the short amount of time. Though they were entertaining, there wasn't one character that I felt I could really relate to. 

I also think the humor was a struggle in some of the stories. The synopsis makes it seem like they're all supposed to be funny, but I didn't think all of them were. They each had funny aspects but I wanted more. I was also a little put off by the dialogue at certain points. In my experience, a guy just doesn't go on rant about how much he loves his girlfriend and never wants her to leave him and will do anything to keep her to a complete stranger. At least, it's never happened to me. Though in the story when that's supposed to indicate an annoying quality, it comes across loud and clear. 

The main thing about the book that I liked was that it did promote singlehood, whether that means being single or just making sure to keep your priorities straight when in a relationship. It promoted self-worth and smart decisions. And that's a good message to come away with. 

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups