Houston, We Have a Problema

September 22, 2008
For single Houston gal Jessica Luna, deciding what she really wants involves searching for signs and sage advice from a fortune-teller in Zepeda's snazzy first novel (after short story collection To the Last Man I Slept With and All the Jerks Just Like Him
). The superstitious Latina becomes devoted to Madame Hortensia, a psychic with questionable abilities (but a good heart) after three eerie predictions come true. So it's with Hortensia's help that Jessica hopes to overcome her professional, personal and romantic woes. Jessica has a B.A. in art history yet unhappily toils for an insurance firm, is torn between two men—one a sexy but flaky artist, the other a rich but snobby businessman—and believes her parents may be on the verge of divorce. Jessica's evolution from self-uncertainty to self-empowerment is amusingly charted, and Zepeda's take on the popular fascination with good luck charms, horoscopes, psychics and unreliable predictions is laced with rueful zeal.

December 1, 2008
Whether its planning her career or choosing whom to date, Jessica Luna doesnt make big decisions without the advice of psychic Madame Hortensia. She is tired of waiting for enigmatic artist Guillermo to be ready to settle down, yet when her sister sets her up with handsome, smart, and wealthy Jonathan, she is hesitant about dating a non-Latino. She is bored at her job as an assistant at an insurance firm, but she cant decidewhether to follow her dream of being a Web designer or pursue a more secure position with her current employer. Her superstitious nature puts her under greater pressure to pick the exact right path and leaves her vulnerable to missteps. Zepeda, who writes the popular blog gwenworld.com, presents a debut about the everyday struggle to find ones way but addsunusual and alluringtouches, namelythe vibrant Houston setting and the novels emphasis onTex-Mex culture, art, andfolklore.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)