“Nerdection Must Read”
It’s always amazing to know what fiction can teach us! As Sweet as Honey is one such light women’s fiction by Gabriela Villazon. It is a touching story of two sisters who piece together their falling business and is a must-read for momtrepreneurs.
Spoiler-free plot:
When life savagely crushes all your dreams, what can you do?
Isabel and her sister Veronica own a publishing company in Mexico. The company has been successful for almost eight years but is now on the verge of a serious default. That means more than twenty employees will be sacked… and the sisters don’t have the heart for that. It’s especially difficult for Isabel since she is a mother of three children and still suffering from the aftermath of a recent divorce — both emotionally and financially.
Still, they don’t lose hope. Until one day, when an unusually generous benefactor offers the sisters a heavy investment in the falling company. Then he vanishes before they could even return him the first installment. The sisters are puzzled; could it be that God has finally sent a miracle for them?
Torn between rebuilding the company and raising her children, will Isabel be able to find the delicate balance between her dreams, her family, and the chance at finding love?
In this heartwarming women’s fiction As Sweet As Honey, Gabriela Villazón explores the inner struggles of a woman torn between duty and dreams, enriching the story with captivating Mexican culture.
My take on As Sweet As Honey
As Sweet As Honey is a very light and inspiring read.
My girl, life is like in the mountains, sometimes there is a lot of mud and you slip, but that doesn’t mean you stop climbing.
Gabriela does an amazing job of portraying the Mexican heritage and culture through As Sweet As Honey. So much so, that you feel like literally transported there. She gives you a glimpse of an exotic Mexico, realistically shedding light on its values, the social norms and how much family life means to Mexicans.
Moreover, the mention of mouthwatering quesadillas, and other Mexican delicacies will make you go to your local Mexican restaurant and order some of these tasty items yourself. Gabriela has truly created a portal to her beloved Mexico through this heartwarming piece of women’s fiction.
As Sweet As Honey features three-dimensional dynamic characters. You will read as Isabel gradually grows and figures out her business, family and relationships. Being a single divorced mom and then going through a difficult financial crisis wasn’t easy for her. But she holds fast to her values and does not give up on the easy way out.
When you ask me about what I have done with my losses, how I am coping with my children and the divorce and the finances and the job… I can only tell you that I am trying to survive.
I also loved her relationship with Veronica, her sister. The way they supported each other through their crisis was very heartwarming to read.
All the other characters were also easily likable. Except Pablo, who was one big red flag from the beginning. Thankfully, Isabel got rid of him as fast as she could, and so more points to Isabel for ditching him.
Every person we meet along the way is important to our growth, and sometimes the one who makes us suffer the most is the one we learn the most from.
The Spanish-to-English translation was smoothly done and most of the Spanish native words or phrases were also explained in the footnotes. The prose was simply worded without any fluff, and there were many quotations added from literature to go with Isabel’s story, which was another thing I quite enjoyed reading.
All in all, I’d say that As Sweet As Honey is a fascinating masterpiece. It’s a feel-good story that also teaches a great message through its strong female protagonists. I would highly recommend it to all women, but especially those who are struggling to live up to their dreams all the while raising a family.
About The Author Of As Sweet As Honey
Gabriela Villazon has a bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, and advertising with specialized studies in contemporary art, Latin-American literature, 20th Century literature. She has also taken several workshops in the art of writing.
She worked in the marketing departments of The Coca-Cola Company and Quan Group. She also worked at Christian Dior as Marketing Director.
In 1995 her sister and she founded a company called Business Consultant in Mexico City, which remains active today. She oversees the sales department. The company provides support to the Pharmaceutical Industries in Mexico by way of marketing and editorial projects. Additionally, the company produces two magazines: Relax and Athenea. Several of the magazine articles have won recognition from the industry as being best in their category.
In addition to managing the sales department of the Business Consultant, she has published short stories and written several articles for the Company magazines.
As Sweet As Honey was her first novel. The second novel is ready to be published, and she is currently writing the third novel.
She described herself as a person with a passion for stories and has the privilege to write for her job and for herself. Ever since she remembers, she empties her soul into the stories and fills them again with new adventures which provide words to be expressed with new stories.
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