To Selena, with Love

Got this yesterday, and it was so interesting that I finished it today! Very easy read; a beautiful book about intimate aspects of their lives written with love, respect, raw honesty and emotion. It makes you love them both even more. They were truly a beautiful couple, with an unbreakable bond. If you've seen the movie, you'll see how close it was to their actual life, with added details. Very emotional read, and I appreciate that Chris shared his very personal moments and memories of her with us. The pictures were an added bonus. If you've ever lost a spouse, it's so very relatable. Thank you Chris Perez, for sharing your (& Selena's) life with us on such an intimate level. She'll never be forgotten.

I own this book in all three editions.The english edition (hardcover - March 2012). The english edition (deckle edge - commemorative edition - November 2013) & The spanish edition (paperback - March 2012). This book, "To Selena, With Love" by Chris Perez, is probably the only thing we (as the fans) will ever get that's 100% accurate about who Selena was, not only as an artist, but also as a beautiful human being. It shows how Chris saw Selena from his point of view, telling the truth 100%. Chris did an absolute beautiful job writing his book, sharing his story, what his life was like with Selena. It's such a precious book! I definitely recommend this book to all of Selena’s fans around the world. ❤️

I want you to REALLY take a moment and read my review becuase it may be slightly different from everyone else. I felt like I stepped into a time period and left the modern world. I was completely drawn into Chris' world with an active imagination. We all knew Selena by her big smile, strong laugh, jokingly nature, and beautiful white teeth. People often wondered if it was all an act. When you read the book, you'll find the answer to that. But in the book, Selena surprised me with some things she did that I did not think were great ideas. It kind of came to such a shock to me, becuase after all these years, I really did feel like she was just perfect in every way. She was not like other celebrities where scandals spilled out, or she said something wrong to offend somebody, or acted wild and out of conduct. She portrayed herself very well in the eyes of the public, but at home, I could tell she still had some growing up to to do and I don't blame her. She did not live a regular life, as her childhood was basically rushed under the thumb of a challenging father. Her father was another surprising thing I experienced in reading. I read different sides about him in the book that I'd never thought he would be like. This is probably why some people have said he was a difficult person to work with. In the beginning Chris portrayed her as if she was this untouchable princess of Abraham, where she was priceless and no man would ever be worthy of her touch. You will finally, for the first time, understand how Selena's presence impacted him personally. It was very funny as he acted like he was in front of the Queen of England. He was such a cute, shy, and respectful person! But as he got to the point where they were married, I felt sorry for Chris. I won't say much to spoil it, but things were not always lovely-dovely. In the movie you saw how angry Selena once was with Chris when he got himself into trouble. Well, the movie did not show Chris being angry with Selena when SHE did things that upset him. He had to bite his tongue a lot just to keep the problems at a minimum even when they were not his fault. This book really made me realize that you will never ever know a celebrity just by their status or how they portray themselves in the media, because you still got that private life they have back at home. I think in the movie, they concentrated too much on making Selena to be this angel. I think it would have helped many people had they added more things about her life that Chris shared in this book. Then again, the book was released 17 years later and Chris was still mourning at that time where he refused to fully give them all the details to work with. The book made me say, "yes, Selena, I have felt that way before." or "we have worried about this and that too.". The movie was slaughtered with Hollywood ingredients. I no longer find the movie all that creditable. That's how powerful the book is to me, and I read all the way until the last chapter in just under 12 hours! I could not put it down. But this book sucked me into that time period and it helped me see her for who she really was, a human being, rather than just the Queen of Tejano. In this book you will be introduced to Selena 'behind the scenes'. You will find out that she was just as human as the rest of us, with constant worries, crying, confusion, dreams she thought she wouldn't be able to do, throwing funny tantrums (SOOO FUNNY), and even how impulsive Selena could be. You will learn about things that really upset her, her hardcore religious side, things she liked, things she was able to do that surprised Chris, how brave she was, etc. I wish I can just come out and add some details, but I don't think that'd be fair as people HATE spoilers to death. There were times when reading, that Selena reminded me of Micheal Jackson in a few instances when she wanted to have fun. The both of them are very alike with absent childhoods. The things you saw in the movie are FAR better explained in the book. I was surprised by many things and I felt a little disappointed, feeling that the movie SHOULD be remade!! This book has caused many people to cry. But after finishing the book, I think a few days later, it finally got to me. I was just too busy being sucked into this period of wanting to get to know a different side of the Queen of Tejano. I felt deep pity, having this intense desire for Selena to crawl out of that grave and sing on stage again. When the book was done and there was nothing else to read, I was left a little homesick, becuase that was the end to my time period journey. It was fun, Interesting! I wanted the book to go on forever. No matter how many years Yolanda may face behind those bars, she will never truly know what she did and will never know the level of pain she created for the entire world. It's Amazing that ONE woman was able to cause such terror.

Since the day she died, Selena has been referred to as "the slain Tejano Queen". Images of white roses appear next to a serene, emotionless face. When spoken about on television, the sad music starts to play and is often followed by the image of a motel room and a red pick up. Her family speaks about her as a departed daughter or sibling, the media refers to her career and tragic end. Finally, 17 years later, Chris has opened up to talk about Selena-- the wife, the lover, the best friend, the awesome daredevil with a big smile and an even bigger heart. I love the photo chosen for the cover of this book. That was Chris' Selena. She was sexy, vivacious, full of talent, creativity, youth and LIFE. She was far from the stoic faced angel on the Dreaming of You album cover. We get so caught up in immortalizing cultural icons as these saint-like beings, we forget that they were a real person. Chris gives us a glimpse into that person. She had mood swings, crazy impulses, ambitions, and everything else that real people have. The tragedy sets in when you realize they were both in their early 20s. So much was accomplished in 23 years of life. Without giving away too much detail, I'll say this. Selena was a great person, but she was no saint. Nor did she pretend to be. Chris manages to write about many of their experiences together with great honesty. Situations that a family member or record company may view as detrimental to her pristine image actually make her more likable. The story of the "Kiss album" is a great example of this. No one really knows what caused her to display that sort of raw emotion, and Chris doesn't pretend to know. But it goes to show that she was a very young person dealing with her own pain and inner turmoil. One of the main strengths of the book is that Chris Perez doesn't intend to speak for Selena. He is telling his own story. This isn't a biography or autobiography, it's more of a memoir. He doesn't try to dupe us and make us forget she is gone so we can be hit hard and cry at the end-- like the movie does. The reason we cry at the end of this book is because he succeeds at giving us such a complete view of their life together. She borrowed his cell phone that morning so she could check in with him. He went to the grocery store to buy the food so she could make him his favorite meal. How could he have known she would never come back home? As some other reviews mentioned, it is evident that Perez is not the most eloquent writer. The man is a brilliant, award winning guitarist. Can't win 'em all, give him a break. Some phrases get a bit repetitive, and it could have been better edited. The book reads best when he doesn't try to sound like an "author" and just speaks from his heart. You definitely get the sense that Selena was the one great love of his life. He remarried, later divorced, and has 2 children from that union. So his life has gone on. But when something so important to you is ripped away with no warning or time to prepare... it is a hurt that never leaves. I'd suggest listening to the song "Best I Can" before and after reading this book. In the song, Chris plays guitar and sings the harmony in the chorus. When you feel the enormity of his heart, it is easy to see how Selena fell in love with him.

Finally! 17 years later, Selena fans get an official book written by someone who knew her. I know it was hard for a shy guy like Chris to write this book, and I'm glad he did. **spoilers** This book is a love story. We get a quick story of his upbringing. I didn't know it was Selena who made the first move, about a year after he joined the band. At that point he already had a girlfriend and saw Selena only as a little sister. The book almost reads like a Novela, the way they had to sneak and hide their relationship around Selena's dad Abraham! Then, their first time making love on the tour bus in the bunk with her DAD DRIVING! Everyone else in the band knew and accepted their relationship and kept the secret. My favorite part of the book was when they professed their love for each other at Pizza Hut. It was such a personal and real tender moment. Some of the arguments between Abraham & Chris we're played out word for word just like the movie SELENA- he does come off as a villain sometimes, but that was shown in the movie as well, I mean the man loved his daughter, but he was hard headed and very protective. Chris gets fired, Selena proposes and they elope. I really liked the personal stories of Selena. Her favorite dish to cook, her first time riding a motorcycle, their honeymoon to Jamaica, Selena's fear of snakes, buying a neighborhood kid Air Jordans because he couldn't afford them, etc. The most shocking part of the book for me was about two weeks before the murder, Yolanda showed Selena her gun!!!!! She told her she bought it for protection. Selena did not seem unnerved by this!!! "I went off on her and said that she needed to take that gun back to the store right now" Selena said. Chris carries some guilt about this. What if he would have told her dad or the police?? WHAT IF??? Hindsight is always 20/20 Looking back he can now see red flags with Yolanda. The major problem was they were so busy to pay attention to the warning signs. But Selena trusted her friend. They were on the road touring, Selena was recording an English album, she was planning on opening a third boutique in Mexico, they had a house and 5 dogs. Busy. Busy. Busy. My only criticism is that the book pretty much ends abruptly. He briefly talks about turning to drugs and alcohol to cope after her passing. He got over that and started the Chris Perez Band. He doesn't go into joining the Kumbia Kings after that. Meeting his new wife, having two children and eventually getting a divorce. Great Book! Selena fans must read this!!!

Awesome book and story , love how open Chris is in this book.

This book is by far one of the well-written and best books I have ever read in my life. Recently, I developed a preoccupation with the late great singer Selena. I watched the movie for the second time in my life last week, and I was overwhelmed with emotion at the final scene. I decided to read Chris’ book to satiate my borderline obsession. As I read through his work, I was astounded by the clarity, depth, engaging nature, and level of detail. The book answered a lot of the unanswered questions I had after watching the movie. I realize now that the true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez is far complex and rich than movie could ever do justice to. There was so much detail that I got the impression that Chris has a photographic memory. There wasn’t a single boring page in the whole book, so I managed to go through it in 2 days. The most important message was that Selena was human just like the rest of us, but her incredibly loving and generous nature makes her worthy of our love and appreciation. This book will leave an enduring impression in your psyche.

I love the book! I love the pictures!