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roadesntoades's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of the cutest romances I have read in a long time and does not deserve any of the hate it’s given. This is a book that doesn’t shy away from being a bit cliche. I mean it literally lays out the tropes on the back. It’s fake-dating, enemies to lovers, one bed. It doesn’t shy away from that it embraces it. Yeah there are some moments that are bit rinse and repeat but they are enjoyable. Plus I love that it’s made clear that Aaron has always been attracted to Catalina, or at least liked her. It wasn’t some sudden romance, or spontaneous declaration. We know how it will end and we know that Aaron wasn’t hiding it, just respecting Catalina’s boundaries. It’s honestly such a cute read, and really enjoyable
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder
honkmoon's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was so cute! I ended up really enjoying it. I hesitated to read it because it had some bad reviews, but I thought it was wonderful! Truthfully I didn’t enjoy the first few chapters as much, but once we got to know Aaron, I was hooked. I definitely see why he is on the book boyfriend list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Chronic illness and Death of parent
issy138's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Though the book in a while I would consider a nice book, it definitely had its pros and cons.
I finished it in a week with little need to pause or fully understand the plot. It seemed a little basic at times, predictable, or a bit too easy to read. But at other times, it was beautifully descriptive.
I personally would have liked more steamy scenes, felt like there was only one long one instead of lots of different occasions. I did enjoy the style of writing when these were happening though.
I enjoyed the main characters humour though a little cheesy at times.
I finished it in a week with little need to pause or fully understand the plot. It seemed a little basic at times, predictable, or a bit too easy to read. But at other times, it was beautifully descriptive.
I personally would have liked more steamy scenes, felt like there was only one long one instead of lots of different occasions. I did enjoy the style of writing when these were happening though.
I enjoyed the main characters humour though a little cheesy at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying and Misogyny
Minor: Chronic illness and Death of parent
onefineelephant's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
9/10. This book had me yearning, crying, and laughing so it was a big success. The only thing I'm taking points off for was the disordered eating to lose weight for the wedding in the first third of the book. It was unnecessary and felt icky to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
fabichirinos's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
AAA I COULDN'T GET MY HANDS OFF THIS BOOKK i loved it so much, it was sexy, funny and had some intercultural perks it's my kind of cliche and THE DIALOGUE so sexy, really fun read and light to have a good time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder and Dysphoria
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Eating disorder
neaky__'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Things I liked:
• The main family is written very well, I felt like I was part of it and it felt nice to be included in an intimate moment in the book.
• There is very clear tension and chemistry between the two main leads, makes the story more smooth in transition from enemies to lovers.
• The main lead’s worries about relationships in the workplace are very valid and relatable- it was refreshing to have some strong feminist perspective in a book like this.
Things I didn’t like:
• The first 5 chapters are amazingly cringey in a fanfiction type way. It felt like I was reading some enemies to lovers on wattpad. It gets much better beyond those few chapters but the first chapter is very difficult to get through if you don’t like the shallow type of hatred the main lead displays.
• This book is very melodrama-y. Be prepared for a lot of long drawn out emotional speeches and unrealistic real life expectations. In some places it works but in others it tends to drag on just a bit too much.
• The main family is written very well, I felt like I was part of it and it felt nice to be included in an intimate moment in the book.
• There is very clear tension and chemistry between the two main leads, makes the story more smooth in transition from enemies to lovers.
• The main lead’s worries about relationships in the workplace are very valid and relatable- it was refreshing to have some strong feminist perspective in a book like this.
Things I didn’t like:
• The first 5 chapters are amazingly cringey in a fanfiction type way. It felt like I was reading some enemies to lovers on wattpad. It gets much better beyond those few chapters but the first chapter is very difficult to get through if you don’t like the shallow type of hatred the main lead displays.
• This book is very melodrama-y. Be prepared for a lot of long drawn out emotional speeches and unrealistic real life expectations. In some places it works but in others it tends to drag on just a bit too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment
tati_jurisic's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Death of parent
michellemaas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked the book for what it was.
A little context: I am usually a fantasy reader but when everyone started recommending The Spanish Love Deception and I heard it included a lot of my favorite tropes I wanted to give it a try. 488 Pages later I can confidently say that it was a good book but by no means revolutionary. Aaron Blackford is your cookie-cutter perfect, contemporary romance man (aka practically twice her height, massive hands, blue eyes, and a grump at their workplace) while Catalina is your typical contemporary romance woman (aka super short with a quirky, sunshiny personality, and just barely repressing her hate for the "enemy" because he was rude to her the first day they met). This makes for a very typical, cookie-cutter-perfect, contemporary romance relationship. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but something to note nonetheless.
My main thing is that I can't specifically tell you what I liked about the book, I just know that it was an overall entertaining read. It was fast-paced and cute, which is what most people want and expect from these types of books, I just find that I long for more. I can appreciate it for being a part of the cute romance genre, but that doesn't make it a good book, even if it is a good book within the genre. Did that make any sense? Anyway, I probably won't re-read this because "real-life" books are boring to me (I am 100% in it for the escapism) but if you enjoy these types of books I think you'll LOVE it. It is all about knowing what you enjoy/want from your books.
PS. There is a fair amount of Spanish in this book, so if you don't speak the language and find translating a bunch of things to understand what is happing tedious I would suggest moving on to the next read.
A little context: I am usually a fantasy reader but when everyone started recommending The Spanish Love Deception and I heard it included a lot of my favorite tropes I wanted to give it a try. 488 Pages later I can confidently say that it was a good book but by no means revolutionary. Aaron Blackford is your cookie-cutter perfect, contemporary romance man (aka practically twice her height, massive hands, blue eyes, and a grump at their workplace) while Catalina is your typical contemporary romance woman (aka super short with a quirky, sunshiny personality, and just barely repressing her hate for the "enemy" because he was rude to her the first day they met). This makes for a very typical, cookie-cutter-perfect, contemporary romance relationship. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but something to note nonetheless.
My main thing is that I can't specifically tell you what I liked about the book, I just know that it was an overall entertaining read. It was fast-paced and cute, which is what most people want and expect from these types of books, I just find that I long for more. I can appreciate it for being a part of the cute romance genre, but that doesn't make it a good book, even if it is a good book within the genre. Did that make any sense? Anyway, I probably won't re-read this because "real-life" books are boring to me (I am 100% in it for the escapism) but if you enjoy these types of books I think you'll LOVE it. It is all about knowing what you enjoy/want from your books.
PS. There is a fair amount of Spanish in this book, so if you don't speak the language and find translating a bunch of things to understand what is happing tedious I would suggest moving on to the next read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
nav26's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Everyone RAVED about this on TikTok so I had to read it, but honestly it wasn't my favourite. Some of the writing, especially the dialogue, felt choppy. And there was a lot of repetition that I felt didn't really work for the book. But some of this is probably bc the author self published so it may not have gone through the same editing process it might have. I did however really enjoy the story, and I would do anything for Aaron Blackford.
They spend like 1% of the book actually in Spain which was very annoying...the pacing was just not great.
Ok ALSO it was SO similar to The Hating Game, like basically the same plot. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I couldn't stop comparing!
They spend like 1% of the book actually in Spain which was very annoying...the pacing was just not great.
Ok ALSO it was SO similar to The Hating Game, like basically the same plot. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I couldn't stop comparing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting