A review by booking_along
The Spanish Love Deception, by Elena Armas
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
this was fun and overall a nice slow romance.
there were a few things that didn’t work perfectly for me on this book:
- the “hate” changed very suddenly to love. this book is pretty long for a romance and more than half of this book is very focus on how very dislikable the main male is and it felt like it tried a little too hard to make sure the reader understands how dislikable he really is, even though most of the stuff if not all are very easily explained and his behavior makes sense if the reader thinks about it even for a few seconds.
- it felt a little too long and sometimes a bit stilted and almost as if it got stuck a little before getting moving again.
-i do not understand why the sexist horrible coworker had to be in there? it’s realistic to have stupid male “i get away with being a sexist pig” kind of coworker, but did that have to be in it? what actual purpose did the guy actually have because everything could have been exactly the same without the guy.
- i found the start too slow and too dragged out until the couple finally gets started. Again my biggest thing about the slowness was mostly that i didn’t really see the sense in it? for example the entire thing about this day long event that needs to be planned, why was that included? nothing would have changed if it would have not been in the story.
things that bothered me a little bit:
- this entire story builds up to the main females sisters wedding. that’s the whole reason this emote story starts.
and than there is not even really any wedding in the book. there is what maybe two pages -if even that- at the reception but that’s it? and that’s not even about the wedding itself!
now i normally don’t have anything against skipping a wedding BUT if an entire book is all about going to that wedding and what’s needed to do that and than not even getting a chapter of that? mhm.
- the ending felt very rushed.
what i enjoyed:
- the main characters
i can’t even explain but i just enjoyed them. they where very awkward in many ways and i do enjoy a character that doesn’t really know how to behave in situations.
sure it tried to make it more funny than it was and the humor sometimes was as awkward as the characters themselves, but it somehow worked for me anyways.
- that the male wanted the relationship from the start and i am sorry if you think that’s a spoiler but i found that way to obvious with all the “hints” and ways the guy behaves from the second he is introduced basically two sentences into the book.
but i do like it if a man is the one working for the romance a little more and is already sure where it’s going to go and tries to make an actual relationship happen and make it real and serious.
i just enjoy it if the women aren’t always the one begging the men to love them.
- the family members are pretty funny. which is one i do the reasons i wish we would have gotten actual wedding stuff, since i think that would have been incredibly fun moments to read about. but at that point the story started to rush a bit and sadly i feel a little bit cheated if not having gotten enough from the crazy family.
all in all? it’s a fun story.
if you like slow burn and moving romance and any of the things i already mentioned in this review?
i would recommend it.
if you want sex very early on and fast moving storyline or dislike a lot of fuzzy story around the romance plot? not the book for you!
there were a few things that didn’t work perfectly for me on this book:
- the “hate” changed very suddenly to love. this book is pretty long for a romance and more than half of this book is very focus on how very dislikable the main male is and it felt like it tried a little too hard to make sure the reader understands how dislikable he really is, even though most of the stuff if not all are very easily explained and his behavior makes sense if the reader thinks about it even for a few seconds.
- it felt a little too long and sometimes a bit stilted and almost as if it got stuck a little before getting moving again.
-i do not understand why the sexist horrible coworker had to be in there? it’s realistic to have stupid male “i get away with being a sexist pig” kind of coworker, but did that have to be in it? what actual purpose did the guy actually have because everything could have been exactly the same without the guy.
- i found the start too slow and too dragged out until the couple finally gets started. Again my biggest thing about the slowness was mostly that i didn’t really see the sense in it? for example the entire thing about this day long event that needs to be planned, why was that included? nothing would have changed if it would have not been in the story.
things that bothered me a little bit:
- this entire story builds up to the main females sisters wedding. that’s the whole reason this emote story starts.
and than there is not even really any wedding in the book. there is what maybe two pages -if even that- at the reception but that’s it? and that’s not even about the wedding itself!
now i normally don’t have anything against skipping a wedding BUT if an entire book is all about going to that wedding and what’s needed to do that and than not even getting a chapter of that? mhm.
- the ending felt very rushed.
Spoiler
there was all this build up to the couple they finally get there and that’s it. i honestly would have liked to get a few more pages or a whole chapter of the couple actually being together instead of a very small scene of them getting together and than a time jump and no real actual relationship scenes.what i enjoyed:
- the main characters
i can’t even explain but i just enjoyed them. they where very awkward in many ways and i do enjoy a character that doesn’t really know how to behave in situations.
sure it tried to make it more funny than it was and the humor sometimes was as awkward as the characters themselves, but it somehow worked for me anyways.
- that the male wanted the relationship from the start and i am sorry if you think that’s a spoiler but i found that way to obvious with all the “hints” and ways the guy behaves from the second he is introduced basically two sentences into the book.
but i do like it if a man is the one working for the romance a little more and is already sure where it’s going to go and tries to make an actual relationship happen and make it real and serious.
i just enjoy it if the women aren’t always the one begging the men to love them.
- the family members are pretty funny. which is one i do the reasons i wish we would have gotten actual wedding stuff, since i think that would have been incredibly fun moments to read about. but at that point the story started to rush a bit and sadly i feel a little bit cheated if not having gotten enough from the crazy family.
all in all? it’s a fun story.
if you like slow burn and moving romance and any of the things i already mentioned in this review?
i would recommend it.
if you want sex very early on and fast moving storyline or dislike a lot of fuzzy story around the romance plot? not the book for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Bullying, and Sexual content