this was such a cute story i loved the rivarly between catalina and gabe, and i loved that they didn't lose the snarky banter as their relationship progressed. the fake dating aspect of their relationship was also really fun!

i love love loved catalina's character - she was so strong and resilient; her story tugged at my heartstrings, seeing her struggles of being an immigrant and wanting to do right by her family. i also really enjoyed seeing her friendship with maya and taylor and how she'd always turn to them for advice and they were always there to talk sense into her and give her the comfort she needed. and gabriel was such a sweet love interest, the way he cared for catalina even when they were solely rivals was so cute and it made my heart warm seeing how much he'd do for her.

definitely recommend for anyone looking for a college-workplace rivals to lovers / fake dating romance!!

This book was everything and more. The cutest enemies to lovers romance. By the end of it I could not get enough of Gabe and Catalina!!

The one thing that annoyed me is when books are in different languages with no heads up. If I need to translate I will, but a warning would be nice. Some of this book was in Spanish with no translation so please be aware.

Other than that everything in this book was perfect. I loved the writing, it was fast pace, not too cheesy, and it had some twists and turns that kept you interested the entire book. It was a fast read for me and will definitely get you out of a reading slump.

I loved the story because of how she fell in love with him. It wasn’t all at once or a quick omg realization it was slow and because of all the little things. It showed an accurate representation of how someone falls in love. Not only that, it gives a glimpse of real world problems that I won’t spoil.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

As Long As You Love Me was so cute! I adored the chemistry between Catalina and Gabe once Catalina realized her first impression of him wasn't quite on par with the actual guy he is. This one made me smile a lot. I was truly immersed from start to finish, and I hope to read more from Marianna Leal in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley and Marianna Leal for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

When I saw this cover I was immediately hooked.
The tropes inside this book are everything to me!
It's been years since I read a Wattpad book and I have to tell you, I'm non disappointed

As Long as You Love Me is perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin. This book is straight out of a telenovella and is incredibly fun to read!!

If you like a fake dating slash fake marriage situation, with a strong female lead where he falls first, this is for you. As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal is a fun read with a strong theme of family throughout. Speaking as a first-generation Canadian, I found it to be truly reflective of first and second generation immigrant's lives. The story hooked me and if you give it a chance, you will find yourself engrossed in the pages.

Meet Catalina. She’s the eldest daughter in her family, and she feels a lot of pressure to help her parents out. She’s also a student who is trying to secure a job post-graduation. She hasn’t really been interested in love, but her rival at school is someone she is starting to see another way. Will she be able to make everyone happy, and will she find the love and support she so deserves?

My first read from Leal and it was so well written, the story and writing voice hooked me. The subplot following the political unrest in Venezuela is one you cannot ignore, and shouldn’t. Leal paints a realistic portrayal of being an immigrant today, and I’ll admit it had me crying on more than one occasion. You will feel all the feels with this read, and you’ll love every minute of it.

This book was a great read that I devoured. I loved the characters and the storyline. I wish I had more to read!

You know the saying never judge a book by its cover? this is the book it means. I went into this book thinking I would be reading about a cutesy romance between two characters. Never in my life did I think the politics and other topics the book discussed would be in it. With that being said it did have some spice and romance to it but it also went over some hard to talk about topics. I overall enjoyed the book and thank you netgalley for letting me read it!

4.5 stars
I loved this book. I think it had an amazing plot that really carried the story and the writing was great. I found myself worrying about Catalina like she was a real person when I wasn’t reading and I think that says a lot about how powerful this story actually is. I was very stressed while reading, but in a good day. I think her connection with Gabe was a little lacking though and that’s why I’m not giving this one a full 5 stars.

This book had so much potential for me and made me feel so many great emotions from the main character's experiences working so hard in a new country looking for her American Dream. After being a star student at the University of Miami for her whole undergrad, Catalina has the internship of her dreams. Still, she is told that only one intern can stay with the company after graduation. This wouldn't be an issue, but Catalina's competition, Gabe, is also a great candidate. Catalina's only problem? She'll be deported to Venezuela if she can't obtain a work visa.
With her residency in the US at stake, Catalina is willing to do anything to ensure she gets the full-time position after graduation, so she makes a deal to fake date Gabe (at his request) in exchange for him to turn down the full-time position. They obviously won't gain feelings for each other, so it'll be no problem... right?
This book has a great build-up of enemies-to-lovers and marriage of convenience, but the end of the story was entirely too rushed for me. I loved seeing the two get together and fight their attraction, but I missed out on seeing them together and growing as an actual couple.

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster and included everything from political and family turmoil, the struggles of moving away from both your family and your home country, and learning that sometimes people aren't always what they seem. It also included two of my favorite tropes: enemies/rivals to lovers and fake dating!

The only thing I wasn't too sold on was the epilogue. While I absolutely loved the chemistry between Gabe and Cata, couldn't get enough of each of their interactions, and was so happy for their ending, I felt like the book would've been fine not including the epilogue it did.

Catalina is desperate to stay in the USA. She fled Venezuela after her brother was killed in a political protest. No longer able to cope with her father and sister's apposing political ideals she gets a student visa and studies engineering in Florida. However, graduation is fast approaching and she needs to get a job to extend her visa. There is no way that she is going back to Venezuela.

Gabriel has an idea. Gabriel has been Catalina's adversary since they commenced university. He has always bested her in studies. He has the perfect social life and always has a girl hanging off his arms. Gabriel is also competing with Catalina to be hired for the single role available after they finish their internship. When Gabriel offers to answer all of Catalina's prayers, will she let him help?

This is a gorgeous story filled with family and love. I also enjoyed the political discourse and racism call outs. It was lovely to see how two people with very different backgrounds find out they have things in common. Note, Gabriel's mother is a racist, which the family readily points out, but they still love her. If you can't cope with that, I suggest this might not be the book for you. I do love how this has not been passed on to her children and how such a mixed family copes with this issue. This has to be one of my favourite contemporary romances this year.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Marianna Leal for this early release copy.

This is my first book by Marianna Leal but this was such a cute read.

Gabe is such a sweet guy.

I loved how we see Catalina get to know him and realize that she was wrong about him.

This book takes place in Venezuela and I really liked to see a bit more of the world.

As someone with no idea it was a welcome change.

Rivals that are looking for the same job ...

Adorable cover and cute story where rivals have to fake date and he falls first!

- rivals to lovers
- hate to love
- opposites attract
- fake dating
- NA/but YA approprate (no spice/closed door)
- tension
- banter

This book was so freaking good. While, I’ll admit, there were some heavy tones and tough situations, it really made you feel for Cata. I really loved that I actually liked Gabe from the start. He didn’t just seem like some immediately arrogant jerk. I was rooting for him and Cata through the whole book. I really loved her friends too. Was a bit disappointed that nothing really came of Maya’s brother but that didn’t detract from the story or anything. Even with the heavier subjects, this was more of a feel good story with all of Gabe’s family shenanigans.

Spicy level is on the lower side. There’s some make out scenes but nothing that gets too steamy.

Definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a good enemies to lovers. It’s one of the few that doesn’t make you feel like your heart has been ripped out of its chest during parts.

I enjoyed reading this book. The tension and angst were on point, and I was rooting for Catalina and Gabriel the whole time. This book had some politics involved but add in some romantic feelings and their story exploded into something.

You know when you look at a cartoon cover and think it's just a cute book with cute characters and a nice storyline? Well, it's not. At all.

Catalina is a Venezuelan immigrant in the US studying engineering. Because of past events, she has difficulty allowing herself to experience things the way normal people do, and she is afraid of having to go back to her home country, so she will do anything to stay, including a deal with her arch nemesis Gabe.

Gabe is that guy that every guy aspires to be and every girl wants for themselves, except he has a crazy mother who intends on ruining his brother's wedding day because she doesn't like the bride. Gabe is all about family, and he is a nice guy, but he's not going to let his mother stop the wedding, so he needs a fake girlfriend, and who better than the one girl who can resist his charm and seems to hate him?

I really loved the way the relationship progressed here, we saw them become friends with Cata realizing that Gabe is more than what people see, and that Gabe might have had a secret crush on Cata the entire time. All of this while Catalina is having her extension visa denied, might have to go back to Venezuela, fight her demons, and not be sure if she will come out alive.

I was emotional in an unexpected way that really got to me when I was expecting just one more romance novel with a cute cartoon cover that would be a palate cleanser. But it's so much more, and I want to read more from Marianna Leal.

This book was so much more than a romance novel.
While the romance was lovely, all that surrounded Catalina’s immigration, and the struggles in her country, were so much more important to the story.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5
Spice: 🌶️ (kissing with lots of tension!)

There was so much to love about this book, and I really did.

At first I felt this was sort of the Hating Game meets the Spanish Love Deception, but it’s a lot heavier than that. There are a lot of similarities with those books - enemy interns/workplace - competing for the same job once they graduate, opposites attract, fake dating as a wedding date, & he falls first.

Imagine those books with the added topic of the political situation in Venezuela, losing a loved one because of protests, emigrating for a better life, and fear for family left behind. That is Catalina’s story, and Gabe is there to help and support her in her journey.

Cata is a strong woman who isn’t used to asking for help or relying on others, and Gabe pushes through those walls over time.

I’m glad I read this on my kindle, as a non-Spanish speaker I would have been a little lost at times without being able to translate.

What you’ll find in As Long As You Love Me:
⭐️ Rivals to lovers
⭐️ Opposites attract
⭐️ Fake dating
⭐️ He falls first
⭐️ STEM/Engineers
⭐️ LatinX MCs
⭐️ Closed door
⭐️ Single POV/first person

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

As Long as You Love Me (eARC) — 4 ⭐️

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
👩‍🏫 Ambitious MC
💗 Contemporary Romance
🥸 Fake Dating
🔐 Closed Door Romance
👫 He Fell First
🥊 Rivals to Lovers
💒 Wedding Related
👥 Well Developed Supporting Characters
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ Rep
✊ Overcoming Tough Situations
🎓 Women in STEM
🇺🇸 Immigration Process

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
🗺️ You like learning about political unrest and the immigration process
❤️‍🩹 You are skeptical about romance
🧠 You strive to be a straight A+ student
👰‍♀️ You enjoy crashing weddings
🚗 Your car constantly has issues

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: This story truly had it all! I loved how it had a good mix of political issues, tough family relationship situations, friendship goals, immigration struggles, and romantic interest.

Another thing I appreciated was the use of Spanish throughout the book. It was helpful reading the story with my Kindle because I could easily translate the phrases used, and I’m always a big fan of being exposed to another language. Having the Spanish dialogue felt like such a treat, and it made the book even more unique!

Also, I enjoyed how the “fake dating” trope mixed with “academic rivals to lovers” felt fresh. It was unlike anything I’ve read so far. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more by the author!

𝐓𝐖: political unrest, sexual content (very minor - YA level), kidnapping, death, grief, xenophobia, racism, profanity

Thank you, NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group, for providing me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 stars
1/5 spice

I really enjoyed everything about this book. The tension and angst were on point, and I was rooting for Catalina and Gabriel the whole time.

Tropes:
College romance
Rivals to lovers
Opposites attract
Fake dating
Latinx representation
Found family
He falls first
Single POV

Oh my goodness, was I not expecting the emotional roller coaster with this one. The cover is deceiving! I thought I was getting a cozy fake dating romance, but it's sooooo much more than that. The opening chapter of this book really does set a darker undertone to the story that isn't usually present in a story like this. But it worked out so well, and you really understood from the beginning why Catalina had her trust issues and fierce determination to be so independent. As for Gabriel... goodness... you think you're getting your typical playboy, but he's so much more than that superficial persona. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing the he falls first/it was always you trope... because it's just soooo much angst. I love it. What I didn't like was very minimal compared to what I loved. So, for personal preference, I would have liked to see more spice. There was so much build-up for it, and I was a bit disappointed that there was none. But that's just me being picky and smutty 😂😉 There were some nice makeout sessions, though 🙌🏽

Overall, be prepared for a lot of emotions to be thrown your way in this one. But also, check trigger warnings before starting this because it does touch on some very heavy topics. I highly recommend this book for people who want to see a fake dating, college romance that is clean and has some depth/plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Trigger/Content warnings:
Immigration, revolution/war, death of family member, toxic relationship (not MCs), racism, explicit language