This was a emotional book for me 🥺❤️‍🩹

As a Venezuelan person who experienced the entire political situation first hand and emigrated for a better future, this story touched me a lot. From the beginning to the end I identified with Cata, her thoughts, her problems, for me they felt very real and let's not even talk about Gabe who seemed like a super focused character. The story of these two being academic rivals and looking for the same job seemed funny to me, as well as how they do the fake dating, I liked it.

All this story seemed really good to me, I liked the main characters and their stories, their relationship growing little by little; a read that I saw lightly, I fell in love and had a very good time ❤️‍🩹

Thanks to Marianna Leal, NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the ARC 🫶🏻

As a Latina I loved the representation in this book. I enjoyed it thoroughly and loved that it touched on subjects that need more attention. I highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I found out that Wattpad was supporting authors and I have to say that it is really nice to find new authors coming into the publishing world and seeing their work being officially marketed.

'As Long As You Love Me' is a cute romance book but where we are able to get to know more about other topics about the female main character, such as emigration status, political points of view, visas, etc.

This book grabbed my attention from the very first moment as I found the writing super easy and fun to follow. I loved the characters, their thoughts, their evolution and their relationships. It is a fun read and I can see many people reading it in just one sitting.

The banter between the two characters was so funny and Gabe was a sweetheart, I absolutely loved him. Even when he was more 'annoying', that would disappear within moments and I would find myself laughing.

Catalina had the same effect on me up to 60%-70%. That was when the 3rd act started to grow and, after a while, I started to dislike her attitude. Not towards her family and friends or what she was fighting so hard for but towards Gabe. Not only that, but at 80%-85% until the end, I started skipping some paragraphs because that part of the story didn't make much sense to me, it was something that could had been removed because it didn't add to the romance.

I was SO close to giving it 4 stars but the last few pages left me a bit disappointed so I give it a 3,75 star rating!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal!

3.5 ⭐️
Right from the start, the book delves into weighty topics like political unrest, loss, and poverty. We follow Catalina, who is nearing the end of her college journey, as she receives devastating news: her visa extension has been denied. She finds unlikely company with her sworn enemy: Gabe. a charismatic classmate who proposes a plan to sabotage a wedding in exchange for removing himself from a highly competitive internship-turned-full-time job competition between the two of them. As the stakes rise, Catalina finds herself caught between her growing attraction to Gabe, the challenges of her family's situation in Venezuela, and her uncertain path ahead.

Not gonna lie, I really thought it was going to be a relatively simple fake-dating, enemies-to-lovers read. Wow it was SO much more than that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, W by Wattpad Books & Marianna Leal for an ARC copy of As Long As You Love Me in exchange for my honest review.

I was immediately drawn into As Long As You Love Me - as a Latina who's always excited to read more Latiné authors, this very well-written, enemies/rivals-to-lovers & relationship of convenience rom-com had me laughing, swooning and being invested in Cata & Gabe from the start. 

I love the Venezuelan female MC rep, the Puerto Rican male MC rep, and how well Mariana fleshed out the characters, both main & supporting. The banter between the MCs was great, and the heavy moments within the book that dealt with Cata's trauma were so delicately balanced with moments of triumph and happiness. Spanish being naturally woven throughout the entire book was a cherry on top. (And who doesn't love a 90s BSB song as the title of this book?!) 

On the pepper scale, I'd give it 0.5/5 peppers (though, my friends who like open-door can enjoy it alike because of the writing), and 4/5 stars overall. I look forward to reading more of Marianna's books in the future! 

#AsLongAsYouLoveMe #NetGalley

i love the fake dating trope, and this is a good example

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

I definitely recommend this book! Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes so I already knew I would enjoy the book but didn’t expect to love it this much. I also love a Latina protagonist, the representation is amazing. All in all the writing was great, the story was amazing, and I loved being given the opportunity to enjoy this gem.

As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal is a contemporary romance with elements of Fake Dating, Fake Engagement, Enemies To Lovers, and Work Place Romance. Cata and Gabe are studying at the same university and niche STEM field. Cata can't stand Gabe, or so she thinks. Gabe is a pretty boy, a womanizer, and he's her biggest competition in their department and in their future industry. When Cata learns that she no longer has a viable chance to get a work visa to remain in Florida and work, she and Gabe come to an amicable agreement—pretend to date so she can accept a job offer she knows will go to Gabe. Gabe needs a date to a family wedding. His mother has already ruined enough weddings to last their family a life time. There's nothing like bringing a new girlfriend home on a student visa to ruffle up his Puerto Rican mother's feathers. Yet, when these two realize they have more sparks than the welding they make in their class, they heat up things in this romance. There were parts of this story that I enjoyed. There was quite a bit of humor and charm. I liked Cata's crush on her roommate's brother and almost wished that were explored, but I'm not the writer of this story. Gabe was a hot character, not gonna lie, but I didn't really buy that he had been pining for Cata for as long as they'd been attending classes together. While he was a fantastic gentleman, paying for Cata to return to her home country to take care of a family issue in her politically challenged Venezuela, I felt there were a lot more sacrifices being made by Gabe than Cata gave in return. While there were some really love scenes together, I couldn't suspend my feelings that they weren't exactly right for each other. Yet, the writing was wonderful. The author can spin a tale. I love the injection of real issues on Cata's part. But I didn't have a sense that Gabe suffered from anything—other than having a really racist and nationalistic mother. All in all, I enjoyed the story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into the storyline, but once I did, I was hooked! I’m a fan of this author and hope she continues to write great stories.

I loved it!! I loved the trope, the story, the characters and the banter💗🥹 This book had me blushing and wishing to be the mc so many times!!

As Long As You Love Me is a sweet faking dating to lovers story. Catalina has been though a lot and is desperate to finish her Engineering degree in America. The only problem is she has serious competition for her much needed scholarship. Gabe is charming and annoyingly good looking and worst of all he's seriously good in school. When Gabe needs a date for his brothers wedding, he makes Cata and offer she can't refuse. If she goes to the wedding with him then he will step out of the running for the job she wants. As these two get closer things heat up and sparks fly! It's heavy at times then that trauma will just be brushed aside for romance. I wish there was a better mix of the heavy topics and the romance but I enjoyed it!

3.5/5 🌟
From the beginning of the novel, Catalina is someone you are drawn to and are instantly rooting for. With each additional chapter, we are shown her complexity and work ethic, and we want her to succeed in all areas of her life - internship, school, and even romance. However, Gabe felt a little too all over the place for me. I loved that he was given the space to grow as a character and become more likeable, but I do think his intense feelings felt slightly mismatched at times. He had some really great and SWEET moments, but I felt a little confused by how the relationship developed. (Especially with the wild beginning of the relationship and also some of the suggestions he makes towards the end of the novel?) I did enjoy that the plot was focused on more than just the romance. The complex family dynamics were introduced and discussed well. I LOVED the female friendships. I thought these were solid and well-developed. I enjoyed the plot twist! Overall, I had a good time reading this book. (There were just a few things with the pacing of the book and the insertion of plot points that felt a little disconnecting for me.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was going back and forth on whether I should give this 3 or 4 stars because I did truly enjoy reading it and couldn't put it down -- once I got into it. It did take a bit for me to get hooked and I think a bit of that might be due to the writing style. I know this is an ARC copy and editing can still take place but it felt a bit too unpolished sometimes. Nevertheless, I loved the story and the characters and my heart just ached for Cata and all her struggles. I'm a first-generation kid, and reading this book made me feel more connected to my dad and grandparents and everything they went through to move to America. The pain and struggles don't often get spoken about within the family but I know it wasn't easy. I'm grateful this book exists and that I was given the opportunity to read it and I actually wish there was more to it. The end was pretty abrupt and I wanted to dive deeper into their actual relationship and not just the lead-up to having one.

Note: The only spice is one makeout session.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad WENTOON Book Hroup, and Marianna Leal for a copy of As Long As You Love Me in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it touched on some heavier topics (the political unrest in Venezuela and immigration issues) while also keeping it lighter with the friendships and romance as well. I loved the three main friends, the FMC having two really great friends to lean on.

Gabe was a great romantic interest - academic rivals who do the fake dating thing which obviously becomes real. Their pairing was also a really great golden retriever - black cat vibe as well. You assume he’s a f boy at the beginning but slowly fall for him alongside Cata. He plays such a great supporting role while standing beside her and not giving up on her and not trying to dull her shine, loving her for being as driven as she is.

I wish we had gotten a little more with her family and sister at the end - I think there could have been a deeper dive here. It felt like there was a little too much inferred rather than shown which I think would have strengthened the story.

Note that if you don’t speak Spanish you’ll be looking some things up! I think it added a nice touch but there were moments where I wanted to make sure the context clues (and my Italian language fluency) were guiding me correctly. I think it would be great to have maybe endnotes or footnotes just with the translation?

Overall, thoroughly enjoyed the book. I couldn’t put it down once I really got started.

3.75 ⭐

«Sometimes you just know that if you don’t make a bold leap, you can miss out on the best things in life. And I don’t want to miss out on a single second with you.»

This book is perfect for the lovers of the fake dating/fake marriage trope. Cata, the FMC, is an immigrant: she left her country because of political conflicts and is now a student of mechanical engineering. She is trying to obtain a full-time employee position in order to remain in the US after her graduation. The problem is that there's another person who's trying to achieve the same thing: Gabe has been Cata's academic rival for years and now is also her rival for the job.

Eventually, the two of them find a solution for their problems. Gabe and Cata strike a deal: Cata will be the fake girlfriend that he need for his brother's wedding, and Gabe will leave her the job.

I enjoyed this book, the writing was good, it was really fluid. This is a funny and cute romance (Gabe was soooo sweet 🥺), but in reality, the plot addressed to a lot of important themes, especially the terrible conditions of life in Venezuela, political crises, immigration, the presence of an authoritarian regime and the conseguent concept of “American dream”.

Thank you to Netgalley, Wattpad Webtoon Book Group and the author for granting me an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for the ARC of As Long As You Love Me by Marianna Leal.

I was a big Wattpad fan in middle school and high school so to see an approval of an ARC from them just felt like a full circle moment for me.

Now onto the review; Catalina was such a fierce character! from the first chapter I just knew I was going to love her as a strong FMC, standing up for what she believes in, pursuing a better life in a different country, a woman in STEM (my favourite scene with Cata was when she showed the boys how badass she was when welding - iykyk). Cata is such a force to be reckoned with and I felt like a proud friend on the sidelines watching her achieve her dreams while being a strong and somewhat stubborn daughter, sister and friend.

Gabe immediately gave me playboy vibes but the more I got to know his character, he captured my heart. Gabe is the sweetest boy, the way he showed up for his siblings, Cata and her friends made me smile on multiple occasions while reading this book. Gabe was a fun character, from the banter between him and Cata, to making up his own nicknames, and coming up with crazy ideas to ruin his brothers wedding, it was fun getting to know him. I very much enjoyed that Gabe challenged his moms racist ideas of marrying "your own" and that he stood up for his siblings and their chosen partners.

This book touched on the Venezuelan government and the issues that Venezuela currently has with their government regime - prior to this book I had NO IDEA about the corruption in the Venezuelan government or the poverty that the country faced, so thank you to Marianna for touching on this, this book really opened eyes and I'm thankful for that. I also loved how diverse the characters were in this book.

I will say the reason its not a 5 star read for me is because I had to google Spanish to English translations just so I wouldn't miss part of the conversation between Cata and Gabe or Cata and her family members BUT, I did learn some new Spanish words and the conversations in Spanish did add that extra little oomph to the book if you decide to stop and translate.

If you like an enemies to lovers, fake dating, STEM, closed door romance then this book is for you and you should check it out when it comes out in September!

This book touches on sensitive topics such as SA, death, grief, and troubled family relationships, so just note those as trigger warnings if you choose to read the book.

As a POC, I am always amped to read a multicultural romance (especially someone of Spanish origin) so it was obvious my expectations were high for Marianna Leal’s “As Long As You Love Me” but unfortunately it failed to achieve well… anything.

The plot—wait what plot? This ‘romance’ was filled with pages of Catalina discussing her struggles and traumas (which oftentimes than not, were brushed off way too easily). The plot was just about nonexistent and whatever little was featured, was half-ass and brushed aside by the lead heroine's immaturity, overly dramatic and whiny behavior. As you can tell, I was not a fan of hers. Besides being a POC character, I failed to find anything likable about the lead. And her relationship with Gabe was laughable at best.

There was no chemistry between them. At all. I wouldn’t even categorize this as enemies turned lovers. The relationship with Gabe didn't seem believable nor would have it last as a long term relationship. He honestly was too good for her. There, I said it.

And besides the unconvincing romance that blossomed between Campus Babe and Kitty Kat (gag), this was an overall boring read filled with mediocre characters, dull plot, bad pacing.

So save yourself the trouble and skip this one fellow readers.

I really liked this book. My one complaint, and it's a small one, was that there were several lines in Spanish that as someone who knows zero Spanish I had no idea what was being said. Usually when then this approach is used in books, the Spanish is so basic that even I know it. I never felt lost, but I do wish I could have known what the characters were saying. Still, this was a great, fun read and worthy of 5 stars.

I wish I could give this book a better rating, because the writing was good and it addressed many important and too often under-explored themes that need to be more common in today’s literature. Unfortunately, I felt like the plot of the book was lost in the issues and traumas of the main character, her family and her country. Catalina is a first generation immigrant and university graduate, she fled her country because of political conflicts, she’s struggling to fit in and prove herself to be “worthy” of the American dream, and much more throughout the book.

I think that this novel should’ve been a coming of age novel, a book about a strong and independent latinx individual finding herself and her place in the world, not a romance story. I did not believe in Cata and Gabe’s story, and to be quite frank, this didn’t read like an enemies to lovers. They’re academic rivals for a bit, but not enemies. The romance felt forced, I did not feel the chemistry and I didn’t believe Gabe when he confessed his love for Catalina (I mean, he was dating a horde of women for years, but he swears he’s loved her since they met? I don’t trust him). At the end of the book, I was surprised to read a HEA. In the real world, these two would be at the top of a list called: Couples That Broke Up When The Story Ended.

Also, every trauma and obstacles that came Cata’s way were brushed off way too easily, it was quite unrealistic. The book deals with several sensitive issues (trigger warnings include: death, grief, SA, kidnapping, estranged relationship with family members) yet we never go in depth into the trauma caused by said issues, nor concretely how Catalina deals with them and it all feels just superficial and easy in my opinion.

Overall, it was still an enjoyable read, I simply would’ve preferred for the romance to be a subplot or absent altogether so we could focus more on the psychological aspects of the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Marianna Leal for granting me an eArc in exchange of an honest review.