Like a Love Song is absoultely adorable! Once I picked it up I could not put it down. This is a perfectly lovely rom-com.

I loved this book! It was as fun as my favourite fanfiction with all the skill of professional writing. It's got: public meet-cute, fake dating, mutual pining, and bed sharing. Truly a recipe for success. I was hooked from the first chapter and had a hard time putting it down (unfortunately, I had to sleep).
The main cast was great, but I think Trent (Nati's ex) was especially well done. He was so self-centred, entitled, and completely oblivious to other people that it almost could have been comical, but it worked. I hope Nati submits his texts to SheRatesDogs.
My only criticism is that I think this story would have worked better if the characters had been older, maybe in their early twenties. It would have raised the stakes (the industry is more forgiving of teenage mistakes) and added more depth to the characters' struggles with their identities, which would have been more fully formed. I was also a bit taken aback that two seventeen-year-olds flew halfway across the world to a music festival with no adults at all (how do they rent hotel rooms?), but that's probably something a teenage reader wouldn't have minded.

> Diversity Representation: Latina MC, bisexual MC, queer Latina author
Content Warnings: racism, forced fake relationships, public humiliation

**Delightful, fun, fast-paced, sweet, romantic, unexpected!**

I'm so happy that I got this book as a surprise in my email the other day. I got so excited when I got the email I sent a screenshot to so many people! I thought this book was so cute from the moment I saw it, I knew it would be a winner and I was so right. This book was adorable, fun, light and easy — in the best way!

Like a Love Song follows Natalie, a famous Latina music artist, who is about to get a music award, awarded to her from her music idol. Right before she goes on stage, her boyfriend breaks up with her by saying he has found love with someone else. In the midst of emotion, Natalie cries and yells at him, but the unfortunate thing about being famous is that the paparazzi is always looming. Within hours, she becomes a viral internet meme and in order to restore her image, her publicity team decides it would be best to find a new (fake) boyfriend for her.

I was surprised how quickly I was devouring this book. The best part about this book for me was the light, fun, easy, and charming tone. I loved Nati and how she handled fame, and I loved how easy it was for them to fall into a rhythm. The book was ultimately predictable in the most comforting way — really it's a great thing!!! I absolutely love books that are easy to breeze through. Nothing was too heavy, but it was still smart and well done. We still mentioned struggles of a Latina woman in show business, how publicity team owns your image, and the sacrifices you must make to follow your dreams in this direction. But all of that was woven directly into the light tone so well it didn't weigh it down. Perfect!

Another thing that I really loved about this book was how the two of them grew together. I loved how they found each other more important to each other than they thought, but that the growth wasn't just in that. I love how they showed each other how they should grow on their own before they commit to each other. I'm a huge sucker for that! It's way better than so many other relationships I read growing up, where they find themselves IN each other. I loved how they showed each other the strength to stop putting up with things they didn't like. It's always so refreshing to read that! Overall this was a really fun read!

# Summing it all up

Like a Love Song was such a perfect light and breezy read. I absolutely loved how fun this was. It was just the fluffy read that I wanted with such a cute romance. I blew through this book in a day and a half, it was just that fun!

In its bones Like a Love Song is a familiar tune but the way it’s written is completely unique. Nati is a 17 year old Latina singer on her way to the top. Unfortunately her popularity takes a tumble after being dumped by her boyfriend on live TV. She’s convinced the only way to get back on track is a fake boyfriend, and a contract begins. But William is not at all who she thought he was. They surprise each other and discover things they didn’t even know they were looking for.
First of all I absolutely adore Nati, she reminds me so much of myself when I was younger and impressionable. The author really captured the bilingual divide in younger latinx teens. How “assimilation” and the disconnection from your family, past and culture manifest over time and how you can lose yourself.
Second, Nati has the best of friends and I loved it even more how they came from the different sides of Nati’s life and ended up girlfriends. Their friendship is funny, and complicated and real. I loved to see it.
Lastly, William. “Big dreamy sigh,” he was just an overall very deep and down to earth guy that I felt really balanced Nati. If I had to get a fake boyfriend I’d want it to be someone like him.
I read the whole book in one sitting because I was so enamored with the characters and can’t wait to see this book out in stores and getting the love it deserves.

*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5!

This book is like a breath of fresh air on a hot summer's day. It's got charming characters, a fresh perspective, and just enough delightfully tropey romance to keep the reader engaged for long periods of time. Even though this is a fake dating book about celebrities, it never really tips into melodrama, largely thanks to Nati's voice - she's authentic and unwavering, and the discovery of her identity doesn't feel played out or rooted in insecurity, which was a relief tbh. I breezed right through this one!

I was looking forward to this book for many reasons. I enjoy stories about fame and celebrity culture. Additionally, I was even more excited about this book since the author and protagonist are Latina.

I might have gone into this book with too high of expectations and some misinterpretations. I was surprised that the protagonist was so young since I was expecting a new adult-age main character. I was also a little disappointed by the main romance between Natalie and William. This relationship felt like it moved too quickly. I’m not sure that I would call this insta-love, but it was very nearly that. They went on one date and he showed basic human decency by listening to her and she was immediately in love with him. The bar is that low, ladies. Overall, I would have liked a bit more development and substance to the relationship because I didn’t feel particularly invested in them being together.

I was particularly uncomfortable with certain conversations throughout the book, especially regarding William. In one scene he jokes about reverse racism and it’s just sort of brushed off awkwardly. Likewise, the conversation about his sexuality and Natalie’s reaction felt almost unnatural and thrown in.

#NetGalley #LikeaLovesong
I thank NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review :)
All I have to say is this....everyone pick this book up when releases. It was quite good

Fake dating? Cinnamon roll love interest? Latina pop star? This book ticked off lots of boxes before I even read it.

My 4 star rating is probably closer to a 3.5 simply because I felt the story was a bit rushed. Nati and William's relationship just changed so quickly and there wasn't a lot of actual interaction to move it along? I think I just would have liked to see more development there.

I liked the characters- William is a sweetheart and Padma and Brenda are good friends who support and love Nati. Getting to see the three of them spend so much time on the page together, having fun and supporting each other was one of my favorite parts of the book. Often, friendships seem to take the back seat in romances (YA or adult) and I enjoyed getting to see their relationship play out on the page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC!

Like a Love Song follows Brazilian pop star Natalia ‘Nati’, who has the misfortune of becoming a meme queen after she’s unfortunately dumped on live television. In an attempt to salvage her image and career, her PR team sets up a plan for her to date William, a British indie film actor who is a 180 from her ex.
I’ll be the first to say that Natalia — or Natalie, as she’s known at the beginning of the book — and I didn’t exactly get along. I found her a little self-centered, and was a little disheartened at how much of her culture (and herself) she’d stripped away for fame, and to assimilate. But as I kept reading Like a Love Song, she really grew on me. I also think it’s important to remember that Nati is 17, and is handling stardom a lot better than I would at 17. As a result of her music and her celebrity status, Nati’s relationship with her extended family is a little tense. Her Portugese isn’t as fluent as the rest of her family, and she’s concerned with how others view her. Nati’s character arc was one of my favorites, and I loved watching her reinvent her image (a total reputation moment), and reconnect with her family. By the end of the book, I was really rooting for her happiness and success.
But Will? Oh, I adored Will. As a love interest, he was soft and charming and adorable and just sweet. How could someone not fall in love with him? With his heart of gold, and his sock collection, I could totally understand why Nati fell for him. I’m tempted to buy myself some fun socks in his honor. Like a Love Song is filled with so many wonderful tropes — not just the fake dating one, and there were times where I had to put down my kindle just to text my friend a no-context ‘EEEEEEEE!!!’. I really enjoyed Nati and Will’s dynamic, and loved how they understood one another on a deeper level. You could tell they really wanted the best for each other, no matter what.
Brenda and Padme, Nati’s best friends, were another highlight of Like a Love Song. Their friendship with Nati was so wholesome, and I loved their text conversations, and how supportive they were of one another.
At its core, Like a Love Song is a love letter to celebrity culture, yes, but more so, identity and belonging. Nati’s journey of discovering where she is is one that I loved following, and her diasporic experiences hit so close to home. I loved how authentic and real she was, and how we got to follow her messy, raw, embarrassing, and ultimately, wholesome journey. More importantly, I loved how Like a Love Song touches on privacy and entitlement, and how it criticizes the media’s role in our lives.
Although quite predictable, I really loved Like a Love Song, and found it to be exactly what I was in the mood for: a quick light hearted, rom com read. I will say that I wished it was longer; at 304 pages, it felt really short and there were moments that I wanted to see more of! I would’ve loved to know more about Nati’s family, or how her rebranding went, and I did have some unanswered questions about William too, but ultimately, I loved how everything was neatly tied up at the end.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Here is my honest review:

I first heard of this book a few months ago and I really liked the plot and also that it was about a Brazilian character, written by a Brazilian writer. It was on my TBR list ever since then. One information about it didn’t really get to me: it’s a YA book. It is mentioned briefly in the Goodreads page, but to me (a person who reads a lot of romance) the synopsis and the cover made it seem that it was a new adult book. And the whole reason I’m saying this it’s because I think it would’ve worked better to me if it was.

I liked the characters (William is such a sweetheart) but I think the conflicts should have been handled by more “mature” minds. I think their relationship would have a better development if they were 23? 24? and also Natalia’s relationship with fame, with the celebrity world and her Brazilian roots. I’m not saying the author handled these things badly but I feel like she could have explored more if we had an older main character. I was very intrigued to know how she was going deal with the main conflict (that isn’t the relationship! but the struggle of Natalia with her origins!) but it didn’t really deliver much.

Please: I’m not trying to diss the book or saying that YA books are silly and shallow!!!! I’m just not sure if the whole scenario fit with the age of the MC. The whole thing felt a little surreal to me the way it was handled.

Other than that, I felt that some dialogues were a little unnatural, specially the ones with here mother. It seemed to me that the author was trying to really show how Brazilian they were but it led to a lot of repetition of some words like “filha” and “merda”. I am Brazilian so this is not coming from xenophobia, but it really felt a bit too much and not really natural to have her mother saying “filha” in every sentence.

The relationship was sweet but I felt like they needed more time before the conflict hit them. I could see that they were really great friends, connected to each other and were developing feelings but it felt a little quick. I didn’t really understand why the author chose to have a little fight at their first meeting, it looked like she was going to write a haters-to-lovers romance but gave up and forgot to change their first interaction.

Anyway, I did enjoy reading it and I really hope we get to see more YA stories with Brazilian characters.

Absolutely loved this swoony and delightful YA. Young readers certainly will too. Martins provides relatable characters, despite their fame and unique situations, and a romantic plot that will have readers turning the page. Issues of identity are deftly explored and provide depth to the story. Highly recommended.

This was a sweet, fun book that will entertain many teens. I liked the romance but wished there was a bit more of a character arc for Natalie because I felt like some of the emotional changes she went through weren't delved deeply into enough. I definitely shipped her and William and loved reading about all the side characters, especially Natalie's two best friends. This was a fun, quick read.

This was a very sweet YA romance about two celebrities who fake date for publicity. There was a lot of diversity and LGBTQ+ representation in this book and lovable main characters. It was a quick read for me, but I really enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for proving me the copy of this book!

l think this is going to be a hard review for me. There were so many things I was looking forward to in this book, and so many things I did enjoy, but ultimately, I did think it fell flat and I struggled with deciding whether or not I enjoyed.

I’m going to start with what I liked, from most good to what I liked but thought could have been better.

The first thing was Nati’s friendship with Brenda and Padma. I love a strong, dynamic friendship. The three of them were constantly building each other up, and every moment they were on page together ( whether in person, or simply texting ! ) was brilliant. They were fun and kind and — I genuinely cannot say more good things.

My second favorite thing was Nati’s relationship with her culture. I loved learning about her conflict and I loved seeing her become more okay with it. But I wanted more. I wanted more family interaction — the fact I didn’t get the Christmas scene ? Rude — and I wanted her to reach out more. I know this is nitpicky but the Reader’s heart wants what it wants.

My third favorite thing was Nati’s growth. I honestly found her a little annoying at the start ( for good reason ) but I liked her by the end! That said, I felt the growth and change was stunted. It was like switches were flipped scene by scene to make it better. I wish it were more gradual and consistent. I wanted to see her internal struggle with her changing.

Something that bothered me with this book was how rushed it seemed. It felt very quick, the whole timeline, and I just feel like .... it should have been longer. If there were more scenes interspersed showing character development, whether growth or regression, I think that would have solved how rushed I felt the story was. It would have felt more realistic and natural. I think this was the biggest drawback for me.



There are many good points of this book: the cultural representations, the self-expression and growth, the LGBTQ+ rep! But I felt they were outweighed by pacing and too-quick development for me to properly enjoy.

I desperately needed a light, fun, romantic book- and this was the perfect one! A perfect teen rom-com, but the romance isn't even the best part. The discovery of Nati's identity as she works through what fame means to her is beautiful. The supporting characters- mainly her two best friends- are supportive and strong. A really great light read with strong, empowering messages.

Natalia, an American pop star of Brazilian descent, is up for a People Choice award when she is embarrassing dumped by her boyfriend Trent. Unfortunately the situation was on a livestream and everyone has seen it. Even though “Natalie” won the People Choice Award for Best Female Artist minutes after the live breakup, she is ridiculed everywhere- in tabloids, in memes, on Tik Tok, Twitter and Instagram. After Trent does not attempt to apologize or mitigate the situation, Natalia asks her manager and publicist to figure out a way to fix the damage the situation is causing to her career. Their suggestion is that she fake date a promising British indie actor named William Ainsley. Ainsley, who she had briefly spoken to at the awards show before she was dumped, had given her the impression that he thought awards shows and Hollywood people were fake and pretentious. They begin their fake relationship and end up becoming friends despite their differences. Natalia is finally embracing her Latinidade, her natural hair and her fear of not fitting in with her family in Brazil. William loves acting and the money it brings to provide for his family (who are deeply in debt) but he’s uncomfortable with fame and the intense scrutiny it brings to him and his family. They do kiss for real and develop romantic feelings for each other but a very public scene with Trent (who claims he wants to get back with Natalia) makes William wary of any relationship they might have. Will they end up together or will Natalia have to accept that he’s gone for good?

I am a sucker for Hollywood rom-coms, and Like a Love Song did not disappoint. I throughly enjoyed this book, and appreciated that it wasn't entirely fluff. There are certain times that Natalie, a world famous pop star, but learn to face and accept her Brazilian heritage.

Everything changes for pop star Natalie when she is ambushed by her boyfriend and dumped on live TV. Her life becomes fodder for memes and her career begins to slip. Her agent and publicist come up with a plan for Natalie to hire a fake boyfriend to divert public opinion. Enter William Ainsley, a British indie actor. Natalie and William have to navigate a publicity-orchestrated life in the spotlight as fake boyfriend and girlfriend. William is unprepared for how being "suddenly famous" would affect his life and family. Natalie is forced to face her heritage, songwriting, and icky ex-boyfriend.

I liked all the characters, especially Natalie's friends, as well as the "glimpse" into the Hollywood driven life. There are so many issues the author addresses, and I think it will be a good addition to my library.