This is likely the most disappointing book I've read so far this year. The positive reviews made me want to give it a fair chance, but "The Spanish Love Deception" reads like an extremely poorly-written Wattpad story that seems to have originated as a Twilight fanfic. I am an avid romance reader and critic, and Aaron may be the most unlikeable character I’ve ever encountered in a romcom, and the “banter” between him and Lina is genuinely alarming. Other Big Red Flags I wish an editor had caught: Lina’s blatant fatphobia goes unchallenged; everyone is OK with a *predator* being at the wedding; everyone is also fine with making that predator the best man. I wonder if the editorial team considered hiring a sensitivity reader for this project. I'd highly suggest hiring one (along with perhaps a stronger developmental editor) for Armas' future books, as it seems those will be happening in the near future.

This book was good and the characters were likeable, I just never got super excited about the plot (I never got that "I don't want to put this books down" feeling). I think that the main hold-up for me was that we had to wait an unnecessarily long time (more than half of the book) before Lina and Aaron actually went to Spain and started their "deception". I think that I might have found it more engaging if some of the unneeded details at the beginning of the book were cut out (so that the Spain adventures started sooner).

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This one re-published Feb 8, 2022!

Let me just tell you all the things I loved about this book okay?

1. Enemies to lovers trope -> my absolute fav 🤩
2. Slow burn romance -> the tension! 😏🔥
3. Freaking Aaron Blackford 😍😍😍 need I say more? #iykyk 😏 he is just the absolute best and you can really tell how much he cares for Lina, even tho she is blind to it at first. His complete loyalty to helping her and then with her family. Swooooonnnn 🥰🥰
4. This book takes place in Spain for a little bit. I love Spain and was lucky enough to go there when I was in highschool! This book made me miss it!
5. This book touches on some key issues surrounding verbal sexual harassment, misogyny, workplace harassment, women in the workforce and power imbalances, and also cyber bullying.
6. Rosie! Lina’s best friend! Their relationship is so fun and such a great one! ♥️

Both Lina and Aaron have some baggage from their past they are dealing with. That’s part of why Aaron is helping Lina by being her fake boyfriend to her sisters wedding. Try both end up helping each other, and Lina has to learn to trust another male again.

Did I not love anything in this book?

I wouldn’t say I didn’t love anything, there is fake dating involved, which is not my fave trope, but if it’s done right, I don’t mind it… I did not mind it at all in this book! There’s also office romance too! Which I have nothing against, it just could get kind of complicated, which this book does a great job showing that yes it can be messy, but it also doesn’t have to be.

Also, the author describes Aaron’s “ocean blue eyes” literally like every page it seems! While it did get repetitive, it did not deter my love for this book

I cannot wait for the next book that focuses on Rosie!

This is one of my favorite books. I love Aaron and Lina with all my heart. I see so many people complain about how so little happens in the first 100 pages, but I love that. Slow burn is one of my god tier tropes if it's done right, and slow burn enemies to lovers are my favorite. Aaron Blackford is perfection, and I would give anything to have parts of this book in his perspective.

I can't express how desperate I am for The American Roommate Experiment.

My only small issue is with Lina's inner monologue. At times, it went on for far too long.

cute and unique story. Funny and super witty-which I love. Great chemistry between main characters.
My only gripe... is that for the love of God! - there were some very long and drawn out parts... I call these the Charles Dickens books, where they draw out every sentence and every plot. But definitely fun, cute, sweet and enjoyable.
I thought the dialogue was sweet. I love the idea of Lina going back to face her family and the feeling that she was a failure bc she didn't have a boyfriend.

I started this book and it was so repetitive. I was not a fan of the constant description of the people saying the same thing over and over. Nothing really happens until you’re over halfway through the book. Ended up DNFing it.

I have seen this book EVERYWHERE and was so excited to read it. Thank you Atria for the advanced copy.

I am torn in my feelings about this one. This is sold as a slow burn and it is really quite sluggish. I had a very difficult time connecting to the characters. I wanted a pay off much earlier than I recieved.

However, I quite enjoyed the self-journey aspect. I found that I was very invested in the hows and whys of the journey vs the end result.

The book was entirely too long. Much could have been paired down.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. I did struggle to get there however.

2.5 stars

I am so torn on my rating here. This felt like a book that really needed to be paired down. There was just SO MUCH going on in this story, it felt like two different books. I had to remind myself that the charity auction that takes place at the beginning was actually the same book.
I did have fun reading this book. It was lighthearted and quirky. But I think that the two biggest issues I had were that, despite this book being so long, we really don't get to know who the characters are until way too late in the book. By then, I don't care about the romance or seeing these two get together. The other thing is, this is marketed as a slow burn romance, but in order to do a slow burn right, the pay off has to be so satisfying and this one just lacked the anticipation and tension to really pull it off.
I also didn't really like the whole eating disorders and starving yourself just thrown in at the beginning but then by halfway through, that's just not a thing anymore and one talk with Aaron, she's cured... *eye roll*

You can see all my thoughts on this book in my "Can we Trust BookTok" video on YouTube

I have been on a reading roll of late! Hope I can continue it! I have seen the Spanish Love Deception EVERYWHERE. A few months ago I tried to start it and ended up putting it down.

The story centers on Catalina, who has to go back to Spain for her sisters wedding. The problem is her sister is marrying her ex’s brother. Her ex who is recently engaged, while Catalina has to go dateless until Aaron her office nemesis offers to go along as her date.

This may be an unpopular opinion but this book didn’t wow me. I have seen so many people who LOVE it but for me it was ok. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I felt like the book dragged in too many places and they didn’t even make it to Spain until about halfway through.

From its blurb, The Spanish Love Deception sounded like it had all the good things that you'd find in an entertaining RomCom - romance, a trope or two, a far-off locale and humorous bits. And it did! But it never came together for me.

My biggest beef is with Catalina, the main character whose head readers are stuck inside as we hear her repetitive thoughts, gripes, over-dramatizations and misinterpretations of .. every .. little .. thing. Her constant need to be in turmoil and hate on Aaron was petulant, annoying and her cluelessness about his intentions was aggravating.

Aaron was written as a perfect kind of guy and readers are reminded a few times that he resembles Clark Kent (my mind immediately goes to Henry Cavill so that's a bonus). We don't get to know him well, so he comes off as a bit dull and too good to be true as he attempts to woo the oblivious Catalina with his homemade energy bars, learning a new language and flying across the world to her family wedding. You know, as one does for your, um, coworker.

This was a sloth-like slow burn RomCom that had an enticing blurb and bits of good banter and fake dating trope (love it!), but the steamy bits (complete with cringy dirty talk) don't happen until the last quarter of the book so readers who like a lot of sauciness will be waiting a long time. There are secondary characters, but they are barely used ... heck Spain is barely there! I assumed, based on the blurb and title, that much of the book would be spent at the wedding, interacting with Catalina's family members and trying to hide the fact that Aaron isn't Catalina's boyfriend, but that wasn't the case, and it was a missed opportunity for tension and humorous situations.

This book is a TikTok sensation, but it didn't live up to its hype for me. It had a couple of good plot points and Scarlette Hayes narrated the audiobook well, but this was more of a frustrating read and was never a story that had me itching to get back into it.

The Spanish Love Deception is a slow-burn STEAMY enemies-to-lovers romance.

Bookstagram made me read this after seeing rave reviews. Let me tell you, this didn’t disappoint. I appreciated how Elena Armas showed how challenging it can be to change your mind about someone when they prove you wrong.

I loved how Catalina found Aaron frustrating and annoying and how she hated how attractive she found him. I loved how reluctant and hesitant Catalina was to take up her workplace enemy on his offer to be her date in Spain. Watching Catalina trust Aaron and let him in was honestly worth the angst and how slow the burn was.

Aaron was a cinnamon roll that adored Catalina. I loved how much he wanted her and how he paid attention to the little things. I do wish he had stuck up for her more when she was being mistreated at work. But I feel like her redeemed himself and made me swoon.

I cannot wait for Elena’s next book which features Rosie, a character we were introduced to in The Spanish Love Deception. I hope we get some peeks and Catalina and Aaron post TSLD.

I really loved Aaron Blackford, but the writing for this novel ultimately wasn't for me. I thought it fell really flat, and wasn't as high quality as the Tik Tok hype left me to believe. I thought the pacing was wonky, and I wasn't a huge fan of the development. I read this a few weeks ago through my library so I don't have complete memory of the book by now, which is why I unfortunately have to keep this review brief. Thank you for the ARC!

Would I die for Aaron Blackford? Yes
Did I hate the ending? Yes

Some memorable quotes that will kill you as much as they did me.
“If I end things with a woman, I end them.[…] And if I am interested in someone, I make myself heard. I will find a way for her to know. Sooner or later, she’ll know.”
Yes Aaron love you.
“Those ocean-blue eyes shifted to my lips briefly. So quickly that I was convinced I had imagined it.“
We love the stolen looks

I had applied for this book a while back but became too impatient to wait for the approval- I bought a copy and it’s now a cherished possession.

This book is one of my favorite rom com reads every! So so good, I’m completely in love with Aaron Blackford. The slow burn was perfect, and the pay off was worth it. Absolutely loved this love story.

Highly recommend! I cannot wait for Elena Armas’ new book.

I have no recollection of requesting this book. When I began reading it the steaminess was too much for me. I prefer romance novels that fade to black. Thank you to Atria for providing this arc however I am simply the wrong reader for this novel.

This novel won Best Debut of 2021 by Goodreads readers and I can certainly see why! It’s reminiscent of all of the best enemies to lovers novels, including one of my favorites from last year The Love Hypothesis but this author steps up the chemistry a little earlier with a “fake date” that has Lina questioning her hatred of Aaron mid book instead of making us wait until the very end for her to realize he’s the one for her. I’m not saying that their fait accompli is not still drawn out, but at least there is some hesitancy to hate, which for me made all of the difference.

Is the plot of needing a date for a wedding overused? Yes, I think it is, however Lina’s charming Spanish family more than made up for any tiredness. I loved how everyone wanted Lina’s happiness and how they stood by her despite her ex being the groom’s brother. I also loved, loved, loved Aaron. He gives some swoon-worthy monologues that makes this fantasy novel shoot to a ten on the emotional scale. If he wasn’t already fictional, I’d certainly think he was too good to be true! Not to say he didn’t have his faults, he never strayed from his cool as a cucumber persona, but he was all mush when it came to Catalina. It was so sweet.

This was true escapism at its best. Easy reading, great characters, lots of depth of character, and a magnificently steamy love story. The fact it’s this author’s debut novel is astounding and boy… I can’t wait for her second. Ummm, when is it coming out? ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was just approved for this title; however, I had already read it through my library several weeks ago.

I loved the cover and premise of this romance! The story itself fell flat for me, however. There were moments of fun, but the characters weren't interesting, and the story went on and on without much character development or plot movement. I would definitely try another book by this author, but this one wasn't for me.

If you loved The Hating Game, you will eat this book up, like I did!

This is a wonderfully done rivals to lovers story with fake dating and some other yummy tropes. Lina is desperate for a date to her sister's wedding and her grumpy work nemesis offers to go with her. At first it's just an arrangement to placate her family but things get real, really fast.

I absolutely loved Lina and Aaron together. As separate characters they were interesting as well, and their individual personal journeys were fun to watch. They have great chemistry and sexual tension. When we finally get some sexy times, the steam level is high. Their relationship is also very sweet and tender at times.

The only thing keeping me from giving this five stars is the writing, particularly the dialogue. It was weak and cheesy at times when it's obvious the author could have made it stronger.

I highly recommend this one for romance readers.

“𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 - 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 - 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪’𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: catalina tells her family that she has a boyfriend and that she is going to bring him to her sisters wedding in spain. when aaron offers himself up to be her date... the rest is history!

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: seriously you guys this book was incredible. aaron was completely swoon worthy 😍 he is incredibly thoughtful & a little reserved & showed his affection for lina in just the most adorable ways. he’s in the running for top 3 best book boyfriends ever. i was also obsessed with lina’s family. they were hilarious and loud and fun and just brought so much life & love to the book. and lina - what a badass hardworking woman in corporate america. i seriously loved her so much - she was quirky & fun & there was never a dull moment with her around - a total firecracker as her father calls her! there’s honestly nothing i didn’t like about this book other than the fact that it ended. if you haven’t read this one yet - i HIGHLY recommend 💗

Full disclosure: I do not remember requesting this book as I read the original self-pub version and had never before read a worse romance in my entire life. This version may have been improved with a proper editor (indeed I see it is a little shorter) but I shall not be subjecting myself to potential torture and boredom again. As such, here is my review for the original edition.
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I don't know what book y'all read, but it can't be this. There's no way that <I>this</i> is what everyone was raving about. I'm sorry, but someone has to say it: this was one of the worst romance novels I've ever read.

Lina will be going back to Spain for her sister's wedding soon, and she is desperate for a date. Someone she can bring home to show her family that she is happy. That she did in fact get over the relationship that hurt her badly enough to flee to the States, over the man who will be the best man. Her best option is looking to be Aaron Blackford, her stoic colleague who she has not liked since his second day in the office. They will need to put on one hell of a show to convince Lina's family they are in love.

I am so frustrated by this book. There are thirty pages left and I pitched it across the room because I could not take it anymore. Even just writing that mini summary was difficult because of my feelings about it. On the one hand, I love seeing indie authors taking over the world and getting the hype so many of them deserve as undiscovered gems. On the other, this was an almost 500 page book that could have been 300 while still telling exactly the same story. And what makes it so frustrating is that there were glimmers of what could have been. There is so damn much potential for this book to be worthy of 10 stars, but every single opportunity was squandered and drawn out in the most boring way possible.

Nothing really happens. Like, at all. When this was still sitting at three stars, I told a friend that she's better off reading a one page summary on what happens in the first 250 pages, then jump in when they head to Spain. In the beginning, the writing is so involved with banter that heavily favours Lina that the story gets stuck in a hole of its own making. The first chapter alone is ten pages of Lina 'pretending' to ignore Aaron say he'll be her date with five iterations of the same dialogue. I love banter. Banter is good. Great. Half of the fun. I always want banter. So if I have to say <I>let's get a move</i> on almost every chapter, something is very very wrong. There were so many chances for Lina and Aaron to get to know each other, to show the chemistry that they will eventually act on, to see the good behind Aaron's stoicism before they went on the trip to Spain. Instead we got one drawn out party scene and a strange moment of fainting because Lina is trying to lose weight, which felt icky. That is the extent of their interactions, and it is disappointing as hell.

Enemies to lovers, and fake dating for that matter, does not work when one person does nothing but grunt and point. It took over 250 pages for there to be a lick of chemistry or personality for either character. Might as well have been two cardboard cutouts reading from a poorly written script, so long as we make an obscene number of references to Aaron's height and ocean blue eyes. But don't worry, the one friend who shows up here and there to shove it down our throats that there <I>is</i> chemistry. You just have to squint and hop on one foot at the full moon to see it. Please don't get me started on what I think about that bland, annoying friend getting her own book. You can't even call this a slow burn because again, nothing happens until we're over halfway through.

I really needed something from Aaron. Literally anything. I love the tall, dark and brooding type just as much as any other woman, but bro, give me a hint, something that you are in fact into this girl. Their relationship was so odd for the first half of the book because we barely scratch the surface of either of them. Every time Aaron said he would be her date, I asked whyyyyy? What indication have you given that you are into her, sir? What do you get out of this? And then, with complete and utter whiplash, they get to Spain and suddenly it is saucy as hell, and Aaron is talking, smiling, engaging like he worships this woman. And I don't believe it. Not one bit of it. Do you see the issue here? If I think that the "I finally get to show my true feelings to her under the guise of fake dating" is actually fake, and the indifference of the beginning is true, you have again done something very very wrong.

Oh, and this has my least favourite miscommunication trope of all time. The one where you get secondhand information from someone, and instead of calling or texting, you fly across the country and hit up a list of a specific type of buildings in a city you <I>hope</i> the love interest is in so you can find them and make the situation all about you. Love that. So much. Put it in every book. Who doesn't want that level of creepiness and stupidity in their grand romantic gestures.

This book makes me want to write a fake-dating romcom because this has made me believe I could do it better in every way. For one, I would get an editor or a CP who will be honest and tell me to dial it back, tighten it up, and give some actual chemistry and personality to these characters. I'm glad this is doing well, but I don't ever want to see it again. How dare anyone compare this to The Love Hypothesis. I'm genuinely insulted.