Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
The Spanish Love Deception is a cute enemies to lovers trope. Catalina and Aaron are coworkers who had a difficult first meeting. Having felt slighted, Catalina decides that she hates Aaron and is rude, ignores him, and is slightly “high school” mean girl. Aaron is an arrogant, almost robot-like coworker who puts up with Catalina but seems to go out of his way to antagonize her. Thee is some cute banter and end up in a weird fake dating situation which leads to more than either of them (maybe) bargained for.
This book is a slow burn. You have to read about 80% before you get to the steamy parts and you’ll also need to be ok with all of the internal monologues and strife in Catalina’s head. 3.5 rounded to 4.

Thank you so much for this review copy!
Recently, a few customers asked for this title at the start of its TikTok popularity and I was able to order it in for the table a couple of times before we couldn't get it anymore. I was thrilled to see a traditional publisher pick out up because we can sell it much more frequently!

That said, I hope there will be a little bit of editing and it won't be just a port of the book. It was jarring to me that neither Lina nor Aaron used contractions. I can understand it with Lina -- English isn't her native tongue. But Aaron, too? Having him use contractions would have made his voice sound different and unique. That was the biggest distractor for me when reading and I hope it is altered prior to publication. My only other "big issue" was how in the epilogue, it is mentioned very briefly that the family was told about the deception, when there had never been any guilt and no time was spent on it after that aside, almost like a chunk was pulled out of the story somewhere, giving it an unfinished feel, like an afterthought.

Those things kept me from loving the book and I would love to compare a finished version and hopefully have it read tighter. But I did enjoy the journey and the characters and it gave me vibes that reminded me of a 2021 favorite read of mine, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS by Ali Hazelwood, which is also TikTok viral at my store -- we can't keep it in stock! I will absolutely be recommending customers buy these two together when they come in for the one and/or recommending it if they want something similar!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Spanish Love Deception. The book was the best kind of romance—a realistic relationship put to the test by extraordinary circumstances with a top off of spice.

The way the relationship developed and grew between Lina and Aaron was flawless. The way that everything tied together and came around full circle at the end was plot perfection. Seeing the two different sides of Aaron was interesting as well. The story was so relatable. The way Lina felt when she didn’t have anyone to bring home to her family, how protective Aaron was of her, as well as the relationship between Aaron and his father are all things that we can relate to and look for in real life. It was a great story.

This book started off really strong and kept my interest until a little over half way through the book. It had fun moments, but then it just got too boring and a tad ridiculous. It was decent enough but not good enough to recommend that highly. The characters were enjoyable and the side characters were fun and you knew someone like most of them, which made it fun. The problem was that it just was too drawn out and it didn't capture my interest the way the beginning really did. Overall, a decent read, but wouldn't recommend.

Thanks to NeGalley for the ARC!

I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Well written, funny, great characters. I don't typically read a lot of romance style books these day, but the premise was too cute to pass up. And with an extended cast of characters to boot! I cannot recommend this book enough and I cannot wait to read more by Elena Armas!

I enjoyed this one! I will have to say though, Lina was so stubborn at times that I got actually frustrated while reading and because she held grudges, her remarks to Aaron often times came off mean. I wish the author would have toned it down just a little with those two qualities. Other than that, I loved their story and found it to be a fun, swoon-worthy read. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good enemies-to-lovers.

I had heard so much good press about this that I had high hopes, but this book was frankly terrible. Not only did I know nothing about the characters (by the halfway point, I knew that Lina was....friendly at work? and Aaron was...tall?), Lina is presented as having struggles with disordered eating under the guise of "wanting to lose weight for the wedding" that is then played off as a hurt/comfort moment--as soon as she faints, the hero gives her a stern talking-to, and suddenly she's not worried about losing weight anymore? It was a frankly irresponsible treatment of unhealthy food habits. Furthermore, while there is a whole bit about how Lina struggles against "complimentary" sexist attitudes (ie she is assigned to organize an event because she's "friendly" and "women are good at that sort of thing")--which is honestly presented in a cartoonish manner, but fine--but notes that when someone calls her Sofia Vergara, she's actually flattered? And then later the hero makes a comment about her having "dancing in her blood" because she's Spanish. It's treated as though it's supposed to be funny. So apparently sexist stereotypes=bad but ethnic stereotypes are fine???? And on top of all this, it was boring (probably because I didn't know enough about the characters to care about them.)

great fake dating. my only complaint is that parts of aaron and how he acted/things he said felt over-the-top or slightly unbelievable. i never thought i’d say this, but maybe he was too sappy? anyways, a very slow burn, but with a hot-as-hell payoff.

#netgalley

Funny. Sexy. Enemies to Lovers. Happy Endings.

Let me just say, if you start struggling with this book in the beginning, just give it a few chapters. It took a little bit of commitment because it got a little winded. The main character talks in A LOT of circles, making the story a little drawn out, so be prepared for that. Lots of repetition and I often found myself skimming over what I felt like was unnecessary filler to get to the point.

Personalities were well developed and the side characters were easy to emulate in my mind. Lina is fun and strong-willed. A little goofy and certainly stubborn giving off strong Rom-Com vibes. A little aloof (she learns her lesson). I love that she is career oriented and successful and knows what she wants (well, mostly). I would have liked a little more description of what Lina actually looks like aside from her vague description of herself. I loved Rosie's character but I felt like even though she was Lina's BFF, it seemed one-sided, with Rosie providing the sustenance of the friendship without it being reciprocated, so it felt disingenuous at times. Aaron is hot and Mr. Perfect with the man of steel abrasiveness and attitude at face value but has a soft, gooey AND sexy center. Obviously the office eye candy ( meow ). Lina's family was so much fun and really helped shape the story. I loved the added culture and descriptions of her home life in Spain that made me want to take a trip there myself!

The story was mostly predictable and fast paced but that is why I gobbled it up! The slow burn was worth the wait as their relationship blossomed. Definitely got sexy with the perfect amount of steam. No off page assumptions. I love these types of romances! Headstrong, independent (often quirky) women who just need a little love in their life to balance everything out. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc for review!

The Spanish Love Deception was an emotional journey from start to finish - certain parts had my laughing, others getting ready-eyed, and even others swooning a little. Lina and Aaron were amazing together and complemented each other so well, and their slow-build chemistry was perfection. It was enemies to lovers “lite”, which I actually prefer because actual hate to love is always tougher for me to believe. If you love a great slow-build romance, definitely pick this one up!
•
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Atria Books, for the advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I LOVE a long-winded romance because it can give you the slowest burn and the deepest feels. I have never been weak-in-the-knees about coffee shop banter before but OK. I have been ENTRAPPED. This romance serves up fake dating, workplace enemies-to-lovers, only one bed, sunshine & grump, and a cinnamon roll that's pretending he's not. There's even a charity bachelor auction to get your heart racing.

I'll admit for the first hundred pages I wasn't convinced. The back-and-forth about Catalina needing a date for her sister's wedding didn't draw me in right away. I retroactively understood the urgency once we reached Spain and saw the situation, learned her history. BUT all it took to completely rattle me and make me a believer was one fake date. The tension was sublime, and it unfurled through the rest of the story to great effect. Aka I was freaking out and very invested.

So there was some rough-around-the-edges pacing, but it didn't ultimately detract from my enjoyment. I will be delighted to pick up more books from this author and see what else she has to throw at me.

The first 80% of this book is a super slow burn romance. It was cute, funny and addicting. The last 20% was super spicy. I skipped pages and it was still going. But! With that said I still enjoyed it. It’s just not a book for the faint of heart, and not for young teens.

I think this book is overhyped per TikTok. It’s not the worst, just not nearly as spicy, well written, or unique of a plot or characters as it is being promoted, If you liked How to Fail at Flirting and wanted something with less drama and spice, this might be an ok rec

This book was so sweet! An excellent new edition to the enemies to lovers canon. The characters are well-drawn and very fun to fall in love with! The pacing was perfect, the plot was a delight, and I wish I could go back and read it for the first time again.

Not gonna lie, I definitely wasn't sure about the hype at first but I am SOLD. Perfect tension throughout, a man so obviously in love it hurts, and a relationship arc that makes me want to die in all the best ways. PHENOMENAL!

2 stars

I wanted to like this but the writing style was overly descriptive for my taste. The book could be about a third shorter - maybe even half as long. The blue of Aaron's eyes was literally mentioned at least 100 times (yes, I searched the file) Some of the phrases made zero sense. For example, a smile was described as "wide and furtive". The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines furtive as "done in a quiet and secretive way to avoid being noticed ". How on earth can a wide smile be furtive? The two terms contradict each other and make no sense. This was just one of the many confusing and conflicting phrases I highlighted.

I did like how the author addressed sexism in the workplace and the double standard that is imposed on women in the workplace, especially in STEM fields.

I always appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy, even if the book isn't my "cup of tea". Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! Definitely had Hating Game/workplace enemies-to-lovers vibes. There were definite points that lagged during some of the dialogue (especially in the beginning) but overall- characters had a lot of chemistry, definitely a spicy romance novel many are sure to enjoy.

The Spanish Love Deception was a cute, fun debut.. I struggled to engage in the beginning .Things we’re a little slow going and the chapters were longer than I would normally prefer.. However once things picked up, I found the story funny and entertaining. I enjoyed the tension and chemistry between Lina and Aaron and loved the setting. While this wasn’t my favorite read, I enjoyed the writing and look forward to reading more work by Armas.

3,5-4/5 ⭐️
What I enjoyed;
🇪🇸 Enemies-to-lovers
🇪🇸 Fake dating
🇪🇸 Slow-burn romance
🇪🇸 🔥🔥

Thank you NetGalley, and the author for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I can't say enough great things about this book. I typically don't read books in the romance genre, but this novel was impossible to put down. It's witty, fun, and engaging. The story does start off really slowly and doesn't really pick up until Lina's first (unofficial) date with Aaron. However, the tension between the two main characters is off the charts! One of the most PERFECT slow-burn romances I've ever had the pleasure to read about. So cinematic and I instantly loved the concept of Lina and Aaron ending up together. Even though they are so different, somehow they work. While most of the plot points are hardly realistic, this book is a much-needed escape from the real world. I couldn't help but root for Lina and understand some of her hesitations when it came to dating. If BookTok recommends this book to you - do yourself a favor and read it now!