Were You Deceived By ‘The Spanish Love Deception’?

I usually read quite a bit of book reviews before blogging just to test the water before I pour out my genuine feelings about any book. However for ‘The Spanish Love Deception’ by Elena Armas, the title itself might be deceiving a little. Some of the reviews I’ve came across meant well but some do have a negative impact. The fact that I am not given free books from the authors or the publishers, makes my reviews more real than the ones out there. I’m not affiliated or obligated to anyone so I don’t have to say only nice things about any of the books I’ve read so far.

“Set your goal free into the universe. Visualize it.”
*Elena Armas*

Now, let’s look at the summary of this book.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A TikTok Sensation
Winner of Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut Novel 2021
Nominee of Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2021

Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiraled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.

She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.

Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.

But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.

The book was definitely overhyped with 94% of people liked it in Google. It was almost 450 pages long and you will for sure feel the length. It was published in 2021 as a slow-burn romance and it was a really slow one too. Even though this book reminds me a lot of the movie The Proposal for the enemies-to-lovers based romance, I was expecting a little more deeper than this. With a great sense of humor, a lot of Spanish and sarcasm that supercedes me, I somewhat enjoyed reading this book. The cover is cute and gave quite a summery feeling after all.

Just like movies, our preferences will differ when it comes to books. You should really try reading this book to see if you like it or not. Instead of the cons, I think it would be nice to highlight some of the best parts of this book that I find interesting. What about you? Were you deceived by ‘The Spanish Love Deception’?

1. The humor.

“I’d take a chimpanzee dressed in a tuxedo before taking you.”

Catalina (the protagonist) can be funny at times. The author made sure she created a character that whenever she tried to ease things out, she makes it worse but it is worth laughing over. Even when her best friend asked her to set herself free, her answer was that she visualized herself as impassive, unconcerned, unimpressed, a block of ice in the middle of a blizzard standing solidly, immovable, cold and calm.

2. Fight your own battles.

“I was a woman – the only woman in the division, leading a team – and I had the goods, no matter how generous my curves were or not.”

When you are the only woman in your division and leading a team, you will come across sexists who will bring you down every single chance they get. Catalina did not back down no matter how hard it gets and that was quite inspiring. Being a woman, I’m sure you’ve faced the same exact situation or even worse in your life. And you should always choose to stand up for yourself and fight your own battles regardless of the circumstances.

3. Family values.

“I had been so preoccupied with dreading the moment that I had forgotten they were my family. My home.”

Catalina was brought up in a home where her parents are a little too involved in her life. Her dad had always been accommodating and caring. He always makes her feel at home even when it’s just pure chaos. Her mother had taught her better than to leave things hanging. Ignoring and waiting for them to go away wasn’t the smart thing to do. Eventually, they’d fall on you and chances were they’d take you down with them if you let them.

4. The rivalry.

“All is fair in love and war.”

According to Catalina, Aaron started the feud and he made sure being her friend was the last thing on his mind. They barely tolerated each other, spiteful to each other, pointed out each other’s mistakes, criticized how differently they worked, thought and lived. It was a two-way road. However, Aaron doesn’t play games and if he puts his mind into something, he is all aboard. Even at work, he has never stereotyped her in any way.

5. The romance.

“We are in this together, and we’ve got this.”

Even though they were just fake dating, Aaron started stepping up his game. He was showing her that he was going to be there for her no matter what and it means a lot to Catalina. Ever since her ex broke her heart and everyone around her, she had problem trusting anyone with her heart. Aaron proved himself to her during the trip to Spain and let her build her trust slowly. The respect he has for her is immense after knowing how strong she really is.

For those who’ve read this book, do you think the book was worth the hype? Or was it over exaggerated?